5 Questions To Ask A Construction Employer During An Interview

Searching for employment, applying for prospecting work, and interviewing make up the trifecta that is job hunting. 

Whether you’ve been looking for work for a while, are unhappy with your current job, or just want to change things up, finding the right job for you can be stressful. 

You’re constantly reading through dozens of job descriptions and debating whether you should apply or not. 

After applying for a few potential employers, you finally get a bite. It’s time to go in for an interview. 

When preparing for an interview with a company, one of the first things you think about is, “What kind of questions are they going to ask me?”

While this is one of the most important things to prepare before an interview, it’s just as important you enter the meeting with questions for the employer as well. 

At Southwest Exteriors, we look for hardworking and trustworthy people that we think will fit into our company and culture. But, we want you to feel as comfortable working with us and have all your questions answered before you take a job with us. 

No matter the company or contractor you’re looking to work with, it’s crucial you not only get your questions answered about the company and the job but that you can confidently know if they are the right fit for you or not. 

This means preparing the right questions before talking with a prospective employer. 

In this article, we’ll outline five crucial questions to ask a construction employer during an interview. Then, you’ll learn more about the company and the job and know if it will fulfill your needs and is what you are looking for.

After reading, you’ll be well prepared to enter into any meeting with a potential company and can move forward with a job feeling confident you made the right choice. 

What five questions should I ask an employer during an interview? 

During your interview with a potential employer, you’re interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you. 

They want to make sure that you fit the qualifications of the job. But you want to make sure they will fit your qualifications for quality of life, pay, benefits, and more. 

So, what five specific questions should you ask to get the right information from a company? 

• What is the work environment like? 

• What kind of support do you have from your peers, leaders, and team? 

• What kind of progression is available at the company?

• What are the expectations of the job? 

• What sort of benefits comes with the job? 

Let’s dissect each of these questions more so you can get a better idea of what type of answer you want to hear for every question. 

1. What is the work environment like? 

Knowing what the work environment is like is one of the most important things to ask right off the bat. You want to know if everyone is stiff at work or fun and friendly. 

Will you get in trouble if you start a conversation not pertaining to work? If you pull your phone out for just a minute to check your messages? Listen to music while you work? 

These are just a few things to consider when thinking about what type of work environment you want to work in. 

Asking about the work environment will give you insight into what type of personalities you’ll be surrounded with and preview what the expectations for the job are. 

Think about what kind of environment you want to work in. Does this company align with that? 

2. What kind of support will you have from your peers, leaders, and team?

This question is a great follow-up to the first question above. First, you want to learn more about what the work environment is like and what kind of people you will be working with. 

Then, you want to know what the support is like from your fellow peers, leaders, and the company team as a whole. 

If you need help with a task, is it frowned upon to ask a coworker or leader for help, or is it encouraged? Are you able to reach out to an employee from a different department when you have a question? 

The biggest question you want to consider when asking this is, “What’s the overall attitude when I need help with something?”    

Another important thing you want to know with this question is if there is any ‘hierarchy’ of departments at this company. In other words, does one department look down on another or think they are better? This would be a key indicator of a toxic environment. 

If an employer mentions that all employees and departments keep to themselves or don’t interact unless forced to, this would tell you you probably won’t get much support when you need it.        

3. What kind of progression is available at the company? 

Working in the construction and remodeling industry provides you with many opportunities to move up the ladder. 

It’s not uncommon for many project managers and installation leaders to start as installation crew members or punchlist technicians and work their way up. 

Because your skills expand with the more experience you have, if moving up into a leadership position is what you are looking for, you want to work for a company that gives you the opportunity to do so. 

If they do confirm there is an opportunity to move up, a follow-up question you want to ask is what that pathway of progression is like. 

Is it difficult to move up? Are there time constraints or minimum years of experience needed before moving up? Is it easy or difficult to learn new skills from other departments? Are you able to transfer to a different department if you desire? 

Overall, this question is crucial to ask if you are looking to enter a job with the intent to move up. The last thing you want is to be stuck where you are without the opportunity to grow. 

4. What are the expectations of the job? 

When you apply for a job, you most likely read the overview description of the job: what’s required, what skills you need to have, years of experience, etc. The interviewer probably went over the job at the beginning of your meeting, too. 

While you may have a good idea of what the job is, you want to know exactly what is expected of you in this position. 

Ask what a day and week in the job is like. What are the hours like? Is the schedule regular, or do you have to be flexible? Are you expected to work holidays, weekends, or change your schedule last minute?

You want to know if the job will fit your expectations during the job and outside of the job. Are you okay with being called in at the last minute all the time? Do you want weekends off guaranteed?

These are just a few things to consider when asking an employer this question. Think about what you are looking for in a job and whether what they tell you sounds like what you’re interested in. 

5. What sort of benefits comes with the job? 

One of the final technical questions you want to ask is what sort of benefits come with the job and with working at that particular company. 

The first thing you’re most likely wondering is what the job pays. If the employer hasn’t already outlined this, ask. 

You also want to know what benefits are available like insurance, healthcare, 401K, etc. 

Think about what kind of benefits you want out of your new career. Are you looking for healthcare, dental insurance, or eye care insurance? What kind of coverage do you need for yourself and your family? Do they offer retirement saving options? 

This question, again, goes back to you finding a company that fits your needs, not just the other way around. 

Asking the right questions to find the right company to work for

Now you know five key questions to ask a potential employer during an interview. 

Remember that when you meet with a company you may work for, you are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you. 

You need to know that they will meet your needs and expectations for the job, workload, and company environment. 

Think about what is most important to you for your next job. What kind of work environment do you want to be in? Do you want to have the opportunity to move up? What sort of benefits are you looking for in your next career? 

Asking questions also separates you from other candidates and shows the prospective employer you put thought into this job and company. 

Overall, you want to work for a company that can fulfill all your needs and benefits you. 

Want to work for a company that values you? 

At Southwest Exteriors, we operate off of love and excellence, both for the clients we serve and all team members that work with us. 

We provide an environment of learning and growth. If you are looking for a new job with hardworking and loving people and want to have the opportunity to move up in your career, we want to offer you just that. 

Are you interested in working for Southwest Exteriors? Head over to our Career Page to learn more about what it’s like working with us and see all currently available positions.