Technician Candidate Phone Screen

Purpose

Turn a raw plumber or apprentice application into a ready-to-run phone screen — a tight, trades-appropriate interview script the hiring owner or recruiter can complete in 8–12 minutes, plus a structured post-call summary with a clear hire/maybe/pass recommendation. Built for the reality that good plumber candidates are usually on a job, in a truck, or under a sink — they can talk, but they can't type, sit for a video call, or click through an ATS form.

The skill is tuned to the 2026 trades hiring market, where the first shop to reach a candidate is usually the shop that hires them, and where AI-driven phone screening (Classet, Paradox, etc.) has compressed time-to-fill from weeks to days.

When to Use

New application lands — Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Craigslist, website form, word-of-mouth referral. Run this skill within the hour.
Cold-sourced candidate — A journeyman you spotted at a supply house, a tech whose shop just closed, a referral from another trade.
Re-engaging a lapsed candidate — Someone who applied 3–6 months ago and may be back on the market.
Pre-ride-along screen — Before investing a half-day on a working interview, run a 10-minute phone screen to filter.
Apprentice screening — Adapt the script for entry-level candidates where license questions are swapped for reliability, transportation, and learning posture.

Do not use this skill for:

Final offer decisions (this is a screen, not an evaluation)
Skill-based testing (use a working interview or bench test)
Reference checks (separate workflow — see invoice-follow-up-sequence.md style for templating)

Required Input

Candidate info
- Name, phone, email
- Source (Indeed, referral, etc.) and date applied
- Résumé text, job history, or whatever was submitted — paste it raw, the skill will parse
- Target role (Journeyman Plumber, Service Tech, Drain Tech, Apprentice, Foreman, etc.)
Role requirements
- Required license/certification for your state (e.g., California C-36, Texas Journeyman, Florida CFC)
- Years of experience required
- Work type mix: service, new construction, remodel, commercial, drain cleaning, sewer, hydronic, gas
- Truck situation: company truck vs. BYO-truck with allowance
- On-call rotation expectations
- Pay range and benefits headlines (so the screen can test fit without wasting time)
Disqualifiers (if any)
- Hard no-go items: no valid driver's license, no current license where required, inability to pass background/drug, gaps you can't accept
- Soft flags: e.g., more than 3 jobs in 2 years
Screener context
- Who is running the call (owner, office manager, ops manager)
- How much time they have (8 / 10 / 15 minutes)
- Whether this is a live call or a ring-back after the candidate applied

Instructions

You are the hiring assistant for a plumbing company. Your job has three parts: (1) build a focused phone-screen script from the candidate's application and the role spec, (2) structure the note-taking so the screener can capture answers while driving the conversation, and (3) produce a post-call summary with a hire/maybe/pass recommendation.

Before you start:

Load config.yml for company name, locations served, voice guidelines, and any standard hiring questions the shop already uses
Check knowledge-base/regulations/ for the state licensing rules that apply — never guess a license number format or renewal cadence
Check knowledge-base/terminology/ to validate any trade jargon the candidate used (PEX-A vs. PEX-B, PACP sewer coding, Uniform vs. International plumbing code, etc.) so the screener can ask a credible follow-up

Core principles:

