President of My Trade Talent
Michael Carter is President/CEO of My Trade Talent, a national direct-hire recruiting company focused on the commercial trades. He leads a team that recruits across 20 commercial trades in 100+ U.S. markets, and he works with commercial contractors every day on compensation, candidate availability, hiring difficulty and recruiting strategy.
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.
Driver recruiting never stops because a CDL alone doesn't make someone qualified for your fleet. Endorsements, MVR, insurance, route, home time, equipment and pay all narrow the usable pool.
Read article →
There's no responsible single-number salary for a commercial landscaping operations manager. Benchmark the responsibilities, then adjust for scope, market, travel, on-call and management load.
Read article →
Start by defining the design level you truly need. NICET Water-Based Systems Layout has four levels, and matching the level to the job keeps you from overpaying, underqualifying or shrinking the pool.
Read article →
Atlanta's commercial construction market is shaped by simultaneous demand across commercial development, healthcare, data-center work and infrastructure. That pressure lands hardest on experienced superintendents, PMs, estimators and specialty-trade leaders.
Read article →
Q4 pay planning should start with verified federal wage data, then adjust for role scope and local conditions. BLS May 2025 medians: electricians $63,190, HVAC $61,010, plumbers $63,800, construction managers $114,990.
Read article →
Hire a commercial roofing estimator by testing the work behind the number: how they scope a roof, set assumptions, price risk and hand a won job to operations.
Read article →
Commercial electrical PMs are hard to recruit because employers want field knowledge plus real ownership of budget, labor, schedule, change orders and customers. Strong candidates are usually protecting somebody else's backlog.
Read article →
There's no responsible single number for a commercial plumbing PM. Start from verified BLS anchors, $63,800 for plumbers and $114,990 for construction managers, then price the management scope, not just the trade background.
Read article →
Once a skilled candidate clears the final interview and checks aren't turning up anything new, move to a written offer within days, not weeks. Speed means running diligence in parallel, not skipping it.
Read article →
Fire protection isn't one recruiting market. Sprinkler design, field work, fire alarm, inspections, PM, estimating and sales each need different evidence, so define the exact system, role, credential and autonomy you need.
Read article →
A 90-day vacancy isn't three months of saved payroll. The cost moves into overtime, subcontracting, missed service calls, slower estimates, delayed projects, manager workload and customer risk.
Read article →
Compare superintendent pay in Dallas, Houston and Phoenix against the same national leadership anchors, then adjust for local demand, project type, travel, vehicle and per diem, and the candidate's project history.
Read article →
Passive HVAC technicians don't need another generic 'great opportunity' message. Lead with what is materially different about the job, then make the first conversation easy to take without an application.
Read article →
The hardest commercial-trades roles aren't the trades with the fewest workers. They're the seats where specialization, leadership, credentials and passive-candidate behavior overlap.
Read article →
BLS doesn't publish a commercial roofing estimator category. Price the role around systems knowledge, bid volume, GC relationships and incentive structure, not a generic national average.
Read article →
A strong fire alarm interview tests how the candidate thinks through systems, not just whether they can name devices. Have them diagnose real scenarios out loud.
Read article →
Superintendents rarely leave over one isolated issue. The move gets attractive when unrealistic schedules, weak PM support, travel, backlog and pay pressures stack up at once.
Read article →
Job boards work best when enough qualified candidates are actively looking. A recruiter earns its keep when the role is specialized, senior, confidential or filled by people who never apply.
Read article →
There is no dedicated BLS category for commercial HVAC service managers. Start from the $61,010 HVAC technician median, then add for leadership, operations and financial ownership.
Read article →
Commercial-trades hiring is a replacement-and-scarcity problem as much as a growth problem. The trades shortage is not one shortage: employers are competing in dozens of narrow role markets.
Read article →
Experienced commercial roofing estimators rarely need job boards. Their knowledge sits close to revenue, so good estimators are usually employed, known in their market and expensive for their current employer to lose.
Read article →
The national median annual wage for electricians was $63,190 in May 2025. Commercial employers should treat that as a baseline, because licensing, controls experience, overtime, backlog and local competition move the real hiring range.
Read article →
The best superintendent is not the one with the most years. Hire for comparable project scale, sequencing judgment, subcontractor leadership, safety ownership, schedule control and early communication of bad news.
Read article →
Fire sprinkler designers are hard to hire because the qualified pool is limited by code knowledge, hydraulic design experience, software fluency, project judgment and documented NICET experience.
