Help! I'm a craft recruiter, and I'm looking to grow my database of welders and other craft workers.
What is the best way to find welders who are wanting to work? What are the best advertising sources? Where do welders look for jobs?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!
I'm based out of Texas, but I need to finder workers throughout the U.S.
Well if you were more specific you might get an answer. When you say "welders" that can mean a guy that tacks tricycle seats together or a guy that welds chrome pipe in a powerhouse or hundreds of other things.
The welding world is a big, varied place.
JTMcC.
jaredbranch;
try websites like Roadtechs.com, naturally Monster.com and also might want to think about posting an ad on the AWS Jobfind site, in my opinion a pretty good site! You're not going to do any recruiting without spending a little jingle but to minimize your costs try the www.roadtechs.com site first.
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If you want welders wanting to work you'll have to attract them with premium pay. There is a shortage of welders these days and too many jobs to choose from.
A welder can drag a job and be on another the next day.
Companies don't want to realize that but how can you not see it.
While I agree there is a shortage of "good" welders, mostly it depends on geographic location. We're flooded with welders here in Michigan but I cant find too many capable of passing my 6G open butt pipe test so... not only location but also what they are intended to do... I remember way back in the 70's when I was still under my hood asking why there wasn't such a thing as a welders union... 30+ years later still no such animal. Welders are support craft for "other" union disciplines and rightly should have a hall all to themselves... (By the way, this is not said to promote unionism, just stating my humble opinion).
That's an unrealistic notion. The welding and related tasks differ entirely too much. What a welder has to know just to safely survive in the Boilermakers work environment is a different set of skills than what's required in the Ironworkers, or the Pipefitters or the Millwrights or the Pile Butts, ect.
There will never be a pool of welders that can be called upon to take up "any" welding job. There won't be employers willing to hire them even if they did exist, in most crafts a welder has to be able to function as a Journeyman member of the craft, even if only for short periods of time. The only craft I've ever encountered where a welder's only job is to weld, is a Journeyman Welder in the Pipeliners. Of course on large jobs all of the crafts have hands that will for the most part only weld, but it would be a rare occurance to make an entire career in one of the building trades without ever doing anything but weld. And you certainly aren't going to find large numbers of alloy tig pipe hands with any interest in welding grader blade on a dozer, or vise versa.
Welders being members of the particular craft is the most efficient way of doing business. My take only.
JTMcC.
Jaredbranch, I have traveled all over the country welding. Where ever the work was at. And I know that there are a lot of weldors out there that can weld and pass any kind of test for certification that you need. I read in Jon20013 reply that hardly anyone could pass his open-root 6G. I don't understand. Thats basic pipe test. Anyone that calls themselves weldors, should be able to pass a 6G no matter what pipe size. As of now, I am in the Golden State, Been here for this job for the past 3+ yrs. About ready to travel, so whats the rate. Worked in Texas before, All across the Mid and Southern parts. It gets really hot I know.But if the $$$ is right.
What are you looking for in skills for your welder list???? Like JT says, there is a big difference between someone who can weld pipe to someone who welds bikes(or trikes).
As far as a welders union goes....that will never happen. The craft is too diversified and process knowledge/skills are too varied.
I think it is about time that is a huge wage increase for craft people in general. I have been with 1 company for awhile but I remember "Booming" where I would work for whoever was paying a dime more. Some years I would work for 6 or 7 contractors. This is over a dozen years ago since I did that , but it is sad to see that wages for welders hasn't really changes in as much time. We know the cost of doing business goes up and so(you would think) the rates contractors charge also goes up. Why not the wages????? Here is something to think about......the price of gas has gone up around 46 % from 2 years ago...........has your wages gone up even close to that much????
Money isn't everything as job satisfation means alot too. I find it more interesting to weld an x-ray pipe joint than to tig weld aluminum fenders (both jobs I have done) and sooner or later when the industries realize that there are NO new bodies to stitch their metal together......than the companies making the money (off YOUR skills) will finally put some up to get you to work for them.
Who can tell? IF you really want to recruit skilled welders.......you should pay them well.
Rufus, in support of what some others said about a welders union not being a very realistic idea, I live in Michigan, Michigan welders (at least on the eastern side of Michigan) work mainly in the automotive industry which requires an entirely different skill set than peoiple who are able to pass a 6G pipe test.
I truly appreciate all the insight. While I'm not explicitly petitioning this website for workers, I am trying to figure out where welders "go" to look for jobs. From my experience, roadtechs.com, aws.org, and jobhotsheets.com seem to be the only 3 places to find welders.
I recently ran into rigwelders.com and was pleasantly suprised. Thanks for all the input.
Ya might also try www.rigzone.com there's plenty of sights out there thats for sure. I can't speak for all welders, obviously. My take on the situation having several open positions myself over the past few months is there is a lot of diversity in internet ability (just like "normal" people, lol... some do the net, but probably just as many look at listings in state sponsored unemployment offices). I use our state sponsored program here quite a bit; www.MichiganWorks.com and am sure several states have similar services... just another thought / approach.
medicenhawk is right on! Money is the key!
Think about this...you can have an electrician stand next to you and tell how to wire a motor or distribution panel and you could do it. I could put a welding shield on that electrician and tell him how to weld that stainless steel pipe open butt weld in a pipe rack with pipe two inches away from each other and he would turn it into a soup sandwich. Yet on some jobs electricians make more than welders! WTF!
Why would a kid getting ready to graduate high school consider being a welder, having to endure the heat, cold, rain, getting burned, lit up, and a host of other job hazards when he could do a little more school and work in a cushy climate controlled environment making twice what most welders make?
Don't get me wrong, I like welding but I sometimes think I made a mistake choosing this as a career. Fotunately I've got about 25 more years of work ahead of me and have moved into a better paying welding related field...inspection!
jaredbranch
There sure is a lot of differing info posted to your inquiry!
I've welded since 79 and am still presently a State of Ohio approved pipe welder.
I taught the Wheels of Learning ( Welding Courses ) by the National Construction Education Foundation for several years which has a database of training somewhere.
In order to stay gainfully employed, welders need to absorbe all aspects of welding that they are / can be exposed to. Its not uncommon to have what we call pre-madonna welders ( those that won't do anything but weld.
Most of the several hundred welders that I've become familiar with through my welding and CWI experience finds work through word of mouth and keeping in touch with all the welders and fitters they have made contact with in the past. In fact, I had one ask me where they could find a Hotsheet.
I didn't have a clue but can call around and generally find anything.
ANYWAY, Good luck with your plans and I hope you can implement a good program , maybe even Nationally.
Whatever you do, find a way to make your info easy to find and bill your clients for supplying the welders and not the welders themselves.
The average welder pay in Ohio ( that I am aware of ) ranges from $18 to $23, some have other perks.
The bottom line is when I started welding, there was a lot of OT to be had and now most companies want to operate at 10% or less & HEAVY on the less.
Take Care
jaredbranch our company has the same problem as you.
Finding excelent welders is hard to come by, even with high pay and good benies. Seems that 1 of 10 will have excelent skills along with a good atitude. I have had the HR dept send me alot of the "pre madona" guys, they dont last long.
I have found some of our best guys at trade shows.
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