Post Job

What does a Handy Person do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
On This Page

Handy person responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real handy person resumes:

  • Assist management in achieving and maintaining outstanding interior and exterior restaurant cleanliness and maintaining restaurant equipment.
  • Perform some carpentry, painting and plastering when need.
  • plaster sheetrock drywall and paint structures interior and exterior.
  • Help with mowing lawns and renovations to pond and deck.
  • Perform basic inspection and maintenance of HVAC building systems and boilers.
  • Perform demolition work such as breaking walls down and putting sheetrock in its place.
  • Perform trimm work, hang doors, tiling, demolition, plastering, and framing.
  • Employ wide variety of hand and power tools including hoists, drills, precision measuring instruments.
  • Perform light masonry to include replacing and repairing concrete steps and walkways and pouring slabs for patios.
  • Sheet rock installation, floor demolition and repairing, painting interior and exterior, pluming, and masonry work
  • Install household appliances such as washers, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, and trash compactors; repair and install fences.
  • General carpentry, plumbing and electrical skills, drafting/mechanical drawing.
  • Perform various types of maintenance and repairs including heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, refrigeration, plumbing
  • Perform additional miscellaneous maintenance including high-end furniture deliveries
  • Install small appliances such as: ice makers, in cabinet microwaves, cooking stoves, fire places grates, etc.

Handy person skills and personality traits

We calculated that 21% of Handy People are proficient in Plumbing, Maintenance Tasks, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Dexterity, and Troubleshooting skills.

We break down the percentage of Handy People that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Plumbing, 21%

    Tree services and landscaping* Build decks* Remodel homes* Install tile* Electrical installation/repair* Plumbing installation/repair* Install/repair water features

  • Maintenance Tasks, 14%

    Assisted Marina Mechanic with preventative maintenance tasks on a regular basis.

  • Customer Service, 14%

    Focus on minimizing cost, maximizing profit, and prioritizing customer service and quality.

  • HVAC, 14%

    Performed basic inspection and maintenance of HVAC building systems and boilers.

  • Drywall Repair, 4%

    Performed Drywall Repairs where needed, as well as hanging multiple sheets up on studded walls.

  • Door Locks, 4%

    Replaced broken windows; repaired doors, door locks and closets.

Common skills that a handy person uses to do their job include "plumbing," "maintenance tasks," and "customer service." You can find details on the most important handy person responsibilities below.

Customer-service skills. One of the key soft skills for a handy person to have is customer-service skills. You can see how this relates to what handy people do because "these workers interact with customers on a regular basis." Additionally, a handy person resume shows how handy people use customer-service skills: "received payment from customers promptly while maintaining quality customer service, provided correct change and accurately recorded all sales. "

Dexterity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling handy person duties is dexterity. The role rewards competence in this skill because "many repair and maintenance tasks, such as repairing small devices, connecting or attaching components, and using hand tools, require a steady hand and good hand–eye coordination." According to a handy person resume, here's how handy people can utilize dexterity in their job responsibilities: "used hand tools, power tools, hoists and lifts. "

Troubleshooting skills. This is an important skill for handy people to perform their duties. For an example of how handy person responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "workers find, diagnose, and repair problems." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a handy person: "perform dryer repair including vent cleaning, hvac troubleshooting and repair. ".

Most common handy person skills

The three companies that hire the most handy persons are:

Choose from 10+ customizable handy person resume templates

Build a professional handy person resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your handy person resume.
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume
Handy Person Resume

Compare different handy people

Handy person vs. Facilities technician

Facilities Technicians are employees who manage the upkeep of the company's facilities. They are in charge of maintaining the different equipment, fixtures, and furniture in the office. They conduct routine maintenance and regular check-ups to ensure that everything is working properly at all times. In case of malfunctioning items, facilities technicians try to repair these items if they know how or schedule the item for repair. They also ensure that the facility's occupational safety and health standards are met, and the employees follow safety protocols.

The annual salary of facilities technicians is $180 higher than the average salary of handy people.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both handy person and facilities technician positions are skilled in plumbing, maintenance tasks, and customer service.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, handy person responsibilities require skills like "drywall repair," "door locks," "windows," and "safety rules." Meanwhile a typical facilities technician has skills in areas such as "preventative maintenance," "osha," "ladders," and "hand tools." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Facilities technicians tend to make the most money working in the energy industry, where they earn an average salary of $48,629. In contrast, handy people make the biggest average salary, $43,542, in the construction industry.The education levels that facilities technicians earn slightly differ from handy people. In particular, facilities technicians are 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a handy person. Additionally, they're 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Handy person vs. 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. Furthermore, there are instances when a repair technician must work in a team setting that requires coordination and communication.

Repair technician positions earn higher pay than handy person roles. They earn a $1,479 higher salary than handy people per year.A few skills overlap for handy people and repair technicians. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "plumbing," "customer service," and "hvac. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that handy person responsibilities requires skills like "maintenance tasks," "drywall repair," "door locks," and "mowing." But a repair technician might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "hand tools," "customer satisfaction," "preventative maintenance," and "work ethic."

Repair technicians earn a higher average salary than handy people. But repair technicians earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $49,974. Additionally, handy people earn the highest salaries in the construction with average pay of $43,542 annually.In general, repair technicians achieve similar levels of education than handy people. They're 0.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Handy person vs. Groundskeeping maintenance

A Groundskeeping Maintenance Worker performs several skilled and semi-skilled tasks in grounds keeping and building trade areas. They maintain turf places, including weed control and Integrated Pest Management. They also cut and install window glass. These professionals replace broken pipes, replace gaskets, replace washers, replace faucets, flush sewer lines, and clean clogged drains. A Groundskeepipng Maintenance Worker must know how to operate hand equipment and power tools and identify and repair minor roof leaks.

On average scale, groundskeeping maintenances bring in lower salaries than handy people. In fact, they earn a $9,652 lower salary per year.By looking over several handy people and groundskeeping maintenances resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "plumbing," "maintenance tasks," and "customer service." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from handy person resumes include skills like "drywall repair," "door locks," "windows," and "safety rules," whereas a groundskeeping maintenance is more likely to list skills in "cleanliness," "grass," "pet," and "general upkeep. "

Groundskeeping maintenances earn the best pay in the real estate industry, where they command an average salary of $32,000. Handy people earn the highest pay from the construction industry, with an average salary of $43,542.groundskeeping maintenances typically earn similar educational levels compared to handy people. Specifically, they're 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Handy person vs. Airport maintenance labour

An airport maintenance labour worker is primarily responsible for performing various maintenance and repair tasks. Their responsibilities usually include inspecting malfunctioning equipment, troubleshooting issues, fixing electrical and plumbing systems, replacing fixtures such as light bulbs, monitoring and restocking supplies, and submitting reports to managers as necessary. Moreover, as an airport maintenance labour agent, it is essential to be proactive at dealing with issues and have an active communication line with co-workers for a smooth and efficient workflow.

Airport maintenance labours typically earn lower pay than handy people. On average, airport maintenance labours earn a $9,266 lower salary per year.While both handy people and airport maintenance labours complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like plumbing, maintenance tasks, and customer service, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A handy person uses "drywall repair," "door locks," "windows," and "safety rules." Airport maintenance labours are more likely to have duties that require skills in "grass," "ladders," "hand trucks," and "scaffolding. "airport maintenance labours enjoy the best pay in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $42,380. For comparison, handy people earn the highest salary in the construction industry.The average resume of airport maintenance labours showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to handy people. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.4%.

Types of handy person

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse installation, maintenance and repair jobs