How To Attract Skilled Trades Workers In A Candidate-Friendly Market

The hiring market is definitely slanted in the job seeker’s favor right now.

So how can construction hiring managers and HR teams effectively compete to hire the skilled tradespeople they need to survive and thrive in this challenging labor market?

As we pointed out in a previous post, the skilled trades are a great career choice right now.   

If hiring professionals want to be competitive, they will need to be knowledgeable and creative. 

In this post, we’ll discuss three critical skilled trades hiring tips: 

  • Being Knowledgeable In Your Industry, Workforce, and Competitors 
  • Screening Candidates Properly
  • Promoting a Solid, Welcoming Corporate Brand and Culture 

The experts at CNBC recently weighed in on the subject of creative hiring practices:

The genie is out of the bottle. Companies are not going to go back to the old ways of doing business. Today’s jobs, and the jobs of the future, require strong, sometimes new skills. Many key stakeholders are doing their part, coming together to eliminate barriers to upskilling and helping jobseekers along the path to a good-paying job and career. 

That’s a great summary of the current skilled trades job market. 

What’s the bottom line? Construction companies need to stay on top of the need for competitive compensation and non-direct-compensation benefits for skilled trades employees. 

You need to be knowledgeable in your field, the workforce, and your competitors. 

You need to know your competition. Whatever your specialty is—general contractor, electrical, carpentry, etc.—you will not be successful in attracting the skilled trades talent you need without in-depth market knowledge.

In a previous post, we discuss some of the benefits you’ll need to be cognizant of when sourcing skilled tradesmen.  

You need to be able to identify the right candidates, screen them quickly and be ready to hire.

Great skilled tradespeople, the ones you need to stay competitive, are not sitting on the sidelines in this candidate-friendly market. Your hiring team needs to know where to source and recruit the best available tradesmen.

Does your hiring team have a source of vetted job-seekers who are ready to go to work?  

You need to promote a solid, welcoming corporate brand and culture. 

Your reputation matters. Make sure your HR team is staying on top of your corporate brand and reputation. Skilled tradespeople use their networks, first and foremost, to vet potential employers. If you don’t pass the reputation test, you potentially won’t even get a ticket to the auction with potential talent.

What’s the best way to stay on top of the current ultra-competitive trades talent market?

Partner with an industry-tested recruiting expert.  

When you partner with Skilled Trades Partners, you can expect our team to help you:

  • Access the skilled, specialized tradespeople you need—quickly!
  • Control labor costs
  • Increase productivity
  • Complete projects on time

Are you a construction hiring manager or hiring specialist with a skilled trades job search, or searches, underway? 

Call us today at one of our four New England office locations:

ME: 207-888-2683

NH: 603-237-1880

CT: 860-200-1374

MA: 508-689-9728

Or get in touch online. Our expert skilled trades recruiters are waiting for your call.