> This is the markdown version of https://www.classet.ai/use-cases/skilled-trades > Learn more at https://www.classet.ai Hiring for Skilled Trades # Get the right tradespeople to the next conversation. Capture trade experience, travel requirements, and availability before your team picks up the phone. Joy handles the first screen and follow-up, so you can focus on making the hire. [Book a demo](/demo?ref=use-case-skilled-trades-hero)[Hear an interview](/interviews) Keep your ATS. Put Joy to work in your hiring process. ![Illustration of a skilled trades recruiting team reviewing candidate information](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Findustries%2Fskilled-trades-hiring-team.webp&w=3840&q=75) Illustrated hiring team · fictional people For TA leaders and operators hiring across field-service teams - Understand hands-on experience beyond the resume - Check job location, schedule, and license details early - Give hiring managers the context to move forward Updated October 9, 2026 ## What is AI interviewing for skilled trades hiring? Skilled trades recruiting software is a tool for taking an electrician, HVAC technician, plumber or automotive technician from applied to screened without anyone in the office picking up the phone. At Classet, that is Joy, Classet's AI recruiter. Joy phones or web-calls the applicant the moment they apply, asks the first-call questions (license and state, years in the trade, residential or commercial work, travel radius, tools and truck, start date) and delivers a structured summary, a transcript and the recording. A service manager or owner reads the summary and decides who to meet. Owner-operators without an HR department, service managers at multi-location contractors and dealership fixed-ops directors are the usual buyers. The pressure behind the category is measurable. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 72,700 electrician openings and 40,600 HVAC openings a year through 2035, at a May 2025 median wage of $63,190 for electricians. On Classet's platform, 55% of applicants apply outside business hours, so the tech applying from the truck at 9pm reaches Joy. ## Results trade contractors can expect 96% of Goodsmith candidates who get a fast first call show up for the in-person interview [Classet: Case study: Goodsmith Home Services, 10x faster and more organized AI recruiting](https://www.classet.ai/blog/case-study-goodsmith-home-services-10x-faster-and-more-organized-ai-recruiting) 88% of applicants who start the phone screen finish it within 20 minutes of applying Classet: Classet platform data, completed interviews across customer accounts 55% of applicants apply outside business hours Classet: Classet platform data, completed interviews across customer accounts 88% of 10,167 candidates rated the interview positively on a 4-point scale [Classet: Classet post-interview candidate ratings, 10,167 responses on a 4-point scale, January to August 2026](https://www.classet.ai/land/candidate-experience) For a contractor, the practical result is a Monday morning with completed interviews from the weekend: more than half of applicants apply after hours, most finish the call within 20 minutes, and the service manager meets technicians who have already answered the license, travel and availability questions. ![Goodsmith logo](/_next/image?url=%2Fcustomer-logos%2Fgoodsmith.png&w=256&q=75)skilled-trades > The Classet tech completely replaces a recruiter or office admin and doubles our recruiting performance by scraping the internet for candidates at a fraction of the cost. The value prop is very obvious — you're saving us so much time and money. ![Morgan Booth](/_next/image?url=%2Fcustomer-logos%2Favatars%2Fmorgan-booth.png&w=96&q=75) Morgan Booth CEO at Goodsmith ## Trusted by trade contractors and home services companies [![Goodsmith](/_next/image?url=%2Fcustomer-logos%2Fgoodsmith.png&w=256&q=100)](/case-studies)[![Ace Handyman Services](/_next/image?url=%2Fcustomer-logos%2Face-handyman-services.png&w=256&q=100)](/case-studies)[![Cox-Powell](/_next/image?url=%2Fcustomer-logos%2Fcox-powell.jpg&w=256&q=100)](/case-studies)[![Entex Pest Control](/_next/image?url=%2Fcustomer-logos%2Fentex-pest-control.png&w=256&q=100)](/case-studies)[![Rooter Hero](/_next/image?url=%2Fcustomer-logos%2Frooter-hero.png&w=256&q=100)](/case-studies)[![Envocore](/_next/image?url=%2Fcustomer-logos%2Fenvocore.png&w=256&q=100)](/case-studies) Skilled Trades customer story ## How Goodsmith hired a plumber without reading 140 resumes Goodsmith Home Services in Houston runs its own trained technicians instead of subcontractors, so each hire matters. Before Joy, the co-founders read every resume themselves. Now Joy interviews applicants the moment they apply, and the team talks only to the people who already answered the license, experience and availability questions. Candidates who get a quick call show up to the in-person interview 96% of the time. > “Classet takes 1,000 candidates and whittles it down to 10 great, engaged ones. If we engage quickly, 96% show up for interviews — which is way better than other candidates and sources.” ![Goodsmith logo](/_next/image?url=%2Fcustomer-logos%2Fgoodsmith.png&w=96&q=75) Erich Kleine Co-Founder, Goodsmith [Read the Goodsmith story](/blog/case-study-goodsmith-home-services-10x-faster-and-more-organized-ai-recruiting) [Get Started](https://app.classet.ai/signup/) ## Why skilled trades hiring is hard right now Associated Builders and Contractors' workforce model says construction alone needs 349,000 net new workers in 2026 and 456,000 in 2027, with retirements and data center and semiconductor megaprojects pulling experienced tradespeople out of the general market. The service trades are in the same spot. BLS counts 440,900 HVAC mechanic and installer jobs in 2025 and expects the field to grow 11% by 2035, with 40,600 openings a year once retirements are counted. Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters add 42,000 openings a year. Automotive service technicians add 66,200. Pay has moved to match. The May 2025 median was $63,190 for electricians, $63,800 for plumbers, $61,010 for HVAC techs and $50,620 for automotive technicians, so a journeyman with a clean license is choosing between offers rather than waiting on one. On Classet's platform, 55% of applicants apply outside business hours. The shop that calls back Saturday morning gets the interview; by Tuesday the tech has taken another offer. ## What Joy asks an HVAC technician applicant The HVAC interview is a phone or web call Joy starts the moment the technician applies on Indeed, your careers page or a Classet interview link. An applicant who would rather talk at 9pm gets a text with a web-call link instead. For a service technician role, Joy first asks for the EPA 608 certification type (Type I, II, III or Universal) and any state or municipal mechanical license. Joy then covers years in residential service versus new construction, the brands and equipment worked on, whether the applicant owns hand tools and gauges, driving record and license status, how far the tech will travel for a service call, on-call and weekend availability, and the earliest start date. Questions from the candidate about pay range, van policy or the on-call rotation are answered from the FAQ you wrote for the job. A candidate who prefers a person can opt out and is routed to your team, and the interview runs in 25 or more languages. ## What your team receives after the interview After the call, Joy files a question-by-question summary of the technician's answers, either on your Hiring Hub dashboard or on the candidate record in your ATS through ATS Sync. The summary lists knockout results first: meets or does not meet each must-have you set, for example EPA 608 Universal or a clean driving record. Below the knockouts sit the applicant's answers to each question, the full transcript and the audio recording. In Greenhouse, Workday or Bullhorn the results land on the candidate profile your recruiters already open, with the recording attached. Your service manager skims the summary, plays the recording if an answer needs a second listen, and books the in-person interview or passes. Each must-have comes back Met or Not met, and Fast-track, if you turn it on, flags the strongest fits for a first call; nobody is moved or turned away by software, and your recruiter can disagree with any result. Candidates who clear your must-haves can get a text with your open times and book on their phone through [Scheduling](/scheduling), available by request. On Classet's platform, 88% of candidates who start the phone screen finish within 20 minutes of applying, so the summary is usually waiting when the office opens at 7am. ## How Goodsmith hires with Joy Goodsmith Home Services in Houston employs its own trained technicians rather than subcontractors, which means a bad plumbing hire costs them the job and the review. Co-founder Erich Kleine describes the old process as reading 140 resumes to fill one plumber role. With Joy, applicants are interviewed the moment they apply and the founders meet only the people who already answered the license and experience questions. Candidates who get that fast first call show up to the in-person interview 96% of the time, a number Kleine says beats any other source they use. Cox-Powell HVAC's service operations manager reports hiring no technicians through any other channel since switching. The full [Goodsmith case study](/blog/case-study-goodsmith-home-services-10x-faster-and-more-organized-ai-recruiting) walks through the setup. ## Roles Joy screens in the skilled trades An electrician opening and a plumber opening get different interviews in Hiring Hub or your ATS, and each one carries the knockouts and FAQ written for that trade. Electricians, from apprentice through master, are asked for license class and issuing state, voltage classes worked, commercial versus residential experience, OSHA 10 or 30, own tools and travel radius. HVAC technicians and installers cover EPA 608 type, NATE or manufacturer certifications, service versus install, brands worked on, on-call availability and driving record. Plumbers and pipefitters answer for license level, service versus new construction, water heater and gas line experience, backflow certification and weekend availability. Automotive and diesel technicians at dealerships and independent shops cover ASE certifications held, manufacturer training, flat-rate versus hourly pay history, own tools and toolbox, and state inspection license. Appliance repair, pest control and other field service roles ask for the relevant state certification, route experience and vehicle and license status. BLS puts the May 2025 median at $63,800 for plumbers and $50,620 for automotive technicians. See Joy interview a skilled trades applicant Your first 20 completed interviews are free. Card required at signup, nothing charged until the trial ends. [Book a demo](/demo?ref=use-case-skilled-trades-mid)[Get Started Free](https://app.classet.ai/signup/) ## Joy