14 Questions to Make the Perfect Careers Page in Commercial Construction

Crafting an effective careers page doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it's simpler than you think—especially with the right approach. However, it does take a bit of insight and strategy to make your careers page stand out in the competitive commercial construction industry.

I don't know all the ins and outs that HR teams have to negotiate, but I do hear that a lot of construction groups are spending 100's of thousands to millions in head hunter fees. After doing this research, I may have some insight into why candidates are choosing to go to head hunters rather than to your website.  

After analyzing 71 websites from national general contractors, construction management firms, and commercial construction companies, we've identified the key elements that can turn an ordinary careers page into a talent magnet.

Here's is a breakdown of the questions we wanted to explore and what we found about the industry at large:

Am Findable?

     1. Do I rank if someone googles "careers in commercial construction?
     2. Is my careers page easy to find in my website navigation?

Am I Engaging?

     3. Is my careers page content the right length—not too much or too little?
     4. Does my content speak directly to my target audience?
     5. Does my page visually show why candidates should work with us?
     6. Do employee stories help candidates see themselves at my company?
     7. Are compensation, benefits, and perks clearly outlined?
     8. Are workplace awards highlighted to reinforce credibility?
     9. Does my page highlight how we support the future of the trades?
     10. Am I protecting candidate privacy with recruitment fraud warnings?

Am I Converting Candidates?

     11. How does my recruitment software stack up?
     12. How does my application process impact candidate applications?
     13. Is the applicant's journey seamless and user-friendly?
     14. Are you using AI in hiring without over-automating?

With these elements in mind, you'll be well on your way to building a careers page that not only attracts top talent but also turns visitors into applicants.

Do I rank for “Careers in Commercial Construction”?

To rank higher in search results for terms like "careers in commercial construction," two essential SEO factors come into play: 

• URL
• Page Title

These elements can significantly impact how easily candidates find your job listings on search engines.

Why does my Careers Page URL Matter?

Your URL is a foundational SEO element. So it's important that when you create any URL, but in this case,  your careers page URL, that you give it a little extra consideration because it impacts how easily candidates can find your job listings through search engines. 

A majority, 69%, of sites used the default URL format that most CMS's implement automatically. The format goes website URL slash the name of the page (in this case "careers"). An example for Gawne Construction might look like this:

gawneconstruction.com/careers

Really, you should use a URL slug that is a little more intentional. How do I be more intentional? 

Well, if you run “construction jobs” vs “construction careers” through Google Trends - construction jobs (in red) has way more search interest. 

So, should you just startusing “construction jobs” in your URL? Not necessarily. The real question is: who are you trying to attract?

If you want to connect with people who want to be with you for a long term maybe use language that suggests that. For example:

gawneconstruction.com/commercial-construction-careers

On the other hand, if you’re aiming for higher visibility and a larger pool of applicants, using “jobs” might be more effective:

gawneconstruction.com/commercial-construction-jobs

The key is to balance SEO with your hiring objectives to ensure the right candidates find your page.

How does my Page Title Impact How I rank in Google?

Your page title indicates how your website is relevant and that is all SEO is - indicating relevance. 

Still only 12% of construction companies are effectively optimizing their careers page titles to rank in Google. Most pages simply use the generic page title of “Careers,” which limits visibility to those specifically searching for the company + the word "careers".

See below how McCarthy's page title is "Construction Careers" and DPR’s page title is just "Careers":
 

This is not good - most pages will look like this in Google. Just the word “Careers”. That would mean your site would only appear in search results if someone searched:

DPR careers

That is never gonna help us connect with possible candidates who want to work in construction but may not be familiar with our group.

If you want to connect or rank when people search for something broader like “careers in construction” or “jobs in construction” you need to add some context words like “construction” and/or whatever “city” you want to attract traffic from.

For example, if you’re in Northern California you might wanna do something like:

Northern California Careers in Construction

Or if you want to target specific cities, you might do something like:

Construction Jobs in San Francisco

If you want to know how your careers page appears in Google, just type the following into a Google search site + colon + your website career page URL. It might look something like this:

site:yourcompanywebsite.com/careers

If the result comes back looking like DPR’s page in the screenshot above, you have some work to do.
 

Does it matter where my careers page is in my navigation?

Absolutely!

Making your careers page easy to find is crucial, and most construction companies seem to recognize this. In our research, we found that:

78% of websites place their careers page in the main navigation like in the case of Power Construction's navigation below, or in the utility nav like on the Michels website navigation ensuring it's immediately accessible to job seekers.
 

