In the construction business, hiring new employees can be a daunting process. 

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Especially considering the striking contrast that can take place between a resume and the person who crafted it. 

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How do you find someone who will show up on time? Someone who’s confident yet possesses the humility needed to ask for help? Someone who’ll stay on the job, stay late when you need them to, and who doesn’t get high on their lunch break?

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If you're on a quest to up your interview game, we can help. 

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Here, we’ll cover the top questions you need to ask to help ensure you hire the right employee for the job — the first time around. 

How Most Construction Business Owners Usually Structure Interviews

Traditional interview questions are highly predictable and are a dime a dozen. You know the routine … 

• Tell me a little about yourself.
• What are your strengths and weaknesses? 
• Why do you want to work with us?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• Why should we hire you over the others?
• What do you know about our construction company?
• Describe your dream job.

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Besides lacking depth, these questions make it far too easy for a potential employee to simply rattle off a neat package of predetermined answers.

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That's why some of the best interview questions require your candidate to tell you a story or elaborate on your question, giving you a bit of a perspective on what it might be like if they were to join your team. 

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Here’s what that might look like.

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How Construction Business Owners Should Be Structuring Interviews: The Top 3 Interview Questions Construction Business Owners Must Ask

These open-ended questions not only allow you to assess your potential hire’s communication skills (a critical skill that seems to be in short supply), but they also do a great job of digging into their take on some critical issues within the construction industry.

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This of course will give you the needed insight into the candidate’s knowledge of safety equipment and how to use it. 

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But even deeper than that, as they expound on their experience, you'll be able to gauge their attitude towards workplace safety.

#1: Tell Me About the Safety Equipment You Use and Describe for Me a Time When That Equipment Prevented an Accident

This of course will give you the needed insight into the candidate’s knowledge of safety equipment and how to use it. 

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But even deeper than that, as they expound on their experience, you'll be able to gauge their attitude towards workplace safety.

#2: Give Me an Example of a Workplace  Failure and How You Changed the Outcome to Make It a Success. What Did You Learn From the Experience?

Strengths. Weaknesses. The ability to admit mistakes. They're all wrapped up in this question. 

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But here you have the added benefit of discovering the interviewee’s standard for the workplace as a whole.

#3: Tell Me About a Time When You Had Multiple Projects That Needed to Be Completed at Once. How Did You Prioritize Your Jobs?

Deciding what's urgent and what can spend a little time on the back burner is something you deal with every day in construction. 

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Your candidate’s answer to this question will let you know volumes about their organizational skills, plus how they react under pressure.

Flexbase

​​Being well-prepared and armed with strategic, thought-out interview questions is essential. 

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So is your construction company’s payment strategy.

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That’s where Flexbase can help. We handle details like:

• Project tracking
• Legal reminders
• Lien waivers
• Payment applications
• And much more

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Flexbase’s payment management software streamlines your cash flow, freeing you up to focus on growing your construction business.