Master 30 Construction Superintendent interview questions covering safety protocols, scheduling, subcontractor management, and on-site problem-solving.
Question 9 of 30
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Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
The interviewer asks this question to see how diligent you are in meeting deadlines. When projects go past the completion date, companies stand to lose a lot of money. The interviewer wants to hear if you have ever had a project not meet its deadline, why that happened, and how you handled the situation. The reason the project did not meet the deadline may be out of your hands, but the interviewer wants to see how you handle adversity and problem solve in situations like this.

Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
If you have had projects go past their completion date, choose one that was not because of an error on your part. Focus on a project that did not meet the deadline because of something out of your control. Some examples may be inclement weather, supply shortage, or change orders from the client.

Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
Avoid giving an example of a project that did not meet its deadline because you made a mistake. Describing a project that was not completed because you did not schedule the project appropriately or had insufficient staff shows the interviewer that you may not have the skills they are looking for in a Construction Superintendent.

Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
"Yes, I have had a project that went past the deadline. A client made 134 change orders during a residential build, which set the project back two months. I explained to the client that the magnitude of change orders would set the project back a few months and had him sign an agreement that he understood the new deadline. At first, he did not understand why we could not finish earlier, but after I walked him through the process and explained the amount of extra work we had to perform, he understood why the project would be delayed."

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Written by Krista Wenz
30 Questions & Answers • Construction Superintendent

By Krista

By Krista