Behavioral Warehouse Worker Interview Preparation Guide

Download PDF

Accuracy of order is of the utmost importance. It is vital to pick the right order and ensure that it reaches the customer in a time efficient manner.

Don't try to sugarcoat the answer by listing something ambitious as a fear, unless you truly mean it (for example: I fear being a great leader) - Share your real fears but discuss how you would overcome them.

I want to work for The Warehouse New Zealand Limited because I shop here all of the time. I love your product, and your company culture seems great too.

Yes. I am familiar with bar-coding procedures, protocols, and tools. I am also knowledgeable in labeling boxes according to their lot and item numbers.

Research the company on Google by searching recent news (to remain current on them) and their website. Make sure you understand their products / services, vision, competitive differentiators, and work culture.

Pick three adjectives but then back up each with a real life story that demonstrates those characteristics.

Teamwork is extremely important in warehouses. This is because every outcome is dependent on the work of many people. If there is no coordination, deadlines cannot be met and customer satisfaction is affected.

The first word that comes to my mind is challenges. To many, it seems like a mundane job. In actuality, working as a warehouse worker makes one come across many problems in a day. Every day is a new day and every day brings more learning than the previous one. I have thoroughly enjoyed the past three years working in a warehouse.

I have a rule always to treat my customers how I would want treatment in a store or establishment. Customer service is vital to a company's success.

Do your research before answering this question - first, consider what the market average is for this job. You can find that by searching on Google (title followed by salary) and glassdoor.com and other websites. Then, consider this - based on your work experience and previous results, are you above average, if yes, by what % increase from your pay today from your perspective? Also - make sure if you aim high you can back it up with facts and your previous results so that you can make a strong case.

Show that you set great goals and the process and steps you took to achieve it. Details really matter here.

The first thing I do is separate same sized boxes. I then place the bigger and heavier ones ate bottom and lighter and smaller ones at the top. As far as sizes are concerned, it is always better to make separate stacks. Where boxes marked as fragile are concerned, I do not stack them. I just place them alongside each other. It is better to make more trips than end up breaking something.

The warehouse environment that I was working in previously did not offer much challenge since it was a small operation. I felt saturated and it was affecting my efficiency since I had nothing to work up to. Your company offers much in terms of learning and moving up the ladder. I am excited at the prospect of working in a warehouse environment that offers challenges on a daily basis.

☛ Describe your past work experience.
☛ How did you get your job?
☛ What are/were your responsibilities?
☛ Why did you leave past positions?
☛ Why are you considering leaving your current position?
☛ What have you liked best about your past & most current positions?
☛ Shrink questions relating to current or most recent position if applicable.
☛ What is your shrink? How does it compare to your Company average or region’s average? Is shrink based on gross or retail? What makes up your shrink? What three steps do you take to control shrink?
☛ How do you manage your time?
☛ What is your level of proficiency in Excel? Provide examples of spreadsheets that you have created.
☛ What is your management style?
☛ What is your current labor percentage?
☛ How do you control the cost of labor?
☛ How do you hire? What would I have to do to be hired as a Store Manager/District Manager for you?
☛ Are you willing to relocate?
☛ How would your employees describe you?
☛ How do you control cash losses?
☛ What is your average cash variance?
☛ Give me an example of a bad cash control situation and how you turned it around.
☛ What three skills or attributes would you bring to the table?
☛ What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career? How did you overcome it?
☛ How would you (have you) handle a situation that required the termination or discipline of a long term employee?
☛ What are your greatest strengths?
☛ What are your opportunities for improvement?
☛ What is the greatest lesson that life has taught you thus far?
☛ Tell me one word that best describes you?
☛ Who are your hero’s, people who have had the most influence in your life?
☛ Tell me 2 things that you want to avoid in this position
☛ If a person cannot address shrink and their numbers they will not be moving forward.
☛ Clients look as much at character as they do at job ability – they will want to hear someone talk about their personal integrity.

As a retail employee, you will come across customers who want to argue with store policy. Assure the interviewer that you can handle a situation like this with poise while keeping the customer happy, and keeping the needs of the company in mind as well.

