How to hire a combination welder

How to hire a combination welder, step by step

Here's a step-by-step combination welder hiring guide:

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

What does a combination welder do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your combination welder 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 combination welder 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a combination welder to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a combination welder that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of combination welders and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Combination Welder	Description	Hourly rate
   Combination Welder	Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers use hand-held or remotely controlled equipment to join or cut metal parts. They also fill holes, indentations, or seams of metal products.	$15-29
   Ship Fitter	Ship fitters are civilian or enlisted people who work on materials like high yield strength steel and high-tensile steel. These people fabricate, assemble, and build structural parts of ships... Show more	$14-30
   Welder Fitter	A Welder Fitter specializes in manipulating steel, aluminum, and other materials into various industries' structural forms. The majority of a welder's responsibilities are mostly manual work, which can have risks as they use torches or lasers for their daily tasks, and there are also instances when they have to climb high structures... Show more	$13-26

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Arc Welding
   • Tack
   • Minor Maintenance
   • MIG
   • Gmaw Welding
   • Engineering Drawings
   • Carbon Steel
   • Pressure Vessels
   • TIG
   • Gas Welding
   • Overhead Positions
   • Preheat
   • Safety Equipment
   • Structural Forms

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Fitter-Qualify in SMAW, FCAW, GMAW, as per AWS D1.1.
   • Repair wrecked tank cars using plasma, torches, welders, and air arc.
   • Fabricate numerous shop projects using all processes in variety of positions on carbon, aluminum, and stainless.
   • Assist lead welder in various welding, brazing, grinding, thermal, gouging, and arc cutting operations.
   • Can position pieces to weld into jigs, holding fixtures, guides and steps using measuring instruments and hand tools.
   • Assemble or secure pipes, tubes, fittings, specifications, by welding, brazing, soldering, or threading joints.

   More combination welder duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your combination welder job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A combination welder salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a combination welder in Missouri may be lower than in Wyoming, and an entry-level combination welder usually earns less than a senior-level combination welder. Additionally, a combination welder with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average combination welder salary

   $45,432yearly

   $21.84 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level combination welder salary

   $32,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average combination welder salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$54,910	$26
   2	Washington	$54,687	$26
   3	Pennsylvania	$51,421	$25
   4	Louisiana	$49,405	$24
   5	Louisiana	$49,385	$24
   6	Texas	$47,426	$23
   7	Oklahoma	$47,313	$23
   8	Texas	$47,221	$23
   9	Texas	$47,177	$23
   10	New York	$46,878	$23
   11	Oklahoma	$46,691	$22
   12	Utah	$43,651	$21
   13	Florida	$42,405	$20
   14	Nebraska	$40,340	$19

   Average combination welder salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Maxum Enterprises, LLC	$53,460	$25.70
   2	Sunstate Equipment Co.	$53,373	$25.66
   3	Austin Industries	$52,684	$25.33	10
   4	Zachry Group	$52,170	$25.08	5
   5	Turner Industries	$51,678	$24.85	12
   6	Zachry Construction	$51,520	$24.77	2
   7	MDU Resources	$49,794	$23.94
   8	Crest Industries	$47,641	$22.90	5
   9	S & B Engineers and Constructors	$45,966	$22.10
   10	Bollinger Shipyards	$45,917	$22.08	11
   11	B & D Contracting	$45,340	$21.80	8
   12	Coast To Coast	$45,270	$21.76
   13	Atkore International	$44,743	$21.51	3
   14	Vectrus	$40,696	$19.57
   15	North American Corporation	$40,303	$19.38
   16	Jm	$39,903	$19.18
   17	Watts Water Technologies	$33,678	$16.19

4. Writing a combination welder job description

   A good combination welder 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 combination welder job description:

   Combination welder job description example

   Job Summary: Under general supervision, is required to use oxyacetylene, electric welding and heat fusion methods to perform joining operations necessary to construct and maintain either high and low pressure vessels, meter and regulator stations, pipeline or piping systems; lays out, measures, cuts, fits and otherwise prepares material for joining; performs other duties relating to the maintenance and repair of distribution piping and equipment.
   This position reports to the Hermiston Oregon Office.
   
   Minimum Qualifications: Should have a high school education or its equivalent and a minimum of six (6) months progressive experience in pipefitting work. Should have a minimum of one (1) years training and experience in welding in the gas or related utility industry; must be able to work from and complete legible construction drawings; should be familiar with the hazards involved in welding and fusing in the presence of gas vapors. Will have satisfactorily completed a course of instruction at a Cascade Natural Gas Corporation welding and fusion school. Must secure and maintain a valid first aid card. Must be able to qualify for and acquire commercial driver's license Additional Information Qualifying Tests
   
   Welders must maintain their proficiency in oxyacetylene, arc welding and fusing. Qualification tests constitute the Company policy in maintaining this proficiency. Every welder must submit test coupons as required, and field test coupons may be taken from any welder or from any weld at any time. These must pass the qualification test which is outlined in Cascade's Company Procedures or the Heat Fusion Qualification Guide.
   
   Employee bidding into this position, must meet the minimum qualifications and submit weld coupons to the Fab Shop for acceptance into the welding certification program within 5 days of being awarded the position. Employees who fail to be accepted or voluntarily remove his/her self from a bid shall have the right to return to their former job within 5 working days of award date.
   
   EMPLOYEES AWARDED COMBINATION WELDER BID:
   
   (a) Attend a one (1) week weld certification program with a minimum of 40 hours monitored by division personnel.
   
   (b) Employee's who fail shall be afforded a second weld certification program within 30 days, minimum of 40 hours monitored by division personnel.
   
   (c) Employee's who fail the second weld certification program shall have the right to return to their former position.
   
   PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
   
   Must be able to perform heavy work such as running compactor and jackhammer.
   
   How to Apply:
   
   Please apply at jobs.mdu.com.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit combination welders, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 combination welder

   Once you've found the combination welder 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new combination welder. 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.)

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How much does it cost to hire a combination welder?