How to hire a production hand

How to hire a production hand, step by step

Here's a step-by-step production hand hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the production hand you need to hire. Certain production hand 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a production hand 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 production hand that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of production hand salaries for various roles:

   Type of Production Hand	Description	Hourly rate
   Production Hand		$12-17
   Assembly Line Worker	Assembly line workers are factory or production floor employees who work on putting together company products. They are assigned to work on a specific part of the product... Show more	$10-16
   Line Up Worker	The Responsibilities of a Line-Up Worker varies upon the organization or industry. Still, most of the tasks revolve around doing manual work such as loading and unloading heavy shipments, operating various devices and machines of different sizes, assist in maintenance and assembling, and coordinating with teammates and reporting to supervisors... Show more	$9-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Pallets
   • Machine Operators
   • RAN
   • Rig
   • CNC
   • MIG

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and instruct workers in the art of food preparation as culinary team leader.
   • Execute production activities as directed by supervisor, including performing GMP cell culture of biologic products using closed-system device.
   • Certify to run plastics extruders, plastics expanders and high tech all-in-one expand/cut to length machines.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your production hand job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A production hand can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, production hands' average salary in new mexico is 41% less than in north dakota.
   • Seniority. Entry-level production hands 30% less than senior-level production hands.
   • Certifications. A production hand with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a production hand's salary.

   Average production hand salary

   $15.13hourly

   $31,479 yearly

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   Entry-level production hand salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a production hand job description

   A good production hand 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 production hand job description:

   Production hand job description example

   Production Operator FULL-TIME
   $17/hr Potential Starting Pay Range $17.00-$18.70/hr. Paid Weekly! $17.00/hr 12 Hour Day Shift.
   $18.70/hr 12 Hour Night Shift. ($17.00 plus 10% shift premium) Potential for a $1.00/hr increase after 60 days with the completion of onboarding.. We are actively hiring Production Operator positions to visually inspect and pack plastic medical parts to meet our quality and customer standards. We are willing to train, giving you the ability to gain skills that will open up growth opportunities with us! Accelerated Development Plan! Competitive Benefits! 401K with Match! Paid Holidays! We are an Essential Business that produces critical life-saving medical components. MGS Mfg. Group is a best-in-class custom manufacturer that delivers plastics solutions in tooling, molding, and equipment technologies to help customers around the world bring innovative products to market. We pride ourselves on being the best at what we do and look for individuals that have the same passion! We proudly employ over 1,300 employees worldwide. Our employees are a vital part of our success. We maintain and reinforce an atmosphere of mutual respect and communication that will foster continued growth and career opportunities. Our achievements are built on a solid foundation of core values that inspire a culture of Teamwork, Integrity, Passion, and Safety. To learn more visit us at www.mgsmfg.com MKE-03 WS-03 WS-LC
   Schedule
   Shift start: 7:00AM or 7:00PM
   Shift length: 12 hours
   Work hours are 7:00 to 7:00 under a 2-2-3 rotation, working 3 days one week (36 hours) and 4 days the next (48 hours).
   Benefits
   Health, dental, vision insurance - available after 30 days Paid time off 401(k) plan
   Qualifications
   Must pass drug screen (cannabis included) Can lift 25 lbs Must be at least 18+ years old
   
   About MGS Manufacturing
   Founded in 1982 MGS Manufacturing is a manufacturer of industrial molding products. The company is headquartered in Germantown, Wisconsin.

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5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit production hands, 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.

   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 production hand

   Once you've found the production hand 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 also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new production hand. 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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