We are a locally owned roofing company with a project manager sales model. In a recent company meeting, we discussed the need to hire a few more project managers for the upcoming season so we have placed ads on several job posting websites (Indeed, ZipRecruiter, LinkedIn, Craigslist, etc etc). All of the applicants have been male. While I know this is a male predominant field, are there any tips to attracting females to becoming a project manager?
While initially this might sound sexist, we aren’t trying to recruit females, we are just curious about if any other companies have found a way of recruiting new PMs that don’t deter a certain percentage of the population.
**There is a book called “Recruiting Rockstars” that says 80% of men will not apply if they don’t meet every qualification in the job description of a posting and 100% of women will not apply. Is that the barrier we are facing? Thoughts?
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If you’re like most companies and have Hispanic crews, the Latino males aren’t too keen on taking directing from a female. A recipe for disaster. I’m not bring sexist either but how many females have much hands on construction experience? Why would you want an inexperienced individual managing your projects?
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I agree with Authentic Dad’s thinking. I am a woman in this industry. And it’s not easy. I think women tend to be intimated about coming into this industry. Plus, woman don’t usually have the knowledge or experience in hands on construction. Women make great canvassers…less threatening to homeowners. But as a project manager, they need to know what they are talking about…with authority. I had to help manage at a job site a few weeks ago…long story but anyway, I got on the roof and starting asking our Mexican crew about their drip edge installation and asked them to pick up debris…they looked at me like I was crazy. They knew who I was. But did not care do listen to me…they just saw me as “the office girl”. Suffice it to say, it wasn’t the best idea in my case. But if you want to go for it, I would suggest local, networking events in your area…specific Facebook groups or a friend of a friend type deal. You would need to find a woman with an actual interest or passion for this industry to really learn.
Females canvassers and sales reps are awesome. Different deal. I think 60% plus of the sales are made to the wife. She’s more likely to open the door if it knocked by a female. We’ve had some very successful female Reps. One made six figures two years running, got married and left.
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Yup. My boss wants me to door knock after this year’s first hail storm…only because I am a woman. I am NOT a natural salesperson and honestly am Over working in customer service. I like to be behind the scenes lol
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AD, how much do your sales reps make? How much do canvassers make? How much do your project managers make? I have a guy that complains all the time and is like, “I just want to knock doors man.” when asked to go drop off some wood or something that needs to be done.
For us, we have project managers. People get paid based off how the lead is generated. Leads pay a little less but aren’t as much work usually.
I would love to have a female Project Manager, and if she knew what she was doing and wasn’t just a pretty face, my guys would respect her because I would make them.
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Our sales rips are the project managers. Our sales reps average around 15% commission.
I think it’s key to advertise that a company is willing to train and fill gaps that the applicant isn’t trained in. I was hired and sought after because I was going to school for architecture. Literally just because I have some experience with blueprints. I didn’t finish and didn’t get a degree; however, my company was facing what I’m sure many others are and will in the near future. Many essential people to the business are nearing retirement age and people in the field do not necessarily want to transition to a desk job or struggle to do things on a computer. I was extremely hesitant because I’m not a roofer. I didn’t understand how I could make a difference here. What persuaded me to try anyway was our owner. He’s the most supportive person I’ve had the pleasure to work for. I know that whatever I need, I only have to ask. The environment should be open and experienced people approachable. I take on everything I can because I know I can ask questions whenever I have them. Project managing isn’t necessarily difficult especially when one has some experience in supervising, encountering issues, having a lot on one’s plate and bringing together multiple aspects for one project. I think you need to find the right perspective to pitch so that people are not intimidated.
