How to hire a planer operator

How to hire a planer operator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step planer operator hiring guide:

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

Post a planer operator job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The planer operator 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 planer operator 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 planer operator that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of planer operator salaries for various roles:

   Type of Planer Operator	Description	Hourly rate
   Planer Operator	Woodworkers manufacture a variety of products such as cabinets and furniture, using wood, veneers, and laminates. They often combine and incorporate different materials into wood.	$15-31
   Planning Analyst	As a planning analyst, you will be responsible for designing and implementing a company's business and marketing strategies with the goal of driving profits and reducing costs. You will propose measures to enhance an organization's overall efficiency, and guide managers on ways to strengthen profit margins through risk awareness reduced costs, and increased revenues... Show more	$23-44
   Operator	Operators are skilled workers who are in charge of working on an industrial machine or a specific aspect of the manufacturing business. They are trained to operate machines, learning how to use them... Show more	$12-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Co-Op
   • Project Management
   • Supply Chain
   • Business Operations
   • Logistics
   • Data Analysis
   • Demand Planning
   • Operational Planning
   • SQL
   • Sigma
   • KPI
   • SharePoint
   • ERP
   • Cost Savings

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
   • Perform routine maintenance on planers -grade lumber -perform overall routine building maintenance
   • Establish and maintain the control environment, implementing SOX.
   • Track and report KPI's on a weekly basis providing.
   • Prepare shipping documents, material property and NDT testing reports.
   • Complete $10MM in purchase orders weekly for 20 suppliers and monitor performance by KPI.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, planer operators' average salary in kansas is 41% less than in west virginia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level planer operators earn 52% less than senior-level planer operators.
   • Certifications. A planer operator 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 planer operator's salary.

   Average planer operator salary

   $46,309yearly

   $22.26 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level planer operator salary

   $32,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

4. Writing a planer operator job description

   A planer operator 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 planer operator job description:

   Planer operator job description example

   Check out this video and find out why our team loves to work here!
   Eversource's Cooperative Learning programs deliver students with the opportunity to apply both classroom and prior experience learning to real life application. As a Co-Op student, you will participate in hands-on project work, site visits as possible, mentoring pairing and sessions with office leadership, office activities, and virtual events with fellow interns and staff throughout the organization.
   You will work in both Distributed Energy Resource Planning and Distribution System Planning. In addition, you will perform technical reviews on customer solar and battery storage project applications. You will use modeling tools, such as PSS/E, and analytical skills to assist with long-term, multi-year system load flow studies identifying design violations and will also determine equipment loading to support other capital projects/programs. You will be expected to actively pursue a BSEE or a MSEE. As a Co-Op candidate, you must have skills using Microsoft Excel and Word.
   Worker Type:
   Student / Intern (Fixed Term) (Trainee)
   Number of Openings:
   1
   EEO Statement
   
   Eversource Energy is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability status, or protected veteran status.
   
   VEVRRA Federal Contractor
   Vaccination Information:
   
   Eversource requires all new employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by their first day of employment. If you have any concerns regarding compliance with this requirement, you will need to discuss your concerns with Eversource's HR department after you have been made a conditional offer of employment. Eversource does not require applicants to discuss vaccination status prior to receipt of a conditional offer of employment and complies with all applicable laws.
   Emergency Response:
   
   Responding to emergency situations to meet customers' needs is part of every employee's role. If employed, you will be given an Emergency Restoration assignment. This means you may be called to assist during an emergency outside of your normal responsibilities, work hours and location.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right planer operator 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 planer operators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit planer operators 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 planer operator job on Zippia to find and recruit planer operator 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 planer operators, 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.

   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 planer operator

   Once you've found the planer operator 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.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a planer operator?