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Tower technician hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring tower technicians in the United States:
Here's a step-by-step tower technician hiring guide:
A tower technician is responsible for maintaining the performance stability of line towers to provide the best network services for the customers. Tower technicians are often out in the field to conduct repairs and installations for the customers, inspecting the area's condition, and reporting structural inconsistencies and defects. They should have excellent mechanical and electrical knowledge to resolve issues immediately and create resolution manuals to prevent reoccurrence and ensure the safeness and security of line towers.
First, determine the employments status of the tower technician you need to hire. Certain tower technician roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.
Hiring the perfect tower technician 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 tower technicians and their corresponding salaries.
| Type of Tower Technician | Description | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Tower Technician | Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, also known as telecom technicians, set up and maintain devices or equipment that carry communications signals, connect to telephone lines, and access the Internet. | $13-22 |
| Cable Installer | A cable installer installs and maintains telecommunication systems and equipment such as telephone lines, cable television, or internet services at homes or commercial areas. In some companies, a cable installer may also handle complaints and concerns, conduct inspections, troubleshoot problems, and fix or replace components when necessary... Show more | $16-23 |
| Tower Climber | Tower Climbers are professionals who are responsible for performing comprehensive installations, inspections, and maintenance on cell towers, self-supporting towers, and other tower transmitter systems. These climbers are required to complete tower safety courses so that they can climb communication towers to assist crews in repairing and inspecting communication boxes... Show more | $13-28 |
Including a salary range in your tower technician job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A tower technician 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 tower technician in Georgia may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level tower technician usually earns less than a senior-level tower technician. Additionally, a tower technician with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $41,359 | $20 |
| 2 | California | $41,020 | $20 |
| 3 | Oregon | $40,156 | $19 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $39,570 | $19 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $38,834 | $19 |
| 6 | Maryland | $37,953 | $18 |
| 7 | Colorado | $37,916 | $18 |
| 8 | New York | $37,548 | $18 |
| 9 | Virginia | $36,961 | $18 |
| 10 | Kansas | $36,907 | $18 |
| 11 | Utah | $36,763 | $18 |
| 12 | Texas | $36,748 | $18 |
| 13 | Illinois | $36,702 | $18 |
| 14 | Missouri | $36,624 | $18 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $36,214 | $17 |
| 16 | Nevada | $35,756 | $17 |
| 17 | Michigan | $35,657 | $17 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $35,360 | $17 |
| 19 | Florida | $35,275 | $17 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $35,135 | $17 |
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SPX | $43,197 | $20.77 | 1 |
| 2 | ATN International | $43,194 | $20.77 | |
| 3 | Jacobs Engineering Group | $42,501 | $20.43 | |
| 4 | SBA Communications | $42,462 | $20.41 | 6 |
| 5 | Henkels & Mccoy Group Inc | $40,754 | $19.59 | |
| 6 | DISH Network | $40,667 | $19.55 | |
| 7 | Black & Veatch | $40,618 | $19.53 | |
| 8 | MasTec | $39,831 | $19.15 | 110 |
| 9 | Corrpro Companies | $38,632 | $18.57 | 6 |
| 10 | Hayden & Associates Inc. | $38,611 | $18.56 | 2 |
| 11 | Csp, Inc | $38,505 | $18.51 | |
| 12 | DRW | $38,444 | $18.48 | 1 |
| 13 | Ledcor | $38,259 | $18.39 | 10 |
| 14 | Mears Transportation Group | $38,012 | $18.27 | 3 |
| 15 | KCI Technologies | $37,911 | $18.23 | 17 |
| 16 | Infinity | $37,846 | $18.20 | |
| 17 | Ericsson | $37,704 | $18.13 | |
| 18 | GPAC | $37,499 | $18.03 | |
| 19 | Glow Networks | $37,361 | $17.96 | |
| 20 | Centerline Communications | $37,281 | $17.92 |
A job description for a tower technician role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a tower technician job description:
To find the right tower technician for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:
During your first interview to recruit tower technicians, 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.
Once you have selected a candidate for the tower technician 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 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.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new tower technician. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.
Before you start to hire tower technicians, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire tower technicians pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.
You can expect to pay around $37,471 per year for a tower technician, 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 tower technicians in the US typically range between $13 and $22 an hour.