How to hire a chocolate maker

How to hire a chocolate maker, step by step

Here's a step-by-step chocolate maker hiring guide:

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

Post a chocolate maker job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a chocolate maker, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A chocolate maker's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, chocolate makers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of chocolate makers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Chocolate Maker	Description	Hourly rate
   Chocolate Maker	Food and tobacco processing workers operate equipment that mixes, cooks, or processes ingredients used in the manufacture of food and tobacco products.	$11-43

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • BARS
   • Roasting
   • Customer Service

   Responsibilities:

   • Ensure proper operation of HTST pasteurizer, monitoring time and temperatures to assure levels meet requirements for legally pasteurize products.
   • Work in team enviroment to help make and package ice cream for nestle

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, chocolate makers' average salary in montana is 49% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level chocolate makers 75% less than senior-level chocolate makers.
   • Certifications. A chocolate maker 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 chocolate maker's salary.

   Average chocolate maker salary

   $46,437yearly

   $22.33 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level chocolate maker salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing a chocolate maker job description

   A good chocolate maker job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a chocolate maker job description:

   Chocolate maker job description example

   Who: You are a team-oriented person that enjoys making things and physical work, while taking pride in the details. You’re thrilled by a busy holiday season in a chocolate factory! You don’t mind standing on your feet all day, lifting up to 50 lbs, and have reliable transportation.
   
   What: Your day-to-day job will be making chocolate, packaging it and creating stunning gift-boxing. You’ll spend your days with a great group of co-workers, boxing up truffles, sea salt caramels, and chocolate bars with great care and attention to detail.
   
   We expect and encourage our employees to make positive contributions to the Lake Champlain Chocolates’ culture by aligning personal behaviors with the company’s vision, mission and core values. As such, the position holder is expected to consistently AMAZE our customers, VALUE and encourage team member excellence and well-being; CARE for our community and environment; and GROW through innovative leadership, planning and execution. We respect individual initiative and creativity, demand attention to detail, and strive for the highest measures of quality in all that we do. It is through dedication to this vision that Lake Champlain Chocolates can become the gold standard of gourmet chocolate.
   
   When working on the production side of manufacturing, decorate and fills molds with various chocolates to create chocolate novelties. Uses small equipment and hand tools to fill chocolate molds. Hand loads centers onto the enrober for chocolate coating. Decorates enrobed items. When working on the packaging side of manufacturing, hand-packs our specialty chocolates, assembles gift baskets, boxes/bags chocolate confections, wraps bars and labels products to delight our customers with uncompromising quality they can count on.
   PRODUCTION SIDE OF MANUFACTURING: 1.Decorates novelty molds using squirt bottles, paint brushes, and fingers. 2.Fills molds with desired chocolate or centers using either cups, depositing machine, and hand scraping molds when necessary. 3.Makes sure stays in proper temperature throughout the day. 4.Transports molds to cold room or hollow mold spinner. 5.Demolds chocolates when they are hardened inspecting chocolate for imperfections. 6.Loads enrober by hand and decorates enrobed items. 7.Follows established policies, rules and regulations, and safety procedures. 8.Ensure Job sheets are completed timely and accurately and products that need to be labeled properly are. 9.Contributes in a team effort by performing according to the guidelines outlined in the Employee Handbook, the GMP manual and other directives; supporting directives and decisions of higher level management and accomplishing other duties as assigned. 10.Responsible for cleaning and sanitizing equipment used in novelty making and enrober belts. PACKAGING SIDE OF MANUFACTURING: 1.Hand package specialty chocolates: assemble gift boxes, box/bag chocolate and wrap bars. 2.Hand tie ribbons and bows, label products, case pack and palletize. 3.Follow basic directions from Team Leader on the job assigned. 4.Work well with others as a team. 5.Learn and maintain knowledge of current products and packaging requirements. 6.Ensure the Quality and Standards for product are achieved, using the specification book, and visual samples. 7.Report any process and equipment problems in a timely manner to leader or supervisor. 8.Follow established policies, rules and regulations, and safety procedures. 9.Clean up work area at end of shift. 10.Assist other teams and departments as needed. 11.Troubleshoot problems. Company DescriptionA Vermont Family Company since 1983. Vermont is more than an address for Lake Champlain Chocolates. It's home — where we live, who we are, and how we do business. It's also where we make our chocolates — right here in Burlington by the shores of Lake Champlain. And from the first truffle in 1983 to present day, Vermont has inspired us to take a craftsman’s approach to chocolate: creativity, patience, and mastery.
   
   Our amazing team makes Lake Champlain Chocolates a great place to work! Sweet benefits include generous paid time off, paid holidays, medical insurance, free dental insurance, 401K match, company events, and lots of free chocolate! Lake Champlain Chocolates uses business as a force for good. We listen, learn, and adapt to ensure that we provide an equitable and inclusive work environment where all people experience belonging, opportunity, respect, and dignity. We seek team members who want to join us in that effort.
   
   Join us in our pursuit of extraordinary chocolate moments!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find chocolate makers 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 chocolate maker job on Zippia to find and recruit chocolate maker candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit chocolate makers, 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 chocolate maker

   Once you've found the chocolate maker 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.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new chocolate maker. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a chocolate maker?