Hiring Project Managers from Outside the Industry: A Skills-First Approach
The construction industry is facing a talent shortage that has only intensified in recent years. As projects grow in complexity and timelines tighten, the demand for capable project managers is outstripping supply. Many companies limit their search to candidates with direct construction experience, believing this guarantees they’ll hit the ground running. But this approach can create blind spots in the hiring process, leading to missed opportunities for talented project managers from other industries who possess the core skills that drive success.
Given this context, staying competitive requires thinking beyond the conventional. What if, instead of focusing on industry experience, you prioritized the skills that truly matter—leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability? By using a skills-first approach, you can tap into a broader talent pool, finding project managers who excel in navigating challenges, even if their background isn’t in construction.
The Limits of Traditional Interviews
Traditional interviews tend to focus on candidates who have direct experience managing construction projects. Interviewers might ask specific questions, such as how a candidate handled a project delay due to weather or negotiated change orders with a subcontractor. These are important questions when the candidate has faced those exact challenges before, but this process often breaks down when hiring project managers from other industries.
When interviewing someone who has never worked in construction, their experience won’t always match those scenarios exactly. For example, a candidate from the tech sector may not have managed a construction site, but they may have led teams in fast-paced, high-stakes environments where rapid problem-solving and clear communication were critical. They might not have dealt with a subcontractor, but they’ve resolved conflicts with third-party vendors in similarly complex settings. By only focusing on direct construction experience, companies could be missing out on candidates with the skills needed to lead, adapt, and deliver results under pressure.
How Psychometric and Role-Play Assessments Help
To truly assess whether a candidate has the necessary skills to succeed as a project manager in construction, companies need to look beyond traditional interviews. Psychometric assessments and role-play exercises help measure a candidate’s competencies—particularly those that apply across industries, like leadership, communication, and problem-solving.
Psychometric assessments are valuable for gauging traits like decision-making, time management, and adaptability—skills critical for managing construction projects where conditions often change unexpectedly. Take, for example, the need to reroute utilities on short notice or manage a permit delay. A candidate from outside the construction industry may not have done this exact task before, but they could have managed similar disruptions in other fields, like overseeing large-scale events or coordinating logistics in a warehouse. These traits are transferable and can be measured effectively through psychometric tests.
Role-play assessments bring this a step further by placing candidates in realistic, job-related scenarios to see how they perform in real time. For instance, a role-play exercise might simulate managing a delayed shipment of critical materials, asking the candidate to communicate with a frustrated client while also coordinating with subcontractors to adjust timelines. The goal here is not to see if the candidate has handled this exact situation before, but to assess how they apply their skills—whether from construction or other industries—to resolve the issue.
In one role-play I conducted, a candidate from the military, who had no prior construction experience, was given a scenario in which a subcontractor walked off the job, delaying a project by several weeks. Drawing on their leadership and decision-making experience in high-pressure situations, they quickly put together an action plan, communicated clearly with stakeholders, and negotiated new terms with another contractor. The company saw firsthand how their problem-solving and leadership skills would translate into managing complex construction projects.
Looking Beyond Experience to Find the Best Candidates
Hiring only those with direct industry experience often drives salaries up, as candidates expect a premium for their relevant background. By opening up the talent pool and considering candidates from outside industries, companies can alleviate pressure on salary demands while still bringing in highly capable project managers.
For example, a company recently hired a project manager from the manufacturing sector. While they had never worked in construction, their experience overseeing complex supply chains, managing teams under tight deadlines, and solving logistical issues made them a great fit for the role. They quickly adapted to construction’s nuances—working with site crews, coordinating subcontractors, and navigating permitting challenges—and proved to be a valuable asset to the company.
This approach can also help build a more diverse team, as candidates from different industries bring fresh perspectives. A project manager from outside construction might approach a scheduling problem or budget challenge differently, offering creative solutions that those steeped in the industry may not have considered. These diverse viewpoints can lead to more innovative problem-solving, helping construction firms stay competitive.
Conclusion: Focusing on Skills, Not Experience, Drives Success
Ultimately, specific job experience is valuable to the extent that it helps individuals develop relevant knowledge and skills. However, what truly matters is a project manager’s ability to lead, solve problems, communicate, and adapt—all of which can be developed in different contexts. By using psychometric assessments and role-play exercises, companies can find the best candidates based on their skills, not just their resumes. This skills-first approach opens the door to top talent from diverse industries, allowing construction companies to find the right people to drive their success in a competitive market.