vs. manual phone screens vs. a general ATS How the first step of skilled trades hiring compares across the three ways teams usually run it. Joy (Classet) Manual phone screens General ATS When the first interview happens The moment they apply, 24/7 When a recruiter gets to the list, during business hours Not at all: the application waits in a queue until someone reviews it Applicants who apply after hours (55% across Classet accounts) Interviewed the same night Called back the next business day, often later Seen whenever someone next logs in What your team receives Structured summary, transcript, recording and knockout results The recruiter's notes, if they took any A resume and the application answers Recruiter time per applicant Reading a summary; playing the recording when needed Dialing, voicemail, phone tag and the call itself Reading resumes, then a phone screen anyway Who decides who gets hired Your team Your team Your team Cost Standalone from $249/month (annual), ATS-integrated from $1,995/month Recruiter hours ATS subscription, plus recruiter hours to screen ## Frequently asked questions ### What is skilled trades recruiting software? Skilled trades recruiting software is a tool for handling the first screen of electricians, HVAC technicians, plumbers and mechanics so the owner or service manager talks only to qualified applicants. With Classet, Joy phone-interviews applicants the moment they apply and asks for license type and state, certifications such as EPA 608 or ASE, years in the trade, tools owned, travel radius and start date. Joy delivers a summary by question, knockout results against your must-haves, the transcript and the recording. Hiring Hub, the built-in applicant tracking, adds a direct Indeed connection, applicant import and a Kanban pipeline, and ATS Sync writes the same results into 95+ systems including Greenhouse and Workday. Standalone plans start at $249 a month billed annually with 50 completed interviews. The owner or service manager decides who gets hired; Joy records what the tech said and marks each must-have Met or Not met. [Candidate insights](/candidate-insights) turns the structured answers from your interviews into data your team can act on, such as the pay candidates expect and which requirements they miss most. ### How do I speed up HVAC hiring before the cooling season? The fastest fix is a first conversation on the day a tech applies, with the requisition opened in February or March rather than May. BLS projects 40,600 HVAC openings a year through 2035 against 440,900 jobs, and 55% of applicants on Classet apply outside business hours, so a tech who applies Sunday night and hears nothing until Tuesday has often accepted another offer. Joy calls the moment they apply, asks for EPA 608 type, residential service experience, brands worked on and on-call availability, and posts the summary to Hiring Hub or your ATS the same hour. Your service manager then books in-person interviews from a list of techs who already answered the license questions. [Call to Apply](/call-to-apply) adds a hiring number on the truck or sign that Joy answers 24/7. On Classet's platform, 88% of candidates who start the phone screen finish within 20 minutes of applying, which is why a Friday posting can produce Monday interviews. ### Does Joy work for automotive technician and dealership recruiting? Yes. Dealership fixed-ops teams and independent shops use Joy to interview automotive and diesel technician applicants the moment they apply. The interview is a phone or web call covering ASE certifications held, manufacturer training completed, flat-rate or hourly pay history, whether the applicant owns tools and a toolbox, state inspection licensing and the hours available. The summary, knockout results, transcript and recording post to Hiring Hub or write to the candidate record in the dealership's ATS through ATS Sync. BLS projects 66,200 automotive technician openings a year through 2035 at a $50,620 median wage, so the first shop to call usually gets the tech. The service director decides who comes in for a working interview; Joy records the answers and does not decide for you. ### Can Classet send me pre-vetted skilled tradespeople? Classet is hiring software, not a staffing agency with a pool of tradespeople. Hiring Hub supports posting through your connected Indeed account; advertising spend is separate. For help sourcing more applicants, [book a demo](/demo?ref=use-case-skilled-trades-sourcing) to discuss your roles and markets. You bring the applicants through Indeed, your careers page, a candidate list you already have or a shared interview link. Joy interviews each applicant the moment they apply, records whether the person meets your must-have criteria (for example a journeyman license or EPA 608 Universal) and delivers the summary, transcript and recording to Hiring Hub or your ATS. Your service manager reads the summary and decides who is qualified. Goodsmith Home Services in Houston runs the process this way and reports a 96% show rate for in-person interviews among candidates who got the fast first call. Starter plans include 50 completed interviews a month for $249 billed annually, or $349 month-to-month. ### Does Joy verify trade licenses, EPA 608 or ASE certifications? No. The interview is a capture step: Joy asks for the license or certification type, issuing state, number and expiration date, and records the answer word for word in the transcript and in the summary field for the question. Joy does not query a state licensing