This placement is key because when candidates visit your website, they shouldn't have to dig to find career opportunities—ease of access can make all the difference in converting visitors into applicants.

8% of companies placed it as a sub-pageunder "About" or "Company" sections.
 

The biggest mistake we observed was hiding the careers page in the footer, as 12% of sites did. This makes it much harder for potential applicants to find, which can reduce the number of people applying to your jobs.
 

The takeaway: your careers page should be easy to locate, ideally in the main navigation, so it’s visible and accessible for all job seekers. Avoid burying it in the footer or other hard-to-find sections.

If you are interested in attracting candidates online - avoid burying your careers page in hard-to-find locations like the footer, as this could discourage qualified candidates from even exploring your job listings.
 

Does my careers page length matter?

The short answer is no.

The length of your careers page isn’t as important as the quality of the content. Word counts can range from 64 to over 2,300 words, what really matters is how well your content addresses the questions and concerns of potential candidates.

Ensure your content is clear, engaging, and directly speaks to job seekers. Avoid overwhelming them with too much information or leaving them with too little. The key is to connect with candidates by answering the questions they care about.

Some standout commercial construction career pages (Ranked by Word Count):

• PCL: 238 words
• ArcoMurray: 377 words
• McCarthy: 387 words
• Mortenson: 550 words
• Pepper: 687 words
• Graycor: 699 words
• Skender: 861 words
• Skyline: 1,634 words

At the lower end of the spectrum:

• JC Anderson: 64 words
• KR Miller: 90 words

The longest and hardest-to-read career page:

• Morgan Harbour Construction: 1,081 words

Some companies try to say too much, making the content overwhelming, while others barely say enough to make an impression.

Focus on answering the questions potential candidates have about working for any company. 

Just to give you a visual here's a comparison of PCL's website with 238 words and lots of imagery vs Morgan Harbour's career page with 1,081 words.
 

Is my career page connecting with prospective candidates?

This is easy. If your page answers these questions, then yes:

• What does the hiring process look like? 
• How competitive is your benefits package? 
• Do we share common values? 
• Can I envision myself working here? 
• What does career growth or an internship trajectory look like here? 

If not, don't worry. You're not alone. Surprisingly, only about 9% of construction companies’ career pages answer multiple candidate questions like these.

By being thorough and specific in your content, you’re not just filling up space—you’re making your page more relevant, user-friendly, and optimized for folks coming from Google who might not have been here or even in this industry before.

Still not sure what you should be saying?

Schedule a brainstorming session with a couple of recent new team members and listen to questions they had, or imagine a scenario that you were all looking for a new job - what questions would you have about working at a company? 
 

Is our audience able to visualize why they should work here?

Video content is a powerful tool for construction companies looking to attract top talent, yet only 31% of organizations use videos on their careers pages.

Of those, the most effective videos aren’t just brand showcases; they highlight the real people behind the work.

• 73% of organizations featured a video highlighting people—whether by telling employee stories or creating a hybrid video that highlights both the brand and the people behind it.
• 23% focus solely on the brand, missing a major opportunity to connect with candidates on a personal level.
• Whatever you do don’t re-use outdated or irrelevant video content, like a repurposed video from a past event - this can send the wrong message and seem disconnected from your current hiring needs.

Video Hosting

59% used Vimeo or Wistia, which comes with a much nice wrapper and allows for removing the video player branding and even branding the video wrapper to match your own organization's brand.
 

Vimeo                                                               Wistia      

Before you move on to the Youtube examples just appreciate how nice and branded Vimeo and Wistia look.

It kind of makes it unbelievable that 41% of companies hosted their videos on YouTube.

This seems odd because it comes with some drawbacks:

• YouTube Logo - You can't remove the YouTube logo
• Complicated branding process - In order to customize the video player, you have to modify it in the CSS
• Suggested Video Content - At the end of the video, YouTube serves up alternate off-brand suggested videos unless you modify them in your settings to display only your videos.

Example of YouTube Forced Logo and Branding 

It may not be a huge deal, but just look at the examples that McCarthy and Pepper use above. It such a nicer touch than Walsh approach.

Call me crazy, but I think all of those little touches reinforce that your brand is detail-oriented. And in commercial construction you have to be so why not show it here too.

Youtube Sugessted Video Content at the End Video

The takeaway: there is enough noise that you have to compete with when it comes to our users - don't use a video player that adds to that by distracting from the video you spent so much time and money developing. 

Should I be using employee stories to attract talent?

