Career & application guide

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers

Get to know the work, the skills that matter, and how to prepare your next application.

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What do elevator and escalator installers and repairers do?

Assemble, install, repair, or maintain electric or hydraulic freight or passenger elevators, escalators, or dumbwaiters.

This describes a U.S. occupation, not a live vacancy. Individual employers may use different titles and requirements.

Job titles to recognize in your search

O*NET reports these titles for this occupation. Compare the responsibilities in each posting before treating titles as equivalent.

  • Elevator Adjuster
  • Elevator Constructor
  • Elevator Installer
  • Elevator Mechanic
  • Elevator Repair and Maintenance Technician (Elevator Repair and Maintenance Tech)
  • Elevator Service Mechanic
  • Elevator Service Technician (Elevator Service Tech)
  • Elevator Serviceman

Core tasks to compare with a job posting

  • Inspect wiring connections, control panel hookups, door installations, and alignments and clearances of cars and hoistways to ensure that equipment will operate properly.
  • Assemble, install, repair, and maintain elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks, and dumbwaiters, using hand and power tools, and testing devices such as test lamps, ammeters, and voltmeters.
  • Disassemble defective units, and repair or replace parts such as locks, gears, cables, and electric wiring.
  • Check that safety regulations and building codes are met, and complete service reports verifying conformance to standards.
  • Locate malfunctions in brakes, motors, switches, and signal and control systems, using test equipment.
  • Adjust safety controls, counterweights, door mechanisms, and components such as valves, ratchets, seals, and brake linings.
  • Read and interpret blueprints to determine the layout of system components, frameworks, and foundations, and to select installation equipment.
  • Connect car frames to counterweights, using steel cables.
  • Maintain log books that detail all repairs and checks performed.
  • Connect electrical wiring to control panels and electric motors.

Prepare an application for this occupation

  1. Check the employer’s requirements, location, schedule and any licenses against your situation.
  2. Choose two or three tasks above that match the posting and your actual experience.
  3. Build a resume evidence worksheet using the skills and software relevant to that employer.
  4. Practice explaining your contribution, decisions and results before an interview.

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