How to hire a smelter

How to hire a smelter, step by step

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

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your smelter job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a smelter for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A smelter's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, smelters 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of smelters.

   Type of Smelter	Description	Hourly rate
   Smelter	Metal and plastic machine workers set up and operate machines that cut, shape, and form metal and plastic materials or pieces.	$12-20
   Furnace Operator	A furnace operator records time and production data, adjusts thermostats, and observes a pyrometer to maintain the temperature between specified limits. The operators set furnace control to regulate the temperature and heating time... Show more	$13-21
   Founder	A Founder is responsible for building his/her business from the ground up through various strategies and extensive planning. A Founder is also responsible for the workforce's funding and recruitment that would be vital for a company to succeed and create a vision and mission that the business would uphold... Show more	$22-84

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • DOT
   • Cranes
   • Shovels
   • Plant Equipment

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead and coordinate team in all aspects of operation in an aluminum blast furnace.
   • Assist in the process of extracting CO2 gas from molten copper ore.
   • Help to fix anode cool down machines when anodes get stick in them.
   • Change anode molds on anode wheel when they become crack or are no longer acceptable.
   • Install leveling supports, smelting pot shells, masonry and refractory materials, and electrical conduction assemblies.
   • Demonstrate ability to troubleshoot creatively, solve problems effectively, and make inform decisions while successfully guiding others through constant change.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, smelters' average salary in florida is 48% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level smelters 42% less than senior-level smelters.
   • Certifications. A smelter 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 smelter's salary.

   Average smelter salary

   $15.89hourly

   $33,051 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level smelter salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing a smelter job description

   A smelter 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 smelter job description:

   Smelter job description example

   **Freeport-McMoRan** is a leading international mining company with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. We operate large, long-lived, geographically diverse assets with significant proven and probable reserves of copper, gold, and molybdenum. The company has a dynamic portfolio of operating, expansion and growth projects in the copper industry. Freeport-McMoRan is one of the world's largest publicly traded copper producers, the world's largest producer of molybdenum and a significant gold producer. We have a long and successful history of conducting our business in a safe, highly efficient and socially-responsible manner.
   
   We have the assets, the talent, the drive and the financial strength to provide attractive and rewarding careers of our employees. We encourage you to take the time to explore the opportunity to advance your career at Freeport-McMoRan.
   **Description**
   
   Skilled mechanic who under supervision safely performs diagnostic, maintenance, installation and repair of equipment and process systems in a Smelter.
   
   + Assists with and performs diagnostic, replacement and repairs to include but not limited to the following systems: anode plant, mold plant, converter, acid plant and hydraulic systems
   
   + Performs component diagnostic, replacement and repairs to include but not limited to plant equipment, gear boxes, pumps, fans, conveyor belts, bearings, pulleys, gas lines, piping waterlines, (conveyor) conveyor table, trough finders, return idlers, shovels and cables
   
   + Performs mechanical and lubrication preventative maintenance
   
   + May operate equipment such as: forklifts, cranes, boom trucks, loaders and small mobile equipment
   
   + May be required to proficiently perform welding tasks
   
   + Performs work area inspections and housekeeping duties
   
   + Perform other duties as required
   
   **Qualifications**
   
   **Minimum Qualifications**
   
   + One (1) year of experience in mechanical/maintenance crafts (including welder, boilermaker, machinist or facility maintenance/construction) **or** a combination of education and experience in industrial mechanical repair and maintenance
   
   + Ability to read blueprints
   
   + Ability to work in extreme temperatures
   
   + Must have completed academic and competencies required (this includes Line of Progression requirements for internal employees), and have experience demonstrating required mechanical aptitude. Selected candidate shall demonstrate ability to apply knowledge and technical skills while also passing a written assessment. This exam is based on technical skills/abilities and/or academic knowledge; as well as safety.
   
   **Preferred Qualifications**
   
   + High School diploma or GED
   
   + Two (2) years of hands-on mechanical maintenance repair/rebuild experience with industrial fixed plant equipment and waist heat boilers (pumps, motors, gearboxes, pulleys, Belts, welding, etc.) that includes to include training and strong understanding of moving and rotating equipment such as pumps, motors, gearboxes and conveyors, from an operations and maintenance perspective, electrically and mechanically
   
   + Training and experience in welding SMAW 6G or 2&5G pipe procedures (R-STAMP), pipe fitting and fabrication
   
   + Training on basic lubrication and sampling
   
   + Ability to understand and apply information from technical manuals and other reference materials
   
   + Experience with Waste Heat Boilers
   
   + Experience with Equipment Operating
   
   + Experience with Masonry/ refractory bricking
   
   **Criteria/Conditions**
   
   + Ability to understand and apply verbal and written work and safety-related instructions and procedures given in English
   
   + Ability to communicate in English with respect to job assignments, job procedures, and applicable safety standards
   
   + Must be able to work in a potentially stressful environment
   
   + While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to stand, sit, demonstrate manual dexterity, climb stairs and ladders, and work on elevated platforms
   
   + Occasionally will be required to lift up to fifty (50) pounds during the course of the work day
   
   + Work is in a mine or manufacturing plant setting, which may include exposure to extremes in temperature and humidity, moving mechanical parts, risk of electrical shock, toxic chemicals, explosives, fumes or airborne particles
   
   + Personal protective equipment is required when performing work in a mine, outdoor, manufacturing or plant environment, including hard hat, hearing protection, safety glasses, safety footwear, and as needed, respirator, rubber steel-toe boots, protective clothing, gloves and any other protective equipment as required
   
   + Freeport-McMoRan promotes a drug/alcohol free work environment through the use of mandatory pre-employment drug testing and on-going random drug testing
   
   Freeport-McMoRan has reviewed the jobs at its various office and operating sites and determined that many of these jobs require employees to perform essential job functions that pose a direct threat to the safety or health of the employees performing these tasks or others. Accordingly, the Company has designated the following positions as safety-sensitive:
   
   + Site-based positions, or positions which require unescorted access to site-based operational areas, which are held by employees who are required to receive MSHA, OSHA, DOT, HAZWOPER and/or Hazard Recognition Training; or
   
   + Positions which are held by employees who operate equipment, machinery or motor vehicles in furtherance of performing the essential functions of their job duties, including operating motor vehicles while on Company business or travel (for this purpose "motor vehicles" includes Company owned or leased motor vehicles and personal motor vehicles used by employees in furtherance of Company business or while on Company travel); or
   
   + Positions which Freeport-McMoRan has designated as safety sensitive positions in the applicable job or position description and which upon further review continue to be designated as safety-sensitive based on an individualized assessment of the actual duties performed by a specifically identified employee.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veteran/Disability
   
   **Nearest Major Market:** Payson
   
   **Job Segment:** Hydraulics, Facilities, Electrical, Engineering, Operations

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right smelter 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 smelter job on Zippia to find and recruit smelter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with smelter candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   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 smelter

   Once you've found the smelter 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 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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