How to hire a lead welder

How to hire a lead welder, step by step

Here's a step-by-step lead welder hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your lead welder job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a lead welder for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A lead welder's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, lead welders 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 lead welder salaries for various roles:

   Type of Lead Welder	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Welder	Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers use hand-held or remotely controlled equipment to join or cut metal parts. They also fill holes, indentations, or seams of metal products.	$15-29
   Ship Fitter	Ship fitters are civilian or enlisted people who work on materials like high yield strength steel and high-tensile steel. These people fabricate, assemble, and build structural parts of ships... Show more	$14-30
   Millwright/Welder	A Millwright/Welder installs, dismantles, repairs, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. They cut and join metals and other materials.	$13-22

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Aluminum
   • Stainless Steel
   • Safety Equipment
   • Blueprint Specifications
   • GMAW
   • Tig Welding
   • Jigs
   • Arc Welding
   • Air Arc
   • Mig
   • Tig
   • GTAW
   • Safety Rules
   • FCAW

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create weekly work schedules, process payroll information, manage inventory counts and job cost for each project.
   • Certify in restaurant grade stainless steel and aluminum TIG welding, carbon stick welding and stainless and carbon MIG welding.
   • Weld with solid wire (GMAW), flux core (FCAW) and stick (SMAW).
   • Used MIG and TIG welding to fit electrical and mechanical components.
   • Execute daily operations of MIG, and TIG welding, and rework welding.
   • Develop and record documentation for PQR's and WPS's.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, lead welders' average salary in missouri is 32% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level lead welders earn 47% less than senior-level lead welders.
   • Certifications. A lead welder 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 lead welder's salary.

   Average lead welder salary

   $45,718yearly

   $21.98 hourly rate

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   Entry-level lead welder salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing a lead welder job description

   A job description for a lead welder 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 lead welder job description:

   Lead welder job description example

   Now offering a $500 sign-on bonus! We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package that includes dental, vision, 100% paid life insurance & short term disability, and two medical plan options. In addition, we offer a 401k that is matched up to 5% deferred and 100% vested immediately upon participation. Wages for this position are starting at $25.00 with a .50/hr shift differential for 2nd shift (4pm-12am)!
   
   Our facility in Prinsburg, MN now has an opportunity in our fabrication shop. The ideal candidate will be leading a small team building custom fittings for our customers, including:
   
   • Using hand/power tools to build customized fittings. • Interpret drawings to understand customer specifications and requirements.
   
   • Coordinating daily work assignments of employees on your crew, including leadership in safety and quality. • Verify that finished goods meet Prinsco's quality standards, Identifying and reporting defects or improper machine operations immediately.
   
   Cultural Expectations: • Demonstrate commitment to high personal & professional ethical standards• Live out Prinsco values through hard work, relationships and integrity• Be consistent with our mission; "To care. To contribute. To solve"
   
   We require the following qualifications: • A high school diploma and at least six months experience working in carpentry or a machine shop. • Knowledge of working safely with power tools and the ability to read and interpret drawings and detailed specification. • The ability to achieve a forklift certification. • Ability to work in a loud noise environment; lift up to 25 pounds consistently and 75 pounds occasionally; use hands and reach with hands/arms, stand, walk, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl for up to 2/3 of the workday; and good distance vision (clear vision at 20 feet or more), peripheral vision and depth perception.
   DISCLAIMER: This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right lead welder for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with lead welders they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit lead welders who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit lead welders, 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 lead welder

   Once you've selected the best lead welder 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 lead welder. 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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