Category: Candidate Tips

Whether you’ve received a call from a headhunter or you’re simply preparing for the future, you’ve come to the right page.

Leading construction companies will often target talented individuals for new roles instead of putting out job ads or recruiting en masse.

In this blog, we walk you through what to do when you get headhunted.

Step 1: Be prepared

To maximise your chances of being targeted by headhunters, you’ll need online profiles that make you visible to great employers.

If you haven’t already, give your LinkedIn profile a refresh, complete with recommendations and endorsements. You’ll also want to create a profile on a leading construction jobs platform where employers often go to source new talent.

Once you’ve got your pubic profiles ready, showcasing your skills and experience, you could receive a call from a headhunter at any time. If you get a call during work hours, arrange to have your discreet chat at a better time. This will show your professionalism and tact.

Step 2: Don’t jump the gun

Receiving a call from a headhunter is not the same thing as being offered a job.

The headhunter will let you know that an employer is interested in you for a position, and will ask you whether you’re also interested in being considered.

If you answer yes, then you will progress to an interview stage. You will then be considered against one or two other individuals.

When the call comes, express your interest in the role, but don’t sell yourself too hard at the beginning. Doing so could imply desperation or dissatisfaction with your current role.

Step 3: Consider carefully

The headhunter will describe the role to you over the phone and then follow up with an email which provides the details in writing.

During your chat, and after considering the role on offer, ask as many questions as possible, including details around salary, benefits, company culture and opportunities for career development.

Remember to always consider the entire package on offer, not just the salary price tag.

Step 4: Respond respectfully

The headhunter will indicate a timeframe for your response. Show your professionalism and reaffirm your interest by responding within the time frame given.

Regardless of whether your answer is yes or no, a polite and timely response will work in your favour. That headhunter will consider you and put you forward for future employment opportunities.

Learn more about how we can help connect you to top opportunities within the construction and engineering industry. 

You’ve spent weeks or even months searching for a new job: trawling jobs boards, crafting your resume and cover letter, and sending out applications. How do you know if your application was read or received, or when you can expect to hear back? Follow-up contact after submitting an application is a great way to make yourself stand out from the other applicants. It also gives you an idea as to how long you should hold out for the job and when it’s time to shop elsewhere.

To call or not to call?

Don’t expect to get an email response–or any other response, for that matter–saying that your application was received. Each time a company posts a job ad, they are inundated with applications and cannot reasonably reply to any. That said, companies expect, and in some cases like, to receive follow-up calls or emails from applicants. A follow-up email as opposed to call is usually best, as it is least demanding on the hiring manager’s time. However, if the job ad specifies a contact who is willing to answer questions, feel free to give them a call to enquire whether your application was received.

How to follow-up

Time your follow-up about one week after sending your initial application. This gives the hiring staff adequate time to begin looking through the applications without allowing too much time to pass. The best time to call or email someone is on a Tuesday or Thursday morning at around 10am. Try to avoid calling or emailing on Mondays or Fridays, especially early morning or last thing before closing time.

Make sure you are emailing the same person you sent your application to, i.e. the contact specified on the job ad. If an email address was not provided, and you submitted via a jobs board or the company’s website, then you’ll need to be a little more creative with your follow-up email. Search for the hiring manager on the company’s website and contact them directly, or call up at reception to find out who the relevant contact is.

What to say

Your follow up email should be ultra-brief to ensure it gets read and replied to. The more words you write, the less likely the recipient is to read or reply to your follow-up. Simply state that you are checking in to see if your application was received, and reinstate your enthusiasm for the role. In most cases, you’ll get a response telling you when the applications should be processed and when you can expect to hear back.

If calling, the same principle of brevity applies. Introduce yourself as one of the applicants and enquire as to whether your application has been received. You may take this opportunity to restate, in a few words–without taking up too much of the hiring staff’s time–why you’d be perfect for the role. For example, you could state your experience in a similar role or your years of experience in the industry. You may also enquire as to the application period time frame and when they expect to make a decision, but again, keep it brief and polite.

