Success storyShelby Erectors sourced and hired highly-specialized talent across 3 regions with Skillit
Shelby Erectors needed to grow from 100 to 140 employees across Florida — but complex hiring processes, salary competition in the rebar market, and a reliance on word-of-mouth left them with six open roles and no clear path to fill them.
November 20242 minutes readGoals
Hire 6 full-time ironworkers, rodbusters, and general laborers as soon as possible
Expand specialized craft professional pipeline across Miami, Tampa, and Orlando markets
Challenge
Job boards and company website were too slow and did not generate high quality candidates
Results
3 direct hires
14 qualified candidates in active pipeline
64% connection rate
Successful expansion across 3 major FL metros
Customer since: 2024
Shelby Erectors is a prominent steel reinforcement contractor based in Reddick, Florida, specializing in the installation of reinforcing steel and post-tensioning cables for concrete structures. The company has established itself as a trusted partner in the construction industry, particularly in Florida and the southeastern United States, with a focus on maintaining exceptional safety standards and quality workmanship through their skilled workforce of ironworkers and field personnel.
Why traditional craft sourcing solutions weren’t working
Shelby Erectors was looking to grow from their current 100-employee base to 130-140 employees, with an immediate need to fill 6 open positions across their Florida operations, specializing in rebar and metal decking installation.
Shelby Erectors faced several critical challenges with their existing hiring process:
Complex and extensive hiring procedures that often deterred technologically hesitant candidates
Specific recruitment challenges in the Florida market, where experienced rebar professionals often came with salary expectations that exceeded their range
Limited success with their existing multi-channel approach (internal recruiting team, external recruiters, and career platforms like Jazz HR and Career Plug)
Heavy reliance on word-of-mouth referrals and walk-up applications, which limited their candidate pool
Geographic challenges across multiple Florida markets, particularly given their specialized trade focus
Their existing recruitment infrastructure, though comprehensive, had notable gaps:
Lack of targeted access to qualified rebar and metal decking specialists willing to work in Florida markets at competitive rates
Need for a more streamlined hiring process that wouldn't deter potential candidates
Insufficient tools for managing candidate engagement across their various recruitment channels
Challenges in coordinating hiring needs across operations, despite centralized management
Limited ability to proactively build their talent pipeline for anticipated growth from upcoming large projects
How Skillit helped Shelby Erectors adopt a strategic worker-first approach
Shelby Erectors implemented a worker-centric communication approach, providing detailed outreach messages that included comprehensive information about role context, responsibilities, and pay ranges. Their consistent practice of quick follow-ups with craft professionals, coupled with optimized platform usage for multi-market recruitment, enabled successful candidate engagement across all regions.
Shelby Erectors, Inc.’s VP of Operations, Jack Nix, emerged as a power user of the platform, demonstrating exceptional results:
Managed 94% of all recruiting efforts (48 candidates)
Maintained 37.5% positive response rate
Achieved 2 confirmed hires
4.2% success rate from initial contact to hire
The implementation of Skillit transformed Shelby Erectors, Inc.’s recruitment process from a traditional, slower-paced system to an efficient, organized pipeline that consistently delivers qualified craft professionals.
Skillit has been instrumental in building a strong top-of-funnel for our hiring process. It’s all about the numbers. Having a robust pool of qualified candidates to reach out to is critical, and Skillit has helped us make that happen efficiently and effectively.
Jack Nix
Chief Operations Officer · Shelby Erectors, Inc.
About Skillit
Skillit is America's fastest-growing network of vetted craft workers, intelligently matching enterprise contractors with qualified craft workers seeking full-time employment.