How To Hire Great Installers

Come out ahead of bad hires and assemble a great crew
Noah Lantz, RGA Director
Updated Sept. 3rd, 2026
Retaining quality staff is one of the most common challenges RGA members raise. Construction has a reputation for high turnover, but a deliberate hiring process can help put your company ahead of that trend.

Interview Within a Value Framework

Evaluate candidates against a defined set of values, not just their technical skill. RGA coursework teaches and uses the acronym INSTALL: Integrity, Neatness, Safety, Technical Expertise, Attention to Detail, Learner's Mindset, and Leadership to assess installer candidates. Use your own framework if you have one, or borrow ours.

For a crew lead candidate, ask technical questions first — how they hang gutters, how they'd handle a difficult job — to assess Technical Expertise. Follow with a question about a meticulous job they've done and how they ensured precision, to assess Attention to Detail. After the interview, check their answers and demeanor against your value framework before deciding to move forward.
Keep a Steady Pipeline of Applicants

Aim for 20–40 applicants a month. You won't interview all of them, but a larger pool gives you flexibility when you need to hire quickly. Collect applications even when you are not actively hiring - installers can leave at a moments notice.

Facebook ads are a cost-effective way to reach candidates who aren't actively job-hunting. Keep the application process simple — a job board or online form on your site. Complicated applications and interview processes lose candidates.You'll often find installers do not have prepared resumes, so the shorter your application process is the more success you'll have moving people through the process.

Invest in Your Community

RGA Member Ben Konowitz of LaPorte Seamless Gutter has a longstanding crew and a line of people waiting to work for him as installers because of his investment in the LaPorte, Indiana community and the positive culture he's fostered at his organization over the years.

Sponsorships, charity events, and community involvement build brand visibility and generate referrals. Candidates who've seen your company active locally are more likely to apply and to stay.

That also helps differentiate you from your competition - both with customers and potential employees.
Keep a Steady Pipeline of Applicants

Aim for 20–40 applicants a month. You won't interview all of them, but a larger pool gives you flexibility when you need to hire quickly. Collect applications even when you are not hiring - installers can leave at a moments notice.

Facebook ads are a cost-effective way to reach candidates who aren't actively job-hunting. Keep the application process simple — a job board or online form on your site. Complicated applications and interview processes lose candidates.You'll often find installers do not have prepared resumes, so the shorter your application process is the more success you'll have moving people through the process.

Use RGA Resources

RGA members get recruiting fliers that can be branded with your logo — useful at job fairs, in the office, or handed to current employees for their own recruiting efforts.

Don't Overlook Inexperienced Installers

Inexperienced hires have no bad habits to unlearn and often show strong motivation to prove themselves. Advantage Home Pros (formerly Advantage Seamless Gutters) in MN prefers hiring candidates without experience for this reason.

The tradeoff is training. RGA certifications are built to onboard new hires efficiently and align them with company standards from the start.

Pay Well

Losing an employee costs 16% of salary for hourly workers and up to 213% for highly trained positions, according to a Center for American Progress study. The same study found competitive wages reduce turnover, which offsets that cost.

This matters most for crew leads. They run jobs and represent your company to customers — underpay them and you risk losing them to a competing company they start themselves, taking employees and customers with them.

Competitive pay depends on healthy revenue, which depends on sound pricing and sales practices. RGA membership includes resources and expert access to help refine both.
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