How to Get a Job as a Janitor
A certified job candidate will be more attractive to employers than a janitor who doesn’t have any certification. These designations imply that you’ve learned certain mechanical skills necessary to fulfill the job tasks, which would decrease the time necessary to train you and integrate you into a regular work routine. Employers are also looking for janitors with good communication skills who can display the stamina and physical strength that’s required to handle the job’s most strenuous tasks. Some workers might also have to submit to a background check before they can begin work.
What is the Job Like?
Janitors work in a range of facilities that includes offices, schools, hospitals, and apartment complexes, so there is no standard “work environment” for a prospective hire. Regardless of the locale, however, many of the duties are the same. In addition to handling cleaning jobs both indoors and out (like washing office windows and mopping cafeteria floors), sanitation workers might also do minor repair work to unclog toilets or fix leaky faucets. Those working in elementary and secondary schools might also do tasks usually associated with groundskeepers, like shovelling snow, icing driveways, and mowing grass. Heavy lifting is required frequently, as is standing on ladders, and operating complex machinery. Because of this, janitors have one of the higher work-related injury rates of all professions.
The bright side of the sometimes less-than-pleasant tasks of sanitation work is the flexibility afforded (a significant number of janitors are part-time employees) and the minimal amount of stress that such responsibilities bring.
