One job link everywhere. One secure intake. One dashboard.
Trades Backer is a ground-up hiring intake + review platform built specifically for skilled construction. Instead of a generic “global” ATS with endless settings and constant updates, you get a focused workflow: one canonical apply link you can post anywhere (including your own website) → encrypted applications → a lean dashboard with the controls you actually use. Applicants encrypt to your public key; you decrypt locally with your private key in the Employer Dashboard. The server stores ciphertext—so you control access to plaintext applicant data.
Staff handles the setup: we build your employer-specific project files, provision keys (KID), test the apply flow end-to-end, then hand you the link + dashboard access with clear instructions. We keep communications minimal—no constant email/text blasts—because you’re busy.
Trades Backer grew out of real hiring friction seen by people who came up through apprenticeship and have also worked around workforce and recruiting processes. Too often, every job board or posting site demanded a different form, a different set of screening questions, or an embed that had to be rebuilt and maintained. That created extra admin work, more chances for broken forms, more concern about leaking personal information, and poor visibility into which channels were actually producing qualified applicants. Trades Backer is meant to feel useful instead of overwhelming: one reliable apply path, one secure intake, and a clearer review workflow.
Why this platform exists
Trades Backer was shaped by the kind of hiring problems skilled-trades teams run into in the real world: rebuilding applications for each posting channel, maintaining custom forms on their own sites, worrying about whether an update broke intake, and trying to figure out which sources were bringing in the best applicants. The goal was not to add more software for its own sake. It was to make hiring easier to run, easier to trust, and easier to measure.
More important than buying the right tools for the job is finding the right hands to put them in.
Key-based encrypted intake
Applicants encrypt their submission in the browser to your public key. The server stores ciphertext. You decrypt locally in your Employer Dashboard with your private key.
- No shared inboxes.
- No “trust us with plaintext”.
- Keys never leave your device.
Use your existing traffic
Link the same Trades Backer apply page from your website, job boards, social media, union boards, dispatch updates, and training pipelines. Everyone lands on the same standardized intake.
- Consistent questions
- Attachments supported
- Fewer back-and-forths
Review like an ATS, without the bloat
The Employer Dashboard is built for reviewing trades applicants fast: filter by position, license indicators, experience and more, then export clean data for your internal systems.
- Search + filters
- Review flags & notes
- CSV export
Example: performance by source
When you share one canonical job URL everywhere, you can compare where qualified applicants actually come from. This is an illustrative example (not live data).
- Use one share link with a ?src= tag (or UTM) per channel.
- Compare volume vs. qualified rate by source.
- Shift spend/time toward channels that deliver.
What you receive
- A published listing page under Jobs and a single Apply link you can place on your Careers page (no embedding required).
- An employer-specific intake setup (project form + encrypted submissions) built and tested by our staff before handoff.
- Your Employer Dashboard link to review, organize, and export candidates—focused controls, no bloat.
- A tablet-first, installable PWA Employer Dashboard designed for trusted field personnel—fast, touch-friendly review on iPad/Android tablets.
- Quiet-by-design communications: only necessary service messages; no constant email/text blasts.
- Optional staff-managed updates for copy tweaks, status changes, and close/reopen.
Why this architecture
Trades Backer avoids heavyweight stacks to reduce risk and operational overhead. Listings are served as static pages. Encrypted submissions and manifests are stored as simple files for each project. No CMS. No plugin ecosystem. No third-party trackers.
- Fewer dependencies and fewer attack surfaces
- Clear separation between ciphertext storage and local decryption
- Designed for field-friendly workflows: tablet-first PWA dashboard for trusted field personnel, job-board traffic, and fast review
Pricing
Trades Backer pricing is structured around employer onboarding, encrypted key setup, position volume, and whether you need a public project listing or a dedicated private application track. The pricing file below drives the live values so the page, request calculators, and build notes stay aligned.
- New employer setup + keys + first project: $850 / 30 days
- Additional projects: $600 / 30 days
- Additional projects (new keys): $750 / 30 days
- Additional positions 2–5: $150 each / 30 days
- Additional positions 6–10: $125 each / 30 days
- 30-day renewal: $65 per position when the role, project, and workflow stay substantially the same
- Renewal with moderate edits: $95 per position
- Custom day extension / relaunch: from $10 / day per position or $150 when the role needs a full repost/rework
- New keys only: $150
The first project bundles employer setup, dashboard access, encrypted key provisioning, and the initial 30-day listing window for one live position. Higher-volume employers can be quoted under a bundled account structure.
- New employer setup + keys + first month: $850
- Existing employer setup + first month: $600
- Standard recurring: $175 / month for the first track
- Additional low-touch track: $150 / month each under the same employer
- Managed recurring: from $275 / month when a track needs frequent edits, workflow changes, or active support
- New keys add-on: $150 when you want a new KID for the track request
Dedicated application tracks are apply-link-only. They stay off the public project/job indexes and are used when you want direct routing from your own site or recruiting links. Standard recurring covers continued availability and light upkeep; heavier-touch support may be quoted at the managed recurring rate.
How to share listings for more applications
For public roles, share the exact job detail page rather than only linking people to the homepage or a generic project page. That keeps applicants on the role they clicked, preserves one canonical job URL across channels, and gives search engines a single page to crawl for that opening.
- Link the exact job page from your careers page, job boards, union boards, dispatch updates, referral texts, and social posts.
- Use a source tag such as
?src=careersor UTMs when you want to compare where qualified applicants are coming from. - For flyers, print materials, or onsite recruiting, use a QR code that points to the exact public job page.
- If a role should stay private or recurring, use an unlisted apply-link-only setup instead of publishing a public indexed job page.
How listings go live
- You submit a listing request (encrypted in your browser).
- Staff confirms details and provisions keys (KID) and your Employer Dashboard access.
- We publish your project + apply links (share them anywhere).
- Applicants apply through your link; you decrypt and manage candidates locally.