How to hire a craft worker

How to hire a craft worker, step by step

Here's a step-by-step craft worker hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The craft worker hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 craft worker 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 craft worker that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of craft worker salaries for various roles:

   Type of Craft Worker	Description	Hourly rate
   Craft Worker	General maintenance and repair workers fix and maintain machines, mechanical equipment, and buildings. They paint, repair flooring, and work on plumbing, electrical, and air-conditioning and heating systems.	$15-29
   Handyman	A handyman can perform various repair and maintenance tasks involving electricity, carpentry, plumbing, and even appliance installation. Most handymen work independently, but they can also choose to be part of a company... Show more	$15-29
   Repair Technician	A repair technician's role focuses on assessing the problem or damage of a device and implementing solutions for it to function again. Although the extent of a technician's tasks will depend on the device or industry of employment, most of it revolves around troubleshooting, providing technical support, installing and writing programs, detaching and re-attaching wirings, welding, and even thoroughly discussing problems and solutions to clients... Show more	$12-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Plumbing
   • Ladders
   • General Maintenance
   • HVAC
   • Hoists
   • Mechanical Equipment
   • OSHA
   • Switches
   • Equipment Maintenance
   • Routine Maintenance
   • City Buildings
   • Construction Sites
   • Scaffolding
   • Autoclaves

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work extensively on autoclaves, lyophilizers, pressure vessels and pumps.
   • Install open and conceal wiring including lighting fixtures, relays and switches.
   • Remove insulation materials associate with repairing pipes & fittings using OSHA approve methods.
   • Identify and repair a variety of light plumbing problems, replacing fixtures and equipment.
   • Repair and replace plumbing parts, including drinking fountains, sinks, and water closets.
   • Used hoists and jacks, hand tools, power tools, plumb bobs and measuring equipment.

   More craft worker duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your craft worker job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A craft worker salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, craft workers' average salary in new mexico is 48% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level craft workers earn 46% less than senior-level craft workers.
   • Certifications. A craft worker with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a craft worker's salary.

   Average craft worker salary

   $45,364yearly

   $21.81 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level craft worker salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average craft worker salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$54,689	$26
   2	Washington	$53,092	$26
   3	Iowa	$50,043	$24
   4	California	$47,209	$23
   5	Michigan	$44,603	$21
   6	Colorado	$42,976	$21
   7	Pennsylvania	$41,388	$20
   8	Florida	$40,988	$20
   9	Texas	$40,007	$19
   10	Tennessee	$36,788	$18

   Average craft worker salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Kern Community College District	$60,887	$29.27	4
   2	Mt. San Antonio College	$57,631	$27.71
   3	Marathon Petroleum	$55,102	$26.49
   4	El Paso County	$53,929	$25.93
   5	EMCOR Group	$52,164	$25.08	15
   6	State of Connecticut	$50,753	$24.40	7
   7	Emergent BioSolutions	$49,183	$23.65
   8	TalentBurst	$46,962	$22.58
   9	Construction Specialties	$46,477	$22.34	2
   10	Griffiths Corporation	$46,067	$22.15
   11	Emerald Coast Utilities Authority	$45,801	$22.02	1
   12	City of Richland Hills	$45,467	$21.86
   13	SHASTA COUNTY	$45,202	$21.73	1
   14	Weeks Marine	$43,477	$20.90
   15	ADM	$42,965	$20.66	41
   16	University of Tennessee	$42,812	$20.58	4
   17	Texas State Teachers Association	$39,070	$18.78	4
   18	R.M. Schulte & Associates	$33,512	$16.11
   19	County of San Joaquin, CA	$26,239	$12.61	5

4. Writing a craft worker job description

   A job description for a craft worker role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a craft worker job description:

   Craft worker job description example

   • 4+ of years rigging and/or operational experience with vibratory hammers, diesel impact hammers, and Hydraulic hammer
   • High School diploma or equivalent required
   • Experience driving Cylinder Piles from 36" to 66” Diameter, Steel Pipe Piles from 24" to 120" Diameter, Pre-stressed Concrete Pile and Sheet-pile
   • Supply and maintain FRC (Fire Protective Clothing) as job requires, at no cost to the Company
   • Unconditional use of Company supplied PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
   • Proficient in Microsoft Office
   • Ability to work 40 hours a week, additional hours as needed

   Physical Requirements

   • Must be willing to take a post-offer physical
   • While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, climb, kneel, crawl, stoop and/or sit.
   • Must be able to tolerate rough seas, vibrations, heat, harsh weather conditions, confined spaces, and High noise levels
   • Work will frequently require individuals to push, pull, bend or stand for long periods of time, and climb ladders that have capacity limits of 300 lbs.
   • Must be able to lift or carry miscellaneous equipment, supplies and parts up to 50 lbs. unassisted

   Certification/Licenses

   • Valid Driver's license

   Additional Duties

   This Job Description does not cover all of the required duties, activities, functions and responsibilities of the position, any of which may change at any time according to the sole and absolute discretion of Weeks-Massman, A Joint Venture, with or without notice.

   Equal Employment Opportunity

   Weeks-Massman, A Joint Venture, is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits unlawful discrimination, hostility, harassment, and retaliation.

   Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find craft workers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any craft workers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level craft workers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit craft workers, 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 craft worker

   Once you've selected the best craft worker candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new craft worker first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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