How to Screen Construction Workers for Your Open Position
If you’re recruiting construction workers, here are 9 vital construction interview questions to ask your candidates. We also describe for each question the reason for asking and what to expect a viable candidate to answer.
9 Vital Construction Interview Questions
What makes a construction worker an optimum candidate for your next project? These 9 construction interview questions will help you identify the ideal worker(s) for your business.
1. Describe the construction projects you have worked on?
Why ask this one of 9 vital construction interview questions
Versatility is the cornerstone of the construction industry. The most viable construction candidates are those who are at-home working across a range of building projects. Checking all the boxes of needed experience takes time. But they should be capable of working on a wide range of functions from masonry to assembling scaffolding. However, if they’re missing one experience, they’ll need to be excited about quickly learning it.
2. Safety is fundamentally important on all construction sites. How do you ensure your worksites are secure?
Why ask this one of 9 vital construction interview questions
Employers always want to select a candidate who can show that they’ll maintain a safe work environment for their coworkers and themselves . That is especially the case in construction where there may be many potential hazards on work sites. Good candidates must be able to explain safe work practice such as inspecting equipment or wearing PPE (like gloves, safety glasses and shoes, earplugs or muffs, hard hats, respirators, or coveralls, vests and full body suits). They must be on the lookout for potential issues. Aside from showing how dedicated they are to their profession, this gets at a candidate’s regard for their co-workers.
3. What’s your familiarity with reading and interpreting electrical drawings and blueprints?
Why ask this one of 9 vital construction interview questions
A construction worker does not really qualify as a high potential unless he can read and understand blueprints and electrical drawings. Candidates must exhibit their ability in the interview. Give each of your candidates the same blueprint in their interview and ask them to read and interpret it right then. This becomes the best opportunity for candidates to prove their ability and competence without any B.S. It allows you to contrast one candidate’s responses with others.
Top behavioral questions to ask construction workers
4. Describe the most successful construction project you’ve worked on. What did you achieve that made it so successful?
Why ask this one of 9 vital construction interview questions
This question requires candidates to give practical examples of what they can do. No answer is absolutely right—though good candidates might describe working long hours, communicating with foremen to improve safety processes, or encouraging new workers. This question is a chance for candidates to show their excitement, and shows if they have the enthusiasm and discipline to make a positive difference to your team.
5. How would you leave a construction site if you were working late and knew another shift started early the next morning?
Why ask this one of 9 vital construction interview questions
This question lets candidates show they recognize the important role their team plays. An organized work area is crucial. Leaving for the day with the area disordered or in disarray is not reasonable. The best candidates will therefore describe how they would tidy up building materials and pitch in to help their co-workers before they themselves go home. More importantly, top candidates should be explicit that organized workplaces lead to greater productivity, saves time and expense because it lets workers rapidly find the tools and materials necessary to finish the project.
6. If you saw a colleague working unsafely, what would you do?
Why ask this one of 9 vital construction interview questions
This is a tough one. But a viable candidate must be willing to confront a co-worker if they were working unsafely. This shows integrity, strength and a concern for the team. Maybe even more important is that unsafe construction sites can rapidly be closed down and their workers punished. This gets at the hallmark of construction projects—safety and efficiency. This lets a candidate show he recognizes what is critical in a construction project.
7. Describe why time management is important in this job?
Why ask this one of 9 vital construction interview questions
Obviously, time management is a necessary skill in most industries. Even so, construction companies live or die based on whether they they complete builds on time and budget. Even relatively small delays can be expensive. Candidates should therefore describe that they’re capable of using their time efficiently, quickly understanding how long different tasks will take. Obviously, weather or illness interfere with outdoor construction work. When that occurs, is your candidate willing to work extra hours to make up for lost time to complete a project on-time?
8. Do you enjoy teaching new concepts and helping others develop their skills?
Why ask this one of 9 vital construction interview questions
Though there are many practical programs and courses construction workers can attend, there’ll always be a certain amount of on-the- job training . Well-informed candidates will be able to reflect on this themselves, describing how a more experienced co-worker took them ‘under their wing’ to show them ‘the ropes’ earlier in their career. A quality candidate should also show willingness to mentor a worker new to construction trade, and explain the environment in construction projects to newbie. This question, in other words, promotes generosity and teamwork.
9. What characteristics of a construction career mean the most to you?
Why ask this one of 9 vital construction interview questions
This is a difficult, though well-paying career. Extended hours and hard physical labor are not easy. But it also has its rewards. From learning multiple practical skills, spending your time outdoors (rather than cooped up in an office), to forming close relationships with your team, there are many reasons to enjoy construction work. Though they should be aware of the challenges, the best candidates will be enthusiastic to join your company and get started. This question gives them a chance to prove their enthusiasm.
Wrapup
When you need a team of experienced tradespeople to work on your project, it’s important that you conduct a thorough interview process. Interviews are important because they help you learn about candidates and their experience. You must use the interviews to uncover if candidates possess the skills and professional background to succeed on your project and to decide if a candidate would fit in with your construction firm and your current team. The above 9 construction interview questions will help you identify the ideal worker(s) for your business and your next project.
Flexicrew Support
Flexicrew account managers have advised many HR recruiters and construction hiring managers on correct interview questions and successful recruiting methods. That reduced the chance of their making most common recruiting mistakes.
If you would like support in recruiting your next new construction hire, please contact one of our professional recruiters with many years experience in staffing. We’ll help prevent your team from making a recruiting error.