Warehouse Workers, also known as Warehouse Operators, are the primary personnel to carry out all daily activities in a warehouse. Their responsibilities include but are not limited to pack and store products, deliver them to the clients, track inventory and oversee shipments. They also make sure that the products remain safe from all hazards. Finally, they operate heavy machines and power tools for the purpose of lifting and placing heavy packages.

Tell them your major and the motivations behind why you chose it and how it's helped to prep your of this potential job.

☛ Describe the process of assembling, packing and labeling of merchandise.
☛ Do you how to use heavy warehouse machinery and power tools? How much experience do you have in operating forklifts?
☛ How well do you know computers? Rate your knowledge on a scale from 1 to 10.
☛ Suppose you find that one of your colleagues has been stealing from the warehouse? What would you do? Will you talk to him or inform your manager?
☛ Suppose your duty is to handle the warehouse tools and one of your colleagues asks for a tool without signing for it. What would you do?
☛ Suppose you have made a mistake and no one can find it. What would you do? Will you try to correct it by yourself or inform your manager?
☛ Why do you want to work in our warehouse?
☛ Suppose you have to deliver a bad news to a customer whose package has been lost during shipping. How would you do that?
☛ Describe a time when you disagreed with your manager or other colleagues. What did you do?
☛ How do you ensure that the products don’t get lost during a shipment? What are the precautionary measures you undertake?
☛ Describe the procedure of safely stacking some boxes of varying weights and sizes on a pallet.
☛ When do you use forklift as compared to a pallet jack?
☛ How would you lift and place a heavy package in its place? Describe the safest and fastest way of doing it.
☛ Can you work in extreme weather conditions?
☛ Working at a warehouse can be boring at times since you have to do repetitive tasks every day. How do you keep yourself motivated for giving your best?

☛ Tell a little about yourself
☛ Why did you choose the College you attended?
☛ Why did you choose your major?
☛ Which courses did you find most difficult? Why?
☛ What would you like to be doing five years from now?
☛ What has been your greatest accomplishment?
☛ Describe your greatest strengths and weaknesses.
☛ Would you rather be in charge of a project or work as part of a team?
☛ What have you learned from the jobs you have held?

☛ Describe your experience with pricing, labeling, and assembling merchandise.
☛ How much experience do you have with power tools and heavy machinery?
☛ What precautions do you take to ensure that products in shipments aren’t lost or stolen?
☛ If you have boxes of different sizes and weights, how do you ensure that they’re stacked safely on a pallet?
☛ When would you use a forklift instead of a pallet jack?
☛ What is the safest way to lift a heavy box?
☛ How do you cope with working in difficult weather conditions?
☛ Maintaining inventory accuracy can be repetitive. What motivates you to do your best?
☛ Describe your familiarity with inventory software.
☛ What would you do if you discovered that a colleague was stealing products from the warehouse?
☛ What would you do if you were responsible for handling tools, and a co-worker requested a tool but refused to sign for it?
☛ Describe a time you made a mistake at work. How did you handle it?
☛ Describe a time you had a disagreement with another co-worker. What did you do?
☛ How would you handle giving a customer bad news, such as missing a shipping deadline?
☛ What interests you about working at our warehouse?

Since I would be in a position of extreme responsibility, I would refuse to issue a tool to an employee if he refuses to sign for it. I would also report the said incident to a supervisor. I believe that if an employee does not want anyone to know that he has taken warehouse property, he is either indulging in nefarious activities or using the tool for personal purposes, both of which are not permitted.

First, find out which skills are the ones that you're currently lacking. Then identify what the steps would be to acquire/build those skills. Then take action to do so.

My reaction to employee theft would differ if I were a retail associate or a retail manager. If I were a manager and caught an employee stealing, I would terminate them immediately. If I were an associate, I would report the incident according to company protocol. I would avoid approaching the employee as I would not want to make it a personal issue.

Ideally, the role you're applying for either is that dream job or will help you get to it. If it's going to help you get there, describe the elements of that job role that you are passionate about so that it ties to the vision of what your dream job is. Be honest and talk about the type of work environment, management team / leadership, coworkers, culture, vision and products/services you'd like your dream job to entail.

Hopefully you've never had to do this, but if you did, talk about how hard it was personally to fire anyone but that you did it objectively.