The Construction Hiring Mistake You’re Probably Making
Hiring in the construction industry isn’t like hiring in other industries. You don’t need someone who’s great at small talk—you need someone who can get the job done. But here’s where most contractors go wrong: they hire based on interviews instead of skills.
I recently reviewed over 80 applications for a position in our company. After phone screenings, we narrowed it down to a handful of candidates. Some of them were fantastic interviewers—polished, confident, great storytellers. They knew how to sell themselves.
But when we sent them real project scenarios?
Crickets.
They couldn’t solve the problems. They didn’t understand the details. It became clear—they were good at talking about the work, but not great at doing the work.
On the flip side, we had candidates who were awkward in interviews. They didn’t have the charisma or the polished answers. But when we put them in front of blueprints or out on the job site, they thrived. They found solutions we didn’t even think of. That’s when it hit me—we’ve been hiring wrong.
Here’s how to fix it:
Don’t just interview—test. Give candidates real-world tasks. Can they read plans? Spot issues? Solve problems?
Focus on outcomes, not answers. It doesn’t matter how well they explain things if they can’t execute.
Look beyond first impressions. The quiet, awkward candidate might be the one who saves your project down the line.
In entrepreneurship, we’re often told to “trust our gut.” But in hiring, that’s a mistake. In business, especially construction, you need to trust the results, not the interview performance.
The lesson? Good interviews don’t build houses—good people do.
So stop hiring based on who talks the best. Hire based on who works the best.
