How to Recruit More Women Into Your Small Trades Business

To reach more women candidates, give people a job they can picture. Share a specific opening beyond your usual referrals, state the terms plainly, and offer a paid first shift with someone ready to supervise.

Keep the role open to qualified applicants. The EEOC says job ads must not discourage people from applying because of sex.

1. Share a specific opening

Contact a local trades training program or tradeswomen organization. Ask whether it shares openings with interested candidates. Send the actual role, not a general request for worker leads.

You can start with this note:

We have a paid entry role in [trade] in [work area]. The work includes [duties], with [training and supervisor]. The schedule is [hours], and pay is [rate or range]. Could you share the opening with interested candidates? They can apply by [simple next step].

Replace every bracket before sending it. Chicago Women in Trades offers employer resources for improving outreach and recruitment for women in skilled trades. A local organization may have its own way to receive openings, so ask first.

2. Make the posting easy to assess

A candidate should know what the job pays, where and when the work happens, and what you will teach. Put these details near the top:

• Pay range and expected hours
• Work area and two or three actual duties
• Who will supervise the new hire
• Skills you will train on the job
• One simple way to apply

For example:

Entry-level [trade] helper. Pay: [$X–$Y per hour]. Hours: [schedule]. Work area: [location]. You will [two duties] alongside [supervisor or crew]. We will train you on [skills]. Apply by [next step].

Use your real terms before posting. Check each requirement against the work. If you will teach a skill, say so instead of requiring applicants to arrive with it. Keep requirements needed for safe, capable work.

3. Offer a paid first shift with a clear next step

Before inviting a candidate in, decide the pay and length of the first shift, the tasks they will do, and who will supervise them. Tell them what safety equipment you will provide and what they need to bring.

Give the candidate the supervisor’s name and a date when you will share the next decision. Then follow up on that date, including when the answer is no.

If you need a fuller process after applications arrive, see the Field Notes guide to screening and onboarding.

Do this today

1. Write down the pay, hours, duties, work area, supervisor, and training for one entry role.
2. Send the opening to one local training program or tradeswomen group.
3. Set the paid first-shift plan and follow-up date before inviting candidates.