How to hire an equipment technician

How to hire an equipment technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step equipment technician hiring guide:

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

What does an equipment technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The equipment technician 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 an equipment technician 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 an equipment technician that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of equipment technician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Equipment Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Equipment Technician	Medical equipment repairers install, maintain, and repair patient care equipment.	$13-26
   Preventive Maintenance Technician	A preventive maintenance technician performs routine facility maintenance to prevent possible mechanical failure. The technicians change worn out machine parts before they can cause mechanical damage... Show more	$14-25
   Service And Repair Technician	Service and repair technicians install, maintains, or repair equipment and often travel to customer's location to provide service and maintenance. They are also known as field service technicians who have technical knowledge and skills to be able to install and conduct product testing or demo to properly instruct customers on the proper usage of the product... Show more	$13-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Preventative Maintenance
   • Patients
   • Equipment Maintenance
   • Ladders
   • Hand Tools
   • Customer Service
   • Dexterity
   • Maintenance Procedures
   • Technical Support
   • Routine Maintenance
   • PC
   • Switches
   • Perform Routine Maintenance
   • Solenoids

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
   • Work as a BMET servicing a wide variety of medical equipment.
   • Inspect and test medical equipment (defibrillators and NICU incubators).
   • Repair and configure infusion pumps, anesthesia units, ventilators, and defibrillators for desire patient care.
   • Supervise operations, maintain and repair electro-mechanical equipment, programmable controllers, robotics, and pneumatic, hydraulic and electrical systems.
   • Position requires a valid CDL.

   More equipment technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the equipment technician job description is a good way to get more applicants. An equipment technician salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an equipment technician in South Carolina may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level equipment technician. Additionally, an equipment technician with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average equipment technician salary

   $41,004yearly

   $19.71 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level equipment technician salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average equipment technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$57,100	$27
   2	Washington	$53,103	$26
   3	Maine	$50,129	$24
   4	Oregon	$48,509	$23
   5	Illinois	$48,183	$23
   6	Maryland	$47,499	$23
   7	Nevada	$46,971	$23
   8	New York	$46,652	$22
   9	Kansas	$45,527	$22
   10	Virginia	$44,583	$21
   11	Wisconsin	$44,567	$21
   12	Tennessee	$43,940	$21
   13	Colorado	$43,366	$21
   14	Massachusetts	$42,717	$21
   15	Minnesota	$42,453	$20
   16	Pennsylvania	$42,431	$20
   17	Hawaii	$41,763	$20
   18	North Carolina	$40,237	$19
   19	Arizona	$38,496	$19
   20	Missouri	$37,196	$18

   Average equipment technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Westinghouse Appliances Australia	$71,956	$34.59	28
   2	Maxim Integrated	$69,944	$33.63
   3	Bourns	$68,768	$33.06
   4	AbbVie	$67,516	$32.46	21
   5	Transphorm	$63,898	$30.72
   6	Zoetis	$63,716	$30.63	18
   7	Novo Nordisk	$63,250	$30.41
   8	Vishay	$62,528	$30.06	8
   9	Vicor	$62,373	$29.99	4
   10	Sandia National Labs	$62,113	$29.86
   11	Nabors Industries	$61,157	$29.40	31
   12	CAI	$57,186	$27.49
   13	Clean Harbors	$57,082	$27.44	238
   14	Kiewit	$57,035	$27.42	162
   15	Baker Hughes	$56,154	$27.00	12
   16	Hess	$55,530	$26.70	1
   17	University of Massachusetts Medical School	$55,046	$26.46	2
   18	Cubic	$54,681	$26.29	3
   19	Analysts	$53,997	$25.96
   20	TPC Group	$53,894	$25.91	4

4. Writing an equipment technician job description

   A good equipment technician 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 an equipment technician job description:

   Equipment technician job description example

   Under general supervision, the Biomedical Equipment Technician provides and documents preventive and corrective maintenance on a variety of mechanical, electrical, and electronic biomedical equipment.Essential Functions:- Upholds Kaiser Permanente's Policies and Procedures, Principles of Responsibilities and applicable state, federal and local laws.- Performs and documents biomedical equipment repairs as well as tests all new and repaired biomedical equipment before it is put into use.- Performs and documents scheduled inspections and maintenance, as well as electrical safety tests of biomedical equipment necessary to maintain conformance to code requirements.- Investigates and recommends remedial action on incidents involving biomedical equipment.- Ensures that an inventory of biomedical equipment, replacement parts and standby equipment necessary to minimize disruption of patient care is maintained.- Assists in training medical, nursing and paramedical staff in the safe use of biomedical equipment.- Provides technical support on new and replacement biomedical equipment and reviews work performed by outside service vendors to ensure defined specifications are met and results are properly documented.- Keeps abreast of current developments in biomedical equipment and systems, as required.- Establishes and maintains courteous, cooperative relations when interacting with other personnel, Health Plan members and the public.- Performs other related duties as required.
   
   Basic Qualifications:Experience- Minimum two (2) years of electronic medical repair experience.Education- Associate of Applied Science degree in electronics technology OR two (2) years of experience in a directly related field.
   License, Certification, Registration- N/A. Additional Requirements:- N/A.
   
   Preferred Qualifications:- N/A.
   
   COMPANY: KAISER
   
   TITLE: Biomed Equipment Technician
   
   LOCATION: San Diego, California
   
   REQNUMBER: 1095609
   
   External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, state and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran, or disability status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find equipment technicians 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 equipment technician job on Zippia to find and recruit equipment technician 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 equipment technicians, 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.

   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 equipment technician

   Once you have selected a candidate for the equipment technician position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new equipment technician. 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 an equipment technician?