We’ve compiled a list of 30 common interview questions to ask potential new hires that will attract the best employees with the strongest:
Technical skills — Can they demonstrate their plumbing experience and technical knowledge, including problem-solving ability?
Interpersonal/soft skills — Can they communicate well with team members and customers?
Customer service skills — Are they comfortable with upselling to earn more money and help grow your plumbing business?
Work ethic — Does their mindset and attitude fit your business culture and work environment?
Technology competence — Do they have experience with (or willingness to use) mobile technology?
These plumber interview questions and answers come straight from plumbing industry experts at ServiceTitan with decades of experience and reflect best practices used by many of our customers:
At the end of this article, we also explain our industry-leading plumbing business software, ServiceTitan, and how you can use it to recruit more top-tier plumbers. You’ll be able to show prospective candidates that your company provides the tools to help them do their job more efficiently so they can spend more time doing billable work instead of tedious paperwork.
Plumber Soft Skills Interview Questions
Why do you want to work in the plumbing industry?
What do you know about our plumbing company?
Why are you looking for a new job?
What past experience and/or training makes you qualified for this particular plumbing job?
Why did you leave your last job, and why do you want to work with us?
Do you have a valid driver’s license and clean driving record?
Can you email us a list of references?
Why are you interested in this specific position?
What do you like most about being a plumber?
What is the most challenging part of plumbing?
Good plumbing interview questions help you evaluate an applicant's qualifications and assess their character traits. Your new hire will represent your plumbing business, so it’s crucial to determine whether they’re a good fit for your company.
Common interview questions typically cover the soft skills of the trade, such as showing up on time, bringing the right equipment, having excellent communication skills, and cleaning up after themselves.
Ask these general questions to assess a candidate's soft skills (and goal mindset):
1. Why do you want to work in the plumbing industry?
Hiring managers typically ask an open-ended question like this to gauge how a plumbing job candidate reacts and communicates when put on the spot. Look for someone who maintains good eye contact and displays confident body language. These skills offer a strong indication of their communication skills and provide a glimpse of how the candidate will engage with customers.
2. What do you know about our plumbing company?
How did they hear about your plumbing company? Did they do online research before applying or talk to a current employee about possible opportunities? Hiring managers view applicants more seriously when they try to learn more by visiting your company website, checking social media sites, and talking to your current or past employees.
3. Why are you looking for a new job?
Does your current employer know you’re looking for a new job? Are you interested in making more money? Do you seek a better work-home-life balance? A hiring manager needs to understand a job seeker's motivations in determining whether their long-term career goals fit with your company's core values.
4. What past experience and/or training makes you qualified for this particular plumbing job?
Plumbing applicants include details about previous jobs, education, apprentice training, trade licenses, or industry certifications on their resume, but a hiring manager should try to read between the lines to detect certain skill sets, such as a talent for working in confined spaces or a flair for customer service. You can also ask what industry blogs and podcasts they follow.
Most states also require plumbers to be licensed, so ask for proof of qualifications.
5. Why did you leave your last job, and why do you want to work with us?
Plumbing job applicants who were recently terminated or routinely leave jobs after a few months should raise a red flag. Explore their reasons for leaving to determine whether the same issues could be problematic at your company.
6. Do you have a valid driver's license and clean driving record?
Technicians who repair or install plumbing systems for your company must drive to job sites in your company trucks, so a valid driver’s license is critical. Most insurance companies and licensing agencies require plumbing technicians to hold a valid driver's license and clean driving record.
7. Can you email us a list of references?
You can assess an applicant's skill for written communication, as well as the ability to follow directions, by asking them to email a list of at least three references. You can also gauge their interest in the position by how quickly they email their references. Ask them to detail their relationship with the reference, how long they’ve known them, and to provide current contact information for each.
8. Why are you interested in this specific position?
More than just whether a candidate wants to work in the plumbing industry or at your company, you want to assess whether the applicant is right for the specific position they applied for, whether that be a plumbing apprentice or plumbing engineer. The answer to this question can help uncover the candidate’s motivation and fit for the job.
