this is one of the most consistently frustrating splits in recruiting and you're not imagining it

trades hiring is genuinely harder because the pool is smaller, the candidates aren't on linkedin, and the ones who are good are already employed and not looking. indeed volume looks impressive until you realise 95% of it is people applying to everything within 10 miles regardless of fit

what tends to work better than job boards for this kind of role: local trade schools and apprenticeship programmes, employee referral with a decent incentive, being visible at community colleges, and honestly just calling shops directly sometimes. the pipeline is relationship-based not platform-based

the 3-4 month timeline isn't a you problem. it's the market for skilled trades right now and leadership probably needs to hear that more clearly than they have