President of My Trade Talent
Michael Carter began his career in commercial B2B services in 2012, where he developed the leadership, operational, and business-building skills that would later shape his approach to talent acquisition and workforce strategy. Throughout his early career, Michael served in several leadership roles, gaining firsthand experience in scaling teams, building processes, and helping businesses grow. In 2014, he expanded into the recruitment industry by developing a hiring program focused on helping mortgage and real estate companies attract key talent and strengthen their organizations.
In 2021, Michael took over as VP of Recruiting, leading internal recruitment efforts and helping build the foundation for what would become My Trade Talent. After partnering with hundreds of companies across the skilled trades, Michael and his team recognized the growing hiring challenges facing trade organizations nationwide. That experience led to the development of innovative recruiting models designed to reduce hiring costs while consistently delivering qualified talent for long-term growth.
Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers carry a national median of roughly $60,070 - an entirely different labor pool and wage profile from security guards at $38,020, a distinction that misprices a lot of searches.
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Solar Photovoltaic Installers vs. electricians: real BLS pay data, what NABCEP certification actually verifies, and why this hiring market runs on referrals, not job postings.
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CDL-A drivers carry a national median around $58,640 and CDL-B around $44,860. The bigger cost driver is not pay - it is that a candidate can hold a valid CDL and still be unhireable on your insurance policy.
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Elevator mechanics are among the highest-paid trades commercial contractors recruit for. The national median for Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers is $109,910 a year, spread from $54,720 to $149,250.
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A free CDL driver job description template covering pay structure, license class, and the MVR/DOT/Clearinghouse verification standards this trade runs on.
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A free elevator mechanic job description template covering pay, equipment type, and the state license and QEI-inspection requirements this credential-gated trade demands.
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There's no single "masonry" wage: brickmasons run $62,120, concrete finishers $57,020, stonemasons $57,390 (BLS medians), and hiring here runs on referrals, not job boards.
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The national median welder salary is $53,750 (BLS, May 2025), but state and certification differences matter far more than that single number. Here's what actually drives commercial welder pay in 2026.
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Commercial cleaning's real hiring bottleneck isn't front-line labor - it's the supervisor tier that never rebuilt after the pandemic hygiene surge. Here's how to hire the CIMS/BOMI/FMP-credentialed managers who solve it.
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Commercial irrigation hiring has no dedicated BLS job code, so a resume can't verify a candidate's credentials. Here's how to hire technicians who actually hold the CIT, CIC, CID, or CLIA credentials that matter.
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Commercial roofing crews stay for honest seasonality planning, a real safety culture, foremen worth following, and pay that reflects the physical demand of the work.
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A copy-paste commercial HVAC Service Technician job description template that leads with pay, states the real schedule and equipment, and pulls qualified applicants - plus the mistakes that kill response rates.
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A copy-paste Sprinkler Fitter job description template that leads with pay, states NFPA 13 and NICET expectations plainly, and pulls qualified applicants - plus the mistakes that kill response rates.
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A full interview question bank for Fire Protection Sprinkler Fitter candidates - technical, safety, reliability, and situational questions, plus red flags, NICET verification, and a ready-to-use scorecard.
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A full interview question bank for Commercial Painter candidates - technical, safety, reliability, and situational questions, plus red flags and a ready-to-use scorecard.
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A full interview question bank for Commercial Service/Journeyman Plumber candidates - technical, safety, reliability, and situational questions, plus red flags and a ready-to-use scorecard.
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A full interview question bank for commercial Flooring Installer candidates - technical, safety, reliability, and situational questions, plus red flags and a ready-to-use scorecard.
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A full interview question bank for commercial Landscape Foreman candidates - technical, safety, reliability, client-handling, and situational questions, plus red flags and a ready-to-use scorecard.
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A full interview question bank for commercial journeyman electrician candidates - technical, safety, reliability, and situational questions, plus red flags and a ready-to-use scorecard.
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A full interview question bank for Paving Foreman candidates - technical, safety, reliability, and situational questions, plus red flags and a ready-to-use scorecard.