9. What do you like most about being a plumber?
Ask this question to assess a plumber’s passion for the work they do and their commitment to providing quality service to customers. Look for applicants who derive satisfaction from solving problems and helping others.
10. What is the most challenging part of plumbing?
All jobs bring some challenges, and you want to hire someone who displays a positive attitude when working through those difficult situations. Listen for an honest answer about a challenge and how the interviewee handles it.
Behavioral/Situational Questions
Here's a specific plumbing job scenario. Explain your process for handling the call.
Describe a time when you provided excellent customer service.
What was the most challenging task you performed as a plumber, and how did you overcome it?
Have you ever experienced a difficult interaction with a coworker? How did you approach the situation?
What safety precautions do you take while installing or repairing a plumbing system?
What would you do if you were given incomplete instructions for a job?
Behavioral interview questions provide more specific information about a job candidate. Situational interview questions explore the types of competency or behavior required. Interviewers need to assess an applicant's ability for problem-solving, following safety precautions, and their overall comfort with using technology on the job.
1. Here's a specific plumbing job scenario. Explain your process for handling the call.
Give the applicant a specific job task and ask them to explain their step-by-step process for diagnosing and fixing the problem. What questions do they ask the customer? What resources do they need? What safety measures do they take? Does the customer require a follow-up visit? This is your opportunity to gauge how they would perform on the job, from start to finish, and better understand their potential strengths and weaknesses.
2. Describe a time when you provided excellent customer service.
The response reveals an applicant's interpersonal skills and willingness to deliver good customer service. Productive and conscientious plumbers who listen to customers and show empathy, clearly explain the process, and educate them on available solutions play an important role in creating customer satisfaction and growing your plumbing business.
3. What was the most challenging task you performed as a plumber, and how did you overcome it?
Give job candidates an opportunity to describe their hardest plumbing problem to date, from solving water pressure issues to installing conventional water heaters or sump pumps. How they tackle plumbing issues gives hiring managers good insight into an applicant’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as their problem-solving skills.
4. Have you ever experienced a difficult interaction with a coworker? How did you approach the situation?
How an applicant responds to this question tells you a lot about their personality, attitude to teamwork, and interpersonal style. When conflicts arise, you want an employee who can stay level-headed and come to a compromise.
5. What safety precautions do you take while installing or repairing a plumbing system?
Safety plays a key role when installing or repairing plumbing systems, whether it means following proper safety protocols in a customer's home or business, or preventing injury while on the job. Assess the applicant’s knowledge of plumbing work safety, then ask how the candidate would address common plumbing safety violations when out on a plumbing job.
6. What would you do if you were given incomplete instructions for a job?
This question assesses a candidate’s communication, teamwork, and critical thinking skills. Look for someone who can identify missing information in instructions and ask clarifying questions to gather that information. You also want someone who can improvise and think on their feet, since plumbing projects are sometimes unpredictable.
Technical Skills Questions
What are some common tools used for plumbing repair and installation?
How would you assess and repair a customer’s clogged drains and pipes?
Which material would you recommend for drainage pipes: Copper or PVC?
How would you describe the process of waterproofing a basement?
If you encountered safety code violations, what did you do about it?
How would you start installing a plumbing system for an entire floor of a building?
What do you think of chemical drain cleaners? What would you recommend to clean a clogged pipe?
How would you test for leaks in a plumbing system?
Requirements for plumbing jobs vary, depending on whether you're hiring for an apprentice, a journeyman, or a master plumber. A licensed plumber is responsible for installing, repairing, and maintaining plumbing systems/fixtures, whereas an apprentice works under their supervision.
While plumber applicants need some technical training, many companies prefer to train new hires on the technical aspects of the job, so they learn their own company's best practices and get familiar with their specific equipment or tools.
