How to recruiter-proof your roofing company

By Dani Sheehan.

Roofing Talent America offers four lessons to help you retain the best talent in the industry.

Reputation is everything, and especially in the roofing industry. You probably already look at how your brand reaches your customer base – constantly developing what you stand for and why you’re the right choice for the job. But here’s the flip side that often gets overlooked: you need to think about your brand when recruiting valuable and long-term employees too.  

While 49% of contractors admit they are concerned about the economy and inflation, workforce shortages remain their top issue. You can’t build a successful company without the right people, and the challenge isn’t just about finding talent – it's keeping them. Recruitment alone won’t solve this. The companies that invest in their people, build a culture worth staying for and create real career paths will be the ones that thrive.

If you want to ensure you retain the best talent, Luke McCormack, founder and CEO of Roofing Talent America, offers these four lessons to learn from.  

Lesson 1: People don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers

If you’re struggling to retain talent, ask yourself: Am I creating a place where people want to build their future? What do growth plans look like in your company, are there clear paths for developing leadership and do you have a culture you foster daily?

Evaluate yourself and the other managers in your company. Are you creating future leaders or simply signing the paychecks at the end of the week? Some areas to consider training your team in include:  

• Active listening
• Coaching and feedback
• Emotional intelligence
• Decision making
• Conflict resolution
• Team building
• Strategic thinking

The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) offers free resources to help you build your leadership team, or if you have specific employees wanting to grow in various areas, you can utilize industry partners for specialized training and coaching.

Lesson 2: When people stop growing, they start leaving

The best people don’t leave for a job – they leave for a lack of opportunity. Top talent wants to be challenged, learn new skills and see a clear career path ahead of them. If they feel stagnant, they’ll start looking elsewhere.

To keep employees engaged, invest in their personal and professional development. Consider:

• Providing structured mentorship programs
• Offering leadership training courses
• Supporting industry certifications and continued education
• Encouraging cross-training to expand skill sets
• Creating milestone-based promotions and pay increases

A growth-oriented company culture helps retain employees and makes your business more attractive to incoming talent.  

Lesson 3: The employee has experienced a massive life change

Life changes can trigger career changes. Whether it’s marriage, parenthood, relocation or a shift in financial priorities, employees often reassess their career choices when their personal circumstances evolve.

Luke advises, “Recruit the soldier, retain the family.” This means looking beyond just the employee and considering their entire life situation. However, if your company relies heavily on subcontractors, your retention strategies may need to focus on building strong relationships rather than offering traditional employment benefits. Some ways to do this include:

• Creating a reliable pipeline of work for subcontractors to depend on
• Offering competitive and prompt payment terms
• Providing access to training and upskilling opportunities
• Building a strong company culture that includes subcontractors in events and recognition programs
• Maintaining clear communication and strong professional relationships

Lesson 4: They decide your company is not a cultural fit

A cultural fit matters just as much as skillset. If an employee doesn’t connect with your company’s values, leadership style or team dynamics, they won’t stick around – no matter how competitive your salary is.

To proactively assess cultural fit, consider defining the perfect employee avatar. This includes:

• Identifying the core values and work ethic that align with your team
• Determining the leadership and communication styles that thrive in your environment
• Understanding what motivates and engages your best employees

Online personality and strength finder tools can help assess potential hires for compatibility with your company’s culture. When you hire the right cultural fit from the start, you’ll quickly reduce turnover and strengthen your team’s cohesion.

How Roofing Talent America can help

Recruiting and retaining top-tier talent doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. Roofing Talent America specializes in headhunting managerial to executive-level talent for roofing companies. By focusing on long-term placements that align with your company culture and growth strategy, they help you build a workforce that lasts.

A recruiter-proof company isn’t one that never loses employees – it's one that employees and subcontractors don’t want to leave.