Hiring Technicians in 2025: The Complete Guide to Finding, Attracting, and Keeping Quality Techs

“I’d grow if I could just find good techs.”

I hear this from every contractor I talk to. The skilled trades labor shortage is real—we’re short about 650,000 skilled trades workers nationally, and the gap is widening.

But here’s what’s interesting: while most contractors struggle to find anyone, some have a waiting list of applicants. Good applicants. Experienced applicants.

Same labor market. Same shortage. Different results.

The difference isn’t luck. It’s strategy. And today I’m going to share everything I’ve learned about winning the war for talent in the trades.

The Reality of the Labor Market

Let’s understand what we’re dealing with.

The Numbers

• Average age of skilled trades workers: 43 (and rising)
• Percentage of high school grads going to college: 62%
• Trade school enrollment trend: declining
• Annual retirement rate in trades: 3-4%
• Apprenticeship completion rate: roughly 50%

The bottom line: More people are leaving the trades than entering. This isn’t changing soon.

What This Means for Contractors

The labor market has flipped. You’re not picking from a pool of candidates—candidates are picking from a pool of contractors.

If you’re not actively selling your company as a great place to work, you’re losing to contractors who are.

The Good News

Most of your competitors are terrible at recruiting. They post generic ads, offer generic pay, and provide generic work environments.

Be better than generic, and you’ll stand out dramatically.

Part 1: Attracting Candidates

You can’t hire people who never apply. Here’s how to fill your pipeline.

Your Employer Brand

Before talking about job posts, let’s talk about what candidates see when they research you.

Your website:

• Does it have a careers page?
• Does the careers page show what it’s like to work there?
• Are there photos of real employees?
• Does it communicate your culture and values?

Your Google presence:

• What do reviews say? (Candidates check)
• How do you respond to negative reviews? (This reveals character)

Your social media:

• Do you post about your team?
• Do employees share company content?
• Does it look like a place people want to work?

Current employees:

• What do they tell friends about working for you?
• Would they recommend you?
• Are they actively referring candidates?

Where to Find Candidates

Channel 1: Employee Referrals (Best)

Your current employees know other technicians. If your workplace is good, they’ll refer friends. If it’s not, they won’t.

How to maximize referrals:

• Pay referral bonuses ($1,000-3,000 for hires who stay 90 days)
• Make referring easy (simple form, clear process)
• Celebrate referrals publicly
• Treat referred candidates well (it reflects on the referrer)

The reality check: If no employees refer candidates, that’s feedback about your workplace.

Channel 2: Trade Schools and Apprenticeship Programs

Build relationships before you need them.

• Guest speak at trade school classes
• Offer shop tours to students
• Sponsor trade competitions
• Create internship programs
• Hire directly from programs you’ve built relationships with

The long game: Students you invest in today become techs you hire next year—and they remember who supported them.

Channel 3: Online Job Boards

The obvious channel, but often done poorly.

Where to post:

• Indeed (highest volume)
• ZipRecruiter (good for trades)
• LinkedIn (yes, techs are there)
• Craigslist (still works in some markets)
• Industry-specific boards (HVAC Jobs, PlumbersStock, etc.)

How to stand out:

• Use specific titles (not “Service Technician” but “HVAC Service Tech - $35-45/hr + Benefits”)
• Lead with pay range (if it’s competitive)
• List specific benefits
• Describe culture, not just duties
• Make applying easy (no 45-minute applications)

Channel 4: Social Media Recruiting

Candidates scroll social media for hours daily. Meet them there.

What works:

• “Day in the life” videos of your techs
• Behind-the-scenes of interesting jobs
• Employee spotlights and testimonials
• Job postings with video instead of just text
• Paid ads targeting people interested in trades

Platforms:

• Facebook (broadest reach, especially 30+)
• Instagram (younger candidates)
• TikTok (youngest candidates, growing fast)
• LinkedIn (experienced professionals)

Channel 5: Military Transition Programs

Veterans make excellent technicians: discipline, training, work ethic.

