maintenance technician

What does a maintenance technician do? Some of the most common duties include:

• assisting in the installation of machines and equipment: You set up new appliances or equipment if the company needs to move or reposition a machine. You ensure that no damage occurs during the move and that the machine is ready to operate safely. You also test the machine or equipment to ensure it is working correctly.
• managing maintenance and repairs: Your primary responsibility is dealing with breakdowns. You inspect equipment regularly to identify problems and ensure that the machines operate efficiently. It is your responsibility to plan and schedule maintenance. When dealing with repairs, you manage your time to ensure the minimum possible downtime. You also provide detailed information on the cause of the breakdown and the parts that should be replaced.
• meeting the company's targets: Companies in the production industry are under constant pressure to meet their daily goals. In most cases, your job includes machine maintenance. As a result, you ensure that the company meets its production goals while producing high-quality goods.
• helping with budgeting: You understand the machines better and know what is needed to run operations successfully. As a result, you help the maintenance department develop and implement its budget.
• training workers: Your job involves training production staff in routine maintenance procedures. This role keeps you updated on current and emerging maintenance manufacturing and engineering trends.
• attending meetings: To plan production or handle a construction project, companies often hold internal or external meetings. Attending meetings and contributing to plans is part of your job as a maintenance technician.
• inspection: If you work for a construction company, you are responsible for inspecting the building, machines and systems to identify any problems. Some systems, such as plumbing and heating, require regular inspection to ensure proper operation.

Many aspects of your work environment are the same whether you work in a manufacturing company, a large office building or a small residential setting. Most maintenance technicians work indoors while repairing and maintaining equipment. You work in climate-controlled production facilities or laboratories in manufacturing industries. In residential buildings, your work environment varies depending on the repairs. For example, when there are plumbing issues, your job could include working outdoors while fixing fire alarm systems is an indoor job. Your role involves wearing protective equipment and sometimes using specialized tools. Being a maintenance technician requires being physically present, so remote work is impossible.

Depending on your employer, your colleagues may include maintenance engineers, maintenance managers and facilities managers. You may also work with HVAC technicians, electricians and plumbers as well as other specialists, including factory supervisors, construction workers and project managers.

Typically, you work during the day on a regular schedule of 40 hours a week. However, this varies depending on the role and company. You sometimes work on weekends and odd hours. In some companies, you work night shifts or early mornings, and many employers provide some incentive to work extra hours. The job may involve traveling to various work sites when you manage multiple buildings.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 5% growth rate for maintenance technicians over the next decade. More than 160,000 jobs will be added to the pool each year.

You'll also have the option of exploring other, related careers to maintenance technicians. You'll have various career growth opportunities and specialization options. If you want to progress upward, you can become a maintenance engineer or improve your skills to become a facilities manager or maintenance manager. Some maintenance technicians also specialize in specific duties to become electricians, plumbers or certified air conditioning experts.

Working through Randstad offers you a range of benefits:

• being paid weekly
• flexibility
• always a contact person you can fall back on and ask for help from
• many training opportunities
• a range of jobs in your area

Want a permanent contract? But you wonder why it would be interesting for you to work with a staffing company? A temporary job as a maintenance technician is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers, thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad, too!

Maintenance technicians keep machines and systems going. Depending on your exact job, this could mean everything from repairing and installing equipment to solving mechanical or technical issues.

The salary varies depending on the industry you are in, but according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an industrial machinery maintenance technician can make a median salary of $59,380 a year. An aircraft maintenance technician can expect a higher median salary of $65,550 annually.

You don't need a college degree to become a maintenance technician. Most employers will accept a high school diploma or GED, and they'll put you through on-the-job training or an apprenticeship to teach you what you need to know.

You don't need any special licenses to become a maintenance technician. However, if you become a specialist in something like plumbing or electrical work, you might need a license for that. Check your state's laws to be sure.

Apprenticeships are controlled entirely by the people offering them, so their conditions will vary. Generally, however, they last between one and five years. Some employers will put you through an official program while others might just ask you to log a certain number of training hours.

Applying for a maintenance technician job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our maintenance technician jobs for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV. If you do not have a resume, no worries. Just check out our resume builder. This state-of-the-art tool will help you to create your own resume. Need help with your application? Check out all our job-hunting tips!