58 Plumbing Interview Questions to Find Top Plumbers

General plumbing interview questions

Ask these general questions first to get a better understanding of the candidate, their experience, and why they’re looking for a new job.

1. Tell me about yourself.

Learn more about your plumbing candidate so that you can decide whether you think they’ll fit in with your team.

2. Describe your past experience as a plumber or in the plumbing trade.

Knowing a candidate’s plumbing experiences lets you know whether they are qualified enough to join your team.

3. What skills or experience set you apart from other plumbing professionals?

Unique skills are good for your business, and a candidate with a diverse skill set or plenty of experience will help you take on more plumbing jobs with confidence..

4. What do you enjoy most about being a plumber?

It’s important to enjoy your job, and people passionate about their work are more likely to help your business succeed. Asking what a candidate enjoys about being a plumber is a light-hearted way to see if that passion exists.

5. What plumbing license do you have?

Credentials and licenses are a must in the plumbing industry, so it’s important to make sure your candidate is properly certified to do the job.

JUMP TO: Role-specific interview questions

6. What do you know about our plumbing company?

If the candidate knows something about your company, it shows that they’ve done their research and are proactive in learning about your business. If a candidate is not familiar with your business, it is a good opportunity to share more about what they can expect if they land the job.

7. Why do you think you’re the right person for this job?

Asking a candidate why they are the right person for the job is a great way to make them envision success with your company while differentiating themselves from other candidates. It is also a way to evaluate their confidence as a plumber.

8. Do you have a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record?

Similar to questions about proper licensing, you want to make sure your candidate is legally allowed and can be trusted to drive company vehicles.

9. Do you have experience using plumbing estimating software?

Likely not a deal breaker, but understanding a person’s experience with software helps you get an idea for their workflow habits and their ability to operate the systems you use. A lack of familiarity means more time spent onboarding.

10. Can you provide two to three references?

References go a long way in building trust for a candidate. You want to make sure there are other experts who can vouch for your potential hire.

11. Do you have any questions for me?

Allowing the candidate to ask questions can also give you an idea about how serious they are about joining your team. No questions isn’t always a bad thing, but when a candidate asks questions it shows they are engaged and are trying to picture a situation where they can succeed with your business.

READ MORE: How to start a plumbing business: everything you need to know

Technical plumbing skills interview questions

Technical or operational interview questions help you ensure the candidate has the specific skills and knowledge they need to fix common plumbing issues.

These questions go beyond determining whether a candidate would fit in with your team and instead focus on their ability to perform the work up to your expectations. Consider asking these technical plumbing interview questions:

12. What plumbing tools do you always bring with you to the job site for plumbing repairs or installations?
13. What chemical drain cleaners would you recommend to clear a clogged drain?
14. How would you find a hidden pipe blockage?
15. Should you install steel plumbing under a sink? Why or why not?
16. How do you snake clogged pipes?
17. Do you prefer PVC or copper pipes? Why?
18. What is the first thing you look at before designing a plumbing system?
19. What causes a sump pump to fail?
20. Have you ever installed an air conditioning unit? Walk me through the steps you took.

Commercial plumbing technical questions

If you primarily work on commercial plumbing and larger plumbing jobs, ask these questions to make sure that your candidate has the specialized experience to perform these jobs:

21. Have you ever plumbed an office building?
22. Have you ever had to install a plumbing system for an entire floor of a building? How did you start?
23. What was the hardest project you ever completed? How did you get the job done?
24. Tell me about a time when you had to review blueprints or building codes to complete a job. What did you look for?

Residential plumbing technical questions

If your plumbing business targets homeowners and other residential customers, you’ll want to ask the following questions:

25. What’s the first step you should take to fix a clogged pipe?
26. How do you keep water pressure strong when installing multiple shower heads?
27. Have you ever designed a plumbing system for a new home? Tell me about it.
28. What would you do if you removed an old toilet for a new toilet installation and found the floor around the toilet is rotted?
29. Tell me about your experience installing water-based heating systems.
30. What would you recommend as an alternative to a conventional water heater?
31. What expert advice would you give a homeowner dealing with a leaking pipe or fixture?

