Where Do You Find Good Installers?
Mar
20
Written by:
Heather L. Sidorowicz
3/20/2013 11:59 AM
Last week I sent out a tweet asking my fellow AVTweeps (#avtweeps), “Where Do Installers Come From?” I currently have 498 followers (
@tech_chi). The response? No answer from anyone. CEDIA actually picked up the tweet and retweeted it to its 6,572 followers.
Nothing but crickets…
I started thinking that either you all know some great secret that you don’t want to share with me (or the rest of the world), or—more likely—you don’t have a concrete answer either.
We recently lost an installer, and I’ve been on the search for a new one ever since. I have this advertised in the local papers, on my sign out in front of my store, on CEDIA’s website (a member benefit), and even on Craigslist. And it got me to thinking; where have my best employees come from over the last 28 years?
Growing an InstallerThe longest an employee has stayed with us was 13 years. Before working at the company, he made pizza at the Domino’s next door. I’m not really sure how my father figured it out, but this guy could take anything (and I mean anything) apart and fix it. Ever see a camcorder in a million pieces? He also had a talent for getting any wire anywhere. He has become an urban legend at my company… the places he got wires. There was no “can’t do it,” or “impossible” in his vocabulary.
Another employee we had for eight years was originally hired to paint our facility. We had purchased the property where we now reside and needed someone to help with the renovations, painting, and other work. Once we opened in the new location he began going out on calls to run wiring. He started as a “worker” but grew into a lead installer and a great programmer.
I don’t think either of these people set out to install AV, yet they were great at it.
Finding Talent in the FieldFrom Todd Puma at The Source Home Theater: “Great installers sometimes come from taking a chance on someone who definitely has skill but also persistence and loyalty,” he said. “My (now) lead installer, Jason, and I were hired to work at the same location but to do two different things. I was doing their automation and he was installing the locks. During the day, Jason came up and introduced himself. We got to talking, and he asked if we were hiring. At the time we weren’t so I declined his request. We ended up working the next day together, and this gave me the opportunity to see his work in action. I could see his ease and innovation in carpentry by the way he overcame some difficult spots, and I was impressed. He came up to me again at the end of the day and asked again if we were hiring and I thought, “Why not give him a try? Sometimes your gut tells you what a list of examples on paper might not.”
Partnerships to Employees
Ric Johnson with Right at Home Technologies partners with educational institutions to train his people. “We train our people after they come to us from various trade schools or the electrical trade,” he explained. “Since our company history is electrical, we have a great relationship with the various vocational schools in the areas where we have offices. We have a co-op program with two schools, which sends us juniors and seniors in the electrical program, and we then put them to work assisting on projects. From there, we test for various skills and we then move them into areas that we believe will be the best. After we hire a full-time apprentice, we will send him to various manufacturer or trade group trainings, and we run all of our prospective ESTs through the ESPA EST training. Over the years we have trained individuals that become competitors and some that just leave the trade. Our company believes in continuing education, so we provide up to 30 paid hours per year.”
Installer Degree Chris Neto, audiovisual pro with AV Helpdesk Inc., pointed me to a podcast recently on AV Nation. At the Media Institute in Madison, WI, one can now get a degree as an audio visual integrator. “As an AV systems programmer, you have the knowledge and practical abilities to design and install cutting-edge media systems,” he stated.
CEDIA has three-day Boot Camps to immerse a new hire in the AV world. Not only is there classroom time, but “extensive hands-on lab training in real rooms, using real tools, products and test equipment.” This doesn’t come cheap, though. For members the price ranges from $750-plus and for nonmembers the price begins at $1,000. This is an investment.
Is a “degree” as valuable as in-field experience? Is it more valuable, because they’ll have the tools, and you’ll be able to mold them with your values?
So where do installers come from? From the conversations I’ve had with others, I don’t seem to be the only one having a hard time finding talent. We have high unemployment rates, yet it seems not many are willing to actually “work.” For those who are, their asking price is usually pretty high.
We’re a great company to work for; we’re small, locally own and operated, and we let our employees have a voice here. I believe that there is so much potential, but maybe I have blinders. Is there something I’m not seeing?
Where have you found your greatest employees? Have you found it hard to find people willing to do the work? Have you created a superb training program? Tell me in the comment section below.
