How to hire pump operators, except wellhead pumpers
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 • Clean, lubricate, and repair pumps and vessels, using hand tools and equipment. • Communicate with other workers, using signals, radios, or telephones, to start and stop flows of materials or substances. • Connect hoses and pipelines to pumps and vessels prior to material transfer, using hand tools. • Monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary. • Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of interconnections and capacities of pipelines, valve manifolds, pumps, and tankage. • Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and operating times. • Tend vessels that store substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials, checking levels of substances by using calibrated rods or by reading mercury gauges and tank charts. • Turn valves and start pumps to start or regulate flows of substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials. 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, active listening, critical thinking, reading comprehension and speaking skills • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $29.70 an hour ($61,770 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for pump operators, except wellhead pumpers
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 clean, lubricate, and repair pumps and vessels, using hand tools and equipment. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to communicate with other workers, using signals, radios, or telephones, to start and stop flows of materials or substances. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to connect hoses and pipelines to pumps and vessels prior to material transfer, using hand tools. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary. 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.
- 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?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- 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 pump operators, except wellhead pumpers do
- Clean, lubricate, and repair pumps and vessels, using hand tools and equipment.
- Communicate with other workers, using signals, radios, or telephones, to start and stop flows of materials or substances.
- Connect hoses and pipelines to pumps and vessels prior to material transfer, using hand tools.
- Monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary.
- Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of interconnections and capacities of pipelines, valve manifolds, pumps, and tankage.
- Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and operating times.
- Tend vessels that store substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials, checking levels of substances by using calibrated rods or by reading mercury gauges and tank charts.
- Turn valves and start pumps to start or regulate flows of substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for pump operators, except wellhead pumpers
- 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: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: +4.3% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 1,000 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay pump operators, except wellhead pumpers
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Louisiana | $64,110 |
| Texas | $61,770 |
| Florida | $59,120 |
| California | $57,660 |
| Oregon | $54,540 |
See pump operators, except wellhead pumpers pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
- Wellhead Pumpers
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
- Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
- Chemical Plant and System Operators
- Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
- Power Plant Operators
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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.