Dec issue of the Ontario Construction Report

Are you the right candidate?

No your computer monitor is not upside down, you are just viewing Canada in a different way! Which is what I have done with our recruiting process.

In early October Mark Buckshon the owner of the Construction News and Report Group asked me if I wanted to take on the recruiting role to locate new Publishers for our papers. The model is simple, we find a sustainable region with a qualified rep. Actually we find the rep first and see if the region will support them. This is different then usual hiring and expansion process where you say I want to open a paper in Regina now find someone. Ironically in our model the qualified people determine our markets.

One thing from our planning session last year and this which was emphasized was we will expand where we find the right people. For the past year that meant posting job ads in Ontario in places like Ottawa, Kingston, Niagara, Toronto and Northern Ontario. When Mark asked me to take on the role I said I would but I wanted to use the same exact process for posting the jobs and the screening process as we had in place for 30 days to understand how we can make changes. Well through working with what was in place I found a few areas to change right away.

1) Do not just limit the job postings in Ontario near our existing markets. The great thing about the Canadian Job Bank you can post anywhere in Canada and it is free. So I targeted areas like New Brunswick, British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta and again supporting areas in Ontario for our existing publications.

2) I modified our working test a bit which involved the candidates working on a feature to generate sales from suppliers/trades and then producing a list of potential features they could work if hired.

The change was simple, Have them complete the feature list first at no cost to us and then modify the working paid test. If the person bomb the list of potential features we stopped the recruiting process. The paid portion of the test is where I clearly defined that we would pay then for 3 days consecutive work (defined how many hours 21, we had one candidate in the past invoice us for over 30 hours once, long story) and defined three ways they could be successful.

a) Generate sales from the list of suppliers and trades we provide you.

b) Land a new contract advertiser.

c) Set up two features with lists in that would meet the requirements of a valid feature.

3) Another change I have made is giving some people a second chance at completing the initial questionnaire we send out to gage peoples understanding of effective ways of marketing and also if they understand our process of having trade and supplier supported features. How I determined if I would give people a second chance was easy, I reviewed their resumes and looked for work experiences similar to mine and our other existing publishers. I simply sent back a online response to them saying here is what we were actually looking for. In two cases they the candidates did not redo it and one other person kept asking more questions.

Now one candidate responded with what I was exactly looking for and in the online sales test he scored 8.5 and 10 out of 10 two key areas around sales and closing. In the past I think because his first attempt at answering the questionnaire failed we could have never known his true talents.

4) The last change I will make is reviewing as many resumes of people who did not complete the first screening process assignment which is answering the questionnaire. In recruiting sometimes the best people for the job have decent jobs already and maybe are just going through the motions of finding a new job. Our process is different where we do not do a real sit down interview until the end of the process just before we do a reference check. This difference may scare away some candidates who are very well qualified to work for us that may simply need a little push to get going. I will be doing this review over the holidays season.

Now all the changes I have made are not earth shattering, but they are a different view of the current process we had in place. I recommend that if you are stuck in a rut with recruiting and finding new talent that you let another successful employee take a peek at what your are doing and see if they can find new ways to make it work. You may just find a new recruiter.

How do you locate and hire new staff? Share you stories with me at chasemarketing@sympatico.ca

Women In Construction February 2009 Special Theme

If you are a woman, and work within the architectural, engineering and construction community,
you have special challenges and opportunities. The industry, especially the trades and general contracting sectors, are traditionally seen as male bastions; but women, increasingly, are playing an important role in broadening the scope of the industry and improving its character and values.

Besides, women who make their careers in construction generally do quite well in life. This special report on Women in Construction will look at the evolution of the women's role in the industry from a multi-faceted perspective. You will read about about the Canadian Association of Women In Construction (CAWIC), and Women in Science and Engineering, and the special report will describe the contributions of successful women who have contributed to the industry's progress.

If you are a woman in construction, you'll find this article insightful and useful in developing your career. If not, you will learn about the challenges women face and the opportunities for the industry in improving opportunities for women. We welcome your news stories, opinions, and observations, and you'll find your advertising message reaches a receptive audience, with 10,000 copies distributed across the province.

