Cost Estimator Interview Questions
1. Are you already familiar with our suppliers?
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1. I am eager to build relationships with all of the suppliers on this program.
2. Not sure, when you give me abreakdown I can elaborate.
3. 4PM AND THEN GYM AND THEN I slept some hours and went ot job.
4. Yes, I've worked with many in the past.
5. Suppliers are more common. We need to develop more vendors for better business development.
6. Yes we are familiar with our suppliers because negotiable cost.
2. Would you consider yourself a confident individual?
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3. Do you have a valid certification through the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE)?
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4. Tell me about a time when you made a decision or discovery that resulted in a huge cost savings for your company or project.
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5. If you hadn't pursued a career as a cost estimator, what would you have chosen?
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6. Have you ever led a project or team? Describe your leadership style in 3 words.
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7. Communication and strong interpersonal relationship skills are important to us. Tell me about your communication style.
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8. In your career as a cost estimator, have you ever created and made a presentation to a group of decision makers?
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9. As a cost estimator, we would expect you to have strong writing skills. Do you have experience writing proposals?
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10. Would you consider yourself to have strong mathematical aptitude?
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11. Tell me about your post-secondary education. Which program did you graduate from? Which course was the most challenging for you?
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12. Tell me about your post-secondary education. Which program did you graduate from? Which course was your favorite?
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13. What program or software are you best versed in when it comes to data collection?
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14. What would your previous manager say about your overall performance?
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15. What made you choose a career as a cost estimator?
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1. Its a bit different dimension of engineering other than physical design. It takes planning to reality within a certain amout of time within a certain budget.
2. More aligned with my overall career goals.
3. Every one ask for your oppinion and your advice.
4. I enjoy the construction industry, you always learn from jobs.
5. I worked with my father from I was 15 year old. I really like this profession.
6. Loved to chase targets.... Every tender is a target.
16. How well do you know this industry?
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1. Well im now in this indusrty for 7 years, I have gained some insight.
2. Yes I complete the seven years in this industry and these industry are market base.
3. Very well. I have been in the industry for over 6 years.
17. How well do you know our company?
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1. I know whats your main area of business, more or less the functions of the business which is to design, manufacture and install structural steel buildings.
2. I researched your company on your website and whatever I could find on google, it seems as if you take a lot of pride in what you do.
3. Nothing. Only that I watched on internet.
4. Your company will be search to market are organised,
5. Well, a developed company that is gradually building their reputation in the competitive world.
6. Very well. I have done my research and understand that the company provides services such as power and I.T
18. What do you typically find the hardest cost to project?
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1. Labour, its never as accurate is you would want.
2. Nothing if everything is clear.
3. Maybe weather conditions delays the time frame as well as increase the labour cost.
4. Nothing as long as there are details for such estimation.
19. What are your first steps when analyzing the costs of a new project?
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1. The first step before starting the estimation of a project. I would survey the site to look for indirect costs, unseen costs and the availability of resources like electricity, water and transportation to the site.
2. I read the contracts for the projects, then go to respective managers and department to understand the CTRs necessary for the project. Also understand the activities involved.
3. Review the design with budget and resources.
4. Understand the scope and what the client is trying to achieve.
5. First of all we starting the work for analyse the work, read drawing docket and crate the require query material specification and finish they will be require, and revert back to marketing team & project leader to resolve the query. After receive the complete information then start to work and calculate the total cost,
6. Go through thoroughly with pre tender meeting, going through specification, finding which trade has more scope of work and which sub contractor to be invited for getting edges in getting the job.
20. As a cost estimator, what is your proudest accomplishment to date?
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1. I finish what I started even if it kills me.
2. The complete renewal of the hull on a cargo ship. On time, under budget and minimal risk.
3. Creating a report that control the daily progress and daily cost.
4. Maintaining a small business for almost 2 decades on an extremely limited budget.
5. Everything in my past experience because that is I am today.
6. Self experince to calculate BOQ
21. Do you take pride in your work? Give me an example.
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1. Yes I am proud of doing this work.
2. I pride of my work as a member of team because I engage in success of project with other project team and I am very interested to see the successful end of project.
