How to hire forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
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 • Confer with other workers about machine setups and operational specifications. • Measure and inspect machined parts to ensure conformance to product specifications. • Read work orders or blueprints to determine specified tolerances and sequences of operations for machine setup. • Set up, operate, or tend presses and forging machines to perform hot or cold forging by flattening, straightening, bending, cutting, piercing, or other operations to taper, shape, or form metal. • Start machines to produce sample workpieces, and observe operations to detect machine malfunctions and to verify that machine setups conform to specifications. • Trim and compress finished forgings to specified tolerances. • Turn handles or knobs to set pressures and depths of ram strokes and to synchronize machine operations. 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 monitoring skills • Working knowledge of production and processing and 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 $23.57 an hour ($49,030 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
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 confer with other workers about machine setups and operational specifications. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to measure and inspect machined parts to ensure conformance to product specifications. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to read work orders or blueprints to determine specified tolerances and sequences of operations for machine setup. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to set up, operate, or tend presses and forging machines to perform hot or cold forging by flattening, straightening, bending, cutting, piercing, or other operations to taper, shape, or form metal. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
- 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 forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic do
- Confer with other workers about machine setups and operational specifications.
- Measure and inspect machined parts to ensure conformance to product specifications.
- Read work orders or blueprints to determine specified tolerances and sequences of operations for machine setup.
- Set up, operate, or tend presses and forging machines to perform hot or cold forging by flattening, straightening, bending, cutting, piercing, or other operations to taper, shape, or form metal.
- Start machines to produce sample workpieces, and observe operations to detect machine malfunctions and to verify that machine setups conform to specifications.
- Trim and compress finished forgings to specified tolerances.
- Turn handles or knobs to set pressures and depths of ram strokes and to synchronize machine operations.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- 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: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: -17.2% over ten years, declining · about 600 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Michigan | $61,620 |
| California | $59,250 |
| Ohio | $56,870 |
| Virginia | $54,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,280 |
See forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic pay in every state
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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.