Decide who you are hiring
"We need a tech" can mean three very different hires. Pick one before you post:
| Hire | Runs calls alone? | What you invest |
|---|---|---|
| Experienced licensed tech | Yes, in weeks | Higher pay, learning your way of doing things |
| Newer tech with some experience | Simple calls soon, harder ones later | Coaching and ride-alongs |
| Apprentice or helper | No, works beside a lead | Real training time, often years |
Training time is real. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that most plumbers learn the trade through a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, and that most states and some localities require plumbers to be licensed (BLS). HVAC techs often come from postsecondary programs of 6 months to 2 years, followed by a long stretch of on-the-job training (BLS). If you need someone running calls alone next month, an apprentice is the wrong hire, however good they are.
Write a job post techs will answer
Techs compare posts on the things that change their week. Put these near the top:
- Pay: the hourly range, plus how commissions or spiffs work. See how to pay technician commissions.
- Schedule: start time, typical end time, how on-call works and how it is paid.
- Truck: take-home or not, stocked by whom, tools provided or not.
- The work: service, install or new construction; residential or commercial.
- Training: what you teach and how, especially for apprentices.
Skip "rockstar" and "fast-paced". Say what a normal Tuesday looks like.
Where to find service technicians
- Your own techs. A referral bonus paid after the new hire stays 90 days is often the best source you have.
- Trade schools and community college programs. Show up before graduation, offer to speak, take students on ride-alongs.
- Union and non-union apprenticeship programs in your area.
- Supply houses. The counter staff know who is unhappy where.
- Job boards and your own website. Keep a careers page up all year, not just when you are desperate.
Screen before you interview
- License and certifications. Check the state license lookup yourself. HVAC techs who work on systems that could release ozone-depleting refrigerant need EPA Section 608 certification (EPA).
- Driving record. Your insurance will care, and they will drive your truck.
- A short phone call. How they talk on the phone is close to how they will talk to Ava Reyes in her kitchen.
Interview questions that tell you something
- "Walk me through the last no-heat (or clogged main, or tripping breaker) call you ran, from the door to payment."
- "A customer says your price is too high. What do you say?"
- "Tell me about a job that went wrong. What did you do?"
- "How do you leave a house when you are done?"
- "What do you want to be doing in two years?"
- "What did you like least about your last shop?" Listen for the things you also do.
Finish with a paid working interview
Nothing beats seeing them work. Pay them for a half day or full day on a ride-along with your best tech. Check with your insurance and an employment advisor on how to set this up properly in your state. Afterward, ask your tech three questions: Could they do the work? Did customers like them? Would you want them on your crew?
For experienced techs, also give a short practical test at the shop: diagnose a staged problem, price a common job from your price book, explain it to you as if you were the homeowner.
Keep them past 90 days
A good hire lost in month two costs you the whole search again. Plan the first 90 days before they start:
- Day one: truck, tools, phone, logins, uniform ready. Nothing says "we're disorganized" like waiting for a laptop.
- Weeks 1-2: ride along, learn your paperwork, pricing and customer habits.
- Weeks 3-8: simple calls alone, with a lead a phone call away.
- Day 90: sit down, review numbers and feedback, set the next goal and pay step.
See how to train new technicians faster for the training plan. In SWITCHBOARD, a new tech gets a login on day one with no seat fee, sees today's jobs and what the customer said on the call, and can work through Workshop training courses (video, checklist and quiz, with English and Spanish captions).
Questions people ask
Where do contractors find good technicians?
Referrals from your own techs, trade schools, apprenticeship programs, supply houses and a careers page that stays up all year. Recruit before you are desperate.
Should I hire an experienced tech or train an apprentice?
Hire experienced if you need calls run alone soon. Hire an apprentice if you have a lead tech with time to train and can wait. Both can be the right choice, but not for the same gap.
What certifications should an HVAC tech have?
In the US, techs who service equipment that could release ozone-depleting refrigerants need EPA Section 608 certification. Check your state and local licensing rules as well.
What is a working interview for a technician?
A paid half day or day where the candidate rides along with one of your techs. It shows how they work and treat customers better than any question can.
Sources
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters: Occupational Outlook Handbook, BLS (checked November 10, 2026)
- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers: Occupational Outlook Handbook, BLS (checked November 10, 2026)
- Section 608 Technician Certification, US EPA (checked November 10, 2026)