It’s March — Have You Started Hiring for AC Season Yet? (If Not, You’re Already Behind)
Here's a conversation that plays out every single spring across HVAC companies big and small:
It's late April. Temperatures are spiking earlier than usual. The phones start ringing — tune-ups, filter changes, "my system hasn't run since last fall and I need someone out today." And somewhere in the office, an operations manager is staring at a schedule full of appointments and a roster short two or three techs who were let go after the slow season, retired, or just quietly walked out the door.
The instinct at that moment is to post a job ad, do a few phone screens, and get bodies in seats fast. But here's the problem: everyone else in your market is doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. Every HVAC company in your area is suddenly competing for the same thin pool of available technicians — right when those techs have the most leverage and the least reason to rush into anything.
If you're reading this in March and you haven't started hiring yet, you're not too late — but the clock is ticking. Here's what smart home services operators do differently when it comes to seasonal hiring.
Why the Hiring Window Matters More Than Most Owners Realize
The skilled trades labor market isn't like retail or food service, where you can post a job on a Tuesday and have someone starting Monday. A qualified HVAC tech — someone who is EPA 608 certified, has two or more years of residential experience, and can actually diagnose a refrigerant issue without hand-holding — is not sitting around waiting for your job ad to appear.
The best ones are already employed. They might be open to a better opportunity, but they're not desperate. When you reach out to them in May, they're already buried in service calls, and making a job change feels more disruptive than appealing.
The ideal hiring window for AC season prep is January through March. That's when:
Slower winter schedules make transitions easier for working techs
You have time to onboard properly before the season hits
You're not competing with every other shop running the same frantic "we need a tech NOW" ad
Missing this window doesn't mean you can't hire — it means you'll be hiring harder, paying more, and likely settling.
The "Post and Pray" Method Doesn't Work for Trades Hiring
Most HVAC companies hire the same way they did ten years ago: put up a job post on Indeed, list the pay as "competitive" or "based on experience," and wait. This approach has always been weak, but it's become nearly useless in today's market.
Here's what a working HVAC tech sees when they browse job listings:
Vague pay ranges or no pay listed at all (immediate pass)
Requirements lists that read like you're hiring an astronaut ("must have HVAC, plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, and pool certification")
No mention of benefits, truck policy, call rotation, or company culture
Generic descriptions that could apply to any company anywhere
You're essentially asking someone to uproot their professional life and trust you — without telling them much of anything about why they should. The candidates who respond to these ads are usually the ones who respond to every ad, which tells you something.
What actually works:
Post real pay numbers. A range like "$28–$38/hr DOE" or "$75K–$95K total comp" gets far more serious applicants than "competitive pay." Techs talk to each other — they already have a sense of what the market pays, and hiding the number makes them assume you're low.
Lead with what makes your company worth working at. Do you have take-home trucks? Paid training? A clear path to lead tech or service manager? Say it in the first paragraph.
Keep the requirements honest. If you'll train the right person, say so. You'll expand your candidate pool significantly and find motivated people who will grow with you.
Where the Good Techs Actually Come From
Here's a hard truth: the technicians you actually want to hire probably aren't applying to your job ads right now. They're working for someone else. That means proactive outreach — going to where they are, not waiting for them to come to you.
This looks like:
Direct sourcing through resume databases (Indeed Smart Sourcing, ZipRecruiter's resume search) where you can filter by certifications, location, and experience level and reach out directly
Referral programs with real money attached — a $1,000–$2,500 employee referral bonus for a successful hire is cheap compared to the cost of going into season short-staffed
Relationships with trade schools — building a pipeline with local HVAC programs gets you access to motivated entry-level candidates before they've even hit the market
Retargeting former employees — that tech who left on good terms two years ago might be open to a conversation now, especially if things have changed at their current shop
The shops that consistently have full rosters going into season aren't just better at posting jobs. They're operating a year-round, low-level recruiting effort so that when a seat opens up, they already have people to call.
The Real Cost of Going Into Season Short
A lot of owners look at hiring as a cost center. And yes, recruiting takes time and money. But it's worth thinking hard about what being short a technician in peak season actually costs you.
At a modest billing rate of $150/hr and 8 productive hours a day, a single technician generates roughly $1,200 in revenue per day. Over a 90-day peak season, that's over $100,000 in potential revenue per tech. Being short two techs going into summer isn't just an inconvenience — it's potentially a $200,000 problem.
Add in the cost of turning down calls (and the long-term customer damage that causes), the overtime burned by your existing team trying to cover, and the morale hit when your best people are stretched thin — and the ROI on proactive recruiting becomes very obvious.
What to Do Right Now
If you're heading into April without the team you need, here's a practical short list:
Audit your open roles. Know exactly how many techs you need, what level, and by when.
Review your job posting. Add real pay, real benefits, and a reason to work for you specifically. Pull the vague stuff.
Start direct outreach today. Don't wait for applicants — go to where the talent is.
Lock in your referral program. Tell your current team there's money on the table for good referrals.
Talk to a recruiter who specializes in trades. The time it takes to do all of this yourself, in the middle of running a business, often costs more than the recruiting fee.
Spring hiring is one of those things that always feels urgent in hindsight. The companies that stay ahead of it are the ones treating recruiting as an ongoing function — not an emergency response.
RAD Talent works exclusively with home services companies to place skilled tradespeople before the rush hits. If you need HVAC technicians, plumbers, or electricians and you'd rather not spend April scrambling, reach out to us and let's talk about what your roster should look like going into season.