Are you the right candidate for the job? Examine your work-ethic and become the candidate employers are looking for.

7. Are you results-driven?

Don’t get bogged down in lengthy processes. Unless you can deliver the goods, employers aren’t interested. Whether you’re interviewing for jobs or starting out at a new role, make sure you focus on results and achieve them.

6. Are you productive?

There’s little point in being hard-working unless you can prove your worth. A productive employee crosses tasks off their checklist and keeps their fellow team members in the loop, demonstrating a project’s progress.

5. Are you positive?

Employers look for positive workers to join their team. Being positive is not just about being optimistic and upbeat, it’s about presenting a “can-do” attitude. Be willing to take on tasks within your means, and be prepared to face the challenges that will invariably arise.

4. Are you proactive?

You’ve been hearing this one since you were at school, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t put it into practice. It’s easy to stick with what you know and satisfy a minimum job requirement, but candidates willing to go the extra mile will always get the best jobs. Employers want you to be self-motivated. They want to do as little hand-holding and micro-managing as possible.

3. Are you a team-player?

Every workplace has its employees who either thrive at teamwork or excel at flying solo. Determining which type of employee you are comes with experience and time. But regardless of your preferences, every employer wants a candidate who fits into their company as a whole. Being a team-player is more than having a  knack for communications, it’s about being approachable, and fitting in with the company culture.

2. Are you adaptable?

Turns out skills and qualifications are less important than you might think. With technology improving every year, and the nature of certain roles changing to suit,  employers are now looking for candidates who can prove they’re flexible and adaptable. With nearly half of Australian degrees predicted to be obsolete within a decade, your adaptability is your greatest asset.

1. Are you trustworthy?

Top talent is worthless unless it’s matched with a trustworthy employee. Employers take a financial risk when they hire you, and lose money if you don’t pull through. Conduct yourself with integrity throughout all aspects of the job, from arriving at work on time and meeting deadlines, to maintaining professional confidentiality on sensitive issues.

Whether you’ve just graduated from university or you’re an industry senior, showing leadership qualities is important to landing your next job. As it turns out, leadership is one of the most highly prized qualities in job candidates, and yet, Australian workplaces lack effective leaders. If you can show your leaderships skills to a new employer through your CV and at your interview, you’ll have a huge competitive advantage over others who are going for the same job.

What is leadership?

The construction engineering industry was no exception to the majority of Australian businesses who once considered leadership synonymous with bully-ish Alpha-type behaviour. However, thanks to technologies and other advancements in recent years, all of this has changed for the better. Leadership is no longer about being extroverted, loud, or pressuring others to do things your way. Leadership now stands for being an effective communicator who can drive results. Leadership is about enabling and inspiring colleagues to produce the best work they are capable of.

How to Show Leadership Skills – Your CV

If you’ve ever had a leadership role, make sure you include this in your CV and highlight the exact skills and achievements that made you an effective leader: communication, enabling and inspiring. If you haven’t had a leadership role, entrepreneurial experience works just as well because it shows ambition, drive and a can-do attitude that employers love. If you don’t have either of these experiences then we suggest highlighting leadership traits you’ve demonstrated in non-leadership roles. Describe when and how you’ve set a good example for others, where you’ve taken initiative and confidently handled your responsibilities.

Showing off some more- The Interview

Your interview is your time to shine and really show off the leadership qualities you’ve gained over the years. You’ll be asked about your strengths and weaknesses, and for specific examples of achievements in prior roles. Here’s where you describe how you drove results through effective communication, teamwork and well-managed responsibilities. Remember, a good leader learns lessons from their experiences, so be sure to articulate what skills you gained and how you would do things even better next time.

Confidence

Confidence is another trait that comes hand in hand with leadership, but don’t be fooled! You don’t need to be cocky, loud or extroverted to exude confidence at your interview. Confidence comes simply from knowing your stuff: having a firm knowledge of how to achieve the expectations of the role and being able to express this clearly. For this reason, prepare carefully for your interview and practice what you’re going to say. By coming prepared, and with a smile on your face, you’ll show off your confidence and leadership skills and wow your future employer.

