A new app aims to connect the trades while streamlining the hiring process.
TradesLink is a mobile app that combines job searching and hiring features with a social platform built exclusively for the trades. The Edmonton-based startup was founded by entrepreneurs Rob Bartko and Sam Beaudoin.
Bartko said he started in the industry with framing in residential construction before obtaining an accounting degree. While back in school he became interested in using technology designed to improve the construction industry.
“We were looking for better ways to connect different people with tradespeople and TradesLink was born from that,” Bartko said. “We have been described as ‘LinkedIn for the trades.’
“TradesLink is a traditional social networking app for the trades,” he added. “It’s a place to connect with different tradespeople, find and hire different trades, earn props on your work and most importantly, improve your craft.”
The app is built to make a TradesLink profile into a digital resume in order to facilitate hiring and looking for jobs, Bartko said.
“We realized a lot of tradespeople have a hard time keeping their resume up to date because they’re moving from jobsite to jobsite or project to project and it’s time-consuming to keep that up to date so we wanted to build an easy tool for them that they could use and employers would find useful,” he said.
The TradesLink profile acts as that resume, he added, showcasing work availability, credentials, experience and skills and can be sent directly to employers from the app or you can apply for jobs posted within the app, Bartko added.
The TradesLink team is currently focusing on the Edmonton trades market, but Bartko said the app can be used anywhere.
“We are across North America right now and the app is available in Canada and the U.S., and we’re seeing tons of people sign up from Western Canada and Alberta. We’re getting sign ups from down south all the time, so it’s really cool to see the community building that way and form it’s own persona,” he said.
The app can also be used to showcase past projects or current accomplishments, as well as the lighter side of the trades.
“We have different kinds of posts that let users interact with the app. We have photos or videos of the work that you’re proud of. You can ask questions and get answers from experts in your field,” he said. “There’s also construction humour and construction fails to give people a laugh and then job postings as well.
“A lot of people are using the app to show off the work they’re doing, connecting with people throughout the country. The best part is obviously finding work there because everyone in commercial, industrial and residential is always looking for jobs and employers are finding it useful to find qualified trades on there,” he added.
The shift of work and social culture online as the pandemic began in early 2020 gave the platform a boost, Bartko noted.
“COVID-19 gave us a boost on the online side, as a lot more people are used to connecting online now and that’s helped us, but I think the community as a whole is something that just has been building with TradesLink and that’s why people are seeing so much value in it,” he said.
The TradesLink App is available on the iOS and Android app store and more information is available on the TradesLink website.
For more on this interview listen to the TCR Express podcast here. https://canada.constructconnect.com/joc/podcasts/tcr-express-jan-19-2022
Follow the author on Twitter @JOCFrey.
Yes! I use TradesLink. Not sure I’d say it’s traditional but it’s a solid way to find work and the newsfeed is pretty great.