How to Answer: If you and a couple of other workers were given instructions to do a certain job one way but you knew that there was a better way to do it, what would you do?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Boilermaker job interview.
23. If you and a couple of other workers were given instructions to do a certain job one way but you knew that there was a better way to do it, what would you do?
How to Answer
This question is getting at whether or not you are able to follow policy and procedure while still using your background knowledge to think for yourself. You definitely do not want to give the impression that if you know a better way, you just do it. Your answer should show that you are aware of the chain of command when you disagree with a procedure or have a new method for doing something.
Written by Elizabeth Engler on May 27th, 2021
Answer Example
"There have been times when my coworkers and I question why a task is being done a certain way and think we might have a quicker way to do it. When that happens, we speak to our foreman or supervisor and discuss our thoughts before we ever take action. There might be a serious reason why the procedure is being done one way and not the other - perhaps someone got injured in the past or it has proven to be unsuccessful in some way. I was digging a trench in the heat of the day one time and my coworker asked why we weren't using a backhoe instead of doing it manually. It sounded like a great idea - work smarter, not harder. When we talked to our foreman, he pointed out that there were gas lines all around where we were and that doing it manually was the only safe way to do it. We obviously didn't know this and were glad we talked with him first."
Written by Elizabeth Engler on May 27th, 2021