I have good news for you: You won’t have to answer any difficult questions in your interview for a position of a janitor. What is more, in most cases you will be the only person who applies for the job (or one of several candidates). Instead of competing with the others (as it happens in most interviews), you can simply focus on making a good impression, and landing a job. Let’s have a look at questions you may get in this interview.
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Why job of a janitor?
Be honest. Perhaps this is the only job you can get at this stage of your career, or you find yourself in circumstances when you need any kind of a job.
Janitor is not necessarily a bad job, it just belongs to the lowest paying professions. Nevertheless, if you struggle to find the job, or if you are looking to make some extra cash (during your studies or your retirement), janitor is a good option, and you do not need any qualification to have it.
It is a calm job, you won’t deal with other people, and will be responsible only for your own work. It is not a bad choice after all.. You can refer to this in your answer: say them that you are looking for an opportunity to make some extra income, that you believe you can clean a place properly, and basically look forward to doing any job.
Do you have experience with similar work?
A lot of things can prepare us for a position of a janitor. You do not necessarily need experience with doing this job professionally. Perhaps you were simply the one who always kept the house clean and tidy, or helped out with cleaning places such as churches, schools, community centers.
Mention any kind of relevant experience you have with cleaning and maintaining places, regardless of whether you got paid for doing it or not.
How do you imagine your work?
Job description should help you in this case. Janitors do different things in a restaurant, in school, and in a factory. They should list your duties on the job description, such as cleaning the floors and stairs, washing glass, performing routine maintenance activities.
And if they do not say anything, you can simply say that you are ready to perform any cleaning tasks in the building, and ask them to tell you what exactly you will respond for.
Can you work independently?
Janitors often come to the building when everyone else went home. Tell the interviewers that once you understand your duties, when clear instructions have been given, you have no problems with following them, every day in work.
You can also refer to your past experience, saying how you managed to handle your job, without any need of supervision.
Are there any cleaning duties you are not willing/able to perform?
Be honest with them. If