As Facilities Roles Have Changed, So Has Recruitment
-
Upload
helbling-associates-inc -
Category
Recruiting & HR
-
view
6 -
download
0
Transcript of As Facilities Roles Have Changed, So Has Recruitment
Decades ago, facilities management (FM) simply
entailed making sure equipment was operating well,
buildings were maintained, and campuses were
attractive. Fast forward to 2017, and FM still includes
those aspects but has also evolved into an innovative
and complex environment of technological and
operational advancements.
While facilities teams back in the 1900s (yes, that’s
right) worked mostly in boiler rooms and other “out
of sight” areas, they now have much more exposure.
Mid- to senior-level facilities executives work in
partnership with the leadership of their organizations
to strategically allocate resources (staff and financial),
analyze strategies, and implement initiatives related
to sustainability, capital programs, energy
management, and other concepts. Organizations
have lofty objectives, and they demand much more
from their facilities teams, making recruitment much
different than before.
Jim Lord, Managing Director with Helbling &
Associates, has been a search consultant in the
facilities sector since 2000. He says, “Facilities
management has changed drastically in the last ten
to fifteen years. Numerous new technologies have
been developed, the talent pool has tightened due
to the ongoing retirement of baby boomers, and
organizations are aggressively seeking fresh,
innovative talent that can leverage the many
advancements transforming the sector. All of these
factors are combining, creating a strong need for
upper-tier professionals, which in turn, is demanding
that recruitment be aggressive and proactive to
secure the right individuals.”
Skill sets in demand
“The necessary skill sets to be successful in mid- to
senior-level facilities roles is where facilities
recruitment has changed the most," emphasizes
Lord. "Institutions, corporations, and other types of
owner organizations want facilities professionals who
have strong business acumen and financial aptitudes,
and who understand how to analyze life cycle
operating costs and returns on investments. They
want individuals who have the abilities to develop
and manage budgets, and who consider facilities
from a business standpoint. While these capabilities
are preferred, not far behind are intangible, soft skills
that are especially attractive and consistently
mentioned by our clients. Those traits include well-
developed leadership capabilities, and the ability to
communicate effectively and build relationships with
communities, board members, end-users, and teams.
Individuals with all of these attributes can be
challenging to find.”
Wes Miller, also a Managing Director with Helbling,
adds, “The robust recruitment within the facilities
sector stems from many factors spanning the need
for effective utilities management to the
implementation of sustainability. Additionally, many
healthcare and higher education institutions as well
as entities in the for-profit sector are embarking on
AsFacilitiesRolesHaveChanged,SoHasRecruitmentSami L. Barry
major capital construction programs that entail
considerable investment. They want their projects to
be cutting-edge and progressive. Therefore, they
need professionals who understand how to oversee
and manage projects of significant size and scope
and who have strong knowledge of the latest
technologies and advancements that can save
money and make a project successful over the long
term. Owners are savvy, they know the modern
building methods that are out there, and they want
to capitalize on them.”
As executive search consultants who specialize in
securing facilities executives for diverse
organizations, we frequently see the following
technical and soft skills as requirements or preferred
attributes for mid- to senior-level facilities roles.
Therefore, if they are relevant, we recommend
including these qualifications in position descriptions
and consider them during the entire recruitment
process beginning with employment ads through
final assessment of candidates.
Technical skills and experiences:
• Understanding of and expertise with strategy development and execution leadership.
• Solid business acumen and strong financial aptitude with demonstrated successful management of budgets and ability to work within an organization's financial constraints.
• Knowledge of latest technologies that impact facilities and construction, ability to analyze the effectiveness and ROI of such concepts, and lead their implementation.
• Solid understanding of energy management, systems reliability, life cycle operating costs, deferred and preventative maintenance, and sustainability.
• Comprehension of and experience with computer maintenance management systems.
• Ability to adapt strategies and approaches to changing trends and conditions.
Soft skills and experiences:
• Innovative, change-agent mindset.
• Inclusive and empowering leadership style.
• Continuous improvement mentality.
• Ability to create or maintain a culture of adaptability and accountability.
• Adeptness at building and leading high-performance teams.
• Ability to hire, train, motivate, and empower staff.
• Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with senior administration, boards, analysts, shareholder groups, government entities, end-users, and local communities.
• Proven communication skills (verbal, written, and presentation), within a department and a community of end-users. Organizations seek professionals who are as comfortable in the board room as the boiler room.