Meanwhile, I’ll be interviewing…
16 comment(s) so far...
Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
Sometimes I wonder if the job market is not too far off from the old Marco Polo game, with both sides wearing blindfolds. There are great people out there, and great employers, it's just so hard to meet up. Best of luck in your search!
By Joel Hagen on
3/21/2013 6:11 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
You grow them. Otherwise you pay the premium for a fully matured one. I started off in this industry when I was 19 yrs old. My boss then took a chance on me and I grew. I spent almost 14 yrs there before I left for a new challenge.
By Daniel Armenta on
3/21/2013 9:24 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
While I don't run an install company (I'm an electronics design engineer), I've hired a number of electronic technicians over the years (installer skill sets are hopefully very similar) and I teach installers for CEDIA, InfoComm, NSCA, etc. I've found that passion for the work is, by far, more important than "credentials" or even experience. The best technician I ever hired came to his interview in a t-shirt, jeans, and bare feet. He was a Cal-Tech dropout ... but his passion for electronics was plainly evident. I hired him on the spot and never regretted it!
By Bill Whitlock on
3/21/2013 10:06 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
Excellent questioin and some very good answers. CEDIA Education strives to cover all levels of training, from entry level EST to more advanced designer, project managers,etc. And Ric is right about ESPA. This program is the foundation for technicians whether they plan to work in residential, commercial, or any of the other specialized verticals like satellite, cable, or security. The training can be done online and from the books and the certification tells employers that the person has mastered the fundamentals. Over the next year we will be launching a great deal of our fundamental courses online. This will make it much more accessible. In the meantime ESPA is gaining traction in the academic channel and you will see more and more schools teaching to it and offering the exam. We recommend looking for tech schools that use either ESPA or NCCER curriculum for EST training. Yes, you do want to "grow them". But they grow a lot faster when they have a solid foundation of knowledge to build on. Always feel free to contact CEDIA for more info on training options, including many that are free....
By Jeff Gardner on
3/21/2013 10:24 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
When I first moved to Atlanta I installed Home Theater in the POSH area of Atlanta. We installed pre-wired and generally system integrated.
I actually come out of the Pro Arena. Now days I manufacture and write.
BUT if the price is right I may just re integrate myself into the world more.
Give a call!
By Lee Tingler on
3/21/2013 11:08 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
Car stereo installers usually have the correct skill sets: audio and basic video, wire management, fabrication and general MacGuyvering abilities. Most can talk with clients, and that is sonething that is hard to teach. When we run an ad for techs we use CraigsList and look for people that have Customer Service skills or training. We figure we can train the technical stuff, but we can not easily train customer service and basic conversational skills. We send the newbie guys to the industry to CEDIA Boot Camp training for a jump start!
By John Polk on
3/21/2013 2:45 PM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
Where are all the vets from Afghanistan and Iraq that need work after leaving the service? We will hire on the spot with in country experience, yet we can't find ANY! He'll, we can't find any installers for that matter. There is definitely a disconnect between 8% national unemployment and unemployed residential systems installers.
By EJ Feulner on
3/21/2013 7:39 PM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
Its a fact that you just cant find an installer. Its true for us in India also. My best guys are those who joined me for other work and then due to their interest and performance learned the ropes and have become competent. Yes there is a fairly large drop out rate, but then you do get nuggets !!
By Rohit Dhawan on
3/22/2013 12:40 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
AV Contractors need to include in their Business Model a long term good relationship with a local Installation Subcontractor.
Keep your core group that makes your company work and have a good Sub onboard to manage the fluctuating project work load on an "as needed basis". There are good experienced Subcontractors all over the country doing great work and looking for these long term relationships. We are a valuable asset to our clients but it's one of those things they don't openly discuss.
