Last week, I interviewed a candidate whose resume was flawless. Every keyword aligned with our job description. Every sentence crisp and compelling.
Ten minutes into the conversation, I asked her to walk me through a project she’d listed. She hesitated. Stumbled through vague generalities. Couldn’t provide a single concrete example of the expertise her resume claimed.
This happens constantly now.
AI tools shape 40-80% of job applications. Candidates use them to draft resumes, cover letters, and interview responses. The result is polished but identical profiles that tell me nothing about the person.
This is one shift reshaping how we find and keep talent. As group HR director at McLaughlin & Harvey, I’m navigating an industry where the rules have changed because of technology, regulation, workforce expectations, and roles that didn’t exist five years ago.
The Behavioral Competency Mandate Nobody Saw Coming
Behavioral competencies are now mandatory.
The Building Safety Act requires everyone involved in design, construction, refurbishment, and maintenance to demonstrate competence: skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviors. Those four behavioral pillars (respect for life, the law, environment, and public good) aren’t suggestions.
Some contractors still don’t realize the Act applies to them. Among those who do, there’s confusion about what compliance actually looks like.
We rethought how we assess candidates. Technical qualifications remain important, but they’re no longer sufficient. We evaluate whether someone demonstrates the behaviors that align with safe, responsible construction practices.
During interviews, I look for evidence of how candidates handled situations requiring ethical judgment, environmental consideration, or public accountability. This shift from qualification-based to competency-based assessment is a fundamental change in how we define “qualified.”
The AI Problem: Polish Without Substance
Back to those perfect resumes.
AI tools help candidates correct grammar and improve presentation. That’s useful. The problem emerges when candidates over-rely on these tools to the point where their applications no longer represent who they are.
I’ve seen it repeatedly: a candidate submits a sophisticated, keyword-optimized resume suggesting deep expertise. Then in the interview, they struggle to articulate basic concepts or provide concrete examples.
The gap between AI-enhanced presentation and authentic capability becomes apparent.
When everyone tailors their resume to the same job description using the same tools, applications look identical. AI-based matching systems become less useful because surface alignment no longer reflects real fit.
19% of organizations using AI in hiring report their tools have overlooked or screened out qualified applicants. Technology meant to streamline recruitment sometimes creates new barriers.
My advice to candidates? Use AI to improve clarity and grammar, but make sure your voice comes through. In interviews, I’m listening for specifics: the problem you solved, the decision you made, the result you delivered. Generic language flags AI overuse. Concrete details demonstrate real experience.
The Roles We Can’t Fill (And Why)
We face acute shortages in specific areas. The reasons vary.
Digital construction roles are our biggest challenge at senior levels. We need experienced BIM professionals, digital construction managers, and reality capture technicians. The problem is structural: these disciplines are new to construction. There hasn’t been enough time for professionals to accumulate ten or fifteen years of specialized experience.
Entry-level digital positions are easier to fill because international students are graduating from relevant programs. But domestic enrollment remains low, creating a dependency on global talent mobility.
Sustainability specialists face the same time-lag problem. The industry’s environmental requirements evolved rapidly, but the talent pipeline hasn’t kept pace. We’re competing for a limited pool of professionals who understand both construction operations and advanced sustainability frameworks.
Estimators and planners present a different challenge. The skills for these roles exist in the labor market. The problem is awareness. Many capable individuals don’t know these career paths exist or understand what the work involves.
Talent shortages often stem from visibility problems rather than skill deficits. We’re addressing this through targeted outreach to universities and professional networks.
Looking Beyond Traditional Pipelines
The scarcity of experienced professionals in emerging disciplines forced us to rethink where we find talent.
We recruit career changers from adjacent fields. Accountants have analytical skills for estimating. Civil engineers understand structural principles relevant to digital construction. Quantity surveyors already think systematically about project costs and timelines.
The challenge is helping candidates and our internal teams recognize transferable competencies. Last year, we hired a former local government finance officer into an estimating role. She didn’t see the connection initially—but her background in budget modeling and cost forecasting translated directly. She’s now one of our strongest junior estimators.