Hospital plumbing technical questions

To find a candidate capable of performing plumbing repairs, maintenance, and installations in a hospital setting, ask these questions:

32. What technical experience do you have with plumbing hospitals?
33. Have you ever installed medical gas or oxygen in hospitals? Walk me through how you did it.
34. Describe how you would install or repair medical gas and waste disposal systems.

Behavioral interview questions for plumbers

Asking behavioral questions will help you better understand how your plumbing candidate will act in certain situations. Make sure the questions are relevant to the types of scenarios they’ll face if they get the job.

Here are a few behavioral questions you should ask:

35. Tell me about a time when you offered excellent customer service as a plumber.

There are few things more important for your plumbing business than good customer service, so this question will give you an idea of how your candidate is able to satisfy the customers with each job.

36. What safety precautions do you take on the job? What safety equipment do you use?

Questions about safety help you learn about your candidate’s attention to detail when it comes to safety and whether they would take the necessary steps to keep themselves and a job site safe.

37. What was the hardest plumbing job you’ve ever had to tackle? How did you overcome it?

This ties back to experience and learning about a candidate’s abilities in difficult situations and their ability to navigate the situation to complete the job. This answer could focus on a particular skill set, or creative problem solving your business is looking for.

38. Tell me about a time you had to work for a difficult customer. How did you make a good impression?

It’s important to know if your plumbing candidate can manage the ups and downs of difficult customers and not put your business at risk of losing work. Being able to navigate the choppy waters of a difficult customer is a valuable trait.

39. Have you ever had to work in a team? What was your role?

Teamwork is an important aspect of any company, so you want to be sure your candidate can work with people to complete jobs and make the business run more efficiently. Understanding how a candidate fits into a team is an easy way to measure if they’ll be harmful or impactful to your business.

40. Have you ever had to work with a difficult team member? How did you get along?

Teams are like family, which means the sailing isn’t always smooth. Knowing how a candidate has managed challenging moments with difficult team members can highlight leadership qualities you’re looking for.

41. Tell me about a time you were given incomplete instructions for a job. What did you do?

This question helps you understand if your plumbing candidate can think on their feet and make creative decisions to complete a difficult task.

42. How do you organize your day when you have multiple plumbing service calls?

In any thriving business, scheduling and organization is vital to continued growth and success. Understanding how a candidate constructs and manages an active and sometimes overwhelming schedule is a great way to evaluate if they can handle being a part of a growing business.

READ MORE: 18 of the best plumber apps to make your life easier

Role-specific plumber interview questions

Depending on the type of plumber you’re looking to hire, you’ll want to ask questions specific to their skill level and experience. This helps you identify where a person fits into your plumbing business and how much you can expect to pay them for their experience and expertise.

Plumbing apprenticeship interview questions

43. Why do you want to work in the plumbing industry?
44. What experience do you have in plumbing?
45. What skills do you have that’ll make you a good plumber?
46. When will you be eligible to take your journeyperson plumbing exam? (If required by your state)

Plumbing journeyperson interview questions

47. How long have you been a journeyperson plumber?
48. What training, education, and/or experience do you have in plumbing?
49. What’s the hardest problem you’ve had to solve as a journeyperson plumber?
50. Where do you see yourself in five years as a journeyperson plumber?

Master plumber interview questions

51. How long have you been a master plumber?
52. How do you stay up to date with changes and trends in the plumbing industry?
53. What is the most challenging job you’ve had to do as a plumber?
54. Have you ever trained an apprentice? Tell me about the experience.
55. How do you handle team conflict?
56. What are your plumbing career goals?

Compensation-based questions for hiring plumbers

Hiring the perfect candidate for your growing plumbing company means finding the right experience at the right price. To make sure you’ll meet their wage expectations, ask one of the following questions.

57. What are your salary expectations for this position?

Depending on the answer, a candidate’s salary expectations are either going to be a red flag if it’s too low (lack of experience or confidence) or too high (over confident and not in your company’s price range).

58. What salary range are you looking for?

A salary range creates a more relaxed environment to have a negotiation. It helps you understand whether it’s even possible to work with a candidate while giving the candidate the opportunity to showcase their qualifications in order to justify their range.

Pro Tip: Have an ideal salary range in mind before you start your interview process so you’re ready to answer any pay-related questions your candidates may have.