Maintenance technician phone screen questions
Maintenance technicians are generalists, and the screen should find out which trades they are actually good at. Ask for specific repairs, confirm certifications like EPA 608, and check the on-call schedule before anyone walks the property.
Eight questions, and what to listen for
Ask them in this order. The first two sort the pool; the middle ones show judgment; the last ones settle logistics before anyone books an interview.
- 1
Tell me about your maintenance experience: what kind of property, and what did you fix most often?
Listen for: Property type (hotel, apartments, commercial) and specific repairs: PTACs, plumbing, drywall, electrical fixtures. Generalists who name ten things are often strongest at two; ask which.
- 2
Rate yourself on HVAC, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and painting. Which is your strongest?
Listen for: An honest spread. A candidate who claims expert at all five is usually not.
- 3
Do you hold an EPA 608 certification, and which type?
Listen for: Yes with Type I, II, III, or Universal. Required for anyone who handles refrigerant, so it matters for HVAC work.
- 4
Walk me through how you would troubleshoot a PTAC unit that is running but not cooling.
Listen for: Filter, coils, thermostat setting, fan, then refrigerant or compressor. Listen for a sequence from simple to complex.
- 5
How do you prioritize when you have a guest with no hot water, a leak in a hallway, and a preventive maintenance list?
Listen for: Safety and active damage first, then guest-impacting issues, then PMs, and telling the supervisor. Listen for judgment.
- 6
Have you used a work order system, and how do you close out a ticket?
Listen for: Named systems or a paper process, and documenting what was done and what parts were used.
- 7
Are rotating shifts and on-call weekends workable, and can you respond within the required time?
Listen for: A direct answer. On-call is often the deal-breaker.
- 8
Do you have your own basic hand tools, can you pass a background check, and when could you start?
Listen for: Yes to tools and the check, and a date. Techs enter guest rooms, so the background check is standard.
Red flags on the call
- Claims expert-level skill in every trade
- No sense of how to troubleshoot a common unit
- Would leave an active leak to finish a PM
- On-call schedule not workable
Keep it short
Five questions, four to six minutes. Maintenance technician candidates are usually applying to several jobs at once; a screen they can finish between shifts gets finished. Save the deeper questions for the interview, where the candidate has already answered these once.
Ask whether the candidate can perform an essential task with or without reasonable accommodation; do not ask about disability or medical history. Avoid age, family, religion, national origin and other protected characteristics. See the EEOC's hiring-question guidance.
Run this exact screen for every maintenance technician who applies
Create a role in PhoneScreen with these five questions, share the link, and every candidate gets the same screen the moment they call. You read the scorecards. First 10 screens are free.
- 1Tell me about your maintenance experience and what you fixed most often.
- 2Which trade is your strongest: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, or painting?
- 3Do you hold an EPA 608 certification, and which type?
- 4How do you prioritize a guest with no hot water, a hallway leak, and a preventive maintenance list?
- 5Are rotating shifts and on-call weekends workable, and when could you start?
Common questions
Is EPA 608 certification required? +
Under federal rules, anyone who opens a refrigerant circuit on air conditioning or refrigeration equipment must hold EPA 608 certification. A technician without it can still do plenty of general maintenance, but not refrigerant work. Ask on the screen and check the card at the interview.
Do maintenance technicians need an electrical or plumbing license? +
Usually not for routine maintenance on the property they work for, but larger electrical and plumbing jobs often require a licensed contractor under state and local rules. Check your state and city, and use the strongest-trade question to see who can handle what.
Screening for hotels and hospitality · More roles: housekeeper, hotel front desk agent, forklift operator, caregiver, CDL truck driver, line cook · Why the same questions for everyone