How to hire a janitor

To hire a janitor, write a job description tied to the real scope of work, source candidates through job boards, referrals, and local staffing, then screen for reliability and attention to detail with a short skills test and a structured interview before you check references and run a background check.

Janitors work mostly unsupervised, often after hours, with keys to your building. That makes this a trust hire. A candidate who looks fine on paper can still miss the same corner every night or stop showing up in week three. In this article, you’ll learn where to find qualified candidates, what skills to assess, and how to choose the right person for the job.

TL;DR

• Hire for reliability and attention to detail first. Those two traits, not cleaning experience alone, separate a janitor who lasts from one who quits or coasts.
• Test skills before you interview. A 20-minute work-sample or skills test predicts performance far better than a resume and filters out mis-hires early.
• Map the role to evidence. The Testlify Competency-to-Evidence Matrix ties each competency (attention to detail, chemical safety, stamina) to a concrete way to measure it.
• Budget past the wage. The median janitor earns about $17.27 an hour, and the average cost per hire runs near $4,129, so churn is expensive.
• Always run a background check. Unsupervised access to your building makes this a safety step, not a formality.

What does a janitor actually do?

A janitor keeps a building clean, safe, and functional: cleaning and disinfecting floors and surfaces, removing trash, restocking supplies, and reporting small maintenance issues before they grow. The job blends physical work with judgment, because the person decides what needs attention when no one is watching.

Scope varies by site. A janitor in a small office handles routine cleaning. In a hospital, school, or food facility, the same title carries sanitation rules where a shortcut can shut you down. Write the role for your actual building, then hire against that, not a generic checklist.

Different types of janitors

The title “janitor” covers more than one job, and the role someone actually performs depends on the scope of work and the certifications behind it. Knowing which type you are hiring for shapes the job description, the assessment, and the interview questions you should use.

Janitors

Post a generic “janitor” opening and every applicant assumes this is the role, so a vague listing invites a flood of mismatched resumes. Scope the posting to the actual task list below, then screen for pace and consistency rather than willingness to clean.

• Sweep and mop floors on a set schedule
• Sanitize and restock restrooms
• Wash interior and exterior windows
• Empty trash and recycling bins

Maintenance workers

A candidate who can only clean stalls the first time a light fixture flickers or a chair breaks in a small office with no separate maintenance line. If the role quietly expects basic repairs, name that in the posting and test for it, or the business absorbs the cost of an outside callback nobody budgeted for.

• Replace and repair lighting fixtures
• Test and calibrate building equipment
• Repair damaged appliances and fixtures
• Perform basic plumbing and electrical fixes

Crime scene cleaners

Hiring a crime scene cleaner without verifying a current biohazard certification is a liability exposure, not a hiring shortcut. Confirm the credential before the interview stage, since the certification protects the business if a cleanup is later challenged, not the resume behind it.

• Hold a current biohazard remediation certification
• Remove and dispose of blood and bodily fluids
• Decontaminate affected surfaces and materials
• Follow OSHA-compliant disposal protocols

Building superintendent

Promoting the most senior janitor into a superintendent role without testing for scheduling and people management skills is a common miss, since the two jobs draw on different muscles. One cleans the building, and the other coordinates who cleans what and when.

• Build and manage custodial staff schedules
• Delegate cleaning assignments across the building
• Audit completed work against a quality standard
• Report staffing gaps and maintenance needs upward

What skills should you test in a janitor?

Test for five things: attention to detail, cleaning and chemical knowledge, reliability, physical stamina, and adaptability. Hard skills keep the building clean and safe; soft skills keep the person showing up and solving problems. Reliability is the one most hiring managers underweight, and the one they regret missing.

Hard skills

• Cleaning and chemical knowledge. A skilled janitor knows which cleaning products to use on different surfaces, when to clean versus disinfect, and how to handle chemicals safely.
• Equipment handling. Janitors should know how to safely operate and maintain floor scrubbers, vacuums, wet vacs, and other cleaning equipment without causing damage.
• Safety awareness. A good janitor follows safety procedures, uses wet floor signs, handles spills correctly, and follows chemical instructions to prevent accidents and injuries.

Soft skills

• Attention to detail: A good janitor notices what others miss. They clean thoroughly, follow checklists, and spot issues before they become complaints.
• Reliability and time management: Janitors often work independently with little supervision. They must arrive on time, complete every task, and consistently meet cleaning schedules.
• Adaptability: Cleaning priorities can change at any time because of spills, emergencies, or unexpected requests. A strong janitor stays organized and adjusts without compromising quality.

How do you test a janitor’s skills?

Give a short skills test or work sample before the interview, then use the interview to probe what the test surfaces. Watching a candidate demonstrate a floor machine or talk through a spill cleanup tells you more in ten minutes than a page of claimed experience ever will. Screen skills first, so interview time goes to your strongest few.

Start with the role, list the competencies that matter, then connect each one to a measurable source of evidence instead of a gut read. For a janitor, that looks like this.

Pro Tip: Add one situational question tied to your building. Ask what they would do if they arrived to find a flooded restroom 30 minutes before a client walkthrough. You are testing triage and calm under pressure, the traits a clean-floors test cannot show.

