A new-construction plumber can have years of rough-in work and still never have run a service call in someone's home. Ask how often they worked alone, and who they called when a job got complicated.
What to ask plumbing applicants, and what you check
You and your HireBus team set these plumbing questions during setup, and Iris asks them in each interview:
- License. Ask whether they're an apprentice, journeyman or master, and where the license or registration is valid. You look it up with the issuing board before an offer.
- Service or construction. Ask how much of their work was repairs in occupied homes and how much was new construction.
- Drains and sewers. Ask which they've run on their own: a cable machine, a jetter or a sewer camera.
- Options at the kitchen table. Ask about the last time they gave a homeowner the choice between a repair and a replacement.
- Pay and the van. Spell out the pay, the service area and whether the van goes home with them.
Plumbing roles to hire for
- Service plumber. Runs repair calls alone, holds the license for the work and explains the options to the homeowner.
- Drain technician. Has run cable machines, jetters and cameras, and can cover the service hours you need.
- Apprentice. The schooling done so far, the work done under a licensed plumber and the skills they want to learn next.
- Lead plumber. Trains apprentices, checks their work and owns the callbacks.
- CSR / dispatcher. Gets the right details from a caller with water on the floor and sends the right plumber.
Questions plumbing owners ask
Can Iris verify a plumbing license?
No. Iris asks which plumbing license or registration they hold and where it's valid. You check it with the issuing board before an offer.
Can Iris tell if a plumber can run calls without a lead?
Not on a phone call. Iris asks about the calls they ran alone and what they did when they got stuck. Your lead plumber tests the skills in your own interview.
How do we explain on-call work?
Put it in the role: how often they're on call, how fast they need to respond and what an after-hours call pays. Iris asks each applicant if that schedule works for them.
Founder & CEO of HireBus. Brandon took over his father's window cleaning business in 2012 and grew it past seventy employees in six seasons. He founded HireBus in Denver in 2021 with Rick Breden, PhD, an industrial and organizational psychologist. Read our story.
