interviewing questions

[crae10]

Hey guys
I am a foreman for our company and we are trying to hire right now. My boss has asked me to sit in on the interviews. We just ask standard questions in our interview. I was wondering if you guys had any favorite questions you ask during interviews that maybe I could use.
Thanks Crae

 

[mckeetree]

Long time employer here. The most important thing you can do is talk to their ex-employers. And if they claim they had there own deal going but went belly up so they are their last employer there are ways to really check that out and micro analyze that too.

 

[isaaccarlson]

It's not always about asking questions. Watch their body language.

 

[beastmaster]

I'm not an employer, but I've seen a lot of guys ace the interview, but at game time couldn't Carrie the ball. Even with a good reference from their last employer, if you don't know what kind of work that company did it means nothing. A good foremen will know in ten min. if the guy is for real or not, by watching him work. Some lie straight out, some may of worked for a crappy company that did lousy work, and not even know how bad they are, being the best climber at a sub-standard out fit.
Depending what your looking for a top notch guy will probably have good references and gladly give them.
I have good references, but I'v also been fired, quit, and walked off jobs over the last 30 years. Those employers would problably give me a really bad reference if they could. Just saying a bad reference could just mean a bad boss.
I think any one worth a sh*# should be able to tie at lest three kind of knots

 

[imagineero]

+1 on that!

I don't bother with interviews anymore. 5 minutes on the phone is enough to sort the ones who have actually done tree work from the ones who are outright lying just to get their foot in the door. Simple questions like "who did you work for, what kind of chipper did they run, what sort of saws did you guys use' etc very quickly lets you know if they have actually done any work. If I know the company they used to work for (it's a small world!) I might call the guy up and ask, but probably not. I'm not so fussed about appearance or attitude, there aren't that many good workers out there so I'm willing to cut them some slack if they've got long hair, piercings etc. In an ideal world they're clean cut, straight laced and not an alcholic or on drugs, but lets face it; this industry doesn't pay enough to attract and retain high quality groundies.

If they sound ok, I give them a days work. I don't put people on the spot, we just get working. Run them through our short chipper induction and they get to work. The other boys keep an eye on them. During the day sometime, if he seems to drag and chip alright, one of the boys will hand him a saw without any real instruction. Some time later someone will hand him the lowering rope. I don't give specific instruction to guys on the first day, just watch them to see what they know and what they're made of. By the end of the day you know. If they did alright I put them on for a month with review. Not that many guys last till the end of the month anyhow.

Shaun

 

[sgreanbeans]

Some lie straight out, some may of worked for a crappy company that did lousy work, and not even know how bad they are, being the best climber at a sub-standard out fit.

THIS BE THE TRUFF! I have had a few of these. "I was the top guy for soandso, I made him lots of money" bla bla bla. One of these guys pruned a dead leader...........of deadwood.........BUT LEFT THE BIG FREAKIN DEAD LEADER! Had another that was a foreman for another, got him in the tree, wouldn't leave the trunk. I told him to go out over the house to tie off a large branch, he yells at me "how the hell I am I supposed to do that"........... it was his last day.
I agree, certain Q's can thin it out real quick, but I really like for them to climb in front of me, on the spot. I watch everything from his reaction (attitude towards a curve ball) to how he handles his gear on the ground (If he don't care about his gear, he sho aint guna care for mine). I like to see what short cuts they may do while climbing. I ask if they have a arrest record, already having his record in my hand, to see if they are a liar. The best question I give them is what was their best experience climbing, you can tell real quick if they are into it by the story they tell.

 

[ckliff]

Our local college has a fire science program. When I need help, I call the FS secretary and she puts up a notice. These kids are great. They love danger, sharp toys, heights, and give an honest days work. No interview necessary. They call, I hire.

 

[ronnyb]

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Always the most worthless question.

 

[ducaticorse]

In MA a former employer is only allowed to say that he would not rehire the employee if a negative response is necessary.

I have found that anyone with multiple employers in a very short period of time is generally trouble. Maybe not right off the bat, but usually they end up that way eventually.

Ask about perceived strengths and weaknesses, and how they have positively and negatively effected the applicant in his past.

 

[KenJax Tree]

In MA a former employer is only allowed to say that he would not rehire the employee if a negative response is necessary.

