Which pool certification should I ask about?

The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance’s Certified Pool & Spa Operator (CPO) is the common one, and its Pool & Spa Maintenance Specialist (CMS) is aimed at route techs. Some states, such as Florida for public pools, require certification.

Do pest control techs need a license?

In most states, yes. States license pest control workers, usually after training and an exam, and anyone applying restricted-use pesticides must be certified. Ask whether applicants have the license or would get it.

Can GuavaHire screen for more than one service?

Yes, in early access. Each job asks its own questions, so a pool route and a carpet crew can each have the right ones.

Can I ask about background checks by text?

GuavaHire asks whether someone would be comfortable with a background check later. The check itself needs a separate written disclosure and signed authorization, and where fair-chance laws apply it waits until after an interview or an offer.

Can GuavaHire check driving records?

It asks, in early access, whether applicants have a valid license and a clean driving record, and shows you the answer. Pulling an actual driving record comes later, with its own paperwork and the applicant’s permission.

Home services

Early access

Hire pool and pest techs by text.

Techs work alone in your customers’ homes, so the first round matters. Applicants text the number on your job post or your van, and GuavaHire interviews them in their language before you spend a ride-along on anyone.

Get early access See what we ask

Roles you can screen

Pool techs
Pest control techs
Pressure washing techs
Window cleaners
Carpet cleaning techs
Route helpers

Screening real applicants for Qinti Cleaning today

Home servicesExample conversation

BlueWave Pools

Grace Kim: Hi! Texting about the pool tech job
BlueWave Pools: BlueWave Pools: Thanks for reaching out about our Pool Technician opening! Just a few quick questions. It usually takes about 5 minutes. First, what's your first and last name? Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for info.
Grace Kim: Grace Kim
BlueWave Pools: Thanks, Grace. You'd drive a company truck on a solo route. Do you have a valid driver's license?
Grace Kim: Yes, no tickets
BlueWave Pools: Do you have a CPO certification, or would you get one within 60 days?
Grace Kim: Not yet, but happy to get it

Grace KimPool TechnicianNeeds review

First and last nameGrace KimCaptured
Driver's licenseValid, no ticketsMeets
CPO certificationWilling to certifyReview

The hard part

Where hiring slows down for home service companies.

Techs work on their own
Your techs drive a route and walk into customers’ homes and yards alone. You need to trust them before they ever meet a customer.
Every trade has its credential
Pool, pest and carpet work each come with their own certification or license. Sorting who has what takes a round of calls.
The season sneaks up
Pest and pool work pick up in spring and summer. If you start hiring when the calls start, you’re already behind.

What we screen for

What home service companies screen for.

You choose which ones each job asks, and how much each counts.

“Do you have a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record?”
Techs drive to customers’ homes, and many companies require a license and a clean record for their trucks.
Set up with you in early accessUsually: Deal breaker
“Are you comfortable working on your own and talking with customers at their homes?”
Most service calls are one tech and one customer. Comfort with that matters as much as the technical work.
Set up with you in early accessUsually: Strongly preferred
“Would you be comfortable completing a background check if you move forward?”
Techs walk into customers’ yards and homes alone. The text only asks whether they’d be comfortable; the real check waits for its own consent form.
GuavaHire asks this todayUsually: Strongly preferred
“Do you have your trade’s certification, or would you get it? For example a CPO for pools, a state pest control license, or IICRC for carpet.”
Most states license pest control workers, some places require certified pool operators, and IICRC training tells you a carpet tech knows the craft.
Set up with you in early accessUsually: Strongly preferred
“The work includes lifting heavy chemical buckets and equipment. Can you do that, with or without reasonable accommodation?”
Chemical buckets and equipment are heavy, so it describes the lifting and asks about that, never about injuries.
Set up with you in early accessUsually: Deal breaker
“For pressure washing and windows: are you comfortable working safely on extension ladders?”
Ladder work is part of the job, and safe habits matter more than bravery.
Set up with you in early accessUsually: Nice to have

Plus work authorization and availability, asked today in every trade.

After the text screen: interview questions for pool and pest control techs

Timing, reach and pay

Be ready before the rush.

When you’ll be hiring

Spring and summer

Pest activity peaks in spring and summer, and pool service picks up as pools open. Hire before the calls start.

Where applicants look

Indeed
Craigslist
Facebook groups
Referrals from your techs
Signs on your service trucks
Spanish-language classifieds

What the work pays

$21.75 an hour

The median for pest control workers, across all employers, May 2025.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025

Hiring rules

What home service companies should know.

Rules for every job are in the fair hiring guide.

Pest control techs who apply pesticides need the certification your state requires. Restricted-use products can be applied only by a certified tech, or by someone 18 or older under their direct supervision.
It’s the one credential the work can legally require, and the state where you work sets the details.
EPA: Pesticide applicator certification
Checking a tech’s driving record through a screening company counts as a background check under the FCRA, with its own written notice and signed permission.
Techs spend the day driving your vehicle between customers’ homes, so it’s the check you’ll most want to run.
FTC: Advisory opinion on driving records

General information, not legal advice; state rules can be stricter.

Questions home service companies ask

Which pool certification should I ask about?: The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance’s Certified Pool & Spa Operator (CPO) is the common one, and its Pool & Spa Maintenance Specialist (CMS) is aimed at route techs. Some states, such as Florida for public pools, require certification.
Do pest control techs need a license?: In most states, yes. States license pest control workers, usually after training and an exam, and anyone applying restricted-use pesticides must be certified. Ask whether applicants have the license or would get it.
Can GuavaHire screen for more than one service?: Yes, in early access. Each job asks its own questions, so a pool route and a carpet crew can each have the right ones.
Can I ask about background checks by text?: GuavaHire asks whether someone would be comfortable with a background check later. The check itself needs a separate written disclosure and signed authorization, and where fair-chance laws apply it waits until after an interview or an offer.
Can GuavaHire check driving records?: It asks, in early access, whether applicants have a valid license and a clean driving record, and shows you the answer. Pulling an actual driving record comes later, with its own paperwork and the applicant’s permission.

Your next great hire is already texting.

Home services is open for early access.

Get early access