board, the EPA Section 608 technician database or the ASE registry. Your office verifies the number through the board, or asks for the card at the in-person interview. You decide which credentials are must-haves, and Joy marks whether each applicant meets or does not meet each one at the top of the summary. For an HVAC role, for example, the knockout list might read EPA 608 Universal, valid driver's license and 2 years of residential service. On Classet's platform, 88% of candidates who start the phone screen finish within 20 minutes of applying, so the credential details are in the summary before anyone in the office is free to call the board. ### Can tradespeople interview after hours or from a job site? Yes. Joy is available 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays, by phone or web call, with no app to download. A tech can take the call from the truck at 6pm or at 7am before the first job. On Classet's platform, 55% of applicants apply outside business hours and 88% of candidates who start the phone screen finish within 20 minutes of applying. Interviews run in 25 or more languages, and a candidate who would rather talk to a person can opt out and is routed to your team. Across 10,167 post-interview ratings on a 4-point scale, 88% of candidates rated the interview positively. The summary, transcript and recording are waiting in Hiring Hub or your ATS when the office opens. ### Does Joy work with our ATS? Yes. ATS Sync is the Classet integration connecting Joy to 95+ applicant tracking systems, including Greenhouse, Workday, Lever, Bullhorn, iCIMS, Paycor, Paylocity and UKG. When a tech applies to a technician requisition in your ATS, Joy starts the interview on its own, then posts the summary, transcript, recording and knockout results to that tech's candidate profile, so the office manager never retypes a phone screen into a second system. Shops without an ATS use Hiring Hub, Classet's built-in applicant tracking, which includes a direct Indeed connection, applicant import and a Kanban pipeline and can start the same day. ATS-integrated deployments start at $1,995 a month and are scoped in a discovery call based on volume and the systems involved; standalone Hiring Hub plans start at $249 a month billed annually with 50 completed interviews. ### What does AI phone screening cost for a trades contractor? Standalone pricing is $249 a month billed annually, or $349 month-to-month, with 50 completed interviews included; you bring the candidates through Indeed, your careers page or an interview link. Scale is $999 a month billed annually, or $1,399 month-to-month, with 250 completed interviews. ATS-integrated deployments start at $1,995 a month and are scoped in a discovery call based on interview volume and the systems involved, for example Greenhouse or Workday through ATS Sync. A tech who never picks up does not use one of your monthly interviews, because the count includes completed interviews only. A contractor filling 2 or 3 technician roles a year fits inside the Starter plan; a multi-location company interviewing more than 50 applicants a month needs Scale or an ATS-integrated plan. ## Sources 1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: [Occupational Outlook Handbook: Electricians (May 2025 wages, 2025 to 2035 projections)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/electricians.htm) (accessed 2026-10-06) 2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: [Occupational Outlook Handbook: Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/heating-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-mechanics-and-installers.htm) (accessed 2026-10-06) 3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: [Occupational Outlook Handbook: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters.htm) (accessed 2026-10-06) 4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: [Occupational Outlook Handbook: Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/automotive-service-technicians-and-mechanics.htm) (accessed 2026-10-06) 5. Associated Builders and Contractors / NCCER: [Construction industry must attract 349,000 workers in 2026 (ABC workforce model, reported by NCCER)](https://www.nccer.org/newsroom/report-construction-needs-349k-new-workers-in-2026/) (accessed 2026-10-06) 6. Classet: [Case study: Goodsmith Home Services, 10x faster and more organized AI recruiting](https://www.classet.ai/blog/case-study-goodsmith-home-services-10x-faster-and-more-organized-ai-recruiting) (accessed 2026-10-06) 7. Classet: Classet platform data, completed interviews across customer accounts (accessed 2026-10-06) 8. Classet: [Classet post-interview candidate ratings, 10,167 responses on a 4-point scale, January to August 2026](https://www.classet.ai/land/candidate-experience) (accessed 2026-10-06) 9. Classet: [Joy product overview: interview languages, opt-out and bias audit](https://www.classet.ai/product) (accessed 2026-10-06) 10. Classet: [Classet pricing](https://www.classet.ai/pricing) (accessed 2026-10-06) 11. Classet: [ATS Sync integrations directory](https://www.classet.ai/integrations) (accessed 2026-10-06) ## Skilled Trades Recruiting by City [Dallas, Texas](/use-cases/skilled-trades/dallas)[Houston, Texas](/use-cases/skilled-trades/houston)[Los Angeles, California](/use-cases/skilled-trades/los-angeles) Your best skilled trades candidates are applying right now. Joy can interview them the moment they do. [Book a demo](/demo?ref=use-case-skilled-trades-bottom)[Get Started Free](https://app.classet.ai/signup/)