To get a good idea of an applicant's technical skill set, consider asking the following questions:
1. What are some common tools used for plumbing repair and installation?
Plumbing job applicants should be familiar with these common plumbing tools and how they’re used on the job:
Adjustable pipe wrench
Faucet valve seat wrench
Faucet valve reseating tool
Faucet packing and washers
Tubing cutter
Teflon tape
Cup plunger
Flange plunger
Closet Auger
Sink Auger
2. How would you assess and repair a customer’s clogged drains and pipes?
If pouring hot water down the drain fails to remove the blockage, most plumbers try opening the pipes under a sink to remove the clog or using a sink auger to clear it. As a professional drain cleaner, a plumbing candidate needs to explain their step-by-step process for diagnosing and fixing clogged drains.
3. Which material would you recommend for drainage pipes: Copper or PVC?
The job applicant's answer should demonstrate their knowledge and work experience with various materials, such as copper and PVC. Candidates should provide detailed answers for why they recommend either material, and hiring managers should ask thorough questions about the candidate's past job experience involving drainage pipes.
4. How would you describe the process of waterproofing a basement?
This interview question forces an applicant to think about and articulate the technical skills required to waterproof a basement. Ask plumbers to explain their step-by-step process for waterproofing, what tools are required, and what safety precautions they should take.
5. If you encountered safety code violations, what did you do about it?
This question allows a job seeker to demonstrate an understanding of relevant plumbing safety codes and regulations. Plumbing candidates should explain in detail how they repaired a plumbing safety code violation to bring plumbing systems up to date, and how they assessed the home or business for other potential problems.
6. How would you start installing a plumbing system for an entire floor of a building?
This question helps assess a candidate’s ability to plan and execute complex plumbing projects. A skilled plumber should be able to outline the key steps in this process, from site assessment and materials selection all the way through to inspection and code compliance.
7. What do you think of chemical drain cleaners? What would you recommend to clean a clogged pipe?
Today’s homeowners look for effective and safe products and services. Not only do chemical drain cleaners end up in the water supply, but they can actually damage a home’s plumbing pipes. Ensure your plumbing candidate understands these risks and opts for safer solutions like plungers, drain snakes, or a baking soda and vinegar mixture.
8. How would you test for leaks in a plumbing system?
Testing for leaks in a plumbing system is a fundamental task for any plumber, as it directly affects the system's functionality, efficiency, and the prevention of water damage. A competent candidate should possess the knowledge and plumbing skills to accurately identify and address leaks promptly. They should describe their approach to leak testing, which typically involves visual inspections and pressure testing.
Technology and Tools Questions
How do you view mobile technology and its role in the future of the plumbing industry?
What is your experience with using mobile technology on the job?
After diagnosing the problem, what tools have you used to explain options to a customer?
While interviewing plumbers, be sure to ask about previous on-the-job experience with technology and other tools, such as CRM software. Today’s plumbers utilize field service technology to increase efficiencies, enhance communication, and grow ticket sizes.
Use the opportunity to learn about the candidate’s experience, ask about specific tools and software, and understand their views on how technology enhances the workplace.
1. How do you view mobile technology and its role in the future of the plumbing industry?
Plumbing contractors increasingly rely on technology to streamline business operations and boost technician efficiency. How an applicant responds to this question tells you a lot about their knowledge of current technology and plumbing industry trends. If your business already uses plumbing software, asking about technological skills can help you determine whether they’re the right fit.
2. What is your experience with using mobile technology on the job?
This question helps you understand a plumber’s previous experience, as well as their level of comfort using technology in the field. It’s also a good indicator of the amount of training the candidate needs. Plumbing technicians often provide estimates, communicate with dispatch, and collect payments from their mobile devices.
3. After diagnosing the problem, what tools have you used to explain options to a customer?
While in the field, plumbing technicians need to clearly articulate the problem and all available solutions. Modern plumbing software helps techs present varying levels of service, such as good-better-and-best, so customers can understand their options and make an informed decision.
