Recruiting Sign Installers

If you’re trying to hire an installer, remember: Tools themselves have the power to attract people to a profession. How do I know? Because I wrote my eighth-grade career paper on dentistry. Dentistry!—for no other reason than I loved the little tools my dentist used. He had a big platter covered with highly specialized stainless steel tools right in front of my face while he worked. As a kid, I’d sit with my mouth open in his fancy chair, pumped to the perfect elevation by his foot, gazing at that platter of tools, trying to imagine what each one was for. Even the drill (which I hate now) was mesmerizing. And that spit sucker—pure genius. I was so captivated by the tools, I never once thought about the downside of the profession—being bitten by little kids or scorned by adults. I only thought of how fun it would be to have a job using those tools.

It’s probably always been that way with tools, even in primitive societies. Can you imagine a tribal chief sending a kid out to kill a lion without a tool of some kind? No way. But that same chief could hand the kid a perfectly balanced spear with a sharpened point, and it wouldn’t be long before that kid would be hunting a lion—no suggestion necessary.

It’s tough to find employees right now, especially people who are good with tools, not scared of heights, and willing to brave the elements. And further narrowing the field, installers need to be problem solvers, able to zig and zag, and stay cool when things don’t go as planned (And let’s face it, installs almost never go as planned. “Hey, why is there an I-Beam back there?”). Finally, like it or not, installers are brand ambassadors, dealing one-on-one with customers. So, ideally, they should have magnificent personalities, too. Yikes, it’d be easier to find a unicorn.

So how do you attract people made from the right stuff? And when you do, how do you pull them onboard? It’s a challenge regardless, but without having the proper tools, it’s dang near impossible.

Recently, one of our customers told us that they’ve been using our Chariot Bucket’s How-To Videos during their interview/recruitment meetings with candidates for their installer positions. She said the applicants relax a little when they realize the company has bucket truck accessories to make the job safer and easier. In a word—doable.

Every year, we spend a few weeks helping installers hang signs. Each time we do, we’re inspired with more ideas—generated in the field—to make an installer’s life safer and easier. It’s fun and rewarding, because that’s the niche we’re trying to fill. If you have a great idea, give us a call.