I have found that anyone with multiple employers in a very short period of time is generally trouble. Maybe not right off the bat, but usually they end up that way eventually.

Ask about perceived strengths and weaknesses, and how they have positively and negatively effected the applicant in his past.

Same here in Mi all an employer can say is yes/no they were employed from such and such date and if they're eligible for rehire.

 

[isaaccarlson]

I have found that anyone with multiple employers in a very short period of time is generally trouble. Maybe not right off the bat, but usually they end up that way eventually.

Generally, yes, but not always. I had a lot of jobs real quick when I first started working because we had a lot of crappy employers around here and they would keep rotating through new guys so they wouldn't have to pay benefits. They didn't need brains, just grunt. I decided I didn't want to work for someone who doesn't need brains because they won't appreciate me.

I paid my brother $20/hr when I was a freelance welder because he was good and could work his way around problems. I wished I could have paid him more. My biggest customer was a heavy equipment refurbishing business and they had a guy get crushed under a dozer blade so that job went out the window. OSHA hit him hard.

 

[StrataTree]

I'm a fan of the working interview...bring em out and see what they do. I'm not the boss but I get handed the new hires and I got handed one a month ago that talked his way in, on the way to the job I asked some questions like ever run a chipper with a winch? Who have you worked for locally? So you run saw? He mumbled some one word answers and I had a feeling it was gonna be a rough morning...sure enough, I knew after ten minutes on the job he was worthless...took till noon for the boss to send him on his way. We told him to put the blower back in the truck and he put it in with the chips and the boss went and dumped the load, he had to go sift through it looking for the blower after he sent this guy home...:frown:

You can waste a bunch of time talkin or just throw em in the fire and see if they burn!

 

[treemandan]

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Always the most worthless question.

Answer:

Well if I take the job then in five years I guess I will either be dead, broke or running my own business in which case I will either be dead or broke.


All these questions can't be answered suitably unless you lie.


Question:
What drugs are you on and do you plan to bring enough for everybody?

 

[Zale]

"We have a pre employment drug test. Is that going to be a Problem?"

 

[ROPECLIMBER]

When Aspen Tree Service Inc.' did thier phone interview with me they ask a lot of basic questions, and then the owner called back and ask about the same questions. That may be a way to weed out the dishonest ones, they may have taken notes on the answers I gave the operations manager, then compareed those answers on the second phone interview, but that was for a job for a CA crewleader trainee.
On ground help I would rather they were mecanically inclined, but had no tree experience so as not to have bad habits already. another way ATS do the ground help is through the local temp service, if they work out a week or so they offer to hire them on the payroll.
Paul

 

[treesmith]

"We have a pre employment drug test. Is that going to be a Problem?"

No problem at all, what do you need to know about them?

seriously though, actions definitely speak louder than words and certainly lie less

 

[sgreanbeans]

First Questions to ask

1. How much time have you done and for what.
2. How many cases of beer a week.
3. What drugs are you currently taking and what are you on right now.
4. Who cut your hair and what are the lines on the side of your head for.
5. When was the last time you washed your jeans.
6. What happened to the sleeves on your shirt?
7. When can you get your license back
8. What is the name of your PO
9. How many fines do you still owe.
10. Why do all your shirts have the number 3 on them

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fII6ZymCv8

 

[pdqdl]

1-9: Been there, done that question.

10. Why do all your shirts have the number 3 on them

I don't know that one! What is that question all about?

 

[popwarlick]

I don't know bout y'all

Down here in the south(Ar. La border) the first thing I ask is do you have your own climbing gear.then I ask can you pass a drug test at any time.Then I give them a saw and tell them to crank it correctly and make afew cuts for me.Ill ask them to go get the portawrap for me,if they can do that I ask bout a drivers license ,most of the time it's UGH well.We work a Skelton crew and a man needs a license.kinda picky ,I guess that's the reason we have a Skelton crew.Oh well

 

[slice'N'dice'M]

give him a nut and bolt, if he can screw the nut on the bolt with out thinking about it, go from there

ask him how to change the spark plugs in a diesel engine

look at his shoes.......sneakers aren't for workin men

you either need an experienced guy, or a quick learner

gotta be able to fit in with crew -pretty important

drivers license?....? check it, they lie..

go with your gut...

if you need some talent, make them prove it to you...with an arranged climb