You’ll likely realize new recruits have experience using technology and want to work for a forward-thinking company. A lack of experience shouldn’t automatically disqualify a candidate; it just means you’ll need to provide additional training.
Plumbing Payroll Questions
What are your wage expectations?
Have you ever worked for a company that uses performance-based pay?
What are your expectations for bonuses or spiffs?
Most applicants don't feel comfortable asking about pay upfront, but salary expectations matter a great deal when considering one job applicant over another. As a plumbing business owner, you need to be prepared to pay competitive salaries and offer enticing benefits to attract top talent and reduce costly turnover rates.
For instance, if your company offers performance pay versus hourly rates, new recruits need to understand how your commission and bonus structure works. If you expect plumbing techs to sell more services on every call, be sure to make that clear.
The simple payroll questions above will help you compete in a highly competitive job market, where it's important to separate the casual job seekers from the serious plumbing job candidates. Asking the right questions from the get-go can help you find new recruits worth investing your time and money in, who will stick around and grow as you scale your plumbing company.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Check out these FAQs to further boost your hiring process:
How do I choose the best plumbing interview questions?
While the questions above provide an excellent starting point, tailor your questions to the open position. For example, consider how senior the position is, what services your company offers, and whether you serve residential or commercial plumbing customers.
What qualities should I look for when hiring a plumber?
As well as their technical skills, a great plumber should be flexible and possess strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
What should I ask in a plumbing apprenticeship interview?
For a plumbing apprentice, you don’t need to spend a lot of time assessing their experience and technical skills. Instead, look for someone eager to learn and grow. Check out this full list of plumber apprentice questions.
Need more help? Download our free templates and tips on how to write these plumber job descriptions:
If you have a multi-trade business, read our resources on interviewing electricians and HVAC staff.
Next, we’ll explain how using our software, ServiceTitan, helps attract the best plumbers to your business.
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How ServiceTitan Can Help You Attract Better Plumbers
From the plumbing technician’s perspective, ServiceTitan minimizes tedious paperwork so they can spend more time on jobs rather than leafing through pricebooks, updating customers on arrival times, or creating estimates manually.
If you use software like ServiceTitan, you can demonstrate to plumbing job candidates how it helps them have a better work life at your company.
ServiceTitan is intuitive, easy-to-use, and helps plumbers access tools for:
These features (and more) can be accessed via our mobile app when plumbers are out on job sites. All tasks are synced centrally, in real-time, with office staff (via our desktop app) so everybody has all the information they need.
Here’s how it works.
Features That Help Plumbers Work Quickly & Efficiently
Smart Scheduling & Dispatching
Managing bookings without software is challenging for a growing plumbing business wanting to organize technicians’ workloads efficiently and give the best customer experience. ServiceTitan’s cloud-based call booking and scheduling features let CSRs handle calls swiftly and professionally. Caller details are automatically flagged, as are custom prompts, to ensure all the right questions are asked to make the booking.
ServiceTitan’s scheduling tool lets you organize and view all your jobs as well as technicians’ workloads. Plumbers can view their upcoming work and all the details via the Mobile App. Notes can also be included, such as the technical specs and materials needed, or if there’s something specific they need to know about a customer.
Once bookings are made, appointment confirmations and reminders are automatically sent via SMS.
With ServiceTitan’s dispatch software, you can track your plumbing techs’ locations, use route data to avoid traffic, and assign the right plumber to each job.
Optimizing your plumbers’ schedules and workloads means you can speed up your response times and maximize your technicians’ work capacity.
Optimized Upselling Opportunities & Job Automation
Technicians who are confident in signing up customers for maintenance or service contracts will bring guaranteed, recurring revenue to your plumbing business and generate more income for themselves. ServiceTitan gives them the tools to do just that.
Technicians can create membership agreements from scratch, apply discounts, and schedule regular appointments. Set-up is easy, and you can integrate your agreements with other ServiceTitan tools such as scheduling, executing jobs, and estimates.