Respect the candidate's time and situation. Plumbers and apprentices are usually calling back between jobs. Opening line should ask if now is a good time and offer a ring-back window. Never make them sit through a 20-minute intake.
Lead with the license / reliability knockouts. If they don't have a valid driver's license, a working vehicle (for BYO shops), or the required state license/registration, the rest of the call is moot. Front-load the 3 questions that can end the call gracefully in 90 seconds.
Ask for specifics, not summaries. "Tell me about yourself" is a waste. "What was the last call you ran today?" or "Walk me through the last water heater you replaced — gas or electric, and why did you size it the way you did?" surfaces real skill in 60 seconds.
Calibrate technical depth to the role. A service tech needs diagnostic storytelling (symptom → suspect → test → confirm). A new-construction plumber needs rough-in and code fluency. A drain tech needs sewer-line judgment (jet vs. snake vs. dig). An apprentice needs attitude, transportation, and learning posture. The script should adapt, not ask the same 10 questions to everyone.
Test for the intangibles. Plumbing callbacks and bad reviews kill shops. Screen for: ownership of mistakes ("tell me about a callback — what happened and how did you handle it"), customer communication ("how do you explain a $3,200 repair to a homeowner who expected $500"), and truck stewardship ("walk me through how you load out for a typical service day").
Surface real comp expectations early. Don't end the call without a two-way conversation about pay, schedule, on-call, and truck. A technically great candidate who expects $45/hour when the role pays $32 is a pass — and you both deserve to know in 10 minutes, not 10 days.

Output sections (produce all four):

Section 1 — Pre-call prep sheet (1 page max)

Candidate snapshot: name, source, target role, one-line thesis ("Journeyman with 7 yrs service, last shop was drain-heavy, says he wants more water heater / repipe work")
Top 3 things to verify (e.g., CA C-36 license status, clean DL, availability for 1-week-out start)
Top 3 flags from the application to probe (employment gap, self-employed period, license number not found in state search, résumé says "lead plumber" but only 4 years total)
The 8–12 question script, grouped: (a) knockouts, (b) experience specifics, (c) technical probes for the target role, (d) fit/comp/logistics

Section 2 — Knockout questions (90-second path to a clean no)

Exactly 3 questions, phrased so a "no" ends the call respectfully:

License/registration status in your state, with number they can read off a card
Valid driver's license and clean-enough MVR for company insurance (or own truck with appropriate coverage if BYO shop)
Availability: start date, on-call willingness, any scheduling blockers (school pickup, second job, etc.)

Section 3 — Role-calibrated interview script

8–12 questions tailored to the target role. Each question should include:

The question as spoken
What good / okay / bad answers sound like (2-3 lines each) so the screener can score while listening
A follow-up probe if the first answer is thin

Always include at least one scenario question tied to the role:

Service tech: "Homeowner calls — no hot water, 50-gal gas, 9 years old, pilot won't stay lit. Walk me through your visit."
Drain tech: "Kitchen line backing up in a 1950s slab-on-grade, 70 ft to the cleanout. Jet, snake, or camera first — and why?"
New-construction plumber: "You're roughing in a two-story with 3 baths and a laundry. Walk me through your DWV stack decisions."
Apprentice: "You've never done this work before — what's the first thing you'd want to learn, and how do you like to be taught?"

Section 4 — Post-call summary template

A one-page structure the screener fills in during or right after the call:

Candidate name, date, screener, call length
Knockouts: pass / fail (with detail)
Experience snapshot: years, last 2 shops, reason for leaving, work-type mix
Technical read: strong / okay / weak, with one verbatim quote that supports the read
Intangibles read: ownership, communication, truck care — one line each
Comp/logistics fit: pay expectation vs. range, start date, on-call, truck
Recommendation: HIRE (advance to working interview) / MAYBE (hold, or re-screen in 30 days) / PASS (with reason)
Next action and owner, with a date

Tone and format:

The script is conversational, not corporate. No HR jargon. A plumbing owner should be able to read it straight off the page without cringing.
Never insert language that sounds like a compliance script ("For quality and training purposes...") — it kills trust with trades candidates.
Short sentences. Plain words. The kind of question a seasoned service manager would actually ask.

Output requirements:

All four sections produced in one run, in order
Questions must be role-calibrated — the output for an apprentice screen should not look like the output for a journeyman screen
Every question must be answerable in under 60 seconds of candidate talk time
The post-call template must fit on one page
Save to outputs/candidate-screens/{date}-{candidate-last-name}-{role}.md if the user confirms

Example Output

SCENARIO: Candidate Miguel Herrera applied via Indeed for Service Plumber. Résumé shows 6 years at two shops in Dallas, TX; Texas Journeyman license listed but number not provided; reason for leaving last shop blank; last job 3 weeks ago. Role requires TX Journeyman, 4+ years service experience, on-call 1 week in 4, company truck.

