How to hire a sander

How to hire a sander, step by step

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

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   Hiring the perfect sander also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of sanders and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Sander	Description	Hourly rate
   Sander		$11-19

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Assembly Line
   • Cabinet Doors
   • Shop Safety
   • Bondo
   • Coats
   • Safety Procedures
   • Facilitate Repair
   • CNC
   • Sand Paper
   • RAN
   • Mask
   • Drill Press
   • Office Furniture
   • Steel Wool

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Smooth surface of wooden articles prior to finishing and between finish coats, using sandpaper and steel wool.
   • Operate forklift and CNC machine.
   • Operate Pratt and Whitney CNC machines.
   • Apply bondo, glazing, and stain to cabinets.
   • Measure, mark, and mask areas to be exclude from plating.
   • Load frac sand into pneumatic trailers via a sub-rail at serpentine transloader.

   More sander duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your sander job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A sander 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 sander in Oregon may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level sander usually earns less than a senior-level sander. Additionally, a sander 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 sander salary

   $15.38hourly

   $31,983 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level sander salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average sander salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$50,714	$24
   2	Illinois	$49,098	$24
   3	Wisconsin	$36,842	$18
   4	Arkansas	$36,556	$18
   5	Minnesota	$35,493	$17
   6	Texas	$34,844	$17
   7	Virginia	$34,720	$17
   8	California	$34,070	$16
   9	Ohio	$33,681	$16
   10	Montana	$33,350	$16
   11	North Carolina	$33,205	$16
   12	Indiana	$32,961	$16
   13	Arizona	$31,356	$15
   14	Alabama	$28,733	$14
   15	South Carolina	$27,865	$13
   16	Oregon	$26,865	$13
   17	Oklahoma	$23,051	$11
   18	Florida	$20,922	$10

   Average sander salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Ferrara Candy	$39,168	$18.83
   2	Precision Castparts	$39,091	$18.79	1
   3	Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams	$37,088	$17.83
   4	Knoll	$36,240	$17.42
   5	Haas Cabinet Co.	$35,890	$17.25
   6	Landscape Structures	$33,707	$16.21
   7	Merritt	$33,647	$16.18
   8	Brinker International	$33,102	$15.91
   9	Gibson	$33,087	$15.91
   10	HEICO	$32,895	$15.81	2
   11	Aerotek	$32,156	$15.46
   12	Trillium Staffing	$32,091	$15.43
   13	Estée Lauder	$31,967	$15.37
   14	Custom Truck One Source	$31,895	$15.33	1
   15	ManpowerGroup	$31,789	$15.28	1
   16	Staffmark	$31,607	$15.20
   17	Adecco	$31,596	$15.19
   18	PeopleReady	$31,503	$15.15
   19	Express Employment Indy South	$31,128	$14.97
   20	AtWork	$30,845	$14.83

4. Writing a sander job description

   A sander 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 sander job description:

   Sander job description example

   Gibson is proud to be an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.
   
   Job Summary: The mission of the Level Sander is to prep all surfaces of the guitar for its final two coats of lacquer. They are responsible for levelling the original seven coats of lacquer using fine grit sandpaper. Level sanding requires a light touch and an eye for detail, as any defect in the lacquer that proceeds past this point will be magnified by additional coats. This position if a key element in process of producing an aesthetically pleasing end product.
   Essential Functions:
   
   * Learn and execute standard operating procedures
   * Must be able to lift, move, and level sand a guitar in an average of 10 minutes.
   * After training is complete, (3 weeks) a level sander will sand 4-6 guitars per hour, roughly 30 guitars in an 8 hour shift.
   * 95% pass rate based on production requirements
   * Understands and meets quality standards (Specs.)
   * Maintains product flow at appropriate rate
   * Adheres to department protocols (5S and Safety)
   
   Required Skills/Abilities:
   
   * Strong attention to detail.
   * Outstanding time management skillset with the ability to prioritize without direct supervision.
   * Develop a strong understanding of all guitar models.
   
   Education and Experience:
   
   * Results oriented and driven, with a track record for delivering to plan.
   * Must be 18 years of age or older.
   
   Physical Demands:
   
   * Must be able to stand all day and lift guitars throughout the day.
   
   The company's Job Descriptions are not intended to be a complete detailed account of all expected/anticipated activities. We operate in a fast-moving and competitive global environment and therefore need employees to be flexible.
   
   FOR YOUR SECURITY AND PROTECTION - PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY CORRESPONDENCE FOR POSITIONS WILL BE EITHER FROM ADP/WORKFORCE OR FROM A GIBSON.COM EMAIL ADDRESS.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find sanders for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your sander job on Zippia to find and recruit sander candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting sanders 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 sander

   Once you have selected a candidate for the sander position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   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.)

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