As more businesses realize their need for facility professionals, more job postings will start to emphasize FM skills. Not every company needs the same level of expertise or a particular skillset, which makes it important to write a purposeful job description when it comes time to fill a facility position at your company. This is especially true for a facilities maintenance technician job description, which requires more nuance and specific language to attract candidates with the desired skillset.

Here’s how to write the perfect facilities maintenance technician job description and the reason behind using certain terms and keywords when advertising this position.

Understand the duties of a facility maintenance technician 

It’s impossible to craft a well-written, informative job description without first understanding what your company is hiring for. Ask yourself the following:

  • What need do you have for a facilities maintenance technician?
  • What tasks or roles are unfilled on your maintenance team currently?
  • In what ways are your facilities suffering from a lack of maintenance capability?
  • What job duties and expectations do you have for an incoming facilities technician?

When you have a thorough understanding of what you’re hiring for, it becomes easier to write a descriptive job post that details the nuances of the job. This in and of itself will serve to attract better candidates, as opposed to a general, vague, or accidentally misleading job description.

With the specifics in mind, choose your words with purpose. Use keywords in the post that will intrigue qualified candidates and dissuade others not suited for the job. For example, if you’re in the market for a skilled electrician, you might use words like “journeyperson” or pepper in specific facets of the job like “access control.” Any good job description is going to contain subtext based on word choice. Use your thorough understanding of the position you’re hiring for to create subtext that’s informative and clarifying for qualified candidates.

Market for skills and experience first 

What is facility maintenance all about? It depends on who you’re asking. Someone with a background in IT will look at facilities through the lens of their data and telecom systems. A mechanical engineer might think about HVAC and electrical first. The fact is, facility maintenance reaches these major systems and many others, which makes finding a generalist important—or at least someone who can see each aspect of facilities as its own important pillar.

If you’re hiring a general craftsperson, make it clear which types of skills and experience you value most. Plumbing? Mechanical? Electrical? Carpentry? There’s a long list of niches out there; include the ones that factor into your reason for hiring a maintenance technician. The added benefit to attracting professionals with diverse skills is getting more than you bargained for. Maybe the carpenter and electrician you’re looking for also has experience with telecom infrastructure?

The exception to this idea is hiring for a specific aspect of facility maintenance. If you exclusively need an HVAC professional or lack electrical maintenance capabilities, by all means, gear your job post toward these skills and experience.

Use specific qualifiers to filter applicants 

It’s rare that you’ll find someone pursuing a facility maintenance technician career. More often, your applicants will be tradespeople, craftspeople, and individuals who’ve worked in similar roles at other companies. Use this to your advantage by listing specific qualifiers and keywords in your job description that will attract the skills you need.

For example, terms like “building IoT” and “facilities automation” are more likely to garner qualified applicants than asking for experience in “smart building infrastructure.” Be specific in listing needs and expectations, and root out candidates that don’t meet the public standards you’ve advertised.

This approach also works for certifications and accreditations. If you’re hiring a maintenance tech with an HVAC background, you might specify “EPA 608 Certification” to ensure you only get candidates familiar with refrigerant handling. Again, this ensures the specific needs of your facilities are met by professionals with the scope of understanding to service them accordingly.

Hire with mind for the needs of your facilities 

Ultimately, the facility maintenance technician you hire needs to meet the needs of your facilities. Finding that person starts by writing an effective job description that clearly outlines needs, expectations, and skills.

Get to know the needs of your facilities. Identify desirable skills and experience. Outline specific parameters required for the job. Then, bring it all together in a job description that’s clear, easy to understand, and enticing to qualified candidates. While writing the job description is merely the first step in a long hiring process, it’s also the most important step in making sure you attract the best person for the job.

Keep reading: Facilities Management Job Description – What’s Required?

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Jonathan writes about asset management, maintenance software, and SaaS solutions in his role as a digital content creator at Eptura. He covers trends across industries, including fleet, manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality, with a focus on delivering thought leadership with actionable insights. Earlier in his career, he wrote textbooks, edited NPC dialogue for video games, and taught English as a foreign language. He hold a master's degree in journalism.