Excavator Mock Interview

Practice 35 Excavator interview questions covering safety protocols, equipment operation, and site experience.

Question 11 of 35

How did you hear about this position?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
What to Avoid
Example Answer
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Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.

It costs companies a lot of money to advertise their job openings, and they want to hear where most candidates heard about the position to see what works the best. Also, some companies offer their employees a referral fee if they recruit new candidates who are then hired. Describe how you heard about the position, and be sure to name the employee who referred you, if applicable.

Krista Wenz

Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.

You want to avoid saying you cannot remember where you heard about the job opening. If you cannot remember, it shows that you do not pay attention to detail or are forgetful, which are not good qualities to possess as an excavator operator.

Krista Wenz

Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.

"I heard about this position from the website Glassdoor. I set up an alert when new jobs are posted for excavator operators and received an email the day your company posted the job."

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35Excavator Interview Questions & Answers

Behavioral

1.How do you handle stressful situations?

Discovery

2.What is your ideal company to work for?

Discovery

3.What do you like most about operating an excavator?

Education

4.Tell me about your education and training.

Discovery

5.Why did you choose this career?

Discovery

6.What is your greatest personal achievement?

Direct

7.Why should we hire you?

Discovery

8.Do you have previous excavation experience?

Discovery

9.What do you know about our company?

Operational

10.How would you describe your work style?

Discovery

11.How did you hear about this position?

Discovery

12.As an excavator operator, what do you like least about your job?

Operational

13.Our company only buys Komatsu equipment. How familiar are you with operating a Komatsu excavator?

Discovery

14.Why did you leave your last place of employment?

Behavioral

15.What is your greatest strength?

Discovery

16.What hobbies or activities do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Direct

17.Our company performs random drug testing as part of our safety protocols. Will you have an issue with random testing if hired?

Discovery

18.What do you feel is the most important skill for an excavator operator to possess?

Discovery

19.Tell me something about you that is not on your resume.

Discovery

20.If I called your previous supervisor, how would they describe your punctuality and work attendance last year?

Discovery

21.Where do you see yourself in five years?

Situational

22.You are working on a project and have a client that is angry with you. How would you handle this situation?

Discovery

23.What three words would your former supervisor use to describe you?

Technical

24.Are you familiar with the acronym ITCS?

Operational

25.What control pattern are you used to running?

Situational

26.You notice the bucket has a cracked or missing tooth at the start of your shift. What would you do?

Situational

27.All utilities have been marked prior to digging on a new project. While you are digging a trench, you nick a gas line. What would you do in this situation?

Situational

28.You show up to a jobsite that was vandalized overnight, and your supervisor says law enforcement is on their way to take a report. When inspecting your equipment, you notice granulated white powder near the fuel tank. What would you do?

Technical

29.What is the purpose of a lockout tagout?

Situational

30.You are working a pipe job and are responsible for placing a precast pipe into a trench. You have two people on the ground giving different hand signals. What would you do in this situation?

Situational

31.You are working on a project and the excavator needs to be moved a few miles down the road. The equipment is loaded onto the trailer, and the driver is going to move the equipment without securing it to the trailer. What would you do?

Discovery

32.How important is safety to you on a construction site?

Operational

33.How do you ensure there are no underground utilities before you dig?

Operational

34.If hired, part of your responsibility will be performing light maintenance on your equipment. How often do you like to grease your excavator?

General

Excavator Mock Interview

How did you hear about this position?

35Excavator Interview Questions & Answers

1.How do you handle stressful situations?

2.What is your ideal company to work for?

3.What do you like most about operating an excavator?

4.Tell me about your education and training.

5.Why did you choose this career?

6.What is your greatest personal achievement?

7.Why should we hire you?

8.Do you have previous excavation experience?

9.What do you know about our company?

10.How would you describe your work style?

11.How did you hear about this position?

12.As an excavator operator, what do you like least about your job?

13.Our company only buys Komatsu equipment. How familiar are you with operating a Komatsu excavator?

14.Why did you leave your last place of employment?

15.What is your greatest strength?

16.What hobbies or activities do you enjoy doing in your free time?

17.Our company performs random drug testing as part of our safety protocols. Will you have an issue with random testing if hired?

18.What do you feel is the most important skill for an excavator operator to possess?

19.Tell me something about you that is not on your resume.

20.If I called your previous supervisor, how would they describe your punctuality and work attendance last year?

21.Where do you see yourself in five years?

22.You are working on a project and have a client that is angry with you. How would you handle this situation?

23.What three words would your former supervisor use to describe you?

24.Are you familiar with the acronym ITCS?

25.What control pattern are you used to running?

26.You notice the bucket has a cracked or missing tooth at the start of your shift. What would you do?

27.All utilities have been marked prior to digging on a new project. While you are digging a trench, you nick a gas line. What would you do in this situation?

28.You show up to a jobsite that was vandalized overnight, and your supervisor says law enforcement is on their way to take a report. When inspecting your equipment, you notice granulated white powder near the fuel tank. What would you do?

29.What is the purpose of a lockout tagout?

30.You are working a pipe job and are responsible for placing a precast pipe into a trench. You have two people on the ground giving different hand signals. What would you do in this situation?

31.You are working on a project and the excavator needs to be moved a few miles down the road. The equipment is loaded onto the trailer, and the driver is going to move the equipment without securing it to the trailer. What would you do?

32.How important is safety to you on a construction site?

33.How do you ensure there are no underground utilities before you dig?

34.If hired, part of your responsibility will be performing light maintenance on your equipment. How often do you like to grease your excavator?

35.Do you have any questions for me?