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How to hire a Porter

Porter hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring porters in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire a porter is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per porter on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 211,519 porters in the US, and there are currently 87,777 job openings in this field.
  • New York, NY, has the highest demand for porters, with 225 job openings.

How to hire a porter, step by step

To hire a porter, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a porter, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step porter hiring guide:

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

What does a Porter do?

A porter is responsible for managing the building's cleanliness and orderliness, together with the cleaning maintenance team. Duties of a porter include ensuring the premises' safety, operating cleaning tools and equipment, and performing basic troubleshooting for defective machines. Other tasks include assisting visitors with their inquiries, leading clients to the appropriate departments, adhering to the highest safety standards and procedures, and answering maintenance calls. A porter must have excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills to ensure daily smooth operations.

Learn more about the specifics of what a porter does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    First, determine the employments status of the porter you need to hire. Certain porter 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?

    A porter's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, porters 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 porters and their corresponding salaries.

    Type Of PorterDescriptionHourly Rate
    PorterJanitors and building cleaners keep many types of buildings clean, orderly, and in good condition.$11-17
    CustodianA custodian, also referred to as janitor, is responsible for maintaining cleanliness and helping protect all facilities. Custodians make sure everything is clean, neat, in order, and free from clutter and safe... Show More$11-18
    Custodian/Substitute CustodianA custodian is primarily responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of a particular area, including preparing and setting-up equipment for public or private use. Although their duties depend on their area of assignment or industry of employment, those duties often include conducting routine maintenance checks on facilities, performing basic repairs, cleaning floors and windows, replacing fixtures, monitoring supply inventories, and ordering new supplies as necessary.$11-18
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common Skills:
    • Excellent Guest
    • Dexterity
    • Customer Service
    • Cleanliness
    • Good Communication
    • General Maintenance
    • GRASS
    • Snow Removal
    • Building Floors
    • Hand Tools
    • BARS
    • OSHA
    • Shampoo Carpets
    • Work Ethic
    Check All Skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Wash down all kitchen walls, and cleaning stoves, fryers and also ovens.
    • Operate vehicles and power equipment, such as movers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, and pruning saws.
    • Operate cardboard compactor to recycle boxes.
    • Put tenant's dishes away in the office.
    • Record mileage and VIN numbers of customer vehicle.
    • Clear dish rack & bring dishes down to dishwasher.
    More Porter duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your porter job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A porter salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, porters' average salary in louisiana is 50% less than in alaska.
    • Seniority. Entry-level porters earn 38% less than senior-level porters.
    • Certifications. A porter 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 porter's salary.

    Average porter salary

    $14.36hourly

    $29,861 yearly

    Entry-level porter salary
    $23,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 17, 2025

    Average porter salary by state

    RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
    1Washington$41,166$20
    2California$37,257$18
    3Oregon$35,342$17
    4Nevada$33,995$16
    5Massachusetts$33,895$16
    6New York$32,940$16
    7District of Columbia$32,247$16
    8Minnesota$31,051$15
    9Maine$30,755$15
    10Colorado$30,666$15
    11New Jersey$29,131$14
    12Illinois$29,029$14
    13Arizona$28,674$14
    14Utah$28,252$14
    15Indiana$27,098$13
    16Maryland$26,793$13
    17Missouri$26,776$13
    18Nebraska$26,603$13
    19Michigan$26,536$13
    20Ohio$25,914$12

    Average porter salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
    1Community Housing Innovations$42,988$20.672
    2Columbia University in the City of New York$41,390$19.906
    3Pasco-Hernando State College$39,199$18.85
    4The Brearley School$39,056$18.782
    5Rich Products$37,550$18.05
    6Bassett Furniture Industries$37,289$17.93
    7Calvary Hospital$36,838$17.71
    8UPS$35,763$17.19
    9DoorDash$35,673$17.1547
    10Conn's$35,577$17.106
    11AEG$35,546$17.09
    12Heinen's Grocery Store$35,490$17.063
    13HELP USA$35,161$16.90
    14Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants$34,652$16.6648
    15Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurants$34,626$16.6552
    16Staples$34,614$16.64
    17DIGS.com$34,426$16.55
    18Hilton Grand Vacations$34,420$16.5552
    19Tesla$34,364$16.52
    20Kodak$34,280$16.48
  4. Writing a Porter Job Description

    A porter 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 porter job description:

    Porter job description example

    Availability to Work: Special shift requirements, if any, will vary depending on a location's hiring needs. If applicable, availability to work 3rd shift and/or week-ends may be a requirement.

    Oral Communication: Speaks clearly; Listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions.

    Written Communication: Writes clearly and informatively; Able to read and interpret written information.

    Customer Service: Maintains positive attitude. Responds to requests for service and assistance.

    Adaptability: Adapts to changes in the work environment; Able to deal with change, delays, or unexpected events.

    Judgment: Exhibits sound and accurate judgment.

    Professionalism: Reacts well under pressure.

    Language Ability: Ability to read, write and interpret the English language. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers.

    Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

    While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands and fingers and to communicate with customers and fellow employees. The employee is frequently required to sit; reach with hands and arms; stand or walk for long periods of time (up to 8 hours). The employee is also frequently required to climb, balance, stoop, kneel, and crouch. In addition, the employee is required to of twist, turn, stretch, and bend on a frequent basis. The employee must be able to lift and move 50 pounds or more regularly. The employee must be able to move in a relatively quick manner. Specific vision abilities required by this job include Close vision, Peripheral vision and Ability to adjust focus. Ability to withstand working with dust, chemicals and other possible irritants and work in extreme weather conditions (rain, snow, cold, heat).

  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right porter 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 porter job on Zippia to find and recruit porter 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 porters, 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 porter

    Once you've selected the best porter 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 porter. 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 porter?

Recruiting porters involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $29,861 per year for a porter, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for porters in the US typically range between $11 and $17 an hour.

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