How to hire rolling 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 • Adjust and correct machine set-ups to reduce thicknesses, reshape products, and eliminate product defects. • Calculate draft space and roll speed for each mill stand to plan rolling sequences and specified dimensions and tempers. • Examine, inspect, and measure raw materials and finished products to verify conformance to specifications. • Manipulate controls and observe dial indicators to monitor, adjust, and regulate speeds of machine mechanisms. • Monitor machine cycles and mill operation to detect jamming and to ensure that products conform to specifications. • Read rolling orders, blueprints, and mill schedules to determine setup specifications, work sequences, product dimensions, and installation procedures. • Set distance points between rolls, guides, meters, and stops, according to specifications. • Start operation of rolling and milling machines to flatten, temper, form, and reduce sheet metal sections and to produce steel strips. 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, speaking, active listening, critical thinking, active learning and reading comprehension skills • Working knowledge of mechanical and production and processing • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $24.10 an hour ($50,140 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for rolling 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 adjust and correct machine set-ups to reduce thicknesses, reshape products, and eliminate product defects. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to calculate draft space and roll speed for each mill stand to plan rolling sequences and specified dimensions and tempers. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to examine, inspect, and measure raw materials and finished products to verify conformance to specifications. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to manipulate controls and observe dial indicators to monitor, adjust, and regulate speeds of machine mechanisms. 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.
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- 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 rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic do
- Adjust and correct machine set-ups to reduce thicknesses, reshape products, and eliminate product defects.
- Calculate draft space and roll speed for each mill stand to plan rolling sequences and specified dimensions and tempers.
- Examine, inspect, and measure raw materials and finished products to verify conformance to specifications.
- Manipulate controls and observe dial indicators to monitor, adjust, and regulate speeds of machine mechanisms.
- Monitor machine cycles and mill operation to detect jamming and to ensure that products conform to specifications.
- Read rolling orders, blueprints, and mill schedules to determine setup specifications, work sequences, product dimensions, and installation procedures.
- Set distance points between rolls, guides, meters, and stops, according to specifications.
- Start operation of rolling and milling machines to flatten, temper, form, and reduce sheet metal sections and to produce steel strips.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 1 to 3 months (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: -8.3% over ten years, declining · about 1,900 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay rolling 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 |
|---|---|
| Iowa | $72,670 |
| Pennsylvania | $66,970 |
| Illinois | $54,180 |
| Alabama | $53,380 |
| Kentucky | $50,400 |
| Indiana | $45,430 |
| Georgia | $45,050 |
| Michigan | $44,090 |
See rolling 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.