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Do you know your Recruiter?
Paul Smythe • July 27, 2020
Construction Recruitment expert, Joel Steggall, talks about his journey with JV Recruitment and offers Construction candidates some advice.
Joel Steggall has been working as a Consultant with JV Recruitment for over 5 years now. As an expert in the Labour Hire Recruitment sector, he has navigated his career into a leadership role, as Team Leader of our Permanent Recruitment team.
Here's Joel answering a Q&A on his journey with JV and offering some advice for those seeking a new job...
1) Tell us a bit about your role and your time at JV Recruitment.
During my first year working at JV Recruitment I worked as a recruitment consultant in Labour Hire, specialising in Residential, Commercial, Apartments, Modular and Industrial. I then moved into a new business development role, where my main focus was to generate new clients in addition to nurturing existing client relationships. Part of my responsibilities in this new role was to help train new staff starting out in the Labour Hire team.
A large portion of my time with JV Recruitment has been spent working as a Team Leader. Initially for the Labour Hire team, and also for the Account Management team and now the Permanent Recruitment team.
I’ve managed a range of tasks such as negotiating client rates, developing and assessing staff KPI's, negotiating payment terms, credit control (chasing invoices), making commercial decisions and even organising some staff social events.
In my current role I run a contract recruitment desk whilst also being responsible for achieving team targets in permanent recruitment. Looking after a team suits me well. I've been with JV Recruitment since when they were a lot smaller, so when anyone comes to me with an issue I feel confident working with them to troubleshoot or resolve the problem fairly quickly.
2) What do you enjoy most about recruiting for the construction sector?
The people I work with. Building that relationship with clients and helping candidates kick-start their careers is completely rewarding. I worked in the construction industry back in the UK as a Contracts Manager for nearly five years and I have always enjoyed the industry and working with construction-minded people. Whilst I personally wasn't particularly engaged by the practical side of construction, I do thrive on and enjoy the methodology and processes, negotiation, contracts, relationships etc, and I still do!
3) What have been some of the biggest changes you have seen in the construction sector over this time?
When I started out, the construction industry was booming; we could put an ad on Gumtree (yes, Gumtree!) for Carpenters and have 25 strong applicants within a day. This was the case for all roles back then.
As JV Recruitment has grown, the industry continued to boom. It has been a very candidate-short market over the last four to five years, however due to this pandemic (which shall remain nameless) the tables have turned and there are many candidates looking for work with fewer companies employing. That's not to say that no construction companies are employing though; there's definitely still construction businesses out there who are!
4) What advice would you give to those struggling in the job market at the moment due to the current pandemic?
I would say look at LinkedIn. It's already a massive tool used by recruitment companies and construction companies alike, however I anticipate LinkedIn will be increasingly used by the construction sector in terms of how people advertise and search for jobs in the coming years. Do some research on how best to present yourself and update your profile.
I'd also say, don't spam your resume out to every advertisement that pops up as this can be detrimental to your job search if recruiters see you applying for anything even if you’re not suitably qualified, not to mention you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Read the ad, make sure you have the required skill set and apply accordingly. The obvious but still the most effective thing to do is to follow up with a phone call to make sure your application has been received. This small step can make all the difference.
And don’t forget you can always reach out to a Recruitment Consultant at JV Recruitment
to obtain some helpful advice.
5) What has been your biggest career lesson to date?
Don’t take anything for granted. Never rest on your laurels and get comfortable. Hard work and being genuine is what builds long term relationships. Embrace change and new challenges throughout your career. Working in different roles and sectors will only make you grow as a person.
Great advice Joel!
Remember, if you are currently looking for work in construction, recruiting in construction, or if you're after a friendly chat about the market or your career, reach out to Joel at JV Recruitment:
0429 219 110
joel@jvrecruitment.com.au
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