Best interview questions for your hiring process
Plumber Interview questions
Plumbers are skilled professionals. They will be able to install, maintain, troubleshoot, and plan plumbing projects from sanitation systems to heating and cooling devices. They can work on both new build properties and older properties.
You should seek these skills in your Plumber:
- Significant experience working as a Plumber.
- High level of understanding of Plumber safety processes and procedures.
- Trained in utilising and maintaining plumbing tools.
- Ability to draft and read technical instructions and electrical blueprints.
- Fast problem-solving and analytical ability.
Interviewing a Plumber
Plumbers have a lot of responsibility, as they’ll ensure a property is safe and comfortable to inhabit. They will also occasionally need to work directly with your customers and clients, in order to better understand a plumbing problem or requirement.
So, to help you decide whether a candidate is a fit for the job, we’ve put together this guide to a Plumber’s interview process. The questions listed here will test different recommended skills. They’re designed for use in the early interview stages, so you can decide early on whether to move forward with the candidate or not.
How to open the job interview
It is only natural that your potential Plumber may feel nervous before their interview. Even the most experienced candidates can feel this way. However, it is important to note that too many nerves can make it hard to assess a candidate’s skills and personality.
To ensure the best possible interview, we, therefore, recommend that you warm up the conversation with a couple of laid-back opening questions.
Best interview questions for your hiring process
See our Plumber job description hereFor the interview
A positive opener to start
What is your favourite career moment as a Plumber?
How did you choose to get into a career as a Plumber?
Behavioral Questions
Describe a time you’ve faced a problem during a plumbing project that you weren’t sure how to fix. What did you do?
Tell me about a time that you have made a change during a project which improved the overall quality or saved time.
Having a productive Plumber on your team who isn’t afraid to make adjustments or changes when needed is an incredible asset. This question aims to uncover whether this candidate matches this description.
What trends or updates in the plumbing industry inspire your work?
As new plumbing trends, tools processes, laws and other updates are constantly benign made in the industry, this question aims to uncover whether your candidate stays up to date with these changes.
Describe a time when you have had to deal with a difficult client or customer, how did you overcome this problem?
Plumbers will have to work with clients and customers from time to time, to discuss the scope of a project or quickly diagnose an issue. Therefore, knowing that they can deal with the more difficult individuals is important.
Soft Skills
How would you approach a Junior Plumber or apprentice if you noticed their work wasn’t up to standard?
This is important for more senior Plumbers, or those looking to hire an individual that they can develop into a more senior role. They should be able to show the communication skills needed to point out the correct way to complete the task.
What steps would you take if a client wanted to make changes to your plumbing plans that you didn’t agree with?
This question tests negotiation, communication, and confidence. The candidate should have the confidence to defend their idea while being able to take their colleague’s suggestions on board.
What skills do you have that make you a great Plumber?
Here, a candidate has the chance to show off their confidence areas and skills you may not have considered. They can mention both soft and hard skills.
When talking to a client with no technical knowledge about plumbing systems, how do you ensure they are following the conversation?
This is another test of communication skills. They should be able to mention some techniques they use to make hard to understand concepts easier.
Hard Skills
Over the course of your career, what is the largest project you have completed?
This will help you to assess the scale a candidate is used to working with and how this matches up with your current business.
Which tools, digital or otherwise, have you used to draft plumbing plans in the past?
This question gives you an idea of what technical skills a candidate will bring, and whether they will need training on any of your current processes or systems.
Have you received any additional training in any specialised plumbing areas, or would you say that you are a specialist in any plumbing areas?
Here, you can assess any niche skills they may bring to your business.
Which plumbing tools and equipment are you most confident with working with?
This answer will allow you to assess the candidate’s confidence areas, their work experience, and whether any additional training will be needed.
How do you test and troubleshoot your own plumbing work?
This is an essential skill for all Plumbers. The candidate should be able to mention some tests they routinely perform.
Operational / Situational Questions
If you were leading a team of juniors on a large project, how would you ensure all safety processes and procedures were being followed?
Safety and quality are the most important aspects of this role. This question aims to ensure the candidate understands this and can name a few processes and how to stick to them.
Imagine you have two colleagues who are in a disagreement on how to proceed with a plumbing project, how do you proceed?
Here, you’re looking for a good team player. The candidate should be able to offer their expert knowledge to quickly calm the disagreement and ensure minimal disruption to the productivity of the project.
Imagine you receive some critical feedback from your client. What do you do?
Your candidate should be able to turn the feedback into actionable points and make any possible improvements to ensure a client is happy. They may also mention taking learnings from the feedback to use in the future.
If you had to make a rapid decision when troubleshooting a heating system, how would you ensure all health and safety processes were followed?
Spur of the moment decisions can occur when working in a plumbing role, but safety should still come first. The Plumber should be able to mention some routine checks they perform, and mention documenting the change afterwards.
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Plumbers will often face unexpected problems. Your candidate should mention relating to the problem to one they have worked with before or communicating with their team to help fix the issue.