In addition to service agreements, plumbers can access other useful resources to help them work efficiently when on the job site, including:
Job Histories: Plumbers can view the complete job history, including existing equipment, servicing history, estimates, and notes.
Warranty Details: Warranty and replacement-part information can be stored within ServiceTitan. Techs can access this and initiate an order directly from their mobile.
You can also trigger certain forms to appear automatically as the job progresses, such as an invoice or request for a review. For example, you can create a plumbing proposal checklist for techs to refer to when working through a job. This ensures that they know exactly what to do at each stage of the job, and that every stage is logged.
Build Competitive Estimates
Pulling together information from disorganized pricebooks to create an estimate takes time, especially when you’re out in the field.
With ServiceTitan’s pricing software, plumbers can:
Swiftly create estimates for new equipment or for resolving issues on the spot
Easily access photos, manufacturer videos and product information
Utilize upgrade information and recommendations to maximize ticket sizes
Build an estimate that can be viewed and signed off by the customer on site
To further save time, ServiceTitan users can upgrade to Pricebook Pro. This provides a pre-built, fully integrated, and maintained flat-rate pricebook with features like explainer PDFs that help technicians communicate value to customers.
Technicians can view key customer status details—such as whether there's an open estimate or pending quote for an equipment upgrade—so they know when follow-ups are needed. This helps them make the most of each visit and maximize revenue opportunities.
Generate Accurate Invoices
When invoices are created in the office, the process relies on the technician gathering and sharing details of the estimate, hours worked, materials used, etc.—a time-consuming process that can be frustrating for techs and office staff. With ServiceTitan, invoices can be generated automatically based on approved estimates and work completed, and techs can easily send invoices right from their mobile device.
Speedy Mobile Payments
Most customers find it convenient to pay on the spot, and it speeds up payment time for your business too.
With ServiceTitan, it’s super-easy for plumbers to take payments directly from customers via their mobile tablet camera. Credit cards and checks are deposited the next day, and online payments are received 2–3 times faster than traditional invoicing.
Tools to Pay Techs Promptly & Track Their Performance
Having a disorganized payroll system where you do some or all of the work manually can lead to unhappy technicians if mistakes are made.
Integrated Payroll & Timesheets
ServiceTitan’s integrated payroll tools have been designed to help you track staff (via timesheets), pay them correctly and on time, and monitor the efficiency and profitability of your business.
With our timesheets, time spent driving, collecting materials, and actually on the job are all recorded, in real time. Overtime and bonuses can be configured in a few clicks. All staff have access to their timesheets and can sign them so there’s no driving into the office for payroll.
Data-Driven Performance Reporting
Analyzing the performance of your plumbing staff is critical for gaining insight into where improvements can be made. Doing this manually with spreadsheets is time-consuming and difficult.
ServiceTitan’s reporting software provides plumbing business owners with deep insights into every plumbing technician’s performance as well as many other key business metrics.
With our technician scorecard, you are always up-to-date on every tech’s stats, such as generated revenue, service contracts sold, and response times. This means you can identify specific areas and provide coaching and motivation to your team.
ServiceTitan Helps Technicians Work Smarter and Attract the Best Plumbers
Asking the right plumber interview questions is key to finding plumbers who will be an asset to your company. Using modern software that helps your technicians do their jobs more efficiently will also help you attract good plumbers.
ServiceTitan’s plumbing software streamlines operations, saves time, reduces paperwork, and maximizes earning opportunities for plumbers on every service visit. Mentioning ServiceTitan during interviews sets your business apart from competitors.
To learn more about how ServiceTitan can help you attract the top plumbers, schedule a free demo.
ServiceTitan Plumbing Software
ServiceTitan is a comprehensive plumbing business software solution built specifically to help service companies streamline their operations, boost revenue, and achieve growth. Our award-winning, cloud-based platform is trusted by more than 100,000+ contractors across the country.