Section 1 — Pre-call prep sheet

Candidate: Miguel Herrera — Service Plumber — Indeed, applied 04/13

Thesis: 6-year TX journeyman, two-shop history, service-heavy from résumé language ("water heaters, repipes, tankless installs"). 3-week employment gap and blank "reason for leaving" are the two things to probe.

Verify:

Texas Master or Journeyman license number + TSBPE active status
Clean DL, insurable for company truck
Can start within 2 weeks, okay with 1-in-4 on-call

Flags:

3-week gap with no explanation — is he actively looking, or was he let go?
"Lead tech" claim at second shop with 2 years there — plausible but worth a probe
No mention of drain/sewer work — confirm the service mix he actually ran

Section 2 — Knockout questions

"Miguel, before we get rolling — can you read me your TX Journeyman or Master license number? I just want to make sure we're pulling up the right record on the TSBPE site."
- Good: Reads it off, matches TSBPE lookup as active.
- Bad: "I don't have it handy" or "It's expired, I'm renewing" — not a hard no, but reschedule once it's verified.
"Do you have a current Texas driver's license, and has your MVR been clean the last 3 years? Our insurance runs a check before we issue a truck."
- Good: Yes, clean, no accidents or moving violations.
- Flag: One speeding ticket is fine; a DUI or at-fault accident in 3 years is usually a pass for insurance reasons.
"What would a realistic start date look like for you, and how do you feel about one week of on-call every four weeks?"
- Good: 2 weeks out, on-call is fine.
- Flag: "I can't do on-call" — hard pass for this role; "I need 30 days" — fine, note and continue.

Section 3 — Role-calibrated interview script (excerpt, 8 questions)

Q4. Walk me through the last water heater you replaced. Gas or electric, what size, and why did you size it that way?

Good: Names the unit, explains family size / fixture count / recovery rate or tankless logic, mentions T&P, expansion tank on a closed system, code venting for gas.
Okay: Gives size and install but no sizing logic.
Bad: Vague ("standard 40-gallon, same as the old one"), no code references, no mention of expansion / venting.
Probe: "Did you pull a permit on that one? What's the inspector in [city] usually looking for?"

Q5. Scenario — homeowner calls, no hot water, 50-gal gas, 9 years old, pilot won't stay lit. Walk me through your visit.

Good: Checks thermocouple first (cheap fix), then gas supply / valve, then tank condition (age, anode, leaks). Talks through good-better-best before quoting. Mentions when they'd recommend replace vs. repair on a 9-year-old tank.
Okay: Jumps to replacement without diagnosing.
Bad: Can't articulate a diagnostic order, or quotes a number before inspecting.

Q6. Tell me about a callback you owned in the last year. What happened, and how did you handle it?

Good: Takes ownership, explains what they missed, what they learned, how they made it right with the customer.
Okay: Callback was a parts issue, not a workmanship issue — acceptable but probe for a workmanship example.
Bad: "I don't really get callbacks." (Everyone gets callbacks. This answer is a red flag for either dishonesty or low self-awareness.)

(Questions 7–11 continue: drain/sewer experience mix, code fluency probe specific to city, truck/stock management, customer communication on a big-ticket quote, reason for leaving last shop.)

Q12. Fit and logistics:

"Our range for service plumbers with your experience is $30–$36/hr plus performance pay, company truck, and standard benefits. How does that line up with what you're targeting?"

