Worker shortage solutions, Part 2
Five rules for newbies heading into their first week on the job
Let’s assume you took our advice from Part 1 and found a good construction company to work for. You also, I hope, tried out something like a Habitat for Humanity build to make sure you were durable enough to work outside for a full day.
So now your first day on the job is coming up, but before that day comes, make sure you have the right gear and provisions for the day. Ask the person who hired you what to bring or if they provide it. Hardhats and safety vests are mandatory on most civil and commercial jobs. If you are building homes, a toolbelt, tape measure, hammer and saw are required. Also get gloves and sturdy boots with toe protection, regardless of the type of job. And pack a lunch and plenty of liquids to last the day.
Now for the most important part. Memorize this rule and never break it:
Rule #1. Early is on time, on time is late.
Arrive at the jobsite every day 10 or 15 minutes before start time. In most cases you don’t have to do anything during these few minutes. Just hang out with the crew, talk a little smack, make a few jokes, see how everybody’s doing. It is and always has been a part of construction culture. You’re not going to get paid for these 15 minutes, but if you’re going to whine about it or come roaring onto the site with seconds to spare, you won’t be well received.
The crews that show up early tend to be high performance. Once the clock strikes seven or eight (or whatever the official start time is) these guys hit it hard and don’t let up, except for breaks, until the day is done. That’s a very good sign. It indicates a motivated crew that works as a team with a good leader and individual members who are probably getting paid (as you might if you stick with them) a lot more than you thought.
Just think of it this way: rolling up to the jobsite three minutes late is like trotting onto the football field three seconds after the ball is snapped. Don’t be that guy, ever.
Rule #2. Leave your phone in your vehicle.
There may be times, eventually, when you need to use your phone on a jobsite to take a photo of completed work or download some instructions or something. But as a newbie, you won’t need it. And nothing’s going to mark you out as numbskull more than standing around checking your social media status. You can look at your phone at lunch or on breaks but put it in silent mode and keep it out of sight the rest of the time.
Rule # 3. Work!
A good crew and supervisor will show you what to do and monitor your progress. But there will be times when the super is busy, and you’ve finished doing what he told you to do and now you don’t know what to do.
In that case, just look around, find something to do and start doing it. It doesn’t matter if what you do is trivial. It matters a great deal that nobody sees you standing around. Grab a broom and sweep, stack lumber, pick up trash, organize tools, clean windshields or anything that’s dirty. You’ll get mega-points when the boss comes back around and finds that you’ve been staying busy without any direct supervision.
Rule #4. Learn with your eyes.
Keep an eye on what the experienced guys do. Think about why they’re doing it. Many jobsites are too kinetic for crewmembers to stop and explain the process to a newbie. So, learn through the power of observation.
There are essentially two aspects to construction work. The first is just doing the work. Easy enough. The second aspect is figuring out how to accomplish tasks, better, faster, cheaper, or more accurately. If you want to rise above the level of common laborer, you’re going to have to get good at this.
Problem solving is a huge part of construction work and the people who get good at it move up the ranks and the pay scale quickly. So: eyes open/brain engaged on the site every day, and after hours check out some YouTube videos and read books and magazines to learn how other crews and companies dealt with the same challenges.
Rule #5. Evaluate.
At the end of your first week, you should have a good idea of the quality of the company and crew you have been working with. Now you need to decide: stay or get away?
If the crew is helpful, hard charging and reasonably well behaved, stick with them. If you see evidence of drug use, guys slacking off, unsafe or unethical practices, lots of turnover, people shooting funny videos of themselves, give the boss your notice and start looking for a new job Monday.
Construction is sometimes an employer of last resort for those who haven’t done well in anything else. Sometimes you get grifters and drifters and no-good nephews of the boss who got the job as a favor in the hopes that the work might straighten them out. Construction by itself is dangerous without these kinds of dip-squats shuffling around the jobsite. You don’t want to be anywhere near them, and you don’t want to get dragged down to their level.
But finding a good crew is a blessing and can lead to a lifetime of opportunity, so take advantage of it, learn everything you can. And remember, some of the biggest fortunes in this country were created by people just like yourself, with nothing more than a new pair of gloves and desire to succeed.
Editor’s note: In Part 3 of this series I’ll detail how a young person can move up the ranks in a construction company and decide whether or not they may want to start their own company someday.