How to hire millwrights

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
• Align machines or equipment, using hoists, jacks, hand tools, squares, rules, micrometers, lasers, or plumb bobs.
• Assemble and install equipment, using hand tools and power tools.
• Assemble machines, and bolt, weld, rivet, or otherwise fasten them to foundation or other structures, using hand tools and power tools.
• Conduct preventative maintenance and repair, and lubricate machines and equipment.
• Insert shims, adjust tension on nuts and bolts, or position parts, using hand tools and measuring instruments, to set specified clearances between moving and stationary parts.
• Move machinery and equipment, using hoists, dollies, rollers, and trucks.
• Replace defective parts of machine, or adjust clearances and alignment of moving parts.
• Signal crane operator to lower basic assembly units to bedplate, and align unit to centerline.

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 listening, monitoring, reading comprehension and speaking skills
• Working knowledge of mechanical, mathematics, building and construction and education and training
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $31.59 an hour ($65,700 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 millwrights

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 align machines or equipment, using hoists, jacks, hand tools, squares, rules, micrometers, lasers, or plumb bobs. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to assemble and install equipment, using hand tools and power tools. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to assemble machines, and bolt, weld, rivet, or otherwise fasten them to foundation or other structures, using hand tools and power tools. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to conduct preventative maintenance and repair, and lubricate machines and equipment. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
6. 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?
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 millwrights do

• Align machines or equipment, using hoists, jacks, hand tools, squares, rules, micrometers, lasers, or plumb bobs.
• Assemble and install equipment, using hand tools and power tools.
• Assemble machines, and bolt, weld, rivet, or otherwise fasten them to foundation or other structures, using hand tools and power tools.
• Conduct preventative maintenance and repair, and lubricate machines and equipment.
• Insert shims, adjust tension on nuts and bolts, or position parts, using hand tools and measuring instruments, to set specified clearances between moving and stationary parts.
• Move machinery and equipment, using hoists, dollies, rollers, and trucks.
• Replace defective parts of machine, or adjust clearances and alignment of moving parts.
• Signal crane operator to lower basic assembly units to bedplate, and align unit to centerline.

Skills that matter most

Critical ThinkingActive ListeningMonitoringReading ComprehensionSpeakingMechanicalMathematicsBuilding and ConstructionEducation and Training

Education, experience and outlook for millwrights

• 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: +0.9% over ten years, little or no change · about 3,200 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay millwrights

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

See millwrights pay in every state

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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.