Whether you’re a veteran roofing contractor or a new hand looking to break into the business, it can be difficult to find the right fit as you search among commercial roofing companies hiring new recruits. As with any job market, the available positions can be few while the applicants are plentiful. Also, keep in mind that there are many different kinds of commercial roofing skills for different systems. As you venture forth in search of the right job with the right company, keep some of these tips in mind to bolster your efforts.
Search Smart
When you’re looking for a position with a commercial roofing company, be thorough in your job search efforts. In addition to checking out ordinary job boards and classified employment postings in your area, you should also be scoping out opportunities on nationwide specialty roofing and construction job boards. Many companies do their applicant searching through these specialty employment sites, so you may never see their jobs posted in a more conventional place.
It is also wise to contact employment agencies in your area. Roofing companies may choose to hire through an agency rather than openly advertising their positions, so you want to make sure you’ve made contact with agencies nearby and that they have your resume on file.
Finally, visit the roofing companies in your area in person, whether or not they’re hiring at the moment. Build relationships with the individuals in charge of hiring and follow up with them occasionally. When they do find themselves in need of a new employee, you want to be the first person who jumps to mind.
Stand Out From the Crowd
When you’re job searching, the last thing you want to be is passive. Turn passivity into proactivity and make sure you stand out from the other applicants who are vying for the same jobs as you. For instance, don’t just mail in your resume—hand-deliver it to the companies you’re interested in, and, while you’re there, ask to meet with the hiring manager. Make the most of every opportunity to leave potential employers with a positive impression of who you are and what you could offer them as an employee.
Further, once you’ve planted the seed by contacting a company and submitting an application or resume, don’t just leave it at that. Nurture the seed by following up respectfully but consistently with phone calls and emails to let the companies know you’re very interested in working for them.
Make Your Own Way
There is another option you may not have considered over the course of your job search: forming your own commercial roofing business. Could you be your own boss? With the right support, it’s not as difficult as you may think!
Choice Roof Contractor Group is a nationwide contractor network with a strong reputation of excellence, and we help roofing contractors throughout the United States build successful commercial roofing businesses. We provide our members with a host of valuable tools to help them form their own companies or expand existing roofing businesses. Our members have access to:
Get Started with the Right Help:
- Group Support
- Shared Strategies
- Lead Generation
- Discounted Pricing
- Complete Training
- Mentorship from successful roofing contractors – via phone, sending pictures/video, or on-site at your roofing project wherever it may be.
- Sales coaching and proposal templates to help you successfully bid on jobs and close sales.
- Discounted pricing on Conklin roofing products—one of the most trusted commercial roofing systems in America.
- In-depth roof systems training.
- Lead generation to connect you with business owners who are looking for roofing services in your area.
- Effective sales materials and presentations.
- High-quality marketing support, consulting and service.
- Discounts from trusted partners and suppliers.
- A nationwide reputation you can tap into through the continued excellence of our members.
- And much more!
You can be your own boss, and you don’t have to do it alone! Choice Roof Contractor Group is here to offer the tools and expertise you need to build your own successful commercial roofing business or connect you with a member who is hiring. Call us at 800-670-5583 or use our contact form today to find out how our group can help you succeed! We look forward to talking with you!
The Internet has greatly changed the world of marketing, but there’s still much to be said for direct mail advertising rather than merely sending out literature. Research has indicated that direct mail can more effectively connect contractors with potential customers and prompt a higher response rate than many other forms of advertisement.
Search engine optimization (more commonly known as “SEO”) is key for driving traffic to your website and getting your message in front of the right potential clients when they need service most.
Yes, door knocking works in commercial and it definitely deserves to be on this list. It doesn’t cost much more than your time and can work extremely well when done right. With the right approach, literature, clothing (hint: NOT dress pants and a button-down shirt), and smile you can walk plenty of roofs.
Belonging to a reputable nationwide contractors association like the Choice Roof Contractor Group will also greatly help you get quality sales leads.
If you’re looking for help to generate and close commercial roofing leads, the experts at Choice Roof Contractor Group are here to help you! Becoming an endorsed member includes many valuable advantages, such as:
A warranty can sound great coming from the lips of a good salesman, and it’s easy to be lured into choosing one company or product over another because of long-term warranty claims. However, when you examine the fine print, you’ll find that, far more often than not, a warranty is crafted to protect the company, not the consumer.
Companies like to seduce consumers with flashy promises like “lifetime warranty” or “30-year warranty.” That language makes it sound like your roofing product is going to be guaranteed for a lifetime or for 40+ years, respectively—but is that really what it means?
Another thing to watch for in a warranty is whether it’s prorated or non-prorated.
Far too many roofing products are warrantied for much longer than they have existed. Be wary of a product that has only been on the market for two years, for example, but promises a 30-year warranty (even if the manufacturer has been around for decades). When you compare the results of a product being tested in a laboratory and a product being tried and proven on actual roofs, there is no comparison.