We’re addressing this through rotational placements that let people experience different aspects of construction operations. This builds cross-functional understanding while creating pathways for internal mobility.
Industry boundaries are becoming more permeable. Companies willing to look across sectors for talent will outcompete those maintaining rigid qualification requirements.
The Geographic Advantage
We shifted from centralized national hiring to regional recruitment models where candidates live near project sites.
This wasn’t about recruitment strategy. It emerged from listening to what employees wanted: less time traveling, more time with family, stronger connections to local communities.
The benefits proved broader than anticipated. Regional hiring addresses work-life balance, retention, wellbeing, and client service quality. Employees who live near projects show up more consistently, build better relationships with local stakeholders, and stay longer.
For candidates evaluating opportunities, this matters. The expectation of constant mobility across the country is misaligned with how people want to live and work.
Companies willing to decentralize hiring and build local capabilities will have a competitive advantage as geographic flexibility becomes a talent differentiator.
What Next-Generation Leaders Actually Need
Future construction leaders need systems thinking: understanding how digital tools, sustainability requirements, and social value creation interconnect rather than operating in functional silos. Specialist expertise alone won’t be sufficient for advancement.
This reflects industry trends toward integrated project delivery and cross-functional collaboration. Leaders who can bridge technical disciplines, understand regulatory frameworks, and articulate purpose beyond profit will be positioned for senior roles.
Younger professionals prioritize tangible impact. They want to understand the social value their work creates, the environmental implications of design decisions, and the community relationships projects build.
This isn’t idealism. It’s a different definition of what makes work meaningful. Companies unable to articulate purpose beyond financial performance will struggle to attract top talent.
Proactive Wellbeing as Retention Strategy
Our YouMatter initiative brings mobile health screenings to construction sites.
The roadshow offers blood pressure checks, cholesterol testing, diabetes screening, and lifestyle consultations. Last month, a site manager in his early forties discovered severely elevated blood pressure during a routine check. He had no symptoms. No idea anything was wrong. His GP confirmed hypertension and started treatment immediately. The screening likely prevented a stroke or heart attack.
We’ve identified similar issues in dozens of cases. This shift from reactive support to proactive health management creates systematic opportunities for prevention.
Employees notice when their employer invests in their long-term wellbeing rather than just responding to crises. That matters for retention.
What I’m Watching
Regulatory compliance driving cultural evolution. The Building Safety Act’s behavioral requirements mean that industry culture change (previously voluntary and inconsistent) is now being mandated through regulation. This sets a precedent: governments may increasingly use compliance frameworks to accelerate transformation in industries resistant to change.
Education-industry misalignment accelerating. Our reliance on international students for digital roles shows that domestic educational institutions aren’t keeping pace. If this gap widens, the UK construction industry will become increasingly dependent on global talent mobility, which is precarious given immigration policy volatility. Students entering construction programs today need to understand that traditional civil engineering degrees may not prepare them for the roles that will exist when they graduate.
Internal mobility as talent solution. Looking internally for hard-to-fill roles may become more common than external hiring. Companies will need to invest heavily in continuous learning systems and career pathway mapping. For professionals already in construction, this creates opportunity: your employer may be more willing to fund your pivot into emerging disciplines than to hire externally.
The UK construction industry needs approximately 48,000 new workers annually through 2029 (about 225,000 total by 2027). Most demand stems from retirement rather than growth. We’re replacing an aging workforce, not expanding. The challenge isn’t just recruitment. It’s knowledge transfer before experienced professionals leave.
We’re not just competing for talent. We’re rebuilding how we find, develop, and keep people in an industry undergoing fundamental transformation.
The Real Work Ahead
The recruitment challenges we face reflect permanent shifts in how work gets done, what competencies matter, and what people expect from employers.
AI will get more sophisticated. Regulatory requirements will expand. New roles will emerge faster than education systems can adapt. Geographic flexibility will become table stakes.
The companies that thrive will be those willing to rethink their assumptions about where talent comes from, what qualifications matter, and how to build capabilities internally rather than just hiring externally.
For me, that means looking beyond traditional pipelines, investing in proactive wellbeing, articulating clear purpose, and building systems that help people grow.
The perfect resume matters less than the genuine person behind it.