How should I present the application process in a AV Technician job ad?

Present your application process by outlining each stage clearly so candidates know exactly what to expect and can prepare accordingly. Start with the initial application requirements: a CV highlighting AV experience including systems worked with, venue types, and event complexity. Describe the first stage as a technical conversation covering their experience, troubleshooting approach, and familiarity with your specific systems like Crestron, Extron, or your video conferencing platforms. Explain that a practical assessment follows, involving real equipment setup, a fault diagnosis scenario, and a demonstration of their working methodology. Include a client interaction evaluation where candidates handle a simulated situation with a frustrated non-technical user. If you offer a shadow shift alongside current technicians during a real event, describe this as the final assessment stage. This transparency respects candidates' time, reduces the anxiety that opaque processes create, and signals that your venue takes hiring seriously enough to assess both technical and interpersonal capability.

Common misunderstanding: Revealing the full assessment process in the job ad gives candidates an unfair advantage by allowing them to prepare rehearsed responses.

Preparation is not an unfair advantage; it is evidence of professionalism. A technician who researches your systems and prepares for a troubleshooting scenario demonstrates exactly the kind of methodical approach you want during events. Unprepared candidates who cannot handle a known assessment would perform worse under the genuinely unpredictable pressure of live events.

Common misunderstanding: A straightforward interview is sufficient to assess AV Technician capability without practical assessments.

Interview conversations reveal communication ability but cannot reliably assess technical competence. A candidate who describes troubleshooting skills eloquently may struggle when presented with an actual faulty signal chain. Practical assessments where candidates configure equipment, diagnose faults, and demonstrate their working approach are far more informative than interview questions alone.

What should a AV Technician trial or assessment involve?

A comprehensive AV Technician assessment should combine three elements that mirror the daily demands of the role. First, a practical setup task using your venue's actual equipment: ask the candidate to configure a conference room for a presentation including projector, audio, and video conferencing setup. Watch their methodology, cable management approach, and system testing process. Second, a troubleshooting scenario with a real or simulated fault: present a system that is not working correctly, such as no audio through the conference speakers or a projector displaying the wrong input, and observe how they diagnose and resolve the problem under time pressure. Third, a client interaction role-play where someone plays a frustrated presenter whose laptop will not connect five minutes before their presentation: assess whether the candidate stays calm, communicates clearly without jargon, and resolves the issue while maintaining the client's confidence. These three elements together assess technical competence, problem-solving under pressure, and the hospitality overlay that distinguishes venue AV work from pure technical roles.

Common misunderstanding: Practical assessments are intimidating and deter good AV Technician candidates from completing the hiring process.

Confident technicians welcome practical assessments because they get to demonstrate their skills rather than just describe them. Candidates who are deterred by a practical assessment may lack the technical confidence the role requires. The right candidates see practical testing as an opportunity to prove their capability and differentiate themselves from candidates who interview well but perform poorly.

Common misunderstanding: Client interaction role-plays feel artificial and do not accurately predict how an AV Technician will handle real client situations.

While role-plays cannot perfectly replicate real event pressure, they reveal fundamental communication tendencies. A candidate who becomes condescending, impatient, or flustered during a simulated client interaction will behave similarly during real events. The scenarios do not need to be perfect simulations; they need to be realistic enough to trigger genuine responses that indicate client-handling capability.

How do I create appropriate urgency in a AV Technician job ad?

Create urgency through genuine context rather than manufactured pressure tactics. If you are recruiting because conference season is approaching and your events calendar is filling with bookings that require dedicated technical support, state this timeline. If you are expanding the AV team to support new event spaces or upgraded systems, this growth context creates natural urgency. If the role needs to be filled by a specific date to allow for training and orientation before a busy period, include this date. These real reasons for timely recruitment create honest urgency that motivates action. Avoid artificial tactics like "limited positions available" or "apply immediately" without context, as AV professionals recognise these as marketing pressure and find them unprofessional. Instead, give candidates a clear timeline: "we aim to have the successful candidate in place by the end of March to complete orientation before our spring conference season." This respects their intelligence while communicating genuine timing requirements.

Common misunderstanding: Creating urgency means pressuring candidates to apply quickly without thorough consideration.

Genuine urgency provides timeline context that helps candidates prioritise your application appropriately. A technician considering multiple opportunities needs to know your timeline to make informed decisions. Pressure to apply without consideration attracts hasty decisions that lead to early departures when candidates realise the role was not right for them.

Common misunderstanding: AV Technician roles do not require urgency because they are permanent positions that can be filled at any time.

Event-driven roles have natural recruitment timescales tied to event calendars. A venue entering its busiest conference period without adequate AV support risks client satisfaction and revenue. Communicating this context creates legitimate urgency that technicians understand and respect because they know the consequences of understaffed event support from direct experience.