mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
Being an electrical contractor engaged in primarily old work, I have always had much more of it than the company can handle. It has been a constant struggle attracting qualified electricians. My local labor market may be unusual, in that there seems to be no unemployed electricians. Additionally, there is no statewide licensing by which the skill of any potential candidate can be measured. The interview process can generally sort out a qualified person from a semi-qualified one, but I'm having trouble getting candidates in the first place. Listings with the local unemployment office and newspaper ads have had terrible results. The pay and benefits are above average for my area. Are there any tricks to attracting personnel in an area that seems to have none available? Some seemingly good candidates only seem to want to work on new houses, which we don't do so much of (we are generally one of the high bidders). I can't seem to effectively relate that getting dirty in an old house will translate into better pay, but that's another issue. I just wish I could get the phone to ring as much with personnel calls as I do sales calls.