How to hire a maintenance painter apprentice

How to hire a maintenance painter apprentice, step by step

Here's a step-by-step maintenance painter apprentice hiring guide:

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

What does a maintenance painter apprentice do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a maintenance painter apprentice, 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 maintenance painter apprentice's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, maintenance painter apprentices 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of maintenance painter apprentices and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Maintenance Painter Apprentice	Description	Hourly rate
   Maintenance Painter Apprentice	General maintenance and repair workers fix and maintain machines, mechanical equipment, and buildings. They paint, repair flooring, and work on plumbing, electrical, and air-conditioning and heating systems.	$13-25
   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... Show more	$11-18
   Operations And Maintenance Technician	Operations and maintenance technicians are skilled professionals who are responsible for conducting preventive maintenance of all equipment used in the operation of an organization. These technicians are required to ensure that their facilities are always operational by performing inspections and documenting the operating conditions of their equipment... Show more	$18-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Plumbing
   • Preventative Maintenance
   • Ladders
   • Industrial Maintenance
   • OSHA
   • Hand Tools
   • HVAC
   • Safety Procedures
   • PLC
   • Hydraulic Systems
   • Maintenance Procedures
   • Routine Maintenance
   • Electrical Troubleshooting
   • Safety Policies

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and maintain clients' lawns through mowing, weed eating, and trimming bushes.
   • Learned to trouble shoot PLC's.
   • Diagnose and troubleshoot malfunctions on M1 tanks.
   • Repair, replace and troubleshoot defective aircraft components.
   • Operate CNC machine and lathe.
   • Perform major assembly on M1 tanks.

   More maintenance painter apprentice duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, maintenance painter apprentices' average salary in mississippi is 41% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level maintenance painter apprentices earn 45% less than senior-level maintenance painter apprentices.
   • Certifications. A maintenance painter apprentice 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 maintenance painter apprentice's salary.

   Average maintenance painter apprentice salary

   $39,956yearly

   $19.21 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level maintenance painter apprentice salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average maintenance painter apprentice salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$47,382	$23
   2	Illinois	$44,118	$21
   3	Virginia	$43,329	$21
   4	New York	$43,289	$21
   5	Washington	$40,681	$20
   6	Ohio	$40,677	$20
   7	New Jersey	$40,450	$19
   8	Indiana	$39,531	$19
   9	Texas	$39,373	$19
   10	Wisconsin	$39,301	$19
   11	Iowa	$38,719	$19
   12	South Carolina	$38,628	$19
   13	Georgia	$38,293	$18
   14	Michigan	$37,276	$18
   15	Alabama	$36,693	$18
   16	Nebraska	$35,646	$17

   Average maintenance painter apprentice salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	FutureFuel	$53,644	$25.79	4
   2	O-I Glass	$53,635	$25.79	4
   3	WestRock	$51,991	$25.00	44
   4	Cintas	$51,090	$24.56	123
   5	Steel Dynamics	$50,428	$24.24	12
   6	Campbell Soup	$48,906	$23.51	22
   7	Oldcastle Infrastructure	$48,520	$23.33	173
   8	Medline	$48,226	$23.19	56
   9	Intralox	$48,224	$23.18	1
   10	Flex-N-Gate	$48,189	$23.17	1
   11	Brady	$47,468	$22.82
   12	Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co	$47,328	$22.75	6
   13	Berry Global	$47,282	$22.73
   14	Vulcan Materials	$45,916	$22.07	35
   15	Americold	$44,663	$21.47	11
   16	Unilever	$43,997	$21.15	5
   17	Knoll	$43,968	$21.14
   18	Sonoco	$43,597	$20.96	8
   19	Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning	$43,339	$20.84
   20	3M Company	$43,201	$20.77	42

4. Writing a maintenance painter apprentice job description

   A maintenance painter apprentice 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a maintenance painter apprentice job description:

   Maintenance painter apprentice job description example

   Assist in the repairs and maintenance of machinery and mechanical equipment, such as motors, pneumatic tools, and production machines and equipment (robots, conveyors, etc…), using hand tools, power tools, and precision-measuring and testing instruments respecting at all times safety rules. Repairs or replaces defective parts, using hand tools and power tools. Starts devise to test their performance. Lubricates and cleans parts • Ensures operation of machinery and mechanical equipment by assisting in preventive maintenance requirements on production machines; • Follow diagrams, sketches, operations manuals, manufacturer's instructions, and engineering specifications; to troubleshoot malfunctions. • Troubleshoots by observing mechanical devices in operation; listening for problems; using precision measuring and testing instruments. • Remove and replace defective parts by properly dismantling devices; using hoists, cranes, and hand and power tools; examining the form and texture of parts. • Follow up on maintenance requests or problems as reported. • Performs needed facility-related troubleshooting and repairs always following safety principles • Maintains a safe and clean working environment by complying with company procedures, rules, and regulations. Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as directed by mentor Essential Functions: Maintenance of production equipment 40% Repair of production equipment 25% Facility related repairs and maintenance 25% Support all activities and learn from mentorship 10%
   Required Qualifications
   
   High School Diploma General Education, related field or BS, Degree Business, Manufacturing Engineering or related field or Technical or vocational Certificate and/or degree preferred 1+ years Mechanical aptitude and advanced skills in one or more of the following areas: electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Required 2+ years MRP - SAP Preferred Multilingual (English and Spanish) preferred
   
   Additional Description
   
   Physical Demands Works 95% on the manufacturing floor • Manual dexterity is required to operate machinery and repair equipment. • Ability to climb stairs and ladders Ability to lift up to 45 pounds
   
   Legal Statement
   
   Saint-Gobain provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Saint-Gobain is an equal opportunity employer of individuals with disabilities and supports the hiring of veterans.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right maintenance painter apprentice 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 maintenance painter apprentices they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit maintenance painter apprentices 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 maintenance painter apprentice job on Zippia to find and recruit maintenance painter apprentice candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit maintenance painter apprentices, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 maintenance painter apprentice

   Once you've found the maintenance painter apprentice candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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.

   To prepare for the new maintenance painter apprentice first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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