Read article →
There is no responsible single-number answer for what a commercial HVAC project manager makes. Start from two BLS anchors, $61,010 for HVAC mechanics and $114,990 for construction managers, then price the real scope locally.
Read article →
Short answer: The Washington, D.C. metro's commercial trades market is being pulled almost entirely toward one thing: Northern Virginia's data center boom, the largest data center market in the United States by far…
Read article →
Short answer: Miami's commercial trades market is being driven by hospitality construction as the backbone ($4B+ rolling), layered with hospital expansion across three major systems and a code environment — Florida's…
Read article →
Short answer: Los Angeles's commercial trades market is being driven by two things happening on the same clock — the $30 billion LAX Modernization Program and a compressed, non-negotiable deadline: the 2028 LA…
Read article →
Short answer: Chicago's commercial trades market is being driven by a top-3 US commercial construction volume running across several large, concurrent projects at once — O'Hare's $12.1 billion terminal expansion, the…
Read article →
Short answer: New York's commercial trades market is being reshaped less by any single mega-project than by a regulatory mandate — NYC's Local Law 97 climate compliance retrofit wave, worth $15-20 billion across every…
Read article →
Short answer: Houston's commercial trades market is defined by petrochemical-grade demand spilling into every other trade — ExxonMobil's Baytown expansion alone is pushing process mechanical and instrumentation wages…
Read article →
Short answer: DFW's commercial trades market is being reshaped by a single outsized project — Texas Instruments' $30 billion, decade-long Sherman semiconductor fab just north of the metro — layered on top of an $8B data…
Read article →
Short answer: Atlanta's commercial trades market is running hot on three concurrent fronts — a $6B+ data center buildout, hospital expansion topping $2B, and the $5B Centennial Yards development — and all three are…
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
A free CDL driver job description template covering pay structure, license class, and the MVR/DOT/Clearinghouse verification standards this trade runs on.
Read article →
A free elevator mechanic job description template covering pay, equipment type, and the state license and QEI-inspection requirements this credential-gated trade demands.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
A full interview question bank for Commercial Painter candidates - technical, safety, reliability, and situational questions, plus red flags and a ready-to-use scorecard.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
A full interview question bank for Paving Foreman candidates - technical, safety, reliability, and situational questions, plus red flags and a ready-to-use scorecard.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
Technical skill, reliability, safety, and crew fit. Here's what to ask a commercial HVAC service tech, and how to score the answers.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
The 2026 commercial HVAC salary benchmark - by role, region, and credential - and how the firms that staff well actually hire in a tight market.
Read article →
What journeymen and masters earn in 2026 - by license tier, union status, and region - and how commercial contractors actually hire them.
Read article →
What commercial construction PMs, superintendents, foremen, and estimators earn in 2026 - and the five seats that drive a firm's margin.
Read article →
What master and journeyman plumbers earn in 2026, plus the interview questions that predict who actually stays on your crew.
Read article →
What commercial roofers, foremen, and PMs actually earn in 2026 - and how to stay staffed through the ongoing labor shortage.
Read article →
What fire alarm technicians, sprinkler fitters, and NICET-certified designers earn in 2026 - by level, role, and major market.
Read article →
What paving operators, foremen, and plant operators earn in 2026 - plus how to build a crew that actually returns every spring.
Read article →
What landscape foremen, account managers, and project managers earn in 2026 - and how to build a commercial landscaping team that actually stays.
Read article →
What union painters, industrial painters, and commercial paint foremen earn in 2026 - and how the best commercial GCs actually hire.
Read article →
What carpet, LVT, hard-surface, and polished-concrete installers earn in 2026 - and how to hire across each surface type without losing margin.
Read article →Tell us what you're hiring for and we'll lay out exactly how we'd run it.
One email a month, and only one. We write a separate issue for every trade we recruit in, so you get yours - not a round-up with your trade buried in paragraph nine. Every issue is written for the person actually doing the hiring.
Built on federal wage data, our own closed searches, and what we hear on the desk every week. Written for employers, not candidates. No pitch, no filler, one click to leave.
You're on the list. The next issue for your trade goes out at the start of the month.
That did not go through. Try again, or email us and we will add you by hand.
One email a month. Your trade and your address, nothing else - we do not sell either, and you can unsubscribe from the bottom of any issue. Read this month's issue for your trade first →
Getting Ava ready…
AI video guide. Your voice is processed by Tavus to run this conversation and is not recorded; we never use your camera. Calls end after 5 minutes. Privacy