Programs to connect with:

• SkillBridge (DOD program for transitioning service members)
• Hiring Our Heroes
• American Corporate Partners
• Local VA offices

What veterans value:

• Structure and clear expectations
• Career progression paths
• Benefits for families
• Respect for their service

Channel 6: Career Changers

The office worker who’s tired of sitting. The retail employee who wants better pay. The restaurant worker who wants weekends off.

How to reach them:

• Target ads by current employer category
• Emphasize “no experience required” for entry-level roles
• Highlight earnings potential vs. their current situation
• Offer training programs

The pitch: “Make $60K+ working with your hands instead of $35K sitting in a cubicle. We’ll train you.”

The Job Posting That Works

Generic (doesn’t work):

Service Technician Needed

We are looking for a service technician to join our team. Must have experience and valid driver’s license. Competitive pay and benefits.

Specific (works):

HVAC Service Technician - $32-45/hr + Full Benefits + Take-Home Truck

ABC Heating & Air is hiring experienced HVAC techs for residential service in the Dallas area.

What We Offer:

• $32-45/hr based on experience (top techs earn $100K+)
• Full benefits: medical, dental, vision, 401k with match
• Take-home company truck (gas card included)
• Paid training and certification opportunities
• 5-day work week with rotating on-call
• New equipment and tools provided

What We’re Looking For:

• 2+ years of residential HVAC service experience
• EPA certification
• Valid driver’s license with clean record
• Ability to diagnose and repair all residential systems
• Professional communication with customers

About Us: We’ve been serving Dallas families for 25 years. Our team is 40 techs strong, and our average tenure is 7 years. We’re growing and need more great people.

Apply: [link] or text “HVAC” to 555-1234

See the difference? The second version answers the questions candidates actually have.

Part 2: Hiring Process

Getting applications is step one. Converting them to employees is step two.

Speed Matters

In this labor market, the best candidates have multiple offers. If your hiring process takes 3 weeks, you’ve lost them.

Target timeline:

• Application to first contact: 24 hours
• First contact to phone screen: 48 hours
• Phone screen to interview: within 1 week
• Interview to offer: 24-48 hours
• Offer to start date: within 2 weeks

Total: 2-3 weeks max from application to first day

The Phone Screen (15 minutes)

Before bringing someone in, quick phone screen:

• Verify basic qualifications
• Confirm compensation expectations align
• Assess communication skills
• Answer their questions
• Schedule in-person if both sides are interested

Red flags:

• Can’t articulate basic technical concepts
• Compensation expectations way out of range
• Poor communication skills
• Bad-mouths previous employers

The Interview

Structure matters. Random questions get random results.

Part 1: Culture Fit (30 minutes)

• Tell me about yourself and how you got into the trades
• What do you like most about service work?
• Describe a difficult customer situation and how you handled it
• What’s your ideal work environment?
• Why are you looking to make a change?

Part 2: Technical Assessment (30 minutes)

• Walk through diagnosis scenarios
• Ask about specific repair procedures
• Discuss equipment they’ve worked on
• Review certifications and training

Part 3: Their Questions (15 minutes) Let them ask anything. What they ask reveals what they care about.

Part 4: Ride-Along Option For candidates you’re serious about, offer a paid ride-along. They see the work; you see them work.

The Offer

Don’t lowball. Don’t play games. Make your best offer.

Include:

• Base pay (hourly or salary)
• Spiff/bonus structure
• Overtime expectations
• Benefits summary
• Start date
• Equipment provided

Present in person or video call—not email. This is a relationship, not a transaction.

Create urgency: “This offer is valid for 48 hours. We’re excited about you and want to move quickly.”

Background and Drug Screening

Do them—but do them fast.

• Use a screening company that returns results in 24-48 hours
• Run screens after offer acceptance, before start date
• Be clear about your policies upfront

Part 3: Compensation Strategy

You can’t pay below market and complain about finding people. Here’s how to think about comp.

Know Your Market

What are other contractors paying? Sources:

• Job postings (they tell you)
• Industry salary surveys
• Trade associations
• Asking candidates what they’re currently making

Update this data quarterly. Markets move fast.