100%

Despite the old saying "don’t judge a book by its cover," people still do—especially when it comes to evaluating potential employers.

That is why featuring employee stories, whether through testimonials or videos, offers a powerful way to humanize your construction company and help potential candidates see themselves as part of your team. When candidates can hear directly from current employees, it creates an emotional connection that goes beyond job descriptions and benefits.

These stories provide insights into company culture, shared values, and daily experiences, answering the key questions candidates care about: 

• What’s it like to work here? 
• Can I grow my career with this company? 
• Will I fit in with the team? 

By offering relatable, authentic employee stories, you help candidates visualize their future with your company, which can make all the difference in attracting top talent.

For HR teams in construction, this is especially important because it demonstrates the real-world impact of your projects and the camaraderie that drives success on and off the job site. In a competitive industry, personal stories resonate more than brand messages alone—they bring your company's culture to life.

Despite knowing this only 39% of sites we reviewed feature video or written stories from team members.

 

Are benefits, and perks clearly outlined on your career page?

When candidates are exploring career opportunities, they are looking for more than just a paycheck—they’re searching for a place where they feel valued, supported, and invested in. 

Surprisingly, 58% of GC’s have no page or mention of employee benefits on their careers site, missing out on a crucial aspect of talent attraction. 

7% of commercial builders career page are doing the most and prominently feature 16-20+ benefits stand out by showing potential employees exactly what’s in it for them.

Here are a few companies (in alpha order) in that elite 7% group:

• Graycor 
• Power Construction (they had a whole separate page dedicated to their benefits)
• SQN Associates (their career page was almost only a list of benefits)
• Skender (they had a very nice icon for each benefit)

Even if you don’t offer as many benefits as these folks making sure that they are prominently displayed can reduce hesitation.

It feels silly to explain this to anyone, but by highlighting perks you help candidates envision a long-term future with your organization. In an industry as competitive as construction, being transparent about your benefits package can be the differentiating factor that attracts top talent to your team.

For HR teams, making benefits visible and comprehensive signals to candidates that you value employee well-being and are committed to fostering a positive work environment. This also boosts your credibility and appeal in a market where benefits play a significant role in the decision-making process for job seekers.
 

Are workplace awards highlighted to boost credibility?

If not - they should be.

Workplace awards are more than just accolades—they are trust signals that convey credibility and commitment to a positive work culture.

Surprisingly, only 20% of construction company websites feature workplace awards. For HR teams in the construction industry, incorporating these awards into your careers page can make a huge difference in candidate attraction.

When you transform awards into visual icons or badges, they become seals of trust that grab attention. These visuals quickly communicate to job seekers that your company values its employees and has been recognized for creating an outstanding work environment. In a competitive field like commercial construction, awards show potential employees that your company isn’t just about building structures—it’s about building a thriving, supportive workplace.

Here are a few layout styles used:

The takeaway: If you do have workplace awards be sure to use an icon - it transforms it into a symbol of trust. And if you happen to have a scrolling workplace award icon parade be sure to give some context for what each award means. You can't always assume that your audience knows what an award is for or why it's meaningful.
 

Do you showcase your commitment to the future of the trades?

The construction industry is facing a serious talent shortage. Between the Great Resignation and fewer young people entering the trades, it’s clear we need to attract new talent and retain the ones we have. So, what’s the plan? Surprisingly, very few companies seem to highlight their efforts on their websites.

Out of all the companies we reviewed:

• Only 4 mentioned any kind of career development program.
• Just 1 boasted a formal mentorship program.

If you’re a candidate, you’d want to know what a company is doing to keep the industry alive and growing—so why isn’t anyone talking about it?

Time to Talk About Community and Mentorship

Some GCs are indeed stepping up, creating community programs to support the future of the trades. But these initiatives, while impressive, are hidden from view, leaving candidates unaware of the industry impact your company is making. When you highlight your community engagement and mentorship on your careers page, you’re showing candidates you’re invested in more than just a paycheck—you’re invested in their future, too.

In a competitive market, showcasing your commitment to building the next generation of tradespeople can set you apart, resonate with candidates, and create a team that’s inspired to carry the torch forward.

Are you protecting candidate privacy with recruitment fraud warnings?

Only 6% of sites featured a fraud recruitment warning and the few that did display a warning they felt poorly crafted and uninviting

In a digital landscape where fraudulent recruitment schemes are becoming increasingly common, it's alarming to note that only 6% of construction company websites include warnings about these scams. With fake job postings and fraudulent offers proliferating across the internet, potential candidates need guidance on how to discern legitimate opportunities from misleading ones.

