Reframing roofing recruitment

By Dani Sheehan.

Attract top talent by communicating your company’s vision and culture. Retain top talent by hiring for who the candidate is, not what they know.

In a recent episode of People Make Roofing, co-hosted by Luke McCormack of Roofing Talent America and Heidi J. Ellsworth of The Coffee Shops, Reid Ribble shares his ideas and experiences on addressing one of the roofing industry’s biggest challenges: recruitment and retention. Drawing from his decades-long career and leadership experience, Reid highlights the importance of reshaping how companies approach hiring and the value of investing in people over resumes.

The advantages of small companies

Reid stresses that smaller companies often have a competitive edge in creating meaningful employee experiences. He debunks the myth that everyone aspires to work for larger organizations, pointing out that smaller companies offer employees a deeper sense of purpose and faster personal growth. “You become a bigger part of the decision-making process,” he explains. “You feel more like you’re a part of a team rather than just an employee... Smaller companies need to grow their employees faster – not by number, but personal growth – because they’re a bigger piece of a smaller pie, which makes them more valued.”

Hiring smarter, not faster

Reid encourages employers to rethink their hiring criteria, emphasizing the importance of character and adaptability over technical expertise. “Some of my best hires were outside the industry,” he shares. “They came in with a fresh set of eyes and a different culture that they brought with them, but also they were more willing to learn roofing the way I wanted it done as opposed to coming in with a preconceived impression.”

The biggest mistake he’s seen in hiring people is that owners hire too quickly and fire too slowly. He adds, “I think you need to hire people for who they are and then equip them with what they need to know.” It’s not necessarily about finding the perfect resume that checks all the boxes of the job description but taking the time to understand the person and their willingness to learn – and then investing in the time to train them for the job.  

He also advises owners to let go of the fear of hiring people who might surpass their own knowledge. Reid jokes, “The business owner should be the dumbest guy in the room. It's just a cliche way of saying you want to hire the smartest people you can and should never be threatened by it because intelligent people make your job and life easier and better, not less secure. So, as a business owner, you ought to be seeking to hire the very best talent.”

Read the transcript, Listen to the podcast or Watch the webinar to learn more about attracting top talent and building a roofing workforce that aligns with your company's shared values and goals.