How to hire a hvac mechanic

How to hire a hvac mechanic, step by step

Here's a step-by-step hvac mechanic hiring guide:

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

What does a hvac mechanic do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The hvac mechanic 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 hvac mechanic 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 hvac mechanic that fits the bill.

   This list presents hvac mechanic salaries for various positions.

   Type of Hvac Mechanic	Description	Hourly rate
   Hvac Mechanic	Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers—often called heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) technicians—work on heating, ventilation, cooling, and refrigeration systems that control the temperature and air quality in buildings.	$16-35
   Stationary Engineer	Stationary Engineers are employees who are trained to operate machines and equipment. They mainly operate mechanical equipment, boilers, steam engines, and other stationary engines... Show more	$21-51
   Installer Apprentice	An elevator installer apprentice is a trainee who trains under a skilled elevator installer to install, fix, and maintain elevators, escalators, and other lifts. Elevator installer apprentices must assist in assembling elevator cars as well as connecting electrical wiring to control panels and electric motors... Show more	$13-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Hand Tools
   • HVAC
   • Ventilation
   • Ladders
   • EPA
   • Preventive Maintenance
   • Control Systems
   • Chillers
   • Plumbing
   • Mechanical Equipment
   • Cooling Towers
   • Refrigeration Systems
   • OSHA
   • Refrigeration Equipment

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • General maintenance include plumbing, carpentry, electrical repair and installation.
   • work on motors, belts, electrical wiring and plc programing.
   • Perform all duties within the specified safety regulations of OSHA, the company and the position.
   • Repair damage chill water coils, install air handlers, condensers and through the wall heat pumps on campus.
   • Act as part of the HazMat team to clean up and evacuate any areas of any chemical spills or leaks.
   • Experience in sheet-metal fabrication and light plumbing

   More hvac mechanic duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the hvac mechanic job description is a good way to get more applicants. A hvac mechanic 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 a hvac mechanic in Alabama may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level hvac mechanic. Additionally, a hvac mechanic with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average hvac mechanic salary

   $50,752yearly

   $24.40 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level hvac mechanic salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average hvac mechanic salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$73,003	$35
   2	Maryland	$71,719	$34
   3	District of Columbia	$69,810	$34
   4	New York	$62,530	$30
   5	Illinois	$58,638	$28
   6	Virginia	$58,435	$28
   7	Delaware	$56,769	$27
   8	Colorado	$56,561	$27
   9	Ohio	$55,336	$27
   10	New Hampshire	$54,283	$26
   11	Missouri	$53,316	$26
   12	Indiana	$53,154	$26
   13	North Carolina	$45,452	$22
   14	Texas	$44,962	$22
   15	Arizona	$44,553	$21
   16	South Carolina	$43,476	$21
   17	Georgia	$42,598	$20
   18	Florida	$41,334	$20
   19	Alabama	$41,303	$20
   20	Mississippi	$40,906	$20

   Average hvac mechanic salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	American Residential Services	$91,083	$43.79	117
   2	Jacobs Engineering Group	$78,427	$37.71
   3	Palomar Health	$75,490	$36.29
   4	Nabholz	$73,583	$35.38	4
   5	Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants	$71,835	$34.54
   6	Streamline	$71,389	$34.32	6
   7	Ameresco	$69,364	$33.35	13
   8	Hyatt Hotels	$68,914	$33.13	8
   9	Merck	$68,115	$32.75	3
   10	Bose	$66,564	$32.00
   11	Johnson Controls	$65,131	$31.31	311
   12	Ocean View School District	$64,646	$31.08
   13	Elbit Systems of America	$63,618	$30.59
   14	University of Houston-Clear Lake	$63,484	$30.52
   15	Loyola University Maryland	$62,266	$29.94
   16	Pfizer	$62,083	$29.85
   17	Woods Services	$61,330	$29.49
   18	Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory	$60,787	$29.22	1
   19	Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority	$59,870	$28.78	4
   20	IndyGo	$59,859	$28.78	2

4. Writing a hvac mechanic job description

   A job description for a hvac mechanic 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 hvac mechanic job description:

   Hvac mechanic job description example

   Category: Installation Maintenance and Repair
   Job Type: Full-time
   Education: High School / GED
   Security Clearance Required: None
   
   POSITION OVERVIEW AND PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS): Position Overview
   
   The HVAC Mechanic will be responsible for maintaining services and repairing building automation control systems in the government buildings, utilizing knowledge of HVAC background to include, pipefitting, mounts compressor and condenser units on platform or floor, using hand tools, and following blueprints.
   
   Main duties include:
   Cuts and bends tubing to correct length and shape, using cutting and bending equipment and tools, cuts, and threads pipe, using machine threading or hand-threading equipment, joins tubing or pipes to various refrigerating units by means of sleeves, couplings or unions, and solders joints, using torch, forming complete circuit for refrigerant, installs expansion and discharge valves in circuit. Connects motors, compressors, temperature controls, humidity controls, and circulating ventilation fans to control panels and connects control panels to power source; installs air and water filters in completed installation, injects small amount of refrigerant into compressor to test systems and adds Freon gas to build up prescribed operating pressure. Monitoring daily Building Automation and adjust as needed. Daily tours of the mechanical rooms to include, checking gauges, recording equipment logs. Daily work orders requested by building manager to repair small deficiencies such as light bulb replacements, small plumbing leaks, door hardware adjustments. Rebuilding and maintaining hot water and chill water pumps.
   
   REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE: Required Education and Experience:
   High School Diploma 5 years of experience Refrigerant and Boiler licenses are preferred Mechanically inclined and a self-motivator Commercial Maintenance background preferred, to include plumbing, small electrical, some Carpentry skills. Building Automation is preferred Knowledge of Fire Suppression and Detection is preferred Background in Maximo training preferred, but will train if needed
   
   PI192895064

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right hvac mechanic for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting hvac mechanics requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 hvac mechanic

   Once you've selected the best hvac mechanic 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.

   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 hvac mechanic. 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 hvac mechanic?