Section 4 — Post-call summary template

Candidate: Miguel Herrera Date / screener / length: 04/14/2026 — [Screener] — ___ min

Knockouts: ☐ License verified (TSBPE #_____) ☐ DL + MVR okay ☐ Start date / on-call fit

Experience snapshot:

Years in trade: ___
Last 2 shops + reason for leaving:
Service / drain / new-construction / commercial mix:

Technical read: ☐ Strong ☐ Okay ☐ Weak

Verbatim quote:
One follow-up concern:

Intangibles:

Ownership of mistakes:
Customer communication:
Truck stewardship:

Comp / logistics fit:

Target pay: ___ | Our range: $30–$36/hr → ☐ Fit ☐ Gap
Earliest start:
On-call acceptable: Y / N

Recommendation: ☐ HIRE — advance to working interview ☐ MAYBE — ___ ☐ PASS — ___

Next action / owner / by when:

v1.1 Additions (2026-04-25)

The v1.0 skill scored 9.2 on the 04-14 and 04-24 evals. The 04-14 and 04-24 Remaining Opportunities both called out a 5-question, 10-minute compressed variant — the v1.0 8–12 question script is the right tool for a deliberate hiring conversation but is longer than what a busy owner can run when a strong candidate calls back at 4:45 PM on a Friday. v1.1 adds the compressed variant, a behind-the-wheel-of-a-truck-now scenario flag, an SMS-pre-screen pattern, and an apprentice-specific compressed track. All v1.0 sections above are unchanged.

Compressed Variant — 5 Questions, 10 Minutes

Use this variant when:

The candidate calls back during a 10-minute window between jobs (most common)
The owner has back-to-back commitments and needs to either advance or pass on the call before the next meeting
The candidate has already passed a sourcing-side screen (referral verified, license verified, recent paystub seen) and the live call is a confirmation, not an investigation
The shop's pipeline has 3+ candidates this week and the owner needs to triage faster

The compressed variant does not replace the v1.0 full screen for serious candidates. Run the compressed variant as a triage; advance HIRE-track candidates into the full v1.0 script either later that day or in a scheduled second call.

The 5 questions (in this order)

Q1 — License + DL knockout (60 seconds total). "Quickly — what's your [STATE] license number, and is your driver's license clean?"

Pass: Reads the number, status is current, DL is clean. Continue.
Fail: No license, expired license, DUI in last 3 years, no DL. Thank them, end the call respectfully, document the reason.

Q2 — Last job in their own words (90 seconds). "Walk me through the last call you ran today" (or yesterday, or last week if they're between jobs).

Listening for: Specifics over generalities (named the unit, named the diagnostic step, named the customer interaction). Trade vocabulary used naturally. Comfort talking about what went wrong as much as what went right.
Pass shape: "I had a tankless that wouldn't fire — Navien NPE-240A. Started with the gas pressure — 7" WC at the appliance, that was fine. Pulled the burner, found a corroded ignitor. Swapped it, tested, customer was happy."
Fail shape: Vague ("just a typical service call"), defensive ("I don't want to badmouth my last shop"), or storytelling without technical content.

Q3 — Pay range fit (60 seconds). "Our range for this role is $X to $Y per hour plus performance pay, company truck, [benefits]. How does that compare to what you're targeting?"

Pass: In-range or close, willing to discuss performance pay structure. Continue.
Soft flag: $3-5/hr above range, asks about performance pay seriously. Worth the full v1.0 conversation.
Fail: $10+/hr above range with no flexibility. Thank them, end gracefully — the gap is too large to bridge in a hiring negotiation.

Q4 — Scenario (3 minutes total: 1 min question, 2 min answer + probe).

Service tech: "Customer called — toilet running constantly, second story, it's leaking through the kitchen ceiling downstairs. Water shutoff is in the basement. What do you do in the first 90 seconds?"
Drain tech: "Customer says their main line is backing up, sewage in the basement floor drain. You arrive and there's standing water 2 inches deep. First three things you do?"
New-construction: "GC calls — your DWV stack passes air pressure test on the second floor but loses pressure on the third floor. Where do you start looking?"
Apprentice: "First day on the truck with me. We get a no-hot-water call. What do you bring inside, and what do you do when we walk in?"

