Hiring guideRead at source, 29 September 2026

How to Recruit Linemen: Finding Journeymen, Apprentices and Groundmen

To recruit linemen, recruit two pipelines at once: experienced journeyman lineworkers, who are usually already employed and move for rate, schedule and storm pay, and entry-level groundmen and apprentices, who you train. For journeymen, the ad must state the classification, the rate and whose scale it is on, the on-call and storm reality, and the travel. For apprentices, lead with the pay progression and say you help with the CDL. Respond within hours, not days.

Who you are actually hiring

"Lineman" covers two BLS occupations with different pay, so decide which one you are hiring before you write a word:

Power linemen typically need a high school diploma and long-term on-the-job training. The Occupational Outlook Handbook says apprenticeships, which may last up to 3 years, combine on-the-job training with technical instruction, that workers who drive heavy vehicles usually need a CDL, and that apprentices may have to pass a fitness test. It also notes that after storms and other disasters, line workers may travel to affected areas and work long hours for several days in a row. The lineman job description has the template, duties and pay by employer type.

Where to find linemen

Journeyman lineworkers

• Contractor crews who want to come home. Many journeymen on travel-heavy contractor work would trade the road for a defined territory. A utility ad that says so reaches them.
• Utility linemen who want more hours. The reverse is true too: some want the overtime and per diem of contract and storm work.
• IBEW locals if you are signatory, and word of mouth on crews. In a trade this small, your foremen's reputations recruit for you.
• Facebook and Instagram. Employed journeymen are often not searching job boards. They see ads on their phones between calls, so an ad with the rate and schedule in the first line gets read.

Apprentices and groundmen

• Construction laborers, equipment operators and CDL drivers who work outdoors and want a trade with a clear pay ladder.
• Lineworker pre-apprenticeship and climbing school graduates in your region; call the programs and ask for their graduation dates.
• Veterans from construction, engineering and electrical specialties.
• Your own groundmen, whose path into the apprenticeship should be written into every groundman ad.

For trade-wide sourcing, see apprenticeship recruiting and electrician recruiting.

What to pay linemen

The May 2025 BLS median annual wage for electrical power-line installers and repairers was $95,320; for telecommunications line installers it was $74,330. Journeymen know the market rate to the cent, so publish yours, say whose scale it is on (a union agreement or your own), and describe overtime, standby pay and storm pay. For apprentices, publish every step of the progression. The job description page breaks down pay by employer type.

How to write the lineman ad

A journeyman checks four things: the rate and scale, the overtime and storm reality, the travel, and what you supply (truck, tools, FR clothing). Put the classification and the work type in the title: "Journeyman Lineman, Distribution" or "Telecom Line Technician, Fiber", never "Lineman" alone. Say union or non-union.

Employment ads on Facebook and Instagram run in Meta's Special Ad Category: no targeting by age, gender or ZIP code, and at least a 15-mile radius. For a trade this thinly spread, run a wide radius across your territory rather than a tight one.

Screening questions for linemen

• What is your classification: groundman, apprentice (which step), journeyman or foreman? (routes the applicant, not a knockout)
• Do you hold a Class A CDL? (knockout for journeyman roles only if required on day one; otherwise ask whether they can get one)
• Can you take part in the on-call rotation and respond to storm callouts, including travel? (knockout)
• Are you able to climb and work at height outdoors in all weather? (yes/no)
• Which work have you done: distribution, transmission, underground, substation? (not a knockout)

If you will put a groundman through a CDL, know the rule: under 49 CFR 380.609, anyone applying for a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time, or upgrading to one, must complete entry-level driver training from a provider on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry. Budget for it and say you pay for it.

Speed, safety and the first year

Journeymen talk to more than one employer at a time. Call back within hours and offer a conversation with the foreman they would work for. For new hires, safety training is not optional: 29 CFR 1910.269 requires employees doing covered power line work to be trained in the safety-related work practices for their job, including emergency procedures such as pole-top rescue, and requires qualified employees to be trained to distinguish exposed live parts. A structured first year, with a named mentor and a visible progression date, is what keeps apprentices through the washout period.

What it costs to recruit linemen

In Boostpoint's 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, the Skilled trades family ran a median of $14.14 per applicant, with the middle half of campaigns between $7.58 and $21.49, a blended $10.74 and a 15 percent apply rate. Those are what advertisers paid for advertising only, and cost per applicant is not cost per hire. Journeyman campaigns reach a small, fully employed audience, so keep the application short: across all campaigns, the apply experience explained 70 percent of the cost variation. More trade guides are on the skilled trades recruiting hub.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Line Installers and Repairers; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 and BLS, May 2025 median annual wage, SOC 49-9051 and 49-9052; 29 CFR 1910.269 (eCFR); 49 CFR 380.609 (eCFR); Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark. Read at source 29 September 2026.