How to hire a body painter

How to hire a body painter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step body painter hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a body painter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new body painter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your body painter job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a body painter for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect body painter also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of body painters.

   Type of Body Painter	Description	Hourly rate
   Body Painter	Painting and coating workers paint and coat, often with machines, a wide range of products, including cars, jewelry, and ceramics.	$12-25
   Auto Body Technician	An auto body technician is responsible for assessing vehicle damage and conducting repairs after evaluating the cost estimates. Auto body technicians' duties include replacing auto parts, which caused malfunctions, determining the extent of damage, and testing the engine performance to ensure that it is safe for use after the appropriate modifications... Show more	$12-26
   Aircraft Painter	An aircraft painter is responsible for applying paints on the aircraft surfaces and inspecting the condition of the plane parts to ensure that the task would not affect the plane's performance in any way. Aircraft painters operate various tools and equipment to manage the flow of coating and painting according to the business specifications and requirements... Show more	$13-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Refinish
   • Quality Products
   • Coats
   • Painting Equipment
   • Mask
   • Primer
   • Bondo
   • Air Tools
   • MIG
   • Paint Guns
   • PPG
   • Base Coat
   • Body Damage
   • Semi Trucks

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Paint and/or refinish repair areas on vehicle to achieve a better than factory finish.
   • Mask area and vehicles prior to spraying.
   • Paint animal molds with base coats for artists.
   • Experience in working with forced-air breathing apparatus and respirators.
   • Entrust to paint luxury cars, including Ferrari, BMW, and Maserati.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your body painter job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A body painter can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, body painters' average salary in tennessee is 39% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level body painters 50% less than senior-level body painters.
   • Certifications. A body painter with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a body painter's salary.

   Average body painter salary

   $38,459yearly

   $18.49 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level body painter salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

4. Writing a body painter job description

   A body painter job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a body painter job description:

   Body painter job description example

   Hall Toyota in Virginia Beach is adding a Body Shop Painter to our busy team. If you are looking to be a part of a growing organization, look no further!
   
   Experience Everything MileOne has to Offer:- Flexible hours with competitive pay- State of the art, temperature regulated facilities- Great opportunities for advancement- Positive, success driven work environment Our MileOne Employee Advantage:MileOne believes that taking care of our employees is the most important step in creating a positive workplace and a successful company. MileOne offers a number of exclusive benefits and programs that are designed to help our employees and their families succeed both at home and in the workplace.
   
   MileOne Employee Advantage includes health and financial benefits, and training and mentoring. We also offer an Employee Purchase Program, the MileOne Support Fund: by Employees, for Employees, the NextMile Scholarship Program, an Employee Assistance Program and more.Summary:A Body Shop Painter refinishes damaged body parts and bodies of vehicles in accordance with factory and dealership quality specifications and time standards.Essential Duties:- Removes rust from metal, and grease and dirt from work surface- Masks and protects parts that are not to be painted or coated- Fills cavities and dents with putty to attain smooth surface- Mixes paint according to specifications- Paints surface using sprayer or brush as appropriate- Inspects painted units for quality of workmanship, noting any runs, sags, and unpainted areas- Heats and sprays wax onto products after they are tested- Maintains tools and keeps equipment clean and in a proper state of repair- Cooperates and assists other personnel in the repair and prepping of vehicle Qualifications:- Valid Driver's License, with 2 or fewer moving violations
   
   - 2+ years body shop experience MileOne Autogroup is an equal opportunity employer and we maintain a drug free work environment.By applying for this job, you agree to receive email communication, as well as telephone and/or SMS text communications using an autodialer or otherwise, at the number you have provided. Message and data rates may apply; text STOP to opt out after receiving text communications.
   Body Shop
   
   Hall Toyota Virginia Beach
   
   Post Externally Only
   
   Zip Code
   23454

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find body painters for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your body painter job on Zippia to find and recruit body painter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit body painters, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new body painter

   Once you've found the body painter candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new body painter. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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