Best of luck,
By Mark Folks on
3/22/2013 4:26 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
Down here in the heart of Texas, greater Austin to be exact, there seems to be no shortage of experienced installers to choose from. The biggest problem we have is finding those who not only can but actually will do whatever is required to get the job done. I experienced the same type of problem in my previous profession of electrical trades when pulling journeymen from the unions. Many of them could do all aspects of the trade but considered themselves above certain duties like ditching or retrofitting wires. In the custom a/v trade as well many experienced installers aren't willing to get in the attics and sweat it out because they consider themselves "programmers" because they are well versed in various types of proprietary software. As we stand now, we have two owner/ salesmen and five do anything employees. Out of that, four of us our cousins who practically grew up together, and two more have worked together previously for some twenty odd years. We are a family business but unfortunately outgrown our gene pool. All others we have hired since have not lasted more than a few months because they don't share our strong work ethics or commitment to the company. I fear we never will find anyone in this new generation of working class and have not been able to grow because of this. I've told my boss/cousin several times that I have the patience to teach anyone anything providing that common sense and good work ethics were already instilled in them at one point or another. It seems that they all have a stronger sense of entitlement than anything else. No amount of training can fix that.
By Curt matheny on
3/22/2013 4:43 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
Thank you so much for all your comments. Good to know that I'm not the only one out there with this issue.
Jeff - Very exciting that CEDIA will have online courses. I look forward to hearing more about it. (Let me know if you ever need someone to "test drive")
EJ - I agree Vets make excellent employees. I too would hire a vet, but have had a hard time finding any. Check out h2h.jobs/ It is a site for connect employers to vets.
Joel - So agree with Marco Polo analogy.
Lee - look me up on linked in... ;)
Again, thank you all for your comments.
By Heather Sidorowicz on
3/22/2013 5:47 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
Good reading guys. We regularly sift through the dirt until we find a golden nugget. I hire and fire new blood at an alarmingly high rate. In the process have built up a team of amazing guys. One of my best guys was a yard man three years ago. I couldn't do without him now. Another one of my top guys had a company like mine and was just better at AV than business management. I couldn't do without him either. Don't be afraid to buy your underperforming competition if you can afford it and need to grow quickly. Many of those guys are good but their marketing and business model just plain sucks. I pay my top guys very well and they love their jobs and have a strong voice. I make sure they all feel like family. I empower all my guys with a sense of ownership from the bottom to the top.
We hire based on performance potential and prefer to train in house even though it's the hardest way. I am very interested in the option to pay $1000 to send my new hire to boot camp. I will hire anyone for peanuts with the promise of god money within 4 weeks if he shows strong potential. If he doesn't mesh well we let him go. It's the only way I have found to filter out the guys with a strong resume who don't really want to work but just want a pay check. My best guys have come from the strangest places. I try to keep an open mind about any potential hire. You just don't know what you are going to get till you throw some money at him and see what he can do.
Jim Roy
By Jim Roy on
3/22/2013 7:18 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
No one has mentioned one key word in this piece - Recruit!
As small business owners or key people in a firm, we need to be able to go get that talent and bring them to our team. Go get your oil changed, get a car stereo or remote start installed from a big box. When you do, look for the untrainable characteristics of customer service and technical skills. Drop a card and say "If you're ever looking for a change..."
This is just basic Staffing 101. Build your people pool and hire the best. One cannot just put something out on Monster and say "we're trying to find good people."
On has to go get them. The good installers are taken, probably happy, and probably not looking. They get paid well enough and enjoy what they do.
Bottom line, fill your need ASAP because staffing levels, or being understaffed, will be a constant thorn in your side
By Tom Kofski on
3/22/2013 7:23 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
FYI: Both ESPA and CEDIA certification exams are approved for GI Bill reimbursement. We have had a lot of returning vets do Boot Camp as well as the online ESPA modules. As for the generational divide, I highly recommend a new book by Chuck Wilson, Exec.Dir. of NSCA. It is called "Under the Social Influence" and deals with the challeges faced by young first time employees and their supervisors. It is a great read, a useful tool, and proceeds go to the NSCA Education Foundation. Easily found on Amazon.....
By Jeff Gardner on
3/22/2013 7:52 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
From an Installers POV. How do I find a good company to work for? One that will have a good establishment in the community and not just hang you out to dry when the work load slows down. A company that will work with you to evolve as an installer. A company that sees the potential in the employee that they have and compensates them appropriately. How do we (installers) weed out the bad company's to find the good ones?
Heather, has your company ever brought in or thought of bringing in an installer from Canada. Someone that is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Someone with an insane attention to detail.
I'd relocate in a heart beat.
By Levi on
3/25/2013 9:28 AM
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Re: Where Do You Find Good Installers?
Levi - next time you're in the Buffalo area... Look us up!
By Heather Sidorowicz on
3/27/2013 2:00 PM
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