It is also crucial to check out consumer reviews for both the roofing systems and roofing contractors you’re considering. These days, the Internet is jam-packed with reviews that are easy to access, and they enable would-be consumers to learn from what others have already experienced with a certain product or contractor. It is simply unwise to blindly purchase a product or enter into a work agreement without digging into some background information first.
Some companies’ standards are also not up to par with the standards of other companies. Many roofing product manufacturers hold only brief, and certainly not intensive, training workshops before setting contractors loose on the world with their manufacturer’s stamp of approval. Reputable companies, on the other hand, hold in-depth, hands-on trainings for contractors that last three days to ensure those installing the company’s roofing products are knowledgeable and will install the products correctly.
The phrase “there is safety in numbers” has definite application to the world of commercial roofing. When you choose a private contractor, it can be a little bit like playing Russian roulette—you just never know if you’re going to get quality workmanship or reliable products. In contrast, when you hire a contractor who belongs to a nationwide association, there are myriad benefits and reassurances, such as the availability of a national pool of experts, group accountability, set service standards and a long track record of dependability.
Built up roofing is currently the most commonly used type of flat roof. BUR systems typically consist of alternating layers of bitumen and reinforcing fabrics that form a finished membrane. This bitumen is generally asphalt, coal tar or cold-applied adhesive. The surfacings used for BUR systems include aggregate, such as gravel, mineral granules or slag; glass-fiber or mineral surfaced cap sheets; or hot asphalt mopped over the whole surface. The most commonly used type of flat roof is asphalt BUR, which is composed of multiple layers of reinforcing plies and asphalt, which forms a redundancy of waterproofing layers.
Single-ply membranes are sheet membranes that are manufactured in factories and are typically classified as thermoset (EDPM) or thermoplastic (TPO or PVC), the key difference being that thermoset materials are irreversibly solidified after heating, and thermoplastic materials can be softened and hardened repeatedly when heated and cooled.
Polymer-modified membranes are made up of reinforcing fabrics, which act as carriers for hot polymer-modified bitumen as it is made into a roll material. Like BUR membranes, modified bitumen roof system membranes are made up of multiple layers. They are usually installed as a two-ply system and are almost always fully adhered. The surfacings of these membranes include aggregate surfacing, metal foil-laminate surfacing, mineral surfacing and smooth liquid-applied surfacing.
For servicing commercial flat roofs, the members of Choice Roof Contractor Group prefer high-quality Conklin roof coating systems and have since day one.
Along the same lines, there are risks and disadvantages when you’re working with an independent local contractor without association, including reduced accountability, a lack of dependable guarantees, and limited access to expertise. Many of the local options available to building owners are residential-focused contractors who only occasionally do commercial jobs and don’t have the experience needed for all the scenarios encountered on a commercial building.
From the very beginning, Conklin has been the preferred manufacturer of our group. Top reasons we prefer 
Spring is upon us and this is the season when many businesses are beginning to think about repairing and upgrading their buildings. A building’s roof is the most important aspect of its construction and keeping it in good shape is a high priority. Metal roofing is often found on commercial buildings because of its low cost and reliability. For building owners looking to repair their metal roofs, finding a reliable contractor can be difficult.
With dozens of up-and-coming contractors across the nation joining Choice Roof Contractor Group for first-rate support, the future has never looked brighter for all of us! Early activity points to a banner year in 2017, with more sq. ft. expected to be serviced in the first two quarters than all of 2016. With much encouragement from the rest of the members on the call, the feeling of camaraderie could be felt between everyone! This just shows that even the younger contractors can achieve great goals with the backing of such a reputable and experienced team.
Following estimate requests from companies as big as Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) last year, we’re entering big leagues and Sam Hostetler knows that we can dominate.
Lively chatter and feedback was heard throughout the call as members shared what they wanted to change this year. It’s a beautiful thing to see veteran contractors help each other grow while also assisting newer contractors and encouraging them to take their roofing business to the next level.
Choice Roof Contractor Group is encouraging all members and supported contractors to visit the events being held in this first quarter of 2017. The Annual National Convention put on by our preferred supplier is being held February 2nd-4th, which will host a bunch of seminars and knowledge-filled talks that are there to help bring about motivation, confidence and excitement. We will also be having our 
Jonathan Keim, the individual who heads up all our marketing, has some amazing plans and changes for 2017 and was excited to share the good news on the call! Jonathan wants to reinforce the foundation of the Choice Roof Contractor Group by setting the group up with all the tools necessary to dominate the roofing industry. The website has been structurally improved so potential customers will be more willing to stay on the page and learn more about CRCG. We’ve also improved the mobile site for the large amount of mobile users there are these days. Additionally, with the help of a software engineer, we made changes to the quote module so there are more conversions (i.e. more leads per website visit).
Reduction in energy usage: White roof coatings reflect light rather than allowing your roof to absorb the sun’s heat, which results in decreased roof temperatures. This directly effects your energy usage by giving your HVAC system a much-needed break. 
26 New Contractor Relationships
Over the past month, we’ve made a number of changes to our website for faster speed, higher search engine rankings and better conversion rates (i.e. more leads received per website visitor). Our group will also be testing new marketing strategies and continue finding new ways to better serve commercial facilities.