Where to Find Skilled Workers

When you need to find some good employees, but do not know where to look, consider these options as an alternative to your typical ‘Help Wanted’ ads.

Local Suppliers- People who work at your local hardware stores know who their good customers are. And, they may know what they have done in the past, and why they are not working now. They can be a valuable source of referrals for new hires- or to tell you whom to avoid.

Schools- What a better place to find skilled- yet untainted- workers than a local trade school? You can find younger folks that are recent graduates of local high school vo-tech programs. Speak to instructors to get references on the young men and women. There are also some post-secondary schools, such as community colleges and technical schools that offer trade programs. Get in touch with the placement department for some referrals. These schools must meet certain placement standards, and therefore will be very cooperative with you.

One final place to look is the Department of Labor’s JobCorps program. There is actually a Website you can go to recruit for this.

Temp Agencies- Perhaps you need some extra help for a limited time . A temp agency is a great place to go to find skilled laborers. Workers you find from here could then turn into full-time employees. These agencies, for a fee of course, will take care of want ads, interviewing, screening and paperwork.

State Employment Agencies- Pennsylvania, my state, has over the past years change the face of the “Unemployment Office.” It is now dubbed CareerLink, and connects displaced employees or recent grads with employers. Most major cities have a Department of Labor office, such as Pennsylvania’s CareerLink. Get it touch with them to place your announcement.

Job Fairs- There are probably job fairs sponsored by all types of organizations in your area. Check into setting up a booth. The advantages to this are that you can do on the spot interviews, and weed out resumes as you go.