13 Handyman Skills to be the Best on the Job

13 Handyman Skills to be the Best on the Job

If you are looking for how to be the best handyman around, this post is for you. You will discover some of the essential skills and qualities you need to succeed on the job.

Also, if you are looking to hire a good handyman to work with, the listed skills below are what to look out for before hiring a handyman if you want your work to be done properly.

It goes without saying that you don’t have to be a man to become a handy. Irrespective of your gender, a handyman or handyperson is a person skilled at a wide range of maintenance and repair jobs around the home.

It generally involves performing occasional domestic repairs or minor maintenance for people. This includes helping to do all sorts of odd jobs, such as cleaning, furniture repair, patching of cracked or leaky walls, and fan installation.

Other tasks a handyman performs include ceiling repair, door and window installation, painting, and plumbing.

Being a handyman does not necessarily require a college degree, just basic literacy is enough.

To be a great handyman and succeed as one, you must possess certain skills and qualities, top of which are discussed below:

1. Well trained/Experienced: A well trained handyman is an asset to himself and the client. The client gets maximum satisfaction from his/her services, while the handyman gets maximum pay, commendation, referrals, more work, and more pay.

So, if you are a handyman and wants to maintain or grow your clientele, it is very important you get trained, as well as update your skills from time to time so as to be the best in your area.

Similarly, if you are looking to hire a handyman, make sure you get the services of a trained one. Experience and specialization is also very important if the task to be handled is very sensitive.

Things like plumbing and wiring are better handled by people who specialize in that niche, and not by “jack of all trades” who is not a specialist in any area.

Training improves your confidence as a handyman and that of your client in you.

2. Honesty: Honesty is a very essential quality for a handyman who wants to grow and sustain his clientele. He/she should be very sincere in his/her dealings with clients.

He/she should be truthful in quoting the cost of materials to be used for any work. Also, he/she should also avoid exaggerating the problem or prolonging the work just to charge the client more. An honest handyman always gains the trust of the clients easily.

3. Reliable: A good handyman should be reliable. He/she should always keep to appointments with clients and be punctual too, as well as work diligently to finish his/her tasks as scheduled.

4. Friendly and Personable: If you want to succeed as a handyman, then you should work on developing your relationship-building skills and interpersonal skills because clients are more likely to hire people with these qualities.

Since your work usually revolves around clients’ homes, you should be able to engage in decent conversation with people, be approachable and personable.

These attributes also help you build a good relationship with your clients that may lead to return patronage and referrals.

Mind you, people always like to hire handymen recommended by others. So, having good relationship with each client you work for puts you in a better position to receive such referrals and recommendations.

5. Multitasking: A great handyman should be vast in experience. He/she should be able to handle different odd jobs asides the one he/she specializes in. This is because while doing a work, he/she may be required to do other minor repairs.

For instance, a painter should also know how to patch cracked or leaky walls. This makes your job neat, saves you the stress and time of hiring another worker, thereby increasing your rates.

However, this does not mean that you should be a jack of all trades. It is good for a painter to know how to patch walls, but that doesn’t mean he/she should also be an electrician or a plumber.

6. Problem Solving: The job of a handyman also revolves around troubleshooting. Every new client comes with a new job. And every new job is unique and requires specific solutions.

To be the best handyman in your locality, you should be able to possess critical thinking skills and the ability to come up with solutions to your clients’ problems.

7. Affordable: A handyman should charge competitive rates. He/she shouldn’t drive away customers with exorbitant rates. The ideal thing is to charge rates commensurate with your skills and the tasks you are to complete.

The rates you are to charge should be fair to all parties involved.

8. Well Equipped: Being well equipped is a must have quality of a handyman that wants to be good on the job. This saves you the cost of hiring equipments each time you are hired for a job.

At least having the basic tools that you require often is a good way to start. It makes you prepared to accept work at all times.

While it is the duty of the client to provide you with certain tools and materials or to provide money to rent certain special equipment if there is need for any, it is the duty of the handyperson to come to work with basic tools.

For instance, a painter is expected to come to work with his roller, painting brush, tape, and overcoat, while the client is expected to provide the paint, water, and some other special materials that may be required by the painter.

9. Innovative and Teachable: To succeed as a handyman, you should be open to new ideas, new ways and improved tools for doing your job. You should also be a good listener. This ensures you don’t miss important details given by your clients or a third party on certain tasks.

10. Safety Conscious: For a handyman, safety comes first. His/her safety, that of his clients and people around the work area is paramount.

Therefore, a handyman should always be fully kitted before starting any work, no matter how minor. He/she should also always ensure that the environment he/she is to work in is well ventilated and lit.

He/she should also move all valuable objects to a distant corner and remove all dangerous items.

Professional handymen even go to the extent of been covered by insurance policy. So, if you intend hiring a handyman, always go for safety conscious ones.

If you live in a state that forbids hiring uninsured workers, then it is only advisable to hire an insured handyman, not minding that it will cost more to do so. Mind you, if you hire an uninsured handyman and he/she sustains an injury or die in the course of doing the job, you will be charged.

11. Basic Education and Numerical Skills: The job of a handyman does not require a college degree or special certification. However, it does require basic literacy and numerical skills.

As a handyman, you should be able to write quotations in simple and easy to understand language. Being able to take accurate measures and angles is also required in some odd jobs.

12. Negotiation Skills: This is a very essential quality that any handyman who wants to succeed must possess. What you earn depends on the rate you charge. This in turn depends on your ability to negotiate rates in your favor.

You shouldn’t over charge your clients, but you should be able to sell yourself and your services well.

This helps you to charge rates commensurate with your skills and the services you are to render. In fact, it is your negotiation skills that help you seal deals with clients.

13. Tidy: Tidiness is the hallmark of a professional handyman. Always ensure that you finish each work neatly and avoid smearing the walls and furniture with dirt.

Also, make sure you pack up all your tools, even the smallest ones as forgetting tools at places you worked is a clear sign of carelessness.

Finally, ensure to clean up your work area as much as you can and dispose the dirt generated properly. This allows your client to have a decent view of your handiwork.

Conclusion:

You see, as easy as the job of a handyman/handywoman seems, it takes a great deal of qualities and skills to be the best in it.

So, if you are looking to hire a handyman, you may have to consider some of the qualities above before hiring. That is, if you want to avoid regrets.

Also, if you want to be a good handyman, or you are already one but wto increase your clientele, as well as ensure that your clients are always satisfied, then, you should work on developing most of the skills and qualities discussed above.