Read Commonly Asked Job Interview Questions And How To Answer Them

The questions asked at your job interview are a way of getting a few key points of information: who you are, how employing you will benefit the organisation, why you left your old job, and what your salary expectations are. Keep this in mind during your interview, and you’ll answer each question well.

Tell us about yourself

Your interviewer wants a short and succinct summary of your skills and experience that are relevant to the job. Skills and experience are more important than education, but that said, if you’re new in the game, you can touch on your recently completed qualifications. Avoid talking about things that aren’t relevant to the job, like what you enjoy doing on weekends.

Why do you want to work for us?

Your interviewer is looking for someone who has a passion for the type of work they’re offering and will stick around. In order to impress, try linking your skills, experience and career goals with what the company does.

Why should we hire you?

This is your chance to go into a little more depth about your skills and experience. Be specific about results you’ve achieved and give examples. You want to demonstrate to your interviewer how you might achieve similar results while working for them. If you have any particular skills and experience that are truly unique and make you stand out from the other candidates, here’s your opportunity to bring them up.

Why are you leaving your job?

Your interviewer is not asking you this question in the same way your best friend did over last night’s dinner. The interviewer doesn’t want to hear about how mean your old boss was or how you didn’t get the promotion you deserved, and they won’t be sympathetic. Instead, focus on the opportunities that await you in the new role, and what you plan to achieve.

Why did you like and dislike about your previous job?

If you were an employer, would you hire someone with a positive view on life or a negative one? This question is asked to gauge how optimistic and adaptable you are. Paint your former role in a positive light if you want to make yourself look good.  

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Make sure you enter the room with more strengths in mind than weaknesses. When discussing strengths, be specific and describe how your met key performance indicators for your previous role. When giving weakness, demonstrate that you’ve thought carefully about how to get around the said weakness, or paint it in a positive light. As a general rule of thumb, avoid bragging and just be honest.

What are your salary expectations?

What the employer really wants to know is how cheaply they can get you for. Don’t sell yourself short. Think of a range based on your experience and qualifications, and state that the amount is negotiable based on job description and package. 

 

Looking for work? Follow Quadrant Exec’s LinkedIn page for more job-hunting tips in construction and engineering. 

So you’ve got an interview for your dream job. A little bit of nerves might be healthy but it’s time to put your fears aside. We’ve put together a list of our top interview tips, gleaned from years of interviewing and recruiting new staff. Find out what to do, what not to do, and how to walk out of your interview knowing you put your best foot forward. These tips won’t guarantee you’ll get the job, but they’ll give you the confidence to be the best you can be.

Come prepared

One of the biggest mistakes we see during interviews is when candidates have no idea about the role they’re going for or the company that’s hiring. Don’t rock up at your  interview without researching first. Doing so will help you anticipate the questions that will be asked and give you an idea of the company culture you’re potentially entering into. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be able to dress appropriately for your interview and turn up on time.

Additionally, we recommend brainstorming some questions you might be asked and rehearsing them before you arrive. Remember, the goal of the interview is to land a job that you want, so make sure you know exactly what you want and expect before heading in.

Be Yourself

Having interviewed hundreds of people in engineering and construction, one of our main pieces of advice would be to ‘be yourself’. By this we don’t mean using the sort of language you’d use with your mates at the pub on a Friday night, nor do we mean talking at length about your after hours hobbies. Being yourself at an interview means showing sincere enthusiasm for the role and being open and honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Not only can employers and recruiters smell insincerity and indifference a mile off, but you’d only be doing yourself a disservice by lying.

By being yourself, you’ll be visibly confident in what you’re communicating, and you’ll naturally ask relevant and inquisitive questions that reflect your enthusiasm and interest in the role.

Be flexible

In the good old days, before technology had its way with industries and roles, employers expected their new staff to have a set number of required skills. These days, employers are quickly learning that adaptability in a new employee is much more valuable than a set requirement of skills. With the way companies work these days, any given role will change and evolve year on year, so that the skills needed for the role are constantly in flux. Do not fear your gaps in knowledge and experience. Put forward your flexible and adaptable nature, your willingness to change, grow and learn, and you’ll surely impress at your upcoming interview.

