Why Aren’t You Interviewing Candidates with Hong Kong Experience?
Posted by Steve Thomas , Construction Recruitment Director, UK & Canada on Friday, June 9, 2023
I’ve worked in construction recruitment for over 25 years now, 20 of those as a joint owner/director of Maxim Recruitment. In 2011 Richard Poulter and I were fortunate enough to see the opportunity to grow the business by opening our Maxim Asia office in Hong Kong. This office is still thriving under Richard’s management, and I enjoyed many happy years living and working in the Hong Kong office with Richard before returning to the UK to run the business here and in Canada. “So what?” you might reasonably ask? Well, with this UK and Hong Kong construction recruitment experience, I have long seen and still see a fantastic opportunity for UK construction companies to find a way to tackle the ongoing UK construction skills shortage in key managerial job roles; let me explain.
Even before I moved to Hong Kong in 2011 it was already clear that building and civil engineering contractors and also cost and engineering consultants were experiencing a boom in Hong Kong workload. Their response to this was to try and recruit new staff locally but crucially to reach out via well connected recruiters like Maxim Recruitment to source the best international talent from overseas as well. All the smart construction companies in Hong Kong knew both that there weren’t enough locally based Quantity Surveyors, Engineers, Claims Consultants etc but also that simply fueling a wave of headhunting and the wage inflation it would cause, would not actually solve the skills shortage problem.
“So what?” you may again say. Well, the parallels are quite similar between Hong Kong then and the UK right now but the dynamic has to a significant extent reversed. What if the UK has a shortage of premium construction talent and there is an interest amongst Hong Kong people to relocate to the UK for attractive jobs? This is actually the case, and ironically, I am seeing many good Hong Kong candidates relocate to Canada to join sometimes British run companies in Toronto or Vancouver rather than coming to work in the UK.
So, if only some UK companies and not all are jumping to employ Hong Kong and other international talent in the UK, what are the concerns of UK construction employers regarding employing candidates with Hong Kong experience and are they valid? Lets look at the most common objections and concerns in turn:
Jobseekers from Hong Kong don’t have the skills I am looking for
I have heard this comment on a number of occasions and usually find it not to be a well-founded assertion, certainly as a blanket statement. What are the specific skills that are required for the job role you are looking to fill? If they are written down in a detailed job description, then this can be compared to the skills that HK candidates can demonstrate in their CV and explain in person at interview. Even if a good quality candidate has comparable experience (eg Primavera rather than MS Project) isn’t there a good chance that they will be quickly be able to get up to speed and quickly do a better job than an average quality candidate with the preferred type of software experience? There is plenty of mileage to identify and match the required skills to candidates from Hong Kong with the required skills.
Jobseekers from Hong Kong don’t have relevant experience as they have not worked in the UK construction industry before
I regularly hear this comment and often find it questionable as to whether this is valid. One of the main reasons employers fail to recruit the people they say they are desperate for is because many are simply looking for perfection; the ‘finished article’ or unicorn candidate; a candidate trained up by a direct competitor and willing to move across for less/the same/a tiny bit more money. This is a strategy that often leads to an interview process (at best) that is ultimately a waste of time. In a time of skills shortages and a rising cost of living, it can make more sense for an existing employer to counter-offer their existing employee with a higher salary to remain with them. While some people do move jobs for promotion or personal reasons, there are not enough good UK based construction professionals out there to simply source all staff from the UK local market. So, what about Hong Kong candidates?
Many Hong Kong and other international candidates do actually have relevant experience if their CVs are read closely. For example, the NEC form of contract is widely used in Hong Kong now, and construction standards, certifications and other protocols are either the same as or are derived from UK standards. There are some significant differences too, but competent and capable Hong Kong candidates can deal with change and can become outstanding contributors quickly. A good planner that has done delay analysis with an international contractor on a major project in Hong Kong is more than capable of working for a specialist dispute consultancy in the UK and the same applies for a range of other skill sets including cost management, quantity surveying, engineering, planning, project management claims consultancy etc.
I want someone that can hit the ground running that I don’t have to spend time training
Wouldn’t we all?! However, in their absence (or extreme short supply), why not take on someone eager to learn and that has the right competences and directly transferable skills? Many companies talk to me about training up staff, bringing them through the ranks and investing in talent in the hope and expectation that this commitment will be rewarded through employee loyalty. One of my earliest placements at Maxim in 2003 was a QS who arrived in the UK from Asia and who is still with the company – that’s a pretty fantastic investment in terms of recruitment fee and contribution to a business by any standard.
So, in summary, employing anyone inevitably involves an element of risk and judgement. Even candidates sourced from direct competitors in the UK may not be the most highly regarded and capable employees if they are allowed to leave easily without a highly attractive counteroffer to stay that you might have to deal with. There is definitely a place for thinking outside the box and reviewing talent pools external to the familiar names and faces in the local construction industry market.
With the extensive international experience and reach of the Maxim Recruitment team, you might just be able to secure the services of an absolutely cracking new member of your team who will quickly become a future manager and superstar. We have a number of clients who are in the know about this – please get in touch to discuss further if you would like to discuss how we may be able to help you too.
Steve is responsible for Maxim Recruitment in the UK. He is based in the Maxim head office in Leicester, Leicestershire and regularly travels to meet employers, job seekers and to attend construction industry networking events all over the UK. With over 20 years' experience in construction and property recruitment he works with a number of repeat clients and engages in search and headhunting assignments for a range of premium UK and international clients.