Construction Is A Wonderful Profession for anyone with the grit and determination to take it on and master it. And it is getting better every day in every way mostly because of the recession that began in 2008. The economic downturn put enormous pressure on all Construction Companies to innovate and change or go out of business!
Construction Is No Place For Weak-Willed Wanna-Bees; however, it is the only place for men and women with grit, determination and a burning desire to achieve greatness and a legacy of service to all of humanity in the cause of preserving and maintaining civilization through construction.
Contractors Need Workers that are perfect for their particular situation which means you need to know the differences between construction workers so you can attract, hire and retain the best ones for your company.
Phase One - The Awareness A young man or woman gets becomes aware of the urge to build something, remodel something or simply play with construction tools and equipment. So they ask questions, do research online or perhaps make application at a construction firm.
Phase Two - They Get Hired The young man or woman is hired by a New Construction Company and starts at the bottom, literally as an apprentice and learns by experience and in some cases it is supplemented with night school.
Phase Three - They Become Cave Men & Women the Apprentice has learned all the lessons and developed the skills to become a Journeyman Construction Technician
Brute Force - Always use brute force and if that doesn't work use more brute force and be quick about it....we're burning daylight!
Dress Code - Tattoos, torn shirt, filthy coat, scruffy jeans, greasy dirty boots with heavy thick tread that picks up everything you step on.
Vocabulary - All the four letter words combined with every insult every hurled, mixed together in new and interesting combinations.
Attitude - I not paid to think! Can't somebody else do that? It is not my fault! That was broke when I got here!
Phase One - The Awareness After a while in new construction the physical intensity begins taking its toll on the body and they cannot compete with the younger kids that are always coming into the trades. They consider a slower pace of work where their skills and experience are more in demand; remodeling.
Phase Two - They Get Hired They are hired by a construction company that does residential remodeling or commercial tenant improvement work.
Phase Three - They Become Cowboys and Cowgirls The technician has learned all the lessons and developed the skills to become a first class remodel technician
Brute Force - Sometimes brute force works and if not stop and think until you find a better way,
Dress Code - Clean shirt, coat, jeans, boots with soles that will not pick up everything you step on,
Vocabulary - Few if any of the four letter words. Limited insults and quietly spoken to co-workers and other construction trades.
Attitude - I am paid to think. I take responsibility to make the experience as pleasant as possible for the customer. If something is broke I figure out how to get it fixed.
Phase One - The Awareness After a few years in remodel the body rebels again and it is time to move to the next stop, service and repair or handyman.
Phase Two - They Get Hired They are hired by a company or start their own business.
Phase Three - They Become Shoe Salesmen having experience in all areas of construction they have what appears to be X-Ray vision because they know what is behind the walls, under the floor and on top of the ceiling
Gentle Persuasion With a Touch of Brute Force - They work where people are living or at someone's busy office so brute force is not the first option.
Dress Code - Professional logo's on clean shirt and coat. Work pants or crisp jeans, nice shoes with shoe covers
Vocabulary - Language that could be spoken in church or to their grandmother. No four letter words!
Attitude - I am paid to think and be of service in the best way I know how!
There is a lot more to this subject, marketing, strategy, back office setup which I may cover on another article later. The key take away is to understand that just because someone is good at one part of construction does not mean they will be good at another part.
Before hiring a construction worker ask what they specialize in and only consider construction workers that specialize in the work you need done.
Unfortunately, in any downturn in the economy or slowdown in the work and some contractors take on work in areas they are not setup to manage and complete.
Each area New Construction, Remodel, Service has a completely different set of skills, tools; expertise and back office support that is needed to do the work and keep customers happy.
In the 25+ years I have been involved in construction most of the problems, heartache and headache can be traced back to a contractor that was out of his or her expertise.
I have Progressed Through All Three Construction Worker Paths And Ended Up Back At Square One As The Contractors Accountant which why I speak with authority on this subject.
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About The Author:
Our Co-Founder Randal DeHart - Is a Certified PMP (Project Management Professional) with several years of construction project management experience. His expertise is construction accounting systems engineering and process development. His exhaustive study of several leading experts including the work of Dr. W. Edward Deming, Michael Gerber, Walter A. Shewhart, James Lewis and dozens of others was the foundation upon which our Construction Bookkeeping System is based and continues to evolve and improve. Check out our Contractor Success Map Podcast on iTunes and Follow Randal on Google+