3. Yes I take pride in my work. There are no mistakes. If any because I am human, it is minimal.
4. I love to perform tasks as well as encourage teamwork, people love me for that.
5. Yes I take great pride in my work, for instance while working up.
6. Daily receive the new experience and opportunity.
22. Would you say you are an organized person? Give me an example.
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1. Very! My home is super organised, I have a meal plan, tied into my grocery list which is tied into my calendar. My kids have set routines which are followed and any deviations are noted.
2. Controlled two running projects at one time, with different activities.
3. Yes I am.
i wasnted so much to travel. I decided to work part time 8 hours in a call centre to earn money to trAVEL. AND THAT TIME I WAS DOING COLLEGE B CLASSES AS
4. Yes, I enjoy working in organized enviroment is makes my job easier.
5. Yes, I like to work in a organized enviroment which makes my work easier.
6. Yes, for 19 years, I owned and operated a small business that could not afford to hire out many jobs, I had to to maintain a structured schedule in order to operate the business properly.
23. As a cost estimator you must pay attention to the smallest detail. What would your previous manager have to say about your attention to detail?
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1. Good, as to the point of understaing what could go wrong.
2. Quite fanatically, your website is a good example of this.
3. I feel its a necessity as if you are not detail oriented you will miss things that can cost both the customer and company.
4. Details is a important part of any work because that help to do a correct work.
5. We are assume the different details to receive the project.
6. My rule is to check the results with design and inspect the outcome of resources. Verify with previous factors and common mistakes. Justify and improve.
24. In what ways, could you improve as a cost estimator? What can you do to improve in those areas?
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1. Attending relavant courses and taking on more challange.
2. As a cost estimator you are always looking to improve, making your checks more accurate, streamlining operations is an ongoing procedure, then customer service is always on the agenda. So, always improving is what I would say I could improve.
3. Pay attention to the smallest detail, meetings with the concerned people.
4. Practice makes perfect, and course could help too.
5. Becoming more familiar with new construction.
6. Knowing more abt the project-- and products.
25. What is your least favorite task within estimating?
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1. That some tasks are beyond your control.
2. You have to be updated daily.
3. I go sometimes in very deep and forget the outstandings.
4. People providing data late.
5. I've met several people who have been dishonest.
6. Well, I think is spend time working in a project and don't award or get it.
26. What do you enjoy most about being a cost estimator?
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1. Being an esimator is really a part of a company profit.
2. The best thing about being a cost estimator is the Challenge of keeping the project under budget to get built.
3. I enjoy calculations. I see it as a game that I must win. For having to win in my mind my estimates are most times very close to reality.
4. Challenging target, meet new clients with new ideas, civil construction and development.
5. Providing a solution to a customer and client, that suits their budget.
6. Yes I enjoy for this profile for this work, these profile are many new experience for this job.
27. Do you have an estimating assignment from the past that you feel you did not complete well?
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1. The Worst assignment I did is Submiting a report to the Projects manager without Revising it with the project manager.
2. I was preparing for entrance of engineering college, as I was not so serious in studies I got average college, not so good not so bad. Mistake is I know I could get the best college of india, I have the ability.
i am preparing for gre, its graduate report exam for the entrance of masters of science in colleges, I am preparing it at my best to not have regrets in future for the mistake I did.
3. When the company I am workin on won the first project where I did the take-off.
4. I dont know, I never made a mistake.
5. Not getting a rental ready on time, I underestimated the difficulty and time the job would take.
6. I don't remember any worst performs but I evaluate my work always, that I use to doing better work next time.
28. What was the most difficult estimating assignment you have faced? How did you get through?
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1. Taking the Continues Miner out from underground. Team work, ideas, and strategy.
2. Most difficult would be where I was given the task of supervising an under performing team whose manager had just walked out on. I geared the guys up, threw in some incentives and did some monitoring and evaluation on each individual.
3. Cost Controlling a running projects for more than a one year, Revised the Book of quantity, Studied the contract and the aggrements.
4. I was a intern in construction company, in the night, all the workers were staying there because of the casting of slab. suddenly there was a dispute between workers and engineers and nobody was agree to work that night. So I was the only person who tried to talked to the workers... And manage thaT SITUATION ANYHOW AND IT WORKED
5. Building on a limited budget. I completed the task with a lot of research in order to find reasonable material and labor costs.
6. Count the no. Of hose reels.