How to hire roofers

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
• Apply reflective roof coatings, such as special paints or single-ply roofing sheets, to existing roofs to reduce solar heat absorption.
• Cover exposed nailheads with roofing cement or caulking to prevent water leakage or rust.
• Cover roofs or exterior walls of structures with slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, gravel, gypsum, or related materials, using brushes, knives, punches, hammers, or other tools.
• Cut felt, shingles, or strips of flashing to fit angles formed by walls, vents, or intersecting roof surfaces.
• Inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures.
• Install vapor barriers or layers of insulation on flat roofs.
• Remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials.
• Waterproof or damp-proof walls, floors, roofs, foundations, or basements by painting or spraying surfaces with waterproof coatings or by attaching waterproofing membranes to surfaces.

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: No formal educational credential]
• Strong critical thinking and monitoring skills
• Working knowledge of building and construction 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 $26.65 an hour ($55,440 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 roofers

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 apply reflective roof coatings, such as special paints or single-ply roofing sheets, to existing roofs to reduce solar heat absorption. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to cover exposed nailheads with roofing cement or caulking to prevent water leakage or rust. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to cover roofs or exterior walls of structures with slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, gravel, gypsum, or related materials, using brushes, knives, punches, hammers, or other tools. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to cut felt, shingles, or strips of flashing to fit angles formed by walls, vents, or intersecting roof surfaces. 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. How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
7. 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 roofers do

• Apply reflective roof coatings, such as special paints or single-ply roofing sheets, to existing roofs to reduce solar heat absorption.
• Cover exposed nailheads with roofing cement or caulking to prevent water leakage or rust.
• Cover roofs or exterior walls of structures with slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, gravel, gypsum, or related materials, using brushes, knives, punches, hammers, or other tools.
• Cut felt, shingles, or strips of flashing to fit angles formed by walls, vents, or intersecting roof surfaces.
• Inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures.
• Install vapor barriers or layers of insulation on flat roofs.
• Remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials.
• Waterproof or damp-proof walls, floors, roofs, foundations, or basements by painting or spraying surfaces with waterproof coatings or by attaching waterproofing membranes to surfaces.

Skills that matter most

Critical ThinkingMonitoringBuilding and ConstructionMechanical

Education, experience and outlook for roofers

• Typical education to start: No formal educational credential (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: +5.3% over ten years, faster than average · about 12,000 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay roofers

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

See roofers pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Helpers--Roofers
• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
• Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall
• Plasterers and Stucco Masons
• Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
• Insulation Workers, Mechanical
• Carpenters
• Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters
• Tile and Stone Setters
• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers

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.