These guides are for HVAC contractors who handle hiring themselves, usually the owner or service manager between calls. Each one solves a specific problem: ads that draw the wrong applicants, job pages nobody sees, and apprentices who don't understand where the job leads. Read them in any order.
-
HVAC apprenticeship pathways: what employers should explain to recruits
Recruiting apprentices is easier when you can explain the path clearly. This guide outlines the four trades HVAC shops sponsor most, how Red Seal fits in, and where the rules change by province.
-
How to write an HVAC technician job ad, and the BC and Ontario posting rules
A strong HVAC job ad names the ticket, the work, the truck, the schedule and the pay in the first few lines. In BC and Ontario, provincial rules also shape what a public posting must include.
-
Google job-posting markup and Job Bank: a practical guide for HVAC employers
Two free tools let an HVAC contractor's own job pages travel further: Google's job-posting structured data, which makes a single-role page eligible for Google's job features, and Job Bank, the Government of Canada's free job board.
How to write an HVAC technician job ad, plus BC and Ontario rules
Read the job ad guide. It starts with the five things a ticketed technician looks for in the first thirty seconds: the ticket, the work mix, the truck, the schedule and the pay. It includes a template you can adapt, a list of common mistakes and a ten-point checklist to run before you publish.
The second half summarises, in plain language, the public job-posting rules in British Columbia and Ontario as of October 2026. BC requires wage or salary information in publicly advertised postings. Ontario's rules, for employers with 25 or more employees, cover pay ranges, AI disclosure, vacancy statements, Canadian experience and follow-up after interviews.
Who it helps most: any shop posting a technician role in the next month, and every BC or Ontario employer that has not reviewed its postings since the rules changed.
Google job-posting markup and Job Bank
Read the job markup and Job Bank guide. It explains, without jargon, what Google's JobPosting structured data does, the five required properties, the recommended ones worth adding, and the rules that trip contractors up, especially the ban on permanent "always hiring" postings.
It then walks through Job Bank, the Government of Canada's free job board for employers: what it offers, what you need to set it up, and how its Job Match feature works. It ends with a simple structure that keeps your careers page, Job Bank and paid boards in sync.
Who it helps most: shops with a website but no proper careers section, and office managers who post jobs on several boards and lose track of what is live.
HVAC apprenticeship pathways
Read the apprenticeship guide. It covers the four trades HVAC shops sponsor most: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic, Gasfitter (Class A and B), Sheet Metal Worker and Oil Heat System Technician. It explains how the Red Seal endorsement fits in, where provinces make trades compulsory, and what your apprenticeship page should say.
It also lists where apprentice recruits actually come from, from high school programs to career changers, and the mistakes that cause apprentices to leave in their first year.
Who it helps most: owners ready to train their own technicians instead of competing for the same few journeypersons every season.
What these guides don't cover
We keep to marketing. These guides deliberately leave out:
- Wage figures. We don't publish or recommend pay rates. You set the pay; the guides show how to state it.
- Employment-law advice. We summarise rules and link the source. We don't interpret them for your situation.
- Immigration. Hiring through immigration programs is a specialist field. Talk to a licensed immigration consultant (RCIC) or lawyer.
- Training and certification. Apprenticeship authorities and training providers run these. We link to them.
If your question falls outside these guides, the FAQ may help. For hands-on help, the services page explains what we do, and our approach explains how.
Putting the guides to work
A practical order for a shop starting from nothing:
- Rewrite your current ad using the job ad guide's template and checklist.
- Build one page per open role on your website, using the markup guide.
- Post a matching ad on Job Bank.
- If you have a journeyperson who can mentor, write an apprenticeship page using the pathway guide.
- Track where every applicant came from for six weeks before spending more.
Most shops can do steps 1 to 3 in a week. Province-specific context for each step is on the areas pages.
Frequently asked questions
Are these guides legal advice?
No. They summarise official public pages for marketing purposes, as of October 2026. For employment-law questions, read the linked government pages and talk to an employment-law professional.
How often are the guides updated?
Whenever a rule or program they rely on changes and we have read the new official page. Each guide shows the date it was last updated and lists its sources.
Can I use the job ad template in my own postings?
Yes. That is what it is for. Replace every placeholder with your own details and check the posting rules for your province before you publish.