Value of Non-Traditional Candidates
As FM continues to advance and the talent pool
shrinks, organizations will increasingly realize the
advantages of expanding recruitment parameters to
include non-traditional candidates. In doing so, they
will improve their recruitment practices, ensuring that
all potentially qualified candidates are identified and
considered.
Job candidates can be considered “non-traditional”
for a variety of reasons. Typically, they are
professionals who are involved in a different industry
than that of the hiring organization and who offer
different experiences, corporate culture mentalities,
management styles, skill sets, and personality
characteristics that may not have been initially
considered. Institutions and other owner entities are
finding that these types of professionals can offer
fresh perspectives and make valuable contributions
AsFacilitiesRolesHaveChanged,SoHasRecruitment
in helping their organizations move forward with
their challenges and initiatives.
Miller explains, “Many of our
institutional and other types
of owner clients are looking
to transform how they are
operating from a facilities
perspective. They want to be
competitive so it is important
to realize the other industries
that may have the talent they
seek. Typically, clients are
aware of the limited talent
pool, especially within their
industry peers and similar organizations. They have
also come to the realization that those entities don’t
always have professionals with the capabilities they
want. Therefore, they are open to considering
candidates who are outside of their respective
sectors and who have the appropriate experience
and fresh perspectives to add value to a role and a
dimension to their team.”
As an example, some institutions are attracted to
facilities candidates from the corporate sector
because they find these professionals have
applicable knowledge and experiences as well as the
mentality they seek for their more high-level facilities
roles. Most large, private, for-profit organizations are
advanced in a variety of areas simply because they
have more financial resources, and they have sharp
focus on efficiency and streamlined operations.
Candidates from this sector can offer institutions
progressive management styles and “tried and true”
perspectives of technologies, systems, and
processes.
“When we are speaking with a client after
successfully completing a search in which a non-
traditional candidate was secured, they frequently
express how pleased they are with their decision and
remark that the secured candidate was able to make
significant changes and impact operations in a
relatively short time frame,” says Lord. “I also hear
similar experiences from
candidates. The
professionals we place are
high-performers who enjoy
challenges. When I recruit
someone from the corporate
or for-profit sector and place
them with an institution or
non-profit organization, they
quickly see the opportunities
that await them. They are
motivated and excited about
the changes and positive impact they can make just
based upon their knowledge and prior experiences.”
Attracting upper-tier professionals
Highly qualified professionals are typically passive
and not exploring new career opportunities. If they
are, they may be entertaining a few of them.
Therefore, it is necessary to have well-defined hiring
practices that are efficient and effective, and that
make a positive impression on potential candidates.
Lord says, “All candidates have their own individual
career aspirations, motivating factors, and personal
situations so you have to truly get to know them to
discover what hot buttons are prompting them to
make a career move. Having said that, most
professionals do share common reasons why they are
open to exploring new opportunities and how they
assess them. It is beneficial to monitor these
commonalities as a basis for recruitment and then
customize strategies from there to secure the right
professional.”
Someinstitutionsareattractedto
facilitiescandidatesfromthecorporate
sectorbecausethey5indthese
professionalshaveapplicableknowledge
andexperience,aswellasthementality
theyseekfortheirmorehigh-level
facilitiesroles.
AsFacilitiesRolesHaveChanged,SoHasRecruitment
Helbling & Associates is a retained executive search firm specializing exclusively in facilities management, construction, engineering, and real estate development.
w w w . h e l b l i n g s e a r c h . c o m
The following are common factors that candidates
consider when presented with new career opportunities.
Addressing each of these aspects during recruitment and
differentiating your organization is important for
attracting and securing preferred candidates.
Your organization: • Overall vision
• Organizational values
• Financial status and outlook
• Differentiators
• Leadership
• Reputation
• Current and planned strategies/objectives that relate to the role
Prospective role: • Autonomy
• Challenges
• Team and structure
• Objectives with specific performance metrics outlined
• Impact on organization and how initiatives will be supported
• Advancement opportunities
Cultural Fit: • Mission
• Values
• Organizational structure
• Environment
• Work/life balance
Compensation: • Salary
• Performance-based incentives
• Benefits
FM has undergone tremendous changes over the past
two decades, and recruitment strategies must follow suit
to secure the most qualified mid- and senior-level
executives. While it demands time and effort to recruit
them, upper-tier facilities executives can be one of your
organization’s greatest assets as it adapts itself to
succeed in the continuously changing and advancing
business environment.
w w w . h e l b l i n g s e a r c h . c o m
AsFacilitiesRolesHaveChanged,SoHasRecruitment