Carpenter: What is the cost of hiring?

Why recruit a carpenter

Carpenters often offer their services for home renovation, however they are also a key asset to businesses in the construction industry as well. A good carpenter will be able to listen to your instructions and use their knowledge and specialist tools to build products for you. Therefore, recruiting a reliable carpenter can help boost the quality and consistency of your wood-based products. This in turn helps build a reputation for you, and keeps your customers satisfied well after you have completed a job for them. 

Qualities of a great carpenter:

– Is able to boost your reputation as a reliable construction company by providing excellent, quality customer service

– Can create bespoke wood-based products based on client requirements

– Is reliable and can turn around quality products to a suitable deadline

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance carpenter

Businesses looking to find a carpenter for a few one-off jobs should look at employing one on a contract rather than a full-time basis. For instance, if a client has requested a bespoke piece of furniture or woodwork, then you might choose a carpenter for the completion of this job or on a project-by-project basis. However, construction companies such as in the housing industry should ideally look to recruit a carpenter on a permanent basis, as these projects can take months or even years to complete.

What are the different types of carpenter?

Carpenters can specialise in different kinds of woodworking, therefore, you should include your exact requirements for a carpenter in your job search. Construction industry carpenters may specialise in framing or roofing, which are useful skills if you are looking to hire someone to help you complete housing projects. For interiors, you might consider a joister to help you with the fixing of floor surfaces. If you are looking for someone to construct boats, then you should look to employ a specialist boat carpenter or shipwright. 

• Framer: helps you to construct windows and doors
• Roofer: helps repair and provide upgrades to roofing
• Joister: constructs wooden beams to secure ceilings or to support floors
• Boat carpenter: is able to assemble and repair vessels such as yachts, lifeboats and power boats
• Apprentice carpenter: learns from and provides assistance to more experienced carpenters.

Where to find a carpenter

You will find that many carpenters advertise their experience online as freelancers, and so you should not find it difficult to find carpenters who you can contact directly on this basis. You can also find carpenters offering their services via databases like The Carpenter’s Fellowship or websites that specialise in finding qualified, legitimate tradespeople. It is also a good idea to ask for referrals from other tradespeople in your team, as they may know of potential candidates. 

To find the right carpenter for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Referrals: ask other construction industry professionals for carpenter recommendations
• Contacting carpenters directly via websites: learn about local carpenters via their online websites, checking any reviews or customer feedback using your search engine
• Via databases: search tradespeople databases or contact carpenter networks directly for a referral
• Advertising on your own website: advertise for a carpenter on your website, specifying the nature of the job and your contact details.

Post your job online: try posting your job for a carpenter on Indeed to find and attract quality carpenter candidates.

Skills to look for in a great carpenter

A great candidate for a carpenter role will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Mathematical knowledge
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• On-the-job experience alongside carpentry training
• Ability to create bespoke designs
• Problem-solving skills

Writing a carpenter job description

A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified carpenter candidates. A carpenter job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your  job description for a carpenter, consider including some or all of the following keywords to strengthen the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms resulting in clicks on jobs for carpenters, according to Indeed data:

• Carpenter
• Carpentry
• Shuttering carpenter
• Construction
• Joiner
• Trainee
• Carpenters
• Shuttering

Interviewing carpenter candidates

Strong candidates for carpenter positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Responding to client briefs
• Working with woodworking plans
• Using mathematics like geometry and algebra to measure materials and solve problems
• Customer service experience
• Lifelong learning

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of carpenter interview questions for examples (with sample answers).