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A full interview question bank for commercial construction superintendent candidates - technical, safety, reliability, and situational questions, plus red flags and a ready-to-use scorecard.
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A full interview question bank for commercial roofing foreman candidates - technical, safety, reliability, and situational questions, plus red flags and a ready-to-use scorecard.
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Commercial journeyman electricians can take their license anywhere, which makes retention the whole game. Here is what actually keeps them: current pay, respect for the license, steady work, and a path up.
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Sales isn't the constraint in commercial flooring. Install capacity is. Here's the 2026 market by specialty tier, real time-to-fill benchmarks, and how to fill foreman and installer seats before a bid depends on it.
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Technical skill, reliability, safety, and crew fit. Here's what to ask a commercial HVAC service tech, and how to score the answers.
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Plenty of applicants for crew labor. Almost none for the foreman who keeps the account. Here's the 2026 commercial landscaping market, the roles that decide whether clients stay, and how to fill them faster.
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The operator you laid off in November makes his decision in January, and you're not in the room for it. Here's how paving shops keep skilled crews through the winter instead of rebuilding from scratch every spring.
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NICET-certified designers and sprinkler fitters don't scan job boards. The shops that win source passive candidates and sponsor certification before the seat opens.
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Commercial roofing's hiring problem is really a retention problem in disguise. Here's where the foremen and estimators you want actually are - and how to reach them before you need them.
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A bad hire costs more than wages. Learn the hidden costs of poor trades hiring, from rework and safety risks to lost customers, delays, and re-recruiting.
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A commercial electrician's license travels with them - which means retention isn't optional, it's the whole game. Here's what actually keeps journeymen from walking.
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Plumbers stay when pay tracks current market rates, on-call load is fair and compensated, and there's a real path to lead or PM.
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Good candidates walk at the offer stage more than contractors realize. Benchmark the pay, move fast, and sell the whole package - not just a number - and your close rate climbs.
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Commercial construction superintendents and PMs stay when schedules are realistic, pay matches current market rates, and there's a real path upward. Here's what actually keeps them from leaving mid-project.
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Commercial HVAC technicians stay for steady work, current-market pay, strong foreman leadership, and a real path beyond "technician." Here's what actually keeps them from walking.
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Contingency recruiting scales with salary - every senior hire costs more. Flat-rate stays predictable. Here's the actual math on which model saves commercial contractors money.
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There are three ways recruiters charge - contingency, retained, and flat-rate. Each has a specific use case. Here's when each model actually makes sense for commercial contractors.
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In-house hiring works for junior, high-volume, easy-to-fill roles. Recruiters earn their fee on senior, specialty, and hard-to-reach hires. Here's where the line actually is.
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Most trades job ads bury the two things candidates actually screen for - pay and stability - behind walls of requirements. Here's how to write ads that convert.
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Lengthy, disjointed hiring is the fastest way to lose the best candidates. 15 practical strategies - across communication, interviews, compensation, and process - to keep talent engaged through to a signed offer.
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The 2026 commercial HVAC salary benchmark - by role, region, and credential - and how the firms that staff well actually hire in a tight market.
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What journeymen and masters earn in 2026 - by license tier, union status, and region - and how commercial contractors actually hire them.
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What commercial construction PMs, superintendents, foremen, and estimators earn in 2026 - and the five seats that drive a firm's margin.
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What master and journeyman plumbers earn in 2026, plus the interview questions that predict who actually stays on your crew.
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What commercial roofers, foremen, and PMs actually earn in 2026 - and how to stay staffed through the ongoing labor shortage.
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What fire alarm technicians, sprinkler fitters, and NICET-certified designers earn in 2026 - by level, role, and major market.
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What paving operators, foremen, and plant operators earn in 2026 - plus how to build a crew that actually returns every spring.
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What landscape foremen, account managers, and project managers earn in 2026 - and how to build a commercial landscaping team that actually stays.
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What union painters, industrial painters, and commercial paint foremen earn in 2026 - and how the best commercial GCs actually hire.
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What carpet, LVT, hard-surface, and polished-concrete installers earn in 2026 - and how to hire across each surface type without losing margin.
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