Instead of presenting this information as a warning, consider framing it as a question: 

"How Can You Tell If Your Job Offer Is Real?"

This approach not only engages candidates but also empowers them with the knowledge they need to navigate the job market safely. By addressing this concern on your careers page, you show your commitment to candidate safety and enhance your reputation as a trustworthy employer.

This proactive measure can help candidates feel more secure in their job search and more likely to consider opportunities with your company.
 

What are the best software other GC's are using for recruitment?

Choosing the right job posting software not only impacts your internal recruitment processes but also plays a critical role in shaping the candidate’s career exploration and application experience. 

If you're considering enhancing your recruitment strategy, now is the perfect time to evaluate your job posting software. Our recent analysis reveals that a significant 30% of general contractors (GCs) are not utilizing any job posting software, which can hinder their ability to attract top talent in today's competitive market.

Among those who are using software the three most popular are:

• iCIMS is the most popular used by 12% of GCs 
• ADP used by 8%
• Workday, also used by 8% of GC's

Here is an overview of some of the leading HR recruitment software. Or check out the full indepth look at 9 other recruitment software and their application experience.

1. GCS | Sigal with Jazz HR
   • Steps: 1
   • Questions: 10
   • Experience: Simple, one-page process with a solid user-centric approach. They might win an award for simplicity!
2. ECI with Bamboo HR
   • Steps: 1
   • Questions: 11
   • Experience: Clean and approachable, with chunked job post content and a small number of fields.
3. Graycor with Applicant Stack
   • Steps: 1
   • Questions: 33
   • Experience: Smooth, almost indistinguishable from the main Graycor site, despite a high question count.
4. PDB Group with Paycor
   • Steps: 1
   • Questions: 12
   • Experience: Quick and easy—perfect for candidates who appreciate efficiency.
5. AECOM with Smart Recruiters
   • Steps: 2
   • Questions: 30
   • Experience: Dense but professional, and one of the shortest multi-step applications. Nice thank-you page, too!
6. Mortenson with Oracle HCM
   • Steps: 5
   • Questions: 40
   • Experience: Nicely branded but throws in extra identity verification. A bit much at this stage.
7. ARCO Murray with Vizi Recruiter & ICIMS
   • Steps: 5
   • Questions: 38
   • Experience: Custom icons and a progressive form make it appealing, though initial email verification feels unnecessary.
8. DPR with Workday
   • Steps: 6
   • Questions: 37
   • Experience: Long, with a job detail page on their site that then links off to Workday. Could use streamlining.
9. Skender with ADP
   • Steps: 8
   • Questions: 33
   • Experience: Decent look and feel with a progressive form, but email verification adds unnecessary friction.

Is your recruitment software enhancing or hurting candidate experience?

In today’s competitive job market, how you integrate recruitment software directly impacts the candidate experience. Our analysis of commercial construction companies reveals two main approaches:

• Offsite Linking (67%): Most companies link candidates to third-party software, creating a disjointed, frustrating experience that weakens their connection to your brand. Which seems like a huge miss especially when your site looks so good and your recruitment software is often the equivalent of DMV green screens (by today's standards)
• Seamless Integration (4%): Very few companies offer a fully integrated, in-house application process, keeping candidates engaged on the company’s site and fostering a stronger connection to your brand.

The remaining companies either use basic methods like:

• web forms (10%)
• email submissions (3%)
• have no software at all (14%).

Pardon the rant, but imagine bouncing between a dozen websites trying to apply for jobs—it’s a nightmare! Let’s make this easier. For the love of everything good, grab someone from HR, a prospective candidate, and someone from your design team, and go through the application process together. Bonus points if you do it over drinks and let a few explictatives!

Still don't think it matters lets compare a couple of examples McCarthy Construction's onsite application experience vs Turner Construction and Bulley & Andrews who both link offsite to a 3rd party recruitment software

McCarthy's Onsite Application Experience

Not sure if it means anything just yet, but let's look at Turner's and Bulley & Andrews recruitment software's application experience.

Turner Construction's Recruitment Software Application Experience

Turner's website looks recently redesigned, but as for their application experience it looks very outdated. Once you click on a possible job posting the ensuing pages are long and intimidating.

I'm sure it's all highly important information that the HR team needs, but this is where the marketing team and recruitment team need to work together to choose a recruitment software that is not cruel and unusual. 

Bulley & Andrews Offsite Application Experience

Notice how long their steps are after you click on an actual job posting. 

