Hiring & Assessing Prospective Candidates

Structural Building Components Industry: A Place for You, A Place that Matters from SBCA on YouTube.

Component manufacturers who dedicate time and effort into developing a systematic, ongoing process for outreach and recruitment insist it’s more than worth the investment! While there isn’t one right way to find, assess, and grow new talent, consider the following as you hone your approach to workforce development.

Build Relationships with Schools

Collaboration with local schools is an effective workforce recruitment approach that can result in a healthy pipeline of eager applicants looking for career opportunities. If you haven’t already, consider designating a point person from your company to reach out to high schools, trade schools and technical colleges to build relationships with instructors and administrators. Offering to provide a classroom presentation or plant tour for students has proven to be a straightforward way to increase general awareness of the industry, expose students to the manufacturing process, and spark interest that can quickly translate into internships or seasonal help.

Get Involved with Local Events

Participation in career fairs and other workforce development events increases awareness of opportunities in the components industry as well as your company’s exposure as an employer in your community. Think outside the box as you consider underutilized or untapped groups of potential employees.

Develop an Internship Program

One of the most effective ways to determine if a potential employee is a good fit is to offer them an internship. Through an internship program, you can attract better, more loyal applicants who are looking for a career – not just a job – and instill your company’s values in them along the way. 

Assess Potential Employees

CMs that have successful recruiting practices claim to spend as much time on hiring as they do on new hire orientation and training. Accurately assessing potential employees, both for their skills and their ability to fit into your existing work culture, is vitally important as it increases the odds of retaining new employees.

Workforce Development Tools

  • Visit SBCA’s Best Way to Frame website, which strives to reach students, educators, and others in your community who may benefit from learning more the components industry. 
  • Video: Structural Building Components Industry: A Place for You, A Place that Matters
  • To help CMs assess technical staff, SBCA developed the Technical Assessment Test Online (TATO). These interactive 50-question tests measure candidates’ technical aptitude and skills required to succeed in truss and engineered wood products design. 
  • SBCA’s LinkedIn page is providing general information to prospective candidates who may not otherwise learn about the SBC industry. You can create your own company page as well as following the SBCA page to help you make more connections and find interested prospects. 
  • Participate in an industry-specific Wage and Benefit Survey to stay up with current industry wages and benefits. SBCA CM members who participate in the survey receive the results at no charge. 

CM Perspective on Plant Tours

"The value of plant tours is off the charts. It can't be undersold or overestimated. If the industry could get itself involved in schools that are open to bringing career opportunities, it would be absolutely amazing what the industry would see in terms of applicants." 

- John Puckett, Instructor, Taller San Jose Hope Builders (read more)