 

Looking for work in construction and engineering? Let Quadrant Exec place you in your dream job – drop us an email today.

A cover letter is your way of introducing yourself to a potential employer. It’s your first–and sometimes last–opportunity to wow them and get your foot in the door. The whole aim of your cover letter is to secure an interview, so you need to make every word count. Here’s how to craft a cover letter that will help you stand out for jobs in construction and engineering:

Projects, projects, projects

Just like your resume, your cover letter should focus on the most important aspects of your career and experience: your projects. Employers in the industry are less interested in your certificates from 15 years ago or your weekend hobbies, and more interested in the projects that you’ve worked on and the ways in which you’ve excelled in your role. You can’t include everything you’ve ever done in a cover letter, so choose a couple of recent projects that summarise what you can do and where you’re at with your career.

Avoid cliches

Companies and recruiting agencies get far more applications that they can look at. Can you imagine how many of the applicants have written the same thing? Even if each and every one of them is ‘team player’ with ‘extensive experience’, your whole aim is to stand out not blend in! Avoid cliches in your cover letter by unpacking these overused phrases. Explain exactly how you work in a team environment and what you’ve achieved with others, elaborate on your experience so that its ‘extensiveness’ speaks for itself.

Check out the cliches to avoid when writing your CV in our previous blog.

Stabs or Slices?

Don’t let the words “cover letter” mislead you. Yes, a cover letter is like an old fashioned letter in the sense that it’s written by you and addressed to someone else. But you don’t want your letter to resemble a great big ‘slab of text.’ Improve the readability of your cover letter by using subheads, bullet points or both. You want your reader to be able to scan the information as quickly and easily as possible. And remember, keep it under one page in length!

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Have you ever applied for a job on a job board? If so, your resume might not have reached human eyes!

Large companies and recruitment agencies use an automated software called an applicant tracking system (APS), or other artificial intelligence to scan the applications before anyone reads them. This way, they can pre-filter the most relevant applicants from the enormous pile, saving time for the hiring staff at the other end.

If you’re applying for a job where an applicant tracking system is being used, read on to find out how you can bypass it…

1. Include The Right Keywords

An applicant tracking system works by scanning for keywords. Applicant tracking systems typically scan for keywords relating to job title, former employers, experience, qualifications and universities. This is why it’s important to rewrite your resume for every individual job you apply for, so that your resume reflects the language used by that employer (and their APS). For example, if the job advertisement is for a ‘senior construction engineer,’ try to have this exact match keyword in your resume, rather than a synonym that the system may not pick up. Another good idea is to read the employer’s website and try to use the same terminology that they do.

2. Use The Right Format

Formatting is important for any CV, regardless of whether it’s being read by an APS or a human, because you want it to be as clear, professional and readable as possible. However, when applying for a job where an APS is being used, there are some special formatting considerations to take into account. Firstly, you want to spell out acronyms in full. That means writing words like ‘APS’ in their complete form, i.e. ‘applicant tracking system’. Some agencies use older systems which struggle with certain fonts, so try to use Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. Finally, always use straightforward headings like Education, Qualifications, Experience – don’t try to get creative.

3. Avoid Keyword Stuffing 

Although we’ve described some great tips for beating applicant tracking systems, what you ultimately need to remember is that you’re writing for a human. If your resume is chosen by the applicant tracking system, it’s going to reach human eyes in the end, and this human is going to decide whether or not to call you in for an interview. For this reason, include your keywords and format your resume intelligently, but make sure to avoid ‘keyword stuffing.’ Instead, use short simple sentences that are easy to read.

4. Be Proactive

Applicant tracking systems may be here to stay in our modern age, but there are still a number of ways to bypass them altogether. Are you networking regularly with professionals in your industry? Having a contact at the company you’re applying for can be a huge advantage, as they will be able to put in a good word for you and allow you to bypass those pesky applicant tracking systems.

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