Scenario: Because of increasing sales, Barry Builder needed to hire a new superintendent. He ran an ad in the local paper and received several resumes he thought were interesting. He then followed up each resume with a phone interview.
One of the applicants, Ned Brooks, had 20 years of experience in the construction industry, 12 of them as a superintendent. Most of that, however, had been in production housing with a builder whose reputation was for putting speed over craftsmanship. When Barry talked to Ned on the phone, he came across as being very organized and efficient but also somewhat lacking in communication skills. The second resume Barry liked was from Ron Tucker, an assistant superintendent with a competing custom builder. Even though Ron was young, in his late 20s, he seemed thoughtful and knowledgeable over the phone. The third resume that caught Barry’s attention was from a young man who had just graduated with a college degree in construction management. While Jack Snyder lacked the supervisory experience of the other two, he had worked in construction during summers in several capacities and seemed to be enthusiastic. Which applicant would make the best fit for Barry’s company?
Solution: Hiring the right superintendent is one of the most crucial decisions a builder makes. The right superintendent keeps the work flowing, controls costs, and maintains a positive work environment. A poor superintendent is a disaster waiting to happen. He or she can tolerate construction errors that have to be redone, create dissension and frustration among subcontractors and workers, and allow schedules to slip behind. The type of superintendent a custom builder needs depends on his own management style and the strengths and weaknesses of his company. Someone with production building experience might be a good match for a company that has constant schedule overruns. The technical skills that come with a construction management degree might be highly beneficial if the company is deficient in computer skills. The level of communication skills required can depend on whether the builder treats superintendents as little more than on-site coordinators or as autonomous craftsman with minimum supervision or control.
There are four things to look for in a new employee: attitude, aptitude, experience, and education. Attitude is the individual’s willingness to try new things, to master new skills, and to persevere in solving problems. Aptitude is his native capability to learn and grow. While there is no substitute for experience, the wrong experience can mean that the individual has picked up bad habits over the years. Even the number of years may not indicate a depth of experience; a person may have 12 years of experience, or simply one year’s experience repeated 12 times. Formal education in construction management is less crucial than in the professions of law or medicine, for example. However, many colleges have developed effective two- and four-year programs that give a good fundamental foundation in basic management skills. When these are combined with hands-on experience, the result is often a much stronger performance
Our rule of thumb is to choose attitude and aptitude over experience and education. Individuals can always gain new experience and learn new skills as long as they have the right attitude and aptitude.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to tell from a resume what type of superintendent a person is or how well that person will fit into an organization. A face-to-face interview will tell more about an applicant’s personality and ability to think on his feet, but even then it’s hard to get past the surface and discover the real individual. Because of this difficulty, many builders are starting to use personality testing as part of the hiring process. While a personality test will not tell how competent an individual is in technical skills, it will give an indication of how well he will fit within an organization and how well he will work with the builder’s own personality type.
In hiring a new superintendent, we recommend that Barry hire someone who is willing to work as a junior superintendent for three to six months. It is crucial that a new individual understand the particular management systems and culture of the company before jumping feet first into managing a full schedule. The easiest way to do that is to let him work under the supervision of someone who is familiar with the systems and culture. In addition, when he hires a new person as an assistant to an already overworked superintendent, he will be less threatening to other employees, who may otherwise treat the new hire as a rival instead of a colleague. When the new hire has demonstrated mastery of the systems, Barry can quickly promote him. If that isn’t practical, the next best thing would be to start the new person off with a lighter schedule, and then plan on spending a lot of time bringing him up to speed.
Any of the three candidates could be a good choice, depending on personality fit and Barry’s particular needs. Barry will only be able to make that decision after conducting in-depth, face-to-face interviews with all the candidates, understanding their personality profiles, and evaluating each in terms of potential contribution to the company.
Al Trellis, a co-founder of Home Builders Network, has more than 25 years of experience as a custom builder, speaker, and consultant. He can be reached at altrellis@hbnnet.com.
