How to hire a laser technician

How to hire a laser technician, step by step

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

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

What does a laser technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a laser technician, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A laser technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, laser technicians from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

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

   Type of Laser Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Laser Technician		$14-22
   Technician	Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with... Show more	$11-27

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Laser Equipment
   • Laser Safety
   • Laser Hair Removal
   • Surgical Procedures
   • Laser Systems
   • Patient Care
   • Troubleshoot
   • Laser Cutting
   • Test Equipment
   • Laser Treatments
   • IPL
   • Surgical Lasers

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain coating quality using adhesion testing and spectrophotometers, and manage coating hues and reflectance adjustments.
   • Build solid-state, diode end pump lasers using YAG, YLF, and YVO4 nonlinear crystals.
   • Operate a CNC laser welding machine which make metallic honeycomb core from sheets of aluminum, steel, and titanium.
   • Assist physician during dermal fillers and Botox.
   • Specialize training on Candela laser such as GentleLase and GentleYag.
   • Design, assemble, and test laser modules using SolidWorks.

   More laser technician duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, laser technicians' average salary in florida is 16% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level laser technicians earn 35% less than senior-level laser technicians.
   • Certifications. A laser technician 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 laser technician's salary.

   Average laser technician salary

   $37,370yearly

   $17.97 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level laser technician salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average laser technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	North Dakota	$40,278	$19
   2	New York	$39,841	$19
   3	Minnesota	$39,831	$19
   4	Connecticut	$39,580	$19
   5	California	$39,410	$19
   6	New Jersey	$39,205	$19
   7	Michigan	$39,121	$19
   8	Pennsylvania	$39,045	$19
   9	Nevada	$38,248	$18
   10	Virginia	$37,740	$18
   11	Colorado	$37,713	$18
   12	Indiana	$37,430	$18
   13	Arizona	$37,421	$18
   14	Ohio	$37,206	$18
   15	Texas	$36,880	$18
   16	Arkansas	$36,415	$18
   17	Tennessee	$36,187	$17
   18	North Carolina	$36,173	$17
   19	Alabama	$35,715	$17
   20	South Carolina	$35,325	$17

   Average laser technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$47,118	$22.65
   2	Northrop Grumman	$42,896	$20.62	4
   3	University of Michigan	$42,187	$20.28
   4	Omega Morgan	$40,699	$19.57
   5	IDEX	$40,231	$19.34
   6	UMiami Health System	$38,971	$18.74
   7	L3Harris	$38,895	$18.70
   8	HealthTronics	$38,583	$18.55
   9	Stanley Black & Decker	$38,574	$18.55
   10	Niagara Bottling	$38,052	$18.29
   11	General Atomics	$37,808	$18.18	19
   12	MKS Instruments	$37,510	$18.03
   13	DRS	$37,509	$18.03
   14	Coherent	$37,124	$17.85	10
   15	ZF Group	$37,097	$17.84
   16	Caterpillar	$37,015	$17.80	7
   17	United Medical Systems	$36,984	$17.78	1
   18	ForTec Medical	$36,822	$17.70
   19	IPG Photonics	$36,461	$17.53	5
   20	Cirtec Medical	$36,380	$17.49

4. Writing a laser technician job description

   A laser technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a laser technician job description:

   Laser technician job description example

   Spectra-Physics, Ophir, Newport, and Photon Control are brands within the MKS Instruments Photonics Solutions Division. We provide a full range of solutions including lasers for precision industrial and scientific research applications, laser and LED measurement, beam profiling, precision motion control, optical tables and vibration isolation systems, photonics instruments, opto-mechanical components, fiber-optic sensors, and optical elements. MKS Photonics solutions enhance our customers' capabilities and productivity in the semiconductor, industrial technologies, life and health sciences, research and defense markets.
   
   Are you naturally curious? So are we at MKS. Our collective curiosity drives us to be an innovation leader in many industries. Our products drive technology advancements across a wide range of applications such as 5G, augmented/virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, clean drinking water and space exploration. We are a team of collaborators who value fresh thinking and believe in mutual respect, constructive candor, diversity and inclusion. As a valued and trusted partner to our customers, we are continually pushing the boundaries of possibility. We believe in creating technology that transforms our world and are looking for like-minded individuals to join our team. If this is appealing to you, we want to meet you.
   
   New Focus, an MKS/Newport company, is looking for a Laser Technician that is knowledgeable in handling, aligning, and testing of solid stat lasers coupled to optical fibers. Should be knowledgeable of optical fiber transmission, insertion loss, and return loss. Basic knowledge of electronical PCBA and component (resistor, capacitor etc.)
   What you will do is:
   
   + Align and test solid state laser systems in manufacturing
   
   + Adjust the laser and optical components for optimum laser performance
   
   + Couple and optimize alignment of optical fibers to lasers
   
   + Troubleshoot problems, evaluate and determine corrections and implement corrections on laser systems.
   
   What you will bring to the role and to our team are the following qualifications and skills:
   
   + Minimum 3-4 years of electronic instrument or laser manufacturing experience with associate degree in related field preferred
   
   + Experience handling, inspecting, and cleaning of optical components and fibers.
   
   + Good understanding of laser theory and optical alignment experience.
   
   + Experience handling ESD sensitive components and laser diodes.
   
   + Experience assembling small electronic and optical devices.
   
   + Understanding and working with Wavemeter, Power meter, Spectrum Analyzer, Oscilloscope, DVM, laser sources, power supplies.
   
   + Soldering experience desired
   
   + Ability to lift 50 lbs on a regular basis
   
   + Knowledge of SAP or other MRP system
   
   Globally, our policy is to recruit individuals from wide and diverse backgrounds. However, certain positions require access to controlled goods and technologies subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Applicants for these positions may need to be "U.S. persons." "U.S. persons" are generally defined as U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals, lawful permanent residents (or, green card holders), individuals granted asylum, and individuals admitted as refugees.
   
   MKS Instruments, Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries ("MKS") is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer: diverse candidates are encouraged to apply. We win as a team and are committed to recruiting and hiring qualified applicants regardless of race, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), religion, age, ancestry, physical or mental disability or handicap, marital status, membership in the uniformed services, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law. Hiring decisions are based on merit, qualifications and business needs. We conduct background checks and drug screens, in accordance with applicable law and company policies.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting laser technicians 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.

   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 laser technician

   Once you've selected the best laser technician 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new laser technician. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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 laser technician?