How to hire a line technician

How to hire a line technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step line 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 line technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new line technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a line technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the line technician you need to hire. Certain line technician roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A line technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, line 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.

   This list presents line technician salaries for various positions.

   Type of Line Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Line Technician	Line installers and repairers, also known as line workers, install or repair electrical power systems and telecommunications cables, including fiber optics.	$13-25
   Locator	A locator or utility locator is a professional who is responsible for locating, identifying, and marking underground utilities before the start of construction or other projects in an area. Locators are required to read maps and blueprints to determine where utilities are located and protect those underground utilities from damage during excavation... Show more	$10-27
   Cable Splicer	Cable splicers are skilled employees who are responsible for installing, splicing, testing, and repairing high-voltage overhead, underground, or submarine cables or wires. To reach the location of these high-voltage cables, cable splicers are required to climb utility poles, utilize truck-mounted lift buck, and descend into underground manholes... Show more	$14-34

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Safety Procedures
   • Preventative Maintenance
   • Quality Standards
   • Customer Vehicles
   • Line Tech
   • Diagnosis
   • GMP
   • Assembly Line
   • Production Equipment
   • Applied Behavior Analysis
   • Safety Standards
   • ABA
   • Line Equipment

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Accomplish final operational checkout for conformance to customer specifications of prototype and new electronic systems including system installation on new airframes.
   • Complete paperwork on machines service, refill OSHA approve fluids.
   • Train to independently troubleshoot processing and technical issues that may arise.
   • Manufacture various lengths of wire and install them in electrical boxes for installation in HVAC units.
   • Assemble and diagnose key battery system components of HVAC, disconnects, relays, and circuit breakers.
   • Ensure proper servicing of aircraft engines and gearboxes, as well as launch and recovery of aircraft.

   More line technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your line technician job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A line technician salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a line technician in Mississippi may be lower than in California, and an entry-level line technician usually earns less than a senior-level line technician. Additionally, a line technician with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average line technician salary

   $39,124yearly

   $18.81 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level line technician salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average line technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$50,734	$24
   2	Arizona	$42,295	$20
   3	New Jersey	$41,928	$20
   4	Oregon	$41,703	$20
   5	Pennsylvania	$41,110	$20
   6	Virginia	$38,334	$18
   7	Minnesota	$36,615	$18
   8	Indiana	$36,282	$17
   9	Ohio	$36,056	$17
   10	Texas	$34,487	$17
   11	South Carolina	$33,263	$16
   12	Nebraska	$33,246	$16
   13	Tennessee	$32,335	$16
   14	Michigan	$32,304	$16
   15	Louisiana	$31,440	$15
   16	Florida	$31,313	$15

   Average line technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Reckitt Benckiser	$55,696	$26.78	2
   2	Nebraska Public Power District	$55,443	$26.66
   3	OUC	$54,788	$26.34	4
   4	Alliant Energy	$53,627	$25.78	9
   5	PPL	$53,322	$25.64	18
   6	Church & Dwight Co.	$52,923	$25.44
   7	LG&E and KU	$52,040	$25.02
   8	Fortune Brands Home & Security	$51,814	$24.91	2
   9	NOVEC	$50,869	$24.46
   10	MDU Resources	$50,724	$24.39	3
   11	Lincoln Electric System	$49,801	$23.94
   12	Lumbee River EMC	$49,447	$23.77
   13	Post Holdings	$49,425	$23.76	40
   14	Ball	$49,226	$23.67	12
   15	Vicor	$48,971	$23.54
   16	Dover	$48,517	$23.33	9
   17	Altec	$48,064	$23.11	2
   18	Abbott	$48,055	$23.10	10
   19	Amy's Kitchen	$48,006	$23.08	4
   20	Cbsi	$47,813	$22.99

4. Writing a line technician job description

   A good line 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 a line technician job description:

   Line technician job description example

   End of Line Technician FULL-TIME
   $40/hr We are searching for highly motivated, technically competent, and mechanically inclined individuals to join our growing operations team. In this position you will play a key role in validation testing of our generators prior to shipping to our customers. You will work within our newly established Pilot Manufacturing facility in Menlo Park, collaborating with our highly talented team of mechanics and engineers to bring affordable, dispatchable and clean energy to the world. For those inclined, there are ample growth opportunities within Mainspring, and we offer full benefits, including vacation and sick time, 401K, and pre-IPO stock options.
   • Work with our quick learning Build and Test Team to test and validate the next generation of high efficiency generators, then prepare units for customer delivery
   • Run generators through product qualification tests, logging data and identifying failures
   • Troubleshoot issues, escalate, and get support of key stakeholders
   • Execute repairs and retrofits to rectify issues discovered during testing, feedback quality issues to production
   • Collaborate with engineers to fix, repair, and redesign components and assemblies
   • Conduct mechanical inspections of test units, documenting condition information for use by our engineers
   • Collaborate with coworkers to identify opportunities to improve safety and productivity SFO-04 WS-04 WS-LC
   Schedule
   Shift start: 8:00AM
   Shift length: 10 hours
   4 days at 10 hours or 5 days at 8 hours
   Benefits
   Health, dental, vision insurance - available after 10 days Paid time off 401(k) plan
   Qualifications
   Must pass background check Can lift 50 lbs Must be at least 18+ years old • Around 3+ years of experience with mechanical assembly and/or repair. Experience with automotive or heavy equipment assembly a plus • Experience with precision measuring down to .001”, micrometers, bore gauges, gauge blocks, etc. • Must be able to stand for long periods of time, lift up to 50 lbs., and wear required PPE • Forklift or heavy equipment operation experience a plus • Software familiarity and experience a plus • Electrical system familiarity and troubleshooting experience a plus
   
   About Mainspring Energy
   Driven by its mission to advance global access to low-carbon, dispatchable energy, Mainspring Energy has developed a new category of power generation - the linear generator - that delivers onsite, 24/7, fuel-flexible power at lower cost and lower carbon than the electric grid. The unique combination of attributes offered by Mainspring's linear generator enables applications on both the customer and utility sides of the meter for the $750B global electricity equipment market. Mainspring is based in Menlo Park and is backed by top-tier venture and strategic investors such as Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, American Electric Power, and Centrica Innovations.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right line technician 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 line technician job on Zippia to find and recruit line technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting line 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 line technician

   Once you've selected the best line 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.

   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 line 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 a line technician?