Handyperson
What the work is
Cleans, paints, repairs and maintains buildings, grounds and facilities.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Performs routine maintenance tasks, such as changing light bulbs and fixing leaks
- Cleans and maintains buildings, grounds and facilities
- Repairs and replaces broken or damaged fixtures, furniture and equipment
- Paints walls, ceilings and other surfaces
- Operates and maintains hand and power tools
- Assists with the installation of new equipment or fixtures
- Inspects buildings and facilities for safety hazards, and reports any issues
- Performs landscaping and gardening tasks
- Moves and arranges furniture and equipment as needed
- Keeps records of maintenance and repair work performed
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a handyperson service that looks after a block of units, a retirement village and a small community hall. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A list of small jobs is crossed off by the afternoon and the building feels looked after
- A resident who has been waiting for a repair says it has made their whole week better
- You fix something in ten minutes that has been bothering people for months
Hard days
- Three urgent jobs land at once and each of them is the most important to someone
- A job that turns out to be bigger than the call said, and it is not yours to do
- Being asked to do something outside your skills by someone who trusts you
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 899331, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.