How to hire boilermakers
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Bell, bead with power hammers, or weld pressure vessel tube ends to ensure leakproof joints. • Conduct pressure tests on vessels, such as boilers. • Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired. • Inspect assembled vessels or individual components, such as tubes, fittings, valves, controls, or auxiliary mechanisms, to locate any defects. • Lay out plate, sheet steel, or other heavy metal and locate and mark bending and cutting lines, using protractors, compasses, and drawing instruments or templates. • Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments. • Shape or fabricate parts, such as stacks, uptakes, or chutes, to adapt pressure vessels, heat exchangers, or piping to premises, using heavy-metalworking machines such as brakes, rolls, or drill presses. • Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong critical thinking, active learning, active listening, monitoring, reading comprehension and speaking skills • Working knowledge of mechanical • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $36.74 an hour ($76,410 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for boilermakers
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to bell, bead with power hammers, or weld pressure vessel tube ends to ensure leakproof joints. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to conduct pressure tests on vessels, such as boilers. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to inspect assembled vessels or individual components, such as tubes, fittings, valves, controls, or auxiliary mechanisms, to locate any defects. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Tell me about something new you had to learn quickly for work. How did you learn it?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What boilermakers do
- Bell, bead with power hammers, or weld pressure vessel tube ends to ensure leakproof joints.
- Conduct pressure tests on vessels, such as boilers.
- Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired.
- Inspect assembled vessels or individual components, such as tubes, fittings, valves, controls, or auxiliary mechanisms, to locate any defects.
- Lay out plate, sheet steel, or other heavy metal and locate and mark bending and cutting lines, using protractors, compasses, and drawing instruments or templates.
- Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.
- Shape or fabricate parts, such as stacks, uptakes, or chutes, to adapt pressure vessels, heat exchangers, or piping to premises, using heavy-metalworking machines such as brakes, rolls, or drill presses.
- Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for boilermakers
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 6 months to 1 year (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Apprenticeship (BLS)
- Job outlook: -1.8% over ten years, little or no change · about 700 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay boilermakers
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| California | $118,150 |
| Texas | $75,750 |
| Louisiana | $73,980 |
See boilermakers pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
- Millwrights
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
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Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.