You need an operations manager who is able to strongly benefit your company–one who has the necessary traits in order to help ensure success for your operations.
Finding the right candidate in a sea of job seekers, however, can be a challenge–especially when you realize that the field of operations management is expected to grow by 12.5% by 2022.
By looking for the following traits during your interviewing process, you can hire the best operations manager who will be a great fit for your mining, construction and manufacturing operations.
Attribute #1: Great Operations Managers Lead By Example
A solid operations manager won’t just throw out a list of expectations and assume their subordinates will meet them. They’ll be on site with the rest of your employees.
In fact, great operations managers aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty! An operations manager who spends all day sitting behind a desk won’t be able to keep the respect of their team members–and your job sites will suffer as a result.
Attribute #2: Solid Operations Managers Have Great People Skills
In addition to knowing the mining or construction industry, your operations manager need to know and understand people: how to encourage employees, guide them, and get the results they want out of them that ultimately impact the overall organization.
Strong communication and leadership skills from your operations manager are vital to progressing the goals of your company.
So, look for resumes that highlight mentoring or training accomplishments. Instances showing where candidates have positively influenced the work culture to improve employee retention are good examples proving they’ll be an asset to your team.
Attribute #3: Operations Managers May Have Union Backgrounds
Does your potential operations manager come from a union background? If your company needs a manager to oversee a union facility, then hiring a candidate with previous experience in dealing and negotiating with unions will be a strong plus.
Additionally, however, union negotiating experience may also be beneficial in a non-union operation when dealing with employee matters. Knowing how to be diplomatic can make a big difference on your job sites, especially when things aren’t going according to plan or workers are struggling to meet deadlines.
Check out your candidates’ union background and how they’ve worked with others in the past.
Attribute #4: Great Operations Managers Emphasize Safety
The best operations managers give more than just a token look at safety. They’re willing to go the extra mile in order to ensure the safety of employees on the job site–and they’d rather miss a deadline than have someone get hurt on their watch.
If you want to hire the best operations manager, make sure your interview includes an evaluation of how they might handle key safety concerns on the job site. Make note of how much emphasis they put on safety during everyday job management.
Attribute #5: Great Operations Managers Have Strong Technical Backgrounds
The best operations managers understand all the pieces of equipment on your job sites. They know how they work and how to put them back together again when they aren’t working as expected.
They also know when a machine is not functioning properly, therefore, time isn’t wasted on equipment that isn’t working according to plan.
Finally, they’re familiar with how the equipment on your job sites operates and how to use it, which makes them able to fill in for employees when necessary.
Attribute #6: Solid Operations Managers are Good with Finances
Your operations manager may need to do more than manage employees. They may need to keep an eye on the budget, too.
For this reason, solid financial skills are a key attribute of successful operations managers.
Look for previous financial experience or evaluate how candidates would choose to handle a financial conundrum during the interview in order to be sure that the operations manager selected will be able to protect the company’s assets.
Hiring the Best Operations Manager with Resource Erectors
Choosing the right operations manager for your company can be a challenge–but it’s one that’s well worth the effort. If you’re ready to hire the right operations manager for your construction, mining, or engineering company, contact us.
We’ll work with you to select candidates that are highly qualified in exactly the skills your company needs most.
