Specialist Recruitment Across Australia Permanent Recruitment for Businesses That Still Make Things

Trial By Fire Recruitment helps Australian businesses find skilled people across joinery, cabinet making, shopfitting, furniture manufacturing, upholstery, trimming, textiles and technical project delivery. We recruit for the people who build it, cut it, sew it, draft it, install it, manage it and make sure it leaves the workshop looking the way it should. Our focus is permanent recruitment for businesses that care about quality, reliability and having the right people around them for the long term.
Built Close to the Work

Trial By Fire was built by a recruiter and a joiner.


Our Australian office sits above an active joinery factory in Seven Hills, where custom cabinetry, commercial shopfitting and detailed joinery are still being built and installed every day.


That keeps us close to the tools, the deadlines and the daily reality of running a workshop.


We understand that the wrong hire does more than create an awkward conversation. It affects production, quality, deadlines and the people already carrying the load.


We are also proud members of the Australian Cabinet and Furniture Association, supporting the industries our business was built around.

The Industries We Recruit Across
Joinery and Cabinet Making
We recruit cabinet makers, detailed joiners, bench joiners, installers, CNC operators, workshop supervisors and production staff for residential, commercial and architectural joinery businesses.
Shopfitting and Commercial Fitout
We find shopfitters, site installers, supervisors, estimators, project coordinators, project managers and contracts professionals who understand deadlines, site conditions and commercial delivery.
Furniture and Upholstery
We work with furniture manufacturers, upholstery workshops, repair businesses and commercial seating companies to recruit upholsterers, furniture makers, frame makers, restorers and production staff.
Motor, Marine and Aviation Trimming
We recruit motor trimmers, marine trimmers, coach trimmers, canvas machinists, cover makers and aviation interior professionals across specialist trimming businesses.
Textiles and Industrial Sewing
We help businesses find sewing machinists, industrial machinists, fabric cutters, foam cutters, pattern cutters, production leaders and textile manufacturing staff.
Drafting, Estimating and Project Delivery
We recruit joinery drafters, designers, estimators, production coordinators and project staff with experience across systems including Cabinet Vision, PYTHA, Microvellum, AutoCAD, Mozaik and CabMaster.

Australia Is a Big Market, but the Hiring Problems Are Familiar We recruit across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, regional Australia and everywhere in between. A business in Western Sydney may be competing with twenty other workshops for the same cabinet maker. A furniture manufacturer in regional Victoria may struggle to attract an experienced upholsterer. A marine trimming business in Queensland may need to search nationally for the right person. The location changes. The challenge remains the same. You need someone who can actually do the work, fit the team and stay long enough to make a difference.