Where do you find reliable janitors?

The best janitorial candidates come from referrals and repeat local channels, not a single job board blast. Referred hires tend to stay longer because they arrive knowing the work and the expectations. Spread your search across a few channels and you fill the role faster with people who last.

• Employee and community referrals: Referrals from current employees and local networks often produce reliable hires who stay longer and fit the team well.
• Job boards: Post openings on general and local job boards, highlighting pay, shift timings, and location to attract qualified candidates quickly.
• Local staffing agencies: Staffing agencies are a good option when you need immediate coverage or want to evaluate candidates before making a permanent hire.
• Walk-ins and local signage: For frontline cleaning roles, walk-in applications, neighborhood advertising, and signs outside your facility can still attract strong local candidates.

How much does it cost to hire a janitor?

Plan for two costs: the wage and the hire. BLS puts the median janitor wage at about $17.27 an hour and projects roughly 351,300 openings a year through 2034, most of them backfills for people who leave. Pay runs from under $13.26 an hour at the low end to more than $23.58 at the high end, per BLS wage data, shifting with region, shift, and skills like floor care.

Then there is the cost of hiring itself. SHRM benchmarks the average cost per hire at about $4,129 and time-to-fill at 42 days. A janitor who quits in month two means paying that twice, which is why the screening steps above earn their keep: a better hire up front beats a cheaper, faster one that walks.

What should you ask a janitor in an interview?

Ask questions that reveal reliability, judgment, and real cleaning knowledge, not ones a candidate can answer with a rehearsed line. Structured questions asked the same way to everyone make it far easier to compare people fairly. Here are ten that earn their place.

1. Walk me through how you would clean and disinfect a restroom from start to finish.
2. Which cleaning products should never be mixed, and why?
3. You arrive, and a machine is broken. What do you do to still finish the shift?
4. How do you decide what to clean first when you are short on time?
5. Tell me about a time you found a problem no one asked you to fix.
6. How do you make sure nothing gets missed on a repetitive nightly route?
7. What safety steps do you take before using a new chemical or machine?
8. How do you handle working alone for most of a shift?
9. Describe a time you had to change your plan mid-shift.
10. What would your last supervisor say about your attendance?

What to include in a janitor job description

A thoughtful description brings in quality janitor candidates instead of a flood of mismatched applicants. You can make use of our janitor job description template or create your own by clearly outlining the role, responsibilities, required skills, and qualifications needed for filling the role.

Write a compelling summary

Open with 2 to 3 sentences naming the building type, the shift, and what makes the role worth applying for, not a generic mission statement. Candidates skim job boards fast, so the summary has to earn the rest of the read in the first line.

List duties and responsibilities

Name the specific building, the cleaning standard expected, and how often each task happens, not a vague “general cleaning” line. Pull the exact task list from the janitor type you are hiring for above, then add the details below so applicants know what they are signing up for.

• Task frequency: daily, weekly, or as-needed
• Building or facility type the role covers
• Physical requirements: lifting, standing, ladder use
• Equipment the person will operate: buffer, industrial vacuum, pressure washer

Specify required and preferred skills

Split required skills from preferred ones, so candidates without a specific certification still apply for roles that do not need one. This split also gives your screening process a clear pass line before the interview stage.

• Required: physical stamina and reliability
• Required: attention to detail and safety awareness
• Preferred: prior experience in a similar facility type
• Preferred: relevant certifications such as biohazard, HVAC, or electrical

Use high-visibility keywords

Indeed’s search data shows candidates most often click through on a specific set of terms, so working these into the title and body naturally raises a posting’s visibility. Use each term once, only where it fits the sentence, since keyword stuffing reads as spam to both candidates and search engines.

• Janitorial
• Janitor
• Custodian
• Cleaning
• Cleaner
• Janitorial cleaning
• Hiring immediately
• Housekeeping
• Office cleaning
• Maintenance

Test janitor skills before you hire

Testlify lets you send a short, role-specific skills test before the first interview, so your shortlist is scored on reliability and attention to detail before anyone spends time in a room. Start a free trial, or book a demo to see how it fits your hiring flow.

Key Takeaways

• Reliability outranks experience: A janitor who shows up and self-manages an unsupervised shift is worth more than a more experienced one who does not. Screen attendance history and time management, because these traits, more than years on a resume, decide who lasts.
• Test before you interview: A short work-sample or skills test predicts on-the-job performance far better than claimed experience. Run it first so your interview time goes only to candidates who already cleared the bar.
• Map competencies to evidence: Using the Competency-to-Evidence Matrix, tie each trait (attention to detail, chemical safety, stamina) to a concrete measure. It turns a subjective read into a defensible decision you can repeat for every hire.
• Budget for churn, not just wages: At a median $17.27 an hour and about $4,129 per hire, a fast quit is costly. Spending more on screening up front lowers the far higher cost of rehiring in a high-turnover role.
• Background-check every janitor: Unsupervised, after-hours access to your building makes verification a safety measure. Confirm identity and past reliability, and follow local law on criminal history.
• Write the role for your building: A janitor in a clinic is not the same hire as one in an office. Naming the real environment and demands in the job description attracts the right people and screens out the wrong ones before they apply.

Frequently asked questions