Employee Hiring Guide 2025: Attract and Retain Employees in the Trades

Hiring the right employees has always been a challenge for business owners, but nowhere is this more true than in the home service and trade industries. Whether it’s HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, or general contracting, the pressure to find reliable, skilled workers is constant.

Four years ago, we shared advice on how to navigate the hiring process, and while much of that guidance remains relevant today, the landscape has shifted. Job boards aren’t producing the results they once did, competition for skilled labor is even tighter, and retaining employees has become just as critical as recruiting them.

At Waterford Business Solutions, we’ve worked with hundreds of small businesses and contractors, and we understand just how stressful hiring can be. Through years of experience and countless conversations with business owners, we’ve refined our strategies ot help you not only attract the right people but also keep them. Below, we’ll walk through updated insights into how to hire the right employees in 2025, blending tried-and-true principles with new approaches that reflect today’s realities.

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Skilled Labor & Finding It

In the trades, the biggest hurdle is the shrinking pool of skilled labor. Fewer young people are entering technical fields, instead opting for four-year degrees and white-collar jobs. That leaves a smaller pool of apprentices, journeymen, and master technicians to choose from. For many contractors, this means positions stay open longer, hiring cycles drag on, and wages rise due to competition.

Business owners can’t afford to take shortcuts. A single bad hire can significantly impact morale, harm customer service, or even lead to financial losses due to mistakes or dishonesty.

The old saying, “Be slow to hire and quick to fire,” still holds true. But being slow to hire doesn’t mean being passive. The most successful companies have learned to treat recruiting as a continuous process, not just something you do when someone quits.

Four years ago, online job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter were the go-to solutions for finding jobs online. While they’re still useful tools, we’ve seen their effectiveness decline. Free postings don’t get the same visibility, and the quality of applicants often doesn’t match the effort put into sorting through them.

Today, the best results come from a more strategic mix:

• LinkedIn has gained traction, particularly for management and sales roles. While it may not be the first place to look for a technician, it’s an excellent platform for finding supervisory staff and networking with industry professionals.
• Local trade schools have become the number one source of long-term hiring success. Building relationships with schools, offering guest lectures, or providing internships gives businesses first access to graduates before they enter the open market.
• Employee referrals remain one of the most reliable sources of new talent. Happy employees are unlikely to recommend poor candidates, and they often know peers in the industry who are a good fit.
• Community presence matters more than ever. Active involvement in local associations, volunteer events, and industry meetups can position your company as an employer of choice.

Lock in with the Community

One of the most effective strategies we recommend is developing a solid relationship with local trade schools. This isn’t about cold-calling when you need help.

Schools tend to favor companies that have invested time in supporting their programs. That might involve hosting apprentices, guest-teaching a class, or donating materials. When you show up consistently, your company gets on the school’s radar as a trusted partner, and in return, you’ll often get the first call when students are ready to graduate.

This proactive approach helps you build a steady pipeline of apprentices who can grow with your company, rather than scrambling to fill gaps when a position opens up.

Clear Cut Online Presence

If you do use job boards or post on your website, LinkedIn, or social media, your listing needs to stand out. Too many postings are vague, giving only the job title and pay range. That won’t cut it anymore.

Instead, be as specific as possible:

• List benefits clearly: paid time off, health insurance, retirement plans, recognition programs, or even small perks that make your workplace unique.
• Outline compensation in black and white. Candidates want to know if you’re paying hourly, offering a commission, or using a piece-rate pay system.
• Describe your company culture. What makes working for you different than working for a competitor?
• Share growth opportunities. Ambitious candidates want to know how they can advance their careers.

The more transparent you are, the more likely you’ll catch the attention of passive candidates – the ones who aren’t actively searching but might apply if the right opportunity comes along.

For more information on creating impactful job postings, Indeed offers a helpful resource on writing effective job descriptions.

The trades are tight-knit communities. Word travels fast when employees are unhappy at a competitor. While poaching might feel a little underhanded, keeping your ears open to what’s happening locally can open doors. Hiring a manager or salesperson from another company not only strengthens your team but also often attracts other employees who respect and want to work with them.

This strategy emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive reputation. Just as you’ll hear about dissatisfied workers elsewhere, your employees are talking about you, too. If they speak highly of your company, it makes it much easier to recruit when you need to.

Recruiting is only half the battle. Retaining good employees is where businesses either thrive or constantly struggle. No matter how well you hire, if your workplace is toxic or unstable, turnover will stay high.

Retention starts with culture:

• Positive Environment: Employees who feel respected and valued are less likely to jump ship.
• Clear Communication: Weekly meetings, open-door policies, and feedback loops help employees feel heard.
• Fair Pay and Benefits: Competitive wages are essential, but so is showing employees how their work contributes to the company’s success.
• Growth Opportunities: Offering training and advancement opportunities helps keep employees invested in their long-term careers with you.

When employees are happy, they become your best recruiters, recommending friends and industry contacts. That cycle of positive reputation fuels both retention and hiring.

Even with strong recruiting tactics, you’ll still need to screen candidates carefully. The principles we shared in our original hiring guide still hold true:

• Collect multiple applications before making a decision. A strong candidate pool means you’re not forced to settle.
• Use assessments when possible. Tools on platforms like Indeed can help you measure aptitude and filter out unqualified candidates. Review resumes with a second set of eyes. Business partners, managers, or even trusted friends may spot red flags you missed.
• Conduct phone screenings before formal interviews. These short conversations reveal personality and communication skills quickly.
• Ask thoughtful, job-specific interview questions. Go beyond “What’s your experience?” and test problem-solving skills with realistic scenarios.

For example, an HVAC candidate might be asked how they’d diagnose a failing system. Their exact answer matters less than how they think through the problem.

A step many businesses overlook is the working interview. Bringing a finalist in for a paid trial day gives you a firsthand look at their skills, attitude, and how they interact with your team. It’s far better to discover a poor fit during a one-day trial than after onboarding them fully.

No matter how promising a candidate appears, always conduct thorough background checks and, when appropriate, administer drug tests. Programs like ClearChecks offer affordable solutions for small businesses, helping to verify employment history, uncover potential red flags, and confirm what candidates have reported.

It’s not about distrusting people – it’s about protecting your business, your employees, and your clients.

Perhaps the most significant shift in hiring over the past few years has been a move away from reactive hiring. Businesses that only start recruiting when a position becomes available often find themselves in a desperate and compromising position. Instead, the best companies treat recruiting as an ongoing process. They:

• Always accept applications, even when not actively hiring.
• Maintain relationships with schools and industry groups throughout the year to foster ongoing connections.
• Stay active in their communities and online networks.
• Keep an updated database of potential candidates.

This way, when a position does open, you already have a list of candidates ot reach out to.

Hiring the right employees in 2025 requires both patience and proactivity. Traditional methods of job boards alone won’t suffice anymore. Success comes from building relationships, maintaining a positive company culture, leveraging your network, and treating recruiting as an ongoing effort rather than a once-a-year scramble.

At Waterford Business Solutions, we’ve seen firsthand how the right hiring process can transform a business. We work with contractors every day to help them understand not only the cost of labor but also how to build sustainable growth with the right people in place. If you’re struggling with hiring, retention, or understanding whether you can afford to expand your team, reach out – we’re here to help.