How to Hire HVAC Techs When the Good Ones Already Have Jobs

By Tim Oyler, Founder of Thirty Madison Ventures

Short answer: Stop waiting for applicants. Go recruit HVAC techs who already have jobs. Define the exact seat. Build a list of working techs in your market and reach them directly. Sell them on your shop the way you'd sell a big replacement job. Check their skills on a paid ride-along and with peer references. Then decide fast in the first few weeks whether you've got a keeper.

That's the whole playbook. The rest of this page shows how to run each step.

The numbers explain why it has to work this way. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 40,600 openings a year for HVAC/R mechanics and installers from 2025 to 2035. It says most of those openings come from replacing techs who retire or leave the trade (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). The median HVAC tech earned $61,010 in May 2025, and the top 10% earned more than $95,210 (same source). The techs you want are in that top group, and they're busy running calls for somebody else. For the full trade-by-trade numbers, see our technician shortage data page.

Why job boards don't fill HVAC seats

A job post only reaches people who are looking. Good techs usually aren't. They're booked solid, they get paid well, and their boss knows what he'd lose if they left.

So the people who answer your post are mostly:

There's nothing wrong with any of them. They just aren't the truck-ready tech who can run calls on his own in your market from day one. As our homepage says: "Good techs exist — they're just not on job boards."

Step 1: Define the seat before you recruit

"I need a tech" isn't a job description. Write down which seat you're filling:

Then write down what the seat requires:

If you can't explain the seat in 30 seconds, you can't sell it to an employed tech in 30 seconds either.

Step 2: Pre-fill your bench

Most owners start recruiting the day a tech quits. By then you're already behind.

Pre-filling your bench means you always have a short list of three to five techs you'd hire tomorrow, and you keep in touch with them before you need them. Here's where to find names:

Check in once a month. Grab a coffee or send a text. When a seat opens, you call your bench instead of posting on Indeed.

Step 3: Use the peer-reference loophole

Good techs know other good techs. They went to school together, worked at the same shops and see each other at the supply house.

So when you interview a strong tech, ask for two or three peer references: techs at or above his skill level who'd vouch for him. That does two jobs at once:

  1. It verifies him. Other good techs won't vouch for a hack.
  2. It gives you three more qualified techs to call.

Ask your current A-players the same question: "Who's the best tech you've ever worked with?" Even a candidate who turns you down can hand you a name. One good conversation can fill your pipeline.

Step 4: Recruiting is a sales process

An employed tech has no reason to take your call. You have to give him one. Treat him like a high-ticket customer:

On The War Room, Tim described what made Andy Hobaica's closing work. The same standard applies when you're recruiting a tech:

"Like every objection you have a solution to right on the spot, not a solution to later."

— Tim Oyler, The War Room with Andy Hobaica (24:14)

Outreach that gets replies is short and personal. A text works better than a long email. Use his name, mention how you found him, make one specific offer and ask one easy question:

"Hey Mike, this is Sam with Smith Heating. A couple of guys at the supply house said you're the best diagnostic tech in town. We're adding a service seat with a take-home truck and no weekend on-call. Worth a 10-minute call this week?"

Step 5: Check skills on a paid ride-along

Interviews are where techs tell you how good they are. A ride-along is where they show you. Pay for the time and run real calls with your best lead tech. Score:

Then call the peer references from Step 3.

Step 6: Hire better, fire faster

A clear first 90 days protects both sides. Write a simple scorecard: what a good week 1, day 30 and day 60 look like (callbacks, tickets run solo, customer reviews, attitude). Check it with him every week.

If a new hire isn't working, you'll usually see it early. Coach it once, clearly. If it doesn't change, make the call. Waiting six months to admit a bad hire doesn't save you anything. It just keeps the wrong person in a truck with your name on it.

The invisible P&L of an empty HVAC truck

An empty seat doesn't show up as a line item on your P&L, which is why it's easy to ignore. Run your own numbers:

Use the real numbers from your field software. When owners see that figure, recruiting stops looking like an expense.

How Thirty Madison Ventures recruits HVAC techs

We call it Reverse Recruiting. We map the licensed techs in your market, reach them directly by text and sell them on your shop. When local talent is thin, we recruit from other markets and help with the move.

From our homepage, word for word:

Tell us the seat and the city. Book a call →

Watch: how we hire HVAC techs who already have jobs

Watch on YouTube: Good HVAC Techs Already Have Jobs. Here's How We Hire Them

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions.

How long does it take to hire an HVAC tech?
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It depends on your market, the seat and whether you already have a bench. Starting from a job post in peak season is the slowest way. Starting from a list of employed techs you already know is the fastest. When Thirty Madison Ventures runs the search, we deliver your first qualified candidates within 14 days of our kickoff call.
Where do I find HVAC techs who aren't looking for a job?
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At supply houses, manufacturer trainings, trade schools and in competitors' public reviews. Most of all, ask the good techs you already know. Ask every strong candidate for two or three peer references at or above his level, and ask your best techs who the best tech they've ever worked with is.
What certifications should an HVAC tech have?
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The EPA requires nearly all HVAC techs to hold Section 608 certification to handle refrigerants. Some states and localities also require an HVAC license, so check your state board. Industry certifications such as NATE are usually optional, but many employers prefer them.
Should I use a recruiter to hire HVAC techs?
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Only if the recruiter goes after employed techs. If a recruiter posts your job on the same boards you already tried and forwards resumes, you're paying for something you could do yourself. Ask any recruiter how they source, how they screen and what happens if a placement doesn't work out. See our FAQ for how we answer those questions.
How much should I pay an HVAC tech?
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Start with BLS data for your state and metro to make sure your offer isn't below market. Nationally, the median was $61,010 in May 2025, and the top 10% earned more than $95,210. To move a top tech who already has a job, your total offer (pay, truck, schedule, training and growth) has to beat what he has now.

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