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How to hire a steel detailer

Steel detailer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring steel detailers in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a steel detailer is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per steel detailer on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 23,002 steel detailers in the US and 5,792 job openings.
  • Columbus, GA, has the highest demand for steel detailers, with 4 job openings.
  • Dallas, TX has the highest concentration of steel detailers.

How to hire a steel detailer, step by step

To hire a steel detailer, 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 steel detailer, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step steel detailer hiring guide:

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

What does a steel detailer do?

A steel detailer specializes in designing and developing steel for a variety of purposes. Among their responsibilities include meeting with clients to identify their needs and preferences, conducting research and analysis to determine the ideal practices, utilizing software and programs, creating drafts and prototypes, and reviewing the materials' specifications. They must also monitor all procedures, ensuring everything complies with state laws and regulations. Furthermore, as a steel detailer, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff for an efficient and smooth workflow.

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

    Before you start hiring a steel detailer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

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

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

    Type of Steel DetailerDescriptionHourly rate
    Steel DetailerAssemblers and fabricators assemble finished products and the parts that go into them. They use tools, machines, and their hands to make engines, computers, aircraft, ships, boats, toys, electronic devices, control panels, and more.$15-31
    DetailerA detailer's general responsibility is to provide automotive cleaning services to clients' specifications. Detailers' duties also include inspection of vehicle condition, conducting primary overhaul for interior and exterior defects, and knowledge of cleaning tools and equipment... Show more$11-17
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Sketch
    • Fabrication Drawings
    • Shop Drawings
    • Auto CAD
    • Assembly Drawings
    • BOM
    • Erection Drawings
    • Stairs
    • AISC
    • Construction Drawings
    • Steel Fabrication
    • BIM
    • AWS
    • Design Drawings
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Run presses to fabricate aluminum, copper, and steel leads.
    • Follow blueprints and layout specifications, and used jigs, welding torches, and hand tools.
    • Used overhead cranes for installing beams and work in structural Fab shop fabricating and straiten beams fabricate from plate.
    • Check and ensure that all material sizes and details are extract from the latest contract drawings and latest RFI's correspondence.
    • Prepare daily inspection and NDT reports
    • Revise engineer sketch to streamline product.
    More steel detailer duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the steel detailer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A steel detailer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for a steel detailer in Alabama may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level steel detailer. Additionally, a steel detailer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average steel detailer salary

    $47,435yearly

    $22.81 hourly rate

    Entry-level steel detailer salary
    $33,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 16, 2025

    Average steel detailer salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New York$58,346$28
    2Pennsylvania$55,409$27
    3Oregon$51,435$25
    4California$50,520$24
    5Delaware$48,306$23
    6Virginia$47,328$23
    7Illinois$47,326$23
    8North Dakota$46,984$23
    9Minnesota$45,141$22
    10Kansas$44,527$21
    11Wisconsin$44,291$21
    12Nebraska$44,072$21
    13Missouri$43,220$21
    14North Carolina$43,206$21
    15Texas$43,005$21
    16Indiana$42,974$21
    17Wyoming$42,093$20
    18Alabama$40,693$20
    19Tennessee$37,761$18
    20Georgia$37,168$18

    Average steel detailer salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1GRAEF$70,417$33.85
    2GPAC$63,868$30.71
    3CMC Motocross$50,208$24.14
    4Steel Technologies$48,534$23.33
    5Enser$47,432$22.802
    6Nucor$45,139$21.7010
    7SA Halac$44,788$21.53
    8System One$44,769$21.52
    9Randstad North America, Inc.$43,399$20.86
    10Snyder$42,644$20.50
    11Traylor Bros$42,572$20.47
    12American Iron Works$41,593$20.00
    13PUMA$41,321$19.87
  4. Writing a steel detailer job description

    A steel detailer 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 steel detailer job description:

    Steel detailer job description example

    GRAEF, a leading U.S. consulting firm, has been providing exceptional careers and quality engineering, planning and design services to our clients since 1961. We recognize that the best workplaces are filled with technically excellent, innovative, creative, and highly motivated people and are proud to be recognized as a 2022 Best Places to Work.

    GRAEF is more than just a business. We are a committed employer and community member. We invest in our employees as we do our clients, providing a challenging and rewarding environment where you can grow both personally and professionally. GRAEF values exciting work and lasting relationships; we embody values that speak to loyalty, service, quality and integrity; and we strive to grow with these ideas leading the way. We're looking for people who agree that in addition to technical excellence, it's all about relationships!

    Our dynamic growth and innovative efforts has created a new opportunity for a Senior Structural Steel Detailer in our Miami or Orlando office. Every project brings a new puzzle that requires creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills. This position offers the opportunity to become part of a well-established structural group.
    Responsibilities may include:

    + Work collaboratively with Project Managers.

    + Structural steel detailing.

    + Provide quality control and quality assurance of erection drawings and fabrication drawings for large structural steel projects.

    + Assist fabricators with questions.

    + Help develop detailing standards.

    + Lead teams of engineers and detailers.

    In order to be considered for this position, we are seeking candidates who meet the following basic qualifications:

    + Minimum of 5 years of structural steel detailing experience. Candidates with greater experience are encouraged to apply.

    + 2-year technical degree preferred.

    + Certified Senior Detailer or Certified Detailer is preferred.

    + Ability to read and interpret structural, architectural and MEP drawings with regard to structural steel.

    + Understanding of basic steel erection.

    + Fluency with 3D structural steel detailing software.

    We are proud to offer you a complete benefit package to include:

    + Relocation Assistance

    + Training, Mentorship, and Leadership Development Programs

    + A team atmosphere dedicated to open communication and collaboration

    + Flexible Hours/Hybrid Schedule

    + Embed yourself in the community by participating in numerous outside activities that GRAEF endorses and supports

    + Parental Leave

    + Paid Time Off

    + Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance

    + Life Insurance

    + Short-Term and Long-Term Disability

    + Flexible Spending Plans

    + Retirement Savings Plan

    + Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

    + Tuition Reimbursement

    + Casual Dress

    An Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer - Disabled/Vets
  5. Post your job

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

    Recruiting steel detailers 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.

    Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 steel detailer

    Once you've found the steel detailer 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is 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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How much does it cost to hire a steel detailer?

There are different types of costs for hiring steel detailers. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new steel detailer employee.

Steel detailers earn a median yearly salary is $47,435 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find steel detailers for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $15 and $31.

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