Total Compensation Thinking

Hourly rate isn’t everything. Calculate total compensation:

• Base pay
• Overtime (be realistic about expectations)
• Spiffs and bonuses
• Benefits value
• Vehicle/gas card value
• Tool allowances
• Training investment

A $30/hr job with great benefits and a take-home truck might be worth more than a $35/hr job with nothing.

Present it this way: “Your total compensation package is worth approximately $75,000 annually when you factor in health insurance, retirement match, paid time off, and the take-home vehicle.”

Compensation Structures

Hourly: Simple, predictable, good for most service roles.

Hourly + Spiff: Base rate plus bonuses for sales (maintenance agreements, accessories, leads).

Commission: Percentage of sales, typically for high-ticket work.

Salary: Fixed pay, typically for supervisors or specialized roles.

The trend: Most residential service contractors are moving toward hourly + spiff, with spiffs tied to sales performance but not so heavy that techs feel like salespeople.

When to Pay Above Market

Pay premium for:

• Specialized skills (commercial, controls, specific equipment)
• Leadership potential
• Proven sales ability
• Reliability and tenure at previous jobs

You’re not just paying for today’s production—you’re paying for reduced turnover, training costs, and hiring headaches.

Part 4: Retention

Hiring is expensive. Keeping people is cheaper. Here’s how to keep the techs you’ve invested in.

Why Techs Leave

In order of frequency:

1. Better pay somewhere else
2. Poor relationship with supervisor
3. Lack of growth opportunity
4. Work-life balance issues
5. Equipment/tool frustrations
6. Culture problems

Notice: Pay is first, but it’s not everything. Techs will stay for less money if everything else is great.

The First 90 Days

New hires are most likely to leave in the first 90 days. Make this period count.

Week 1:

• Structured onboarding (not thrown to the wolves)
• Meet key team members
• Company overview and culture
• Clear expectations set

Days 30:

• Check-in meeting with supervisor
• Address any concerns
• Reinforce what’s going well

Day 60:

• Skills assessment
• Training plan adjustment
• Career path discussion

Day 90:

• Performance review
• Compensation confirmation
• Commitment check-in

Ongoing Retention Strategies

Career pathing: Show techs where they can go. For more on developing leaders, see our guide on transitioning technicians to management.

• Lead tech → Supervisor → Manager → Owner
• Service tech → Install tech → System designer
• Technical track → Training → Product specialist

Continuous training: Invest in their skills.

• Manufacturer training
• Certifications (fund them)
• Leadership development
• Industry conferences

Recognition: Celebrate wins publicly.

• Tech of the month
• Sales achievements
• Customer compliments
• Tenure milestones

Work-life balance: Respect their time.

• Reasonable hours (8-hour days are possible)
• Fair on-call rotation
• Paid time off (and encourage using it)
• Flexibility when possible

Equipment and tools: Give them what they need.

• New, reliable vehicles
• Proper tools (not worn-out junk)
• Good uniforms
• Working technology

The Stay Interview

Don’t wait for exit interviews. Conduct stay interviews annually:

• What do you like most about working here?
• What frustrates you?
• What would make this job better?
• What might cause you to leave?
• How can I support you better?

Then act on what you learn. Nothing is worse than asking and ignoring.

The Bottom Line

The labor shortage is real, but it’s not insurmountable.

Contractors who win the talent war do these things:

1. Build an employer brand people want to join
2. Fish in multiple ponds for candidates
3. Move fast in the hiring process
4. Pay fairly and communicate total comp
5. Invest in retention from day one

Your competitors are posting generic ads and wondering why nobody applies. Be different. Be better. And you’ll find that good technicians are out there—they’re just selective about who they work for.

Be worth selecting.

Struggling to find and keep quality technicians? Book a free 20-minute strategy call to discuss your recruiting and retention strategies.

Related Reading:

• From Technician to Manager: Leadership Development
• Scaling Your Contractor Business
• Customer Retention Strategies