AMBASSADOR UPDATES

TJ’s advice on the challenges and market changes relevant to SME construction companies searching for talent on the West Coast.

Frequency: every month or two (see archive).

July 10th, 2025

TJ Kastning

Hiring isn’t just about finding someone with the right skills—it’s about finding someone who sees the world the way you do. Your company’s core values should be the first and strongest filter in the hiring process because they determine how a candidate will:✅ Make decisions under pressure✅ Handle conflict and challenges✅ Define success in their […]
July 9th, 2025

TJ Kastning

Most construction leaders still treat interviews like courtrooms. They sit at the head of the table, firing questions, assessing answers, and trying to catch red flags. The candidate? They’re expected to perform. To impress. To prove themselves worthy. But here’s the truth: Great interviews aren’t interrogations. They’re investigations.And the best investigators? They listen more than […]
July 8th, 2025

TJ Kastning

Most recruiting firms sell speed.We sell insight, design, and alignment. That difference? It changes everything. But here’s the rub: most construction leaders don’t know how to buy that difference. So let’s make it plain. Let’s make it visible. You Can’t Miss Fast Enough 🎯 Hiring the wrong person quickly doesn’t save you time. It burns […]
July 7th, 2025

TJ Kastning

Hiring a recruiter is a strategic move. But just because you can doesn’t always mean you should—yet. Ambassador Group isn’t for everyone, and we don’t pretend to be. If your company isn’t in the right place to fully leverage our expertise, you might waste time, money, and opportunities. So, before we start working together, let’s […]
July 4th, 2025

TJ Kastning

Construction leaders love a good shortcut. It’s part of the job—finding the fastest way to build, to move, to solve. But when it comes to hiring superintendents, project managers, or any field leader, shortcutting onboarding and training is a gamble. And not the good kind. 🧨 That “hit the ground running” hire?They may be sprinting […]
July 3rd, 2025

TJ Kastning

Seattle Summary: Seattle’s construction employment has declined by 8% year-over-year, averaging 20,300 workers in early 2025. Despite this, contractor confidence remains cautiously optimistic, with expectations of increased project volumes in 2025. mortenson.comamericanworkforcegroup.net Portland Summary: Portland’s construction sector is experiencing mixed signals. While residential demand is sluggish due to interest rates, green infrastructure projects are adding […]
July 3rd, 2025

TJ Kastning

Recruiting top talent is a game of strategy, but some companies are built like fortresses. You approach their best people, and they don’t budge. Why? Because these companies have mastered the art of retention. If you’re struggling to recruit out of certain businesses, it’s likely because they have these key elements dialed in. Let’s break […]
July 2nd, 2025

TJ Kastning

Failure leaves clues. But most teams in construction never slow down enough to read them. Someone quits.A job goes sideways.A hire doesn’t work out. And the default response? “Bad attitude.”“Wasn’t a fit.”“Next time we’ll be more careful.” But that’s not analysis. That’s blame. If you want to build better teams—and better systems—you have to do […]
July 1st, 2025

TJ Kastning

If your site’s on fire, sometimes adding more people isn’t the solution—it just gives you more people to burn out. In construction, hiring feels like the fix for everything. Behind schedule? Hire. Quality slipping? Hire. People leaving? Hire faster. But here’s the hard truth:Hiring won’t fix broken systems.It just exposes them faster. 🚨 The Hiring […]
July 1st, 2025

TJ Kastning

💬 When 100+ people take time to say “this changed everything for me”—you pay attention. We dug deep into the testimonials clients and candidates have shared about Ambassador Group. While every quote is unique, the trends say something powerful. Here’s what they reveal about how we operate—and why it works so well for both sides […]
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