Warning: I used to hire anyone who could swing a hammer for my roofing crew

For the first two years running my company, I just needed warm bodies on the roof. Last summer, a new guy in Charlotte cost me a $5k redo on a shingle job because he couldn't read a simple cut sheet. Now I make every candidate do a 20-minute hands-on test with drip edge and flashing before I even talk pay. It cut my hiring pool in half, but my callbacks dropped to almost zero. Anyone else switch from fast hiring to skill testing first?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor.sean9d ago

Yeah, that's the only way to do it now. I lost a whole siding job because a guy kept mixing up the starter strips. A quick skills check weeded out the guys who just talk a good game.

craig.mila8d ago

Check references too, @taylor.sean. Some guys can fake a skills test.

the_william8d ago

Mixing up the starter strips on a whole job? That's wild, how does someone even do that?