Benchmark Search Group

There's one thing I've noticed about every senior/VP/exec level search we run.

Candidates are generally much kinder, more respectful, and genuinely appreciative of the recruiting call - EVEN if they are not interested.

I get far less rude comments and hangups at the sr. + level than I do mid career..

Honestly, I don't think it's a coincidence.
Climbing the ladder is equally (if not more so) a function fo your people skills as it is technical ability.

They also understand the value of relationships, and how over the course of a career those relationships often come full circle (sometimes in reverse) more than once.

Also (to state the obvious) it's much harder to progress in your career if you refuse to hear out opportunities when they come knocking.

So to my early career folks: take the call, build the relationship, politely decline if you aren't interested.

You're 1000% more likely to be my first call for the next opportunity if you're kind.. don't forget you're playing the long game.

We made a tough decision and turned down a client last week.
They're a GC that's winning a lot of work, growing their backlog, and are a group of good people genuinely trying to figure out how to scale.

The problem was that they weren't open to changing their hiring philosophy.

They wanted generalists.. every single role cross trains. Their supers need to be able estimate. Their PMs ready to jump in and run field ops. Everyone doing a little of everything.

(To be clear, there's nothing wrong with this. Small companies -mine included - in EVERY industry start this way.)

This model worked for them when they were small, and they'd operated that way for 20 years...but that model has a ceiling IF you're trying to scale.

We see a lot of sub-$25m~ construction company founders' "generalist" mentality become a bottleneck.

Depending on the size of your jobs, the operations you need to push $50m of work usually don't look like the ones that got you to $10M.
At some point, you need to hire people who are genuinely great at ONE thing - not decent at several.

A super whose whole job is running the field, and an estimator whose whole job is winning work, will outperform the cross-trained arrangement every time.

If you're growing and starting to feel the friction - dropped balls, stretched-thin people, roles that are impossible to define - that's usually the signal. Specialists are how you get to the next level.

Each morning this week I've been chipping away at getting notes/goodie boxes put together for our clients.. and it's made me realize a few things:

- Slowing down to write by hand is really cathartic. I rarely do it outside of taking notes..(which are pretty much hieroglyphs with labels). You can't rush your thoughts because you have to start over if you make a mistake. You can't "get close" spelling and rely on auto-correct

- My handwriting has gotten worse. Who knew that was a skill that could atrophy.

- Starting your day expressing gratitude for people you're thankful for makes it REALLY hard to be in a bad mood. It's clear the gratitude journalers are onto something here..

- We have the privilege of working with so many AMAZING people. Truly blessed.
(If you are one of those amazing people, I apologize in advance for the handwriting...)

- FedEx pickup is a godsend

There remains great value in certain INefficiencies .. like writing notes and packing boxes yourself.
Highly recommend.

Messaging matters! Don't think I've ever smiled at a tow sign before..

Same rule applies to your candidate experience. (Ah yes .. the recruiting tie in)

How you deliver the bad news to candidates that DON'T get the job is far more important than how you treat those that do.

Construction is a real small world.. and word travels fast.

I talk to folks everyday that were really excited about a company .. only to get a (permanent) sour taste when they:

- Ghost them halfway through the process
- Send a canned rejection email (without feedback) after multiple rounds of interviews
- Don't follow the expectations they set

Talent is the number one constraint for a growing contractor.. just someone isn't a fit today, they very well might be tomorrow. They may even know someone they'd be happy to refer to the role.

The secret sauce is to build strong relationships with EVERYONE that touches the organization.

If you can humanize the rejection, and build rapport in the process, you will be lightyears ahead of your competition.

Circa 1978. Old magazines (and cars) are my favorite time capsules.

What really struck me about this ad, is that if you sub "computer" for "Artificial Intelligence" .. this piece pretty much summarizes our current state of adoption, understanding, and application of AI.

Almost exactly 50 years later. How wild is that. The same machines being touted for generating "dazzling color graphics" for your pie graphs and video games are now - effectively - sentient.

Where will the current evolution of technology take us in another 50 years?

Unfortunately I think the movie Wall-e's interpretation won't be too far off..

Increasingly relevant job seeker tip: if the dates (and employers) on your resume don't align with your LinkedIn profile, you will be passed over by scrupulous recruiters and hiring managers.

Right now we're seeing strong construction candidates have 2-3 competing offers after an active job search.

When this happens, it's common for their mindset to shift away from abundance and into scarcity/risk avoidance.. they're more worried about making the WRONG decision than they are about making the right one.

It's a primal thinking pattern than we all experience. Psychologically, humans perceive "loss" as many multiples more painful than a proportional or equivalent "gain".. (Google it!)

If this is you, here's my one piece of advice: evaluate each opportunity against your non-monetary desire for change. Why'd you start looking for a new role in the first place?

Was it lack of growth? Leadership issues? Role compression? Missing your kids soccer games?

Which offer/role/company PULLS you closer to fulfilling that reason?

When someone forgets why they were looking and chases the shiniest ($$) option instead, there’s a high probability they end up feeling the same way they did in their previous role.

As Kid Cudi said: "Everything that shine ain't always gonna be Gold"