Now imagine that this is the 4th, 5th or 10th website you've been to - that is not a fun experience to have to read through. 

Does our job posting software design matter for candidate experience?

1,000%

In the commercial construction industry, the design of your job posting software can make or break the candidate experience. It’s not just about functionality—it’s about creating a user-friendly, visually appealing platform that reflects your company’s professionalism and keeps candidates engaged.

Key Factors that Impact the Overall Design

Based on our research, three key design elements that directly impact the candidate’s experience:

• Font Size: Readability matters—tiny fonts make job listings frustrating to navigate.
• Logo Quality: Low-resolution logos can hurt your company’s perceived professionalism.
• Custom Branding: A lack of branding makes the process feel disconnected, reducing engagement.

How GC's Platforms Ranked

We found that companies fell into four categories based on these design factors:

• Next Level (3%): These platforms nailed it—great font size, clear logos, and seamless branding, creating a fully immersive candidate experience.
• Above Average (17%): Easy to read font sizes and logos with some branding elements made these platforms strong, but not flawless.
• Average (27%): Two design flaws, like small fonts or low-quality logos, but with some company branding.
• Poor (20%): Small fonts, blurry logos, and no branding made these platforms very underwhelming.

Room for Improvement: Only 20% of companies offered an above-average or better experience. This shows a big opportunity for HR teams to enhance their job posting software. Selecting a well-designed recruitment software platform not only boosts your company's image but also keeps candidates motivated to apply.

Upgrading your software design could be the key to attracting top talent and setting your company apart in the competitive construction industry.

If you're looking to upgrade your software here are some examples of the best recruitment software experiences and how other commercial construction companies are integrating them in their website. 

Our research into candidate application experiences across commercial construction companies highlights just how critical this step is for attracting the right talent.

A smooth, intuitive application process can make the difference between a completed application and an abandoned one. Here’s what we found:

Application Experience Breakdown

• No Application Experience (36%): Over a third of companies had no clear application process—relying on basic webforms, email submissions, or providing no options at all, leaving candidates without a clear path to apply.
• Some Difficulty (43%): Most companies created barriers for applicants, such as requiring account creation or identity verification, making the process cumbersome and deterring candidates.
• Empowered Candidates (21%): A small percentage of companies offered a streamlined, candidate-friendly experience by:
  • Using progressive forms that showed only a few fields at a time.
  • Enabling resume autofill to reduce manual entry.
  • Keeping the number of required fields minimal.

Examples of Brilliant Application Experiences

A few companies stand out for their seamless application processes, such as:

• Executive Construction Inc.
• GCS Sigal
• PDB Group

These companies reduced application fields to 5-10 key questions and allowed easy resume uploads, making the process simple and effective for candidates.

Why Application Experience Matters for HR Teams

A complicated application process discourages qualified candidates. A simple, user-friendly experience increases applications and shows that your company values efficiency and candidate time. While barriers may filter applicants, a frictionless process demonstrates your commitment to excellence and helps attract top talent in a competitive market.
 

Should we use AI to automate the process?

Be Cautious with AI in Hiring for Construction Companies

AI is something still being tested by commercial construction companies and not necessarily something they are actively using, but they are exploring it and testing it - as is evidence that a number of the applications had checkboxes to opt into have their resume reviewed by AI. 

While AI promises to streamline hiring by automating tasks like resume screening, construction HR teams should approach it cautiously. Here’s why over-reliance on AI could hurt your hiring process:

• Bias Risks: AI learns from past data, which can unintentionally reinforce hiring biases and undermine diversity goals.
• Lack of Understanding: AI may struggle to assess the blend of skills needed in construction roles, filtering out qualified candidates.
• Unpredictability: AI errors can lead to missed opportunities, frustrating candidates, and damaging your company’s reputation.

Human Oversight Matters

In construction, roles are dynamic, and gut instincts, experience, and personal interaction are key. AI lacks that human touch. Combining technology with human oversight ensures you attract top talent and maintain a personal, thoughtful hiring process.

Building a Thoughtful Recruitment Experience is Easier than You Think

Creating a great careers page and application experience doesn’t require complex research - it’s all about the human experience. Both candidates and HR teams want the same thing - qualified applications. Candidates want to submit them and HR teams want to receive them.

Candidates just want a simplified, streamlined process (no one loves re-entering the same info multiple times in hundreds of fields), and HR teams need detailed data to screen effectively.

The solution? Use tools that strike a balance. Make it easy for candidates while also collecting the essential info HR needs.

Put people first, and you’ll create a careers page that works for everyone.