In the first installment of our chat, Mike Moore , Director of Training for HVAC Learning Solutions , talked about the HVAC industry’s current labor shortage. No, there’s several schools that do a good job. Read more about HVAC Jobs on The SmartVan. Field Service HVAC field service HVAC certification HVAC interview HVAC jobs HVAC resume HVAC school service management service tech service technician vocational technical schoolsWhen you’re looking to hire an HVAC candidate, what’s the most important experience a candidate can have? MORE >>

Jul 8 Surprises on a Construction Job Tweet A homeowner posted a comment recently on ServiceMagic’s forum. He said he’d been told by many people to add $3 to $5 K to a substantial job just to cover the extras that seem to come up. The first is a contractor who underprices a job to make the sale. The other reason extras come up is when an estimator doesn’t do their job completely. As an estimator, you have the responsibility to take the job apart mentally so you know exactly what is going on. Our jobs aren’t under priced but, right priced. MORE >>

For an estimator, it takes a minimum of two to three years of on the job training to have someone with the potential to succeed in this business.  Construction Competitive bidding practices construction economy contractor craft labor designer Don Short estimator low bidder mentor Owner project management schedule Tempest CompanyA few of our contractor clients have seen an upswing in their markets. Yes, they are in specialty areas.  However even specialty areas were, or are, depressed as much as the overall construction market. This upswing is both good and bad news for them.  MORE >>

recent Forbes article titled 15 Jobs Where Women Earn More than Men listed Construction Supervisor. Women who choose male-dominated jobs are likely perceived as “atypical” or less consistent with the  stereotypes associated with women, which are also associated with lower-paying jobs.” compared to $1.00 for men. However, there are some exceptions. Apparently 97% of Construction Supervisors are men, but those few women make more. wonder if Port-A-Potties have anything to do with it? Comments (0) Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply. MORE >>

More and more people are finally beginning to understand what those who have worked as skilled labor have known for years: the number of new skilled laborers is declining. For years, high school students have been told to pursue college degrees in fields such as business and accounting and steered away from careers in skilled labor. In reality, many skilled laborers, such as welders, actually make more money per year than those who have four-year college degrees – and they don't have the huge student loans that often go with those degrees. MORE >>