Interview Questions for Construction Workers

Yes, we know, it’s not technically a question, but it is common for an interviewer to ask you to talk a bit about yourself at some point in the interview. Whilst this is often intended to get to know you personally, keep your answer relevant. Mention hobbies and interests but don’t go on a 5 minute rant about your love of marine life. Instead, discuss personality traits that speak to a valuable employee such as being ambitious and highly motivated. 

Be honest and where possible, find a way to organically relate your hobbies and interests back to the role to some degree. For example, you might decide to mention that you enjoy photography in your free time because you’ve always admired the buildings in your local area and became fascinated by how they were built. This hints towards a keen eye for detail whilst indicating that construction is something that you are thinking about even in your leisure time.

This question is almost guaranteed to come up in some form so it is important you have a succinct answer ready. This is your chance to show both your passion and investment in a career in construction. In your response, mention what you would like to achieve in your career in construction as well as why you think you are suited to a position in construction. 

If you have prior experience in the industry, highlight why you already like working in the sector and how that enjoyment has fuelled your desire to explore new areas of construction. If you are applying for your first job in construction, show off your knowledge of the industry and highlight how a desire to work in construction has guided your studies/training. 

This is the time to show off the research that you have done on the company. Talk about the history of the company, the kind of projects they’ve worked on, the ethos and values and how you align with them. This information should be readily available online and even the most cursory search should result in useful information to relay about the company.

Questions such as this are often used to discover if you have a particular skill that is required for the job. It may be more technical such as asking for an example of a time you used specific software or performed a certain manual task, or it may relate more to soft skills such as asking for an example of a time when you demonstrated leadership. It is best to answer these kinds of questions using the STAR method. 

STAR stands for situation, task, action, result and it provides a structure which allows you to effectively demonstrate your experience. The method enables you to highlight key skills and beneficial qualities to prospective employers whilst providing a clear and concise answer. When using the STAR method be sure to place emphasis on the action and result as this showcases your effectiveness at solving problems and finding solutions.

Scenario based questions are often intended to see how you go about solving problems. They may cover topics such as unexpected delays, team conflict or negative feedback. Though the question is hypothetical, where possible draw on previous experience if you’ve faced similar problems in the past and be sure to mention how your actions in that situation led to a positive outcome. Remember to take your time and be honest, don’t rush to answer the question as you may end up talking about irrelevant details in an attempt to fill the time. If you’re not sure, say so and ask for a bit of time to think. 

For example, if you were asked ‘what would you do if a client complained about the quality of your work,’ you may respond ‘that’s a great question, let me consider that for a moment’ before answering; ‘I would firstly apologise to the client and ask them to show me specifically what they were unhappy with. I would then ask them how they would like the problem to be rectified, explain the options available, depending on the issue, and whilst fixing any errors would be of the top priority, I would ensure I provided a realistic timeframe for the repairs so as not to promise something that cannot be delivered in a timely manner.’

Safety on a construction site is of the utmost importance and being able to demonstrate not only your knowledge of health and safety practices, but also your awareness of their importance will be incredibly advantageous. Begin by reiterating the importance of good safety practices on site and mention a few regulations that you know. If you have previous experience of maintaining the safety of yourself and others on site, now is the time to mention it. This is also the perfect time to mention any training that you have had and how it has bolstered your knowledge of safety practices.

Try to be specific and don’t be afraid to go into detail where applicable. For example, instead of saying ‘I know that hard hats are important’ you could expand your answer by saying ‘I am aware of the importance of appropriate PPE and whilst on my last project I noticed some coworkers not wearing helmets when they should. I addressed this with them immediately and then informed the site manager so that further training could be provided to highlight why PPE is important and should be worn at all times.’

Teamwork is a fundamental part of working in construction and interviewers want to know how well you work with others. It’s not enough to simply say that you have worked in a team before. Instead, highlight the challenges that the team faced, how you overcame them by working together and what you learnt about teamwork from that experience. It is highly likely that you will be asked about working in a team at some point during your interview, so take the time to prepare an answer that shows your understanding of the importance of teamwork and the benefits it can bring to a project.

Contrary to popular belief this question is rarely intended to trick you into revealing your worst traits. When interviewers ask you about your weaknesses they want to know how self-aware you are and your potential for growth within the job role. Be honest when answering this question but don’t be too self-deprecating and highlight a weakness that reflects badly on you. 

Moreover, as tempting as it can be, don’t say your greatest weakness is ‘working too hard.’ Not only is this answer likely to elicit an eye-roll from the interviewer, it also doesn’t necessarily showcase the traits that they are looking for. Instead, say something like ‘I have a keen eye for detail but sometimes can get too focused on the small details. Whilst these are important, I’ve learnt to recognise when this focus might be slowing me down or dragging out a task. I will also seek advice from colleagues if I can feel myself becoming too fixated on a minor detail and use their guidance to redirect my attention/efforts if necessary.’

This question is particularly relevant for on-site construction roles such as carpentry or bricklaying. Interviewers want to know the scope of your experience using key construction tools and equipment. If you have prior experience in the construction industry, then you can tailor your answer to work in tandem with your CV, highlighting the roles in which you learnt how to use certain tools and equipment. If this is your first foray into the construction sector, be sure to mention any tools you have used whilst gaining hands-on experience as well as any personal study that you have undertaken to further your knowledge.

The operative word in this question is ‘overcame.’ When interviewers ask questions such as this, they want to see how you identify and most importantly solve problems in challenging situations. Challenges are a guarantee in any industry and construction is no different so this is the perfect chance to show your adaptability and innovative thinking. Avoid vague descriptions and outcomes and instead ensure that your answer is detailed and specific. Try to clearly quantify the results of your actions and how they solved the problem, such as how it helped you save time, get back on schedule or reduce cost.

Answering interview questions can be daunting but remember to keep your answers clear and honest. It can be tempting to over-embellish in an attempt to make yourself stand out as the best candidate. However, ensuring that your answers are honest, concise and presented in a professional and succinct manner is the best way to show that you are the right person for the job. Interviewers aren’t necessarily trying to ‘catch you out’ so don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know something, they will appreciate the honesty and if you phrase your answer well you can highlight your willingness to learn and enthusiasm to further your professional knowledge.