How to hire carpenters

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
• Arrange for subcontractors to deal with special areas, such as heating or electrical wiring work.
• Build or repair cabinets, doors, frameworks, floors, or other wooden fixtures used in buildings, using woodworking machines, carpenter's hand tools, or power tools.
• Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment.
• Install structures or fixtures, such as windows, frames, floorings, trim, or hardware, using carpenters' hand or power tools.
• Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge.
• Select and order lumber or other required materials.
• Shape or cut materials to specified measurements, using hand tools, machines, or power saws.
• Verify trueness of structure, using plumb bob and level.

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 active listening, critical thinking, monitoring, reading comprehension, speaking and active learning skills
• Working knowledge of building and construction, administration and management, mathematics and design
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $29.12 an hour ($60,580 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for carpenters

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.

1. Tell me about a time you had to arrange for subcontractors to deal with special areas, such as heating or electrical wiring work. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to build or repair cabinets, doors, frameworks, floors, or other wooden fixtures used in buildings, using woodworking machines, carpenter's hand tools, or power tools. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to install structures or fixtures, such as windows, frames, floorings, trim, or hardware, using carpenters' hand or power tools. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. 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?
6. Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
7. How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
8. 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 carpenters do

• Arrange for subcontractors to deal with special areas, such as heating or electrical wiring work.
• Build or repair cabinets, doors, frameworks, floors, or other wooden fixtures used in buildings, using woodworking machines, carpenter's hand tools, or power tools.
• Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment.
• Install structures or fixtures, such as windows, frames, floorings, trim, or hardware, using carpenters' hand or power tools.
• Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge.
• Select and order lumber or other required materials.
• Shape or cut materials to specified measurements, using hand tools, machines, or power saws.
• Verify trueness of structure, using plumb bob and level.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningCritical ThinkingMonitoringReading ComprehensionSpeakingActive LearningBuilding and ConstructionAdministration and ManagementMathematicsDesign

Education, experience and outlook for carpenters

• Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Apprenticeship (BLS)
• Job outlook: +3.9% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 62,800 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay carpenters

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See carpenters pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
• Structural Iron and Steel Workers
• Brickmasons and Blockmasons
• Sheet Metal Workers
• Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
• Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters
• Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic
• Helpers--Carpenters
• Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters
• Construction Laborers

Job 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.