Learn to create “pictographs” where in one panel – or page – you combine images and words to visually tell your story for each position. You may need some outside help to create the images and polish the words. It’s worth the investment, as it will serve you well for many years to come.

One pictograph should be a flow chart that shows the connections between each position and how a person can move around and up through your organization.

Whether you are interviewing potential candidates at a job fair at your local high school or a home show, have these materials ready to share. You never know where your next hire will come from. Perhaps a local Starbucks or a car dealership?

HVAC Technician Vs. College Graduate

Another great pictograph could show a graduating high-school senior with two options:

College versus a career with your company. Start with the financial impact of a four-year college from a standpoint of cost versus earning potential.

Illustrate the first four years of college as a pure cost with little to no earnings. Then show a career track in your company with immediate earning potential and a growing income, year after year.

It could take eight years or more before a college student catches up to an HVAC tech, if at all – especially when the technician follows a clear path to management, maybe even ownership.

How To Get Started

William H. Johnsen famously said, “If it is to be, it’s up to me.” It’s up to everyone of us to be part of the solution. We need to set aside competitive issues and band together to solve this problem. That may mean showing a career path beyond your company when an employee goes as high as he or she can in your organization.

It’s important to start in your local high schools, even middle schools. Many have career fairs. Here you can set up demonstration booths showing the type of technology HVAC techs now use, including precision instruments and high-tech software.

Consider taking your traveling show complete with pictograph-style handouts to other venues like malls, home shows and outdoor festivals – all great places to not just attract new customers but also future employees. The idea is to make the HVAC industry more attractive than other career opportunities.

Follow the steps described in this article and you can be ready to put your best foot forward when you are in front of current and future candidates for careers in your organization.

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