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Essential plumber interview questions to ask as a business owner

If you’re growing your plumbing business, you want to hire good people. But this can be tricky if you’ve never hired before. That’s why we’ve listed the core plumbing interview questions to ask to make the whole process easier.

Knowing the right answers is always useful as a plumber, interview questions are no different, especially as a business owner.

As straightforward as it might be to grow your plumbing business from scratch, eventually, you’ll need to hire more staff. Especially if you want to take on more work. And that means interviewing candidates to fill these new roles.

Looking to grow your plumbing team?

If you’ve never had to hire or interview new staff before, then you might not know where to start. Or what questions you should be asking to make sure whoever you bring on board fits the role.

Which is exactly why we’ve created this guide on plumber interview questions!

From general things to consider in the interview process, to the different questions to ask apprentice and experienced plumbers. This is a start of what to ask in a plumbing interview.

What qualities should you consider in a new plumber?

First things first, it’s important to clarify what qualities you should be on the lookout for when hiring plumbing staff.

Naturally, these will vary depending on the type of person you want to hire.

For example, anyone hiring an apprentice plumber will have different hiring requirements to someone seeking more experienced staff members. Much like how anyone starting a plumbing business would need different skills to someone just becoming a plumber.

Think about general qualities, such as:

  • Whether or not they have the right attitude for the job
  • What their work ethic is like
  • The quality of their communication skills
  • Whether or not they show initiative and problem-solving skills
  • Their current level of experience
  • Their willingness to learn new skills
  • Whether or not they’re a good cultural fit for your business
  • What sort of accreditations they have

On top of this, you also want to think about diversity during the hiring process.

Many trades, including plumbing, are male-dominated professions. So, why not think how you can help get more women into the plumbing industry?

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General interview questions for plumbers

With initial considerations out of the way, let’s look at some general plumbing interview questions you can ask all candidates.

These are tailored to give you greater insight into an applicant’s overall suitability. Regardless of experience. And will allow you to ask more niche questions further along in the interview process:

  • How familiar are you with our plumbing company?
  • What are you looking to get out of this role in terms of workload and growth?
  • What do you enjoy about being a plumber?
  • What sort of plumbing jobs do you dislike?
  • What areas of plumbing do you feel you need more experience in?
  • Are you willing to potentially work longer business hours and weekends should the need arise?
  • Are you willing to invest in additional training if required?
  • What do you consider to be the most important skills for a plumber to have?
  • What experience do you have working in a team environment?
  • What do you think could set you apart from other plumbing candidates?

Naturally, you can ask these questions in any order. However, it’s worth covering all of them if possible so you can get a good feel for each candidate.

Retraining for over 50s as a plumber

Plumbing interview questions for apprentices

Having covered general questions to ask in a plumbing interview, it’s time to specialise them for apprentice candidates.

Anyone seeking to be an apprentice plumber should have at least a basic knowledge of the plumbing trade. As well as a can-do attitude and a clear willingness to learn.

Thus, the following questions are designed to ascertain if an applicant has these qualities:

  • Why do you want to be a plumber?
  • What is your current level of plumbing experience and training?
  • What skills do you have that you feel will make you a good plumber?
  • What do you think will be the most challenging aspects of being a plumber?
  • How would you describe your work ethic?
  • What is your approach to overcoming workplace challenges?
  • What motivates you to work hard?
  • Can you explain how a plumber might stay safe on the job?
  • How would you handle an irritated customer?
  • What do you think are the most important plumbing tools to be brought on every job?

Having the right plumber interview questions to hand will make it easier to approach subjects with potential apprentices.

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Job interview questions for plumbers with experience

While it can be beneficial to hire an apprentice plumber, in some cases, you’ll need to hire someone with experience. This means you’ll need to ask a whole different set of plumbing interview questions.

With this in mind, the following questions will help you determine if more experienced candidates can fulfil your job’s requirements:

  • Tell me about your training as a plumber
  • What are some notable examples of your previous work that you’re proud of?
  • What area of plumbing do you have the most experience in?
  • What accreditations and licenses do you have, and do you belong to any professional organisations?
  • What have you done in recent years to improve your plumbing skills?
  • What would say is the worst job, from a plumbing perspective, that you’ve had to do in your career, and how did you rise to meet such a challenge?
  • How have you dealt with code violations in the past?
  • Tell me about a time you dealt with an upset customer
  • Do you have any professional references to prove your work ethic?
  • How do you stay up to date with advances in the plumbing industry?

Naturally, the sorts of interview questions for plumbers with experience that you want to ask should assess their skill level. After all, there’s no point in hiring someone who can’t meet the demands of the role.

Plumbing apprentice

Technical plumbing interview questions

Finally, as part of the interview process, you’ll want to ask candidates a few technical questions to assess their expertise. That way, you can determine if their actual level of knowledge matches their claims.

Of course, what technical questions you ask will be based on the sort of plumbing work your business is focussed on. However, we’d still recommend asking some or all of the following technical job interview questions for plumbers:

  1. What precautions do you take to practise workplace safety?
  2. Describe your problem-solving process when working on a plumbing job
  3. How do you test for leaks in a plumbing system?
  4. How would you respond to a customer complaining about low water pressure?
  5. How would you prioritise time when working on multiple projects?

Besides these, there are also a wealth of niche tools and problem-specific questions you can ask.

All of which should give you an indication of a candidate’s knowledge level, problem-solving and reasoning abilities, and customer service. Helping you to pick a candidate who can do the job.

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Other things to bear in mind when conducting interviews

As helpful as it can be to know what questions to ask in a plumbing interview, this is only part of the process. For one thing, you don’t want to just hire the first candidate that comes along. Although they might have the perfect skillset, they might not be a perfect fit.

Remember, just because they can do the job, it doesn’t mean you’ll actually enjoy working with them. It is why you need a good set of plumber interview questions that fits your company.

Instead, take into consideration:

  • How they interact with you
  • Whether or not you can see yourself working with them.

It might mean hiring someone with slightly less experience. But it could make for a more cohesive working environment.

Finally, also remember that, alongside asking your own questions, you should also be prepared to answer theirs. Such as how much plumbers can earn in your business.

how to become a plumber

Set your plumbing business up for success with Checkatrade

With those sets of questions in hand, you should find the plumbing interview process a whole lot easier. Of course, once you take on more staff, you need to be sure you still have the work available to stay profitable.

Here at Checkatrade, we provide reputable tradespeople with the leads they need to help fill their work schedule.

Our fixed term membership plans give you an easier way to help manage marketing spend for a set volume of leads.

Not only that…..

  • Checkatrade members get access to their very own business profile
  • A member profile displays their work and reviews
  • There is exclusive access to brand discounts and training offers
  • Jobs booked through Checkatrade are guaranteed up to £1,000 (T&Cs apply)

Get in touch with our team today to learn more about our member benefits and our vetting process.

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Content disclaimer: This content has been created for general information purposes and should not be taken as formal advice. Read our full disclaimer here.

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