Construction Worker Interview Preparation Guide

It is not always possible to satisfy everyone. However, it is our job to make sure that they are happy with what we do. If a customer has issues with the quality of my work, I confer with him to determine what went wrong and then take all measures to ensure I correct it.

Interview questions should be used to determine if candidates have any experience operating specialized construction equipment. This equipment might include vehicles such as forklifts, bulldozers, excavators or trucks. Ask the candidate if he has a license or has received specialized training or certifications: "Please tell me more about your training and experience with bulldozers." A qualified candidate should be briefly asked to demonstrate his expertise by using the equipment in question under supervision.

Major responsibilities of a construction worker include: breaking up concrete using jackhammers, operating drill machines as needed, shoveling construction material into cement mixers, positioning and aligning concrete and steel structures, signaling heavy machinery operators for correct placement of portable structures and setting up and removing of scaffoldings for support.

Interviews with railroad laborers should explore the candidate's previous experience in the construction field. General questions can ask about previous positions, specific projects and training or on-the-job instruction. Specialized questions should probe the candidate's personal role in such projects. For example, "Please describe your responsibilities and tasks you regularly completed when you worked on the Johnson Railroad project."

Situations such as these arise often. Construction workers all have their own specialties and there are times when we do not get much direction. In a situation such as these, I make use of my own judgment as much as possible along with keeping in contact with customers to ask for periodic feedback.

Questions assessing your knowledge of what the job role in that company entails and how your career path would pan out are designed to find out how committed you are to the career you've chosen and whether you have a realistic understanding of what the day job is like. Follow-up questions might include 'What do you think you will be doing day to day?', the classic 'Where do you think you'll be in five years?' and 'What do you think you will find most challenging in the role?'.This is another instance when you need to have done your research:

☛ Your answer should partly be based on what you know about the company - whether it a contractor or consultant and the type of projects they work on, for example.
☛ You should also bear in mind the typical career path of people in your role, such as a professional qualification, and relate it back to the training and development in that company. In five years' time, for example, would you usually be chartered?
☛ Take into consideration which areas are growing within the company and why - or why not.

Last year it so happened that our contracting supervisor had to go on leave and I took charge of the team for 15 days. I understood, translated and implemented the blue print plan effectively while he was gone and on return he was very happy with my work

There is nothing more important than being able to read and interpret blueprints and electrical drawings. This is because all activities of a construction worker depend on these two. If one cannot read and interpret these, one cannot plan and execute construction activities.

Working as a railroad laborer requires that candidates be able to meet sometimes demanding physical conditions. These include: lifting up to or over 50 pounds, standing for long periods of time, carrying heavy items for distances, wielding tools such as saws and hammers and the ability to bend over. Sample interview questions that directly probe these points include, "Are you able to stand for eight hours, other than your legally required breaks?"

Earlier on in my career, I fell from a high rise building that I was performing construction work on. I had been too sure of myself and decided not to fasten my harness because I was "only" 20 feet above the ground. I fell down and landed on my behind. I was lucky not to break my back. But from then on, I realized that even if one is 2 feet above the ground, a harness is essential.