Why Aren't Good HVAC Techs Applying to My Job Posts?
Short answer: Because the techs you want already have jobs, and they aren't reading job boards. A job post only reaches people who are looking, and in a tight market the best techs rarely are. To hire them, you have to find them, reach out to them directly and give them a real reason to move.
That's not a knock on your ad. It's how hiring works when there aren't enough techs to go around. Until you fix it, you end up where a lot of owners tell us they are: "I'll just go out and do this service call myself, because then it's done and I can move on to the next thing. The problem is, like, I'm never gonna get out of this cycle."
Who actually answers an HVAC job post?
Mostly people who are between jobs or always looking. Some are good techs who had bad luck. Many are techs who move every year for another dollar an hour, green techs who need more training than you can give in July, or people who've never worked in the trade.
Tim hears the same story from owners all the time. Here's how he summed it up on one call:
"Indeed, job boards, local boards are just producing apprentices or bad talent."
— Tim Oyler, on a call with a home service owner
Owners describe the same results. One posted on Indeed, got a handful of applicants, and "2 or 3 were qualified from an experience standpoint, and they didn't return calls or anything to set up an interview." Another told us about the hire he did make off a job board: "He's, like, an apprentice... he's late every single morning."
None of that means everyone who applies is bad. It means the truck-ready tech you need, the one who can run calls on his own from day one, usually isn't in that pile.
Why don't good techs look at job boards?
Because they don't need to. A strong service tech is booked solid, gets paid well, and his boss knows what he'd lose if he left. If he ever did want to move, he'd call a shop he already knows about.
Tim put it bluntly on a call with an owner: "Every good tech has a job." And later on the same call: "Most good techs have jobs, they might not be applying on Indeed. In most cases, they aren't."
But having a job isn't the same as being happy in it. Tim calls this the invisible tech market:
"They have a job, they're not looking for a job, but they're not that happy at their job."
— Tim Oyler, on a call with a home service owner
Those techs will never see your post. They will take a call from someone who gives them a real reason to move.
The numbers back that up. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 40,600 openings a year for HVAC/R mechanics and installers from 2025 to 2035, and says most of them will come from replacing techs who retire or leave the trade (BLS). Plumbers and electricians look similar. When that many seats are open, good techs don't have to go looking. See the full numbers on our technician shortage page.
Is the problem my job post or my offer?
Often it's both. Even when you reach a good tech, a weak offer won't move him. Tim's view:
"If I got an attractive offer, and I sell your company, and it's better than most offers, I got a much better chance to land it."
— Tim Oyler, on a call with an HVAC owner
A great offer can't fix the reach problem on its own, though. Owners tell us "nobody has a better package" and still can't fill the seat. The best offer in town only works if the right techs actually hear it. An employed tech compares your offer to what he has today, not to other job posts. So look at the whole package: pay and on-target earnings, the truck, the schedule, on-call, training and the path to lead tech or a selling role. If you can't say why your shop is better than his current one, he can't either.
Where do you find HVAC techs who aren't looking?
You build your own list. Good places to start:
- Your own techs. Ask your best people, "Who's the best tech you've ever worked with?"
- Peer references. Ask every strong candidate for two or three techs at or above his level. As Tim says, "all good techs know good techs."
- The supply house, manufacturer trainings and trade school instructors. They know who's good.
- Competitors' public reviews. Homeowners often name the tech who did a great job.
Keep a short bench of techs you'd hire tomorrow and stay in touch before you need them. Our guide to hiring HVAC techs covers the bench and the peer-reference loophole in detail.
What do you say to a tech who already has a job?
You treat it like a sale. Tim describes it this way: "The only way to get these techs, because they have jobs, is to get them on the phone and sell them to come over."
Keep the first message short and personal. A text usually works better than a long email. Use his name, say how you found him, mention one specific thing about the job and ask one easy question, like whether he's open to a 10-minute call. Then listen. Find out what he doesn't like about his current setup, and show him how your shop fixes it.
How much outreach does it really take?
More than most owners expect. Tim told one owner it takes "10 times the amount of volume than you think it takes." That's his read from running searches every day, not a formula. But the point stands: you'll talk to a lot of techs to find a few who are good, open to moving and a fit for your shop. Plan for it instead of getting discouraged after five calls.
If your local market is tapped out, look farther away. Recruiting a tech from another city and helping with the move can fill a seat faster than waiting for someone local to quit.
Should I stop posting jobs?
No. Keep your post up. It costs little, and now and then a good tech does apply. Just don't let it be your whole plan. Use it alongside direct outreach, peer references and a bench, and screen every applicant the same way. Our post on what to ask an HVAC tech in an interview has the questions.
The same is true for plumbers and electricians. See our guides to hiring plumbers and hiring electricians.
How Thirty Madison Ventures helps
Thirty Madison Ventures recruits truck-ready HVAC, plumbing and electrical service techs and selling techs for home service owners. We call our method Reverse Recruiting. It's the playbook in this post, run every day:
- We map the techs in your market. We build the list of licensed techs who already have jobs instead of waiting for applicants.
- We reach them directly. Text-first outreach and phone calls, followed up until we get good techs on the phone.
- Our recruiters are sales pros. As Tim puts it, "All good techs have jobs. … A good tech's not looking for a job." So our recruiters sell them on your shop and on taking the interview.
- We build a bench for you. Every strong tech gives us peer references, so we keep a network of techs in your area. In Tim's words, "We're ahead of your hiring needs, because we have this peer network being built."
- We go across state lines when we need to. When local talent is thin, we recruit from other markets and help with relocation planning.
You get first candidates within 14 days of our kickoff call, and every placement comes with a 60-day replacement guarantee. More questions? See our FAQ.