Ryan Englin on Everything They Don't Tell You: Why the Trades Have an Attractiveness Problem, Not a Visibility Problem

I went on Everything They Don't Tell You with Josh Zolin to talk about why the trades have an attractiveness problem, not a visibility problem, and what contractors need to do about it.

Josh asked me the question I hear everywhere: why can't we find people? And I gave him the same answer I give every contractor who asks. It's not that people don't know these careers exist. It's that the modern workforce isn't attracted to them the way previous generations were. The industry isn't cool anymore. And instead of fixing that, most companies throw money at the problem. Higher wages. Signing bonuses. Referral incentives with fine print. None of it works long term because you're competing on price, and someone will always outbid you.

I used the dating analogy I come back to over and over. You're getting ready for a first date. Do you roll out of bed, skip the deodorant, and show up in baggy sweatpants? Or do you get a haircut, put on something sharp, and actually present yourself well? Every contractor invests in how they look to the customer. Website, trucks, uniforms, social media. But almost nobody invests in how they look to the job seeker. And then they wonder why they only attract bottom feeders.

If you want to attract good people, you have to become attractive to good people. Period.

We talked about the generational shift too. Millennials now make up more than 50 percent of the workforce. If you're still telling millennial jokes, you're repelling the exact people you need. And Gen Z coming up behind them? They're digital natives who grew up on information exchange. But here's the thing I'm watching closely. The youngest generation is starting to disconnect from screens. They want experiences. They want to build something real. That is an opening for the trades, but only if we stop selling the career as "make money with no student debt" and start selling the pride, the identity, the "I built that" factor that every seasoned tradesperson already feels.

I shared the story that changed my entire career trajectory. I was running a digital marketing agency and had an HVAC client in Phoenix call me in July. 120-degree heat. Their first available appointment was three weeks out. Not because they didn't have leads. Because four trucks sat empty in the yard with no techs to run them. I applied the same marketing principles I used for customer acquisition to their recruiting. Three weeks later, all four trucks were full and they had more on order.

That moment made me realize recruiting is a marketing activity, not an HR activity. You attract people to your business the same way you attract customers. You define who you want. You craft a compelling message. You go where they are. You build a process that qualifies them and delivers on the promise. When you make that fundamental shift, everything opens up.

I also told Josh what I tell every client on day one. Do you know why your employees work for you? And the answer is never "because they need money." Money is a means to an end. They use the money for something. A house. Their kids. A better life for their family. Until you care about what's important to them, they will never care about what's important to you. That is not a soft concept. That is the foundation of retention.

We talked about what "good" actually means when contractors say they want good people. Nobody defines it for me as someone who can turn a wrench. Good means they show up on time. Good means they clean up the job site. Good means they look the customer in the eye and say thank you. None of that has anything to do with technical skill. You can teach someone the craft. You cannot teach them to give a damn. That's why the Core Fit Profile focuses on behaviors and traits, not resumes and certifications.

I also brought up something personal. My dad was in manufacturing. Worked 12-hour days six or seven days a week. Brought home a brick phone in the 80s thinking being reachable was a good thing. I spent my childhood at the plant as free labor. He became the business. And by the time I figured out how to fix the problem, he was ready to retire. I see that same story play out with every owner who walks through our door. They started the business for more freedom and ended up with less. The Core Fit Hiring System exists to break that cycle.

The bottom line I left Josh's audience with: take a step back and look at your business from the outside. Look at your digital presence. Look at your online reputation. Look at your culture. If you're not happy with what you see, a stranger who has never heard of your company will not be excited to come work there. The truth hurts. It's also fixable.

If you liked this conversation, I go deeper on building an employer brand that attracts A-players on Titans of the Trades.