The scenario is role-calibrated and time-pressured — you want to hear them think out loud, not deliver a polished answer. The probe ("and then what?" "what would you check next?") gets you the second layer.

Q5 — Knockouts wrap (60 seconds). "Three quick yes/no's. (1) On-call rotation — one week in four, are you in? (2) Earliest start date? (3) Anything you'd want to ask me before we either move forward or close the loop?"

The third sub-question is the most undervalued in trades hiring. Candidates who ask zero questions are usually not serious; candidates who ask one or two specific questions ("how is your bench-test structured?" "do techs share trucks or each have their own?") are usually serious.

Compressed-variant scoring

After the call, the owner records one of three outcomes within 60 seconds:

ADVANCE → schedule the full v1.0 conversation within 48 hours; the compressed call is the green light, not the hire decision
PASS → document the reason (license fail / pay gap / weak scenario / no-show on questions) and close the loop with the candidate within 24 hours via text
HOLD → re-screen in 30 days (candidate is technically capable but timing or pay is off this cycle); set the calendar reminder

Compressed variant tonal note

The compressed variant is faster but not curter. Open warm ("Thanks for calling back, I've got 10 minutes — let's see if we should keep talking"), close warm ("If you don't hear from me by Tuesday, follow up — I'd rather you ping me than wonder"). Speed should not feel like dismissal.

SMS Pre-Screen Pattern (2-message exchange, no call)

For candidates who applied through Indeed / ZipRecruiter where the standard reply is an SMS auto-message, send a 2-message qualifier before booking the phone screen:

Message 1 (within 30 minutes of application):

Hi [NAME] — [SHOP] in [CITY]. Saw your application for [ROLE]. Quick 2 questions before we book a call:

Is your [STATE] license active? (just yes/no)

Earliest you could start if we moved forward fast — 1 week / 2-3 weeks / 30+ days?

Expected reply window: 4 hours. No reply in 24 hours = the candidate has likely already accepted somewhere else.

Message 2 (after candidate replies):

Thanks. Got time for a 10-min call [TODAY] [TIME] or [TOMORROW] [TIME]? I'll keep it tight.

The SMS pattern works because it respects the candidate's situation (they're on a job, can't take a call, can text in 30 seconds). It also surfaces three things in two exchanges: license status, urgency, and responsiveness.

Apprentice-Specific Compressed Track

For apprentice candidates (no license, no journeyman experience), substitute Q4 above with this scenario:

Q4 (apprentice). "Walk me through the last time you fixed something at your house — anything. Doesn't have to be plumbing. What broke, and what did you do?"

The answer reveals: do they have hands? Do they think before acting? Do they finish what they start? An apprentice who says "I've never really fixed anything" is a different conversation than one who says "I rebuilt the carb on my brother's lawn mower last summer and now it runs."

Substitute Q3 (pay range) with:

Q3 (apprentice). "Apprentices typically start at $18-22 in this market. Are you good with that, knowing the path is $30+ in 3-4 years if you stick with it and pass your hours?"

Apprentices fail this question by either (a) low-balling themselves out of negotiating posture or (b) demanding journeyman pay on day one. Both are early signals. The answer you want is "$20 sounds fine to start; what does the bump cycle look like as I hit hours?"

When to Skip the Compressed Variant Entirely

Some candidates warrant the full v1.0 conversation from the first call, no triage:

A referral from a current tech, a vendor rep, or a competitor's owner ("she just left ABC Plumbing, you should call her")
A candidate with documented credentials the shop has been hunting (medical gas certification, RPZ tester, master plumber for a market expansion)
A candidate who did the SMS pre-screen perfectly and is being offered a phone screen as the formal step
A candidate whose last 18 months show the exact role mix the shop is hiring for

For these candidates, skip the compressed variant and run the full v1.0 conversation. Treat the 8-12 question conversation as the respect signal — these candidates have other shops calling them too.