For more information, call Chase at 888-432-3555 ext 211
Email: chase@cnrgp.com

Also note tht you can purchase the Spot Colour Pink for $75 with all proceeds going to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. If you purchase Full Process Colour for $475, $75 will be donated on your behalf as well.

Advertising Deadline: January 30, 2009.
Editorial features deadline: December 31, 2008.

New Company Vehicle - Part 2

My nomination for the Ontario Construction Reports Readers Choice Awards for next year is....

Skyway Digital.

Earlier I had posted about a project I had done where a local company had did some design work on a Tonka Dump Truck I wanted to use for trade shows. The finished product was not exactly what I had envisioned but it was still usable. I was looking for the vehicle to be wrapped in red with decals applied but due to the shape the wrap did not work, so paint was used instead. The process took twice as long to complete and I had felt that I had been overcharged due to the issues of making such a small project work out.

I had sent a quick email to them on Saturday evening and had my first response early Monday. Today I got my follow up and I was impressed with the solution offered by Nancy the General Manager and her professionalism. What I was even more so impressed with was the fact that Nancy showed great empathy and understanding.

So for her efforts you will see a free ad in the next issue of the GTA Construction Report. The most important thing to point out here is the following:

1) My customer concern was responded to as quickly as possible(within minutes of the normal business hours beginning on Monday.

2) The client told me they would follow up in a timely fashion and they did follow up when she said she would.

3) Her resolution was more then what I expected. She impressed me.

For doing all of this I will make sure that ongoing jobs will go to them as much as possible and I will gladly recommend them to any of my customers.

Tell me about your best and worst customer services experiences. Send me a note at chasemarkting@sympatico.ca (I will only use your name if you say I can).

Check out the 2008-09 Readers Choice Nominees

After you review the list of nominees you may also vote for them by downloading a copy of the forms or completing your votes online here VOTE ONLINE NOW

Advertising Manager/Associate Publisher

Advertising Manager/Associate Publisher

Company:
Construction News and Report Group of Companies

Type:
Full-time
Experience:
Mid-Senior level
Functions:
Marketing, Consulting, Advertising, Customer Service, Business Development
Industries:
Marketing and Advertising, Construction, Newspapers
Location:
Canada (Ontario, Canada)
Pay Range:
40,000 CAD - 60,000 CAD Per Year

Job Description:
Are you ready to work hard and resourcefully (and handle some some grunt jobs), as you achieve higher levels of accomplishment? Do you want fair compensation, with a reasonable starting salary, and much personal freedom and autonomy? Then you may want to work with us as a regional publisher.

We publish regional construction newspapers in Ottawa, Toronto, and North Carolina -- and will soon expand the business to other communities, perhaps yours! You will help build and develop the existing products and (when the time is right), participate in the business expansion. This opportunity will appeal to you if you are interested -- and capable! -- in sales and marketing.

You need to be a great salesperson, but also appreciate the background of relationships and the business environment because most people who do business with us respond less to selling than effective marketing communication. If you review our websites and blogs, you'll gain an understanding of the business.

Feel free to email your resume and cover letter; virtually no one is 'screened out' at the early stages. For additional insights, you can review http://www.constructionmarketingideas.blogspot.com/ (for the highest understanding, you should check the earliest archived entries).

Skills:
Most work is daytime business hours, but you should plan on a few evening events/meetings a month. There is little weekend work. You should have access to your own transportation. Experience in sales work is useful, but not essential -- we can show you the ropes if you have the right attributes.

Company Description:
We publish regional construction trade newspapers and websites in several Canadian and U.S. cities. Our goal is primarily about effective selling -- though the selling process in our business is unconventional in that the biggest sales often require the 'purchaser' to spend no money -- while achieving substantial value/results. You will spend much of your time 'connecting' in the community -- and much on the phone -- tracking down leads, arranging appointments, and selling advertising.


My Role: Company Employee
Send applications to: chase@cnrgp.com

Sharing or Selling : What should your priority be?

Check out this posting on Construction Marketing Ideas Blog that Mark Buckshon expands on a post I had originally done.

Chase, in his latest blog posting,
Does giving away more then you expect to get back actually help you grow your business?makes a vitally important point.