Hiring and pay for trades businesses
Guides for owners hiring their first office staff and technicians: how much to pay a customer service rep, dispatcher, office manager or tech based on federal wage data, plus job descriptions and interview questions you can copy, and what to automate before you hire.
Hiring and payroll
- Interview questions26 customer service rep interview questions for HVAC, plumbing and electrical shops, with good answers, red flags, a scored mock call and a hiring rubric.
- Job descriptionCopy-ready customer service representative job description for HVAC, plumbing and electrical shops: duties, KPIs, schedule, pay range and posting tips.
- Job descriptionCopy-ready dispatcher job description for HVAC, plumbing and electrical companies: daily duties, routing KPIs, on-call terms, pay range and screening.
- Customer service representativeHow to hire a CSR for an HVAC, plumbing or electrical shop: when you need one, what to pay, a job description outline, interview questions, a mock call.
- DispatcherWhen a home service shop needs a dispatcher, what the job covers, what to pay, how to test candidates with a live board exercise, and a 90-day scorecard.
- ElectricianHow electrical contractors hire: license and ratio checks, service vs construction electricians, a hands-on troubleshooting test and a 90-day plan.
- PlumberHow plumbing shops hire: license and gas-endorsement checks, apprentice vs journeyman, a bench-test working interview, questions to ask and a 90-day plan.
- PayCSR pay from BLS May 2025 data: national median $21.53 an hour, $22.38 at specialty trade contractors, pay by state, bonus plans and the full cost to hire.
- PayDispatcher pay from BLS May 2025: $24.20 national median, $23.26 at specialty trade contractors, state wages, bonus ideas and the full cost of the hire.
- PayPlumber pay from BLS May 2025: $30.67 median, apprentice to journeyman steps, state wages, commission plans with overtime math, full cost.
- PayElectrician pay from BLS May 2025: $30.38 median, $29.63 at contractors, apprentice vs journeyman cost, wages by state and overtime with service premiums.
- PayHVAC tech pay from BLS May 2025: $29.33 median, $28.88 at contractors, state wages, spiff and commission plans, overtime math, cost per billable hour.
- PayOffice manager pay for trades shops from BLS May 2025: $33.42 median for office supervisors at trade contractors, state wages, salary vs hourly, full cost.
- HVAC technicianHire HVAC techs: when to add a truck, EPA 608 and license checks, where to find candidates, a paid ride-along test, interview questions and a 90-day plan.
- Job descriptionCopy-ready office manager job description for HVAC, plumbing and electrical shops: billing, collections, payroll prep, team lead duties and a pay range.
- Office managerSigns your trades business needs an office manager, what the role should own, manager vs. bookkeeper, pay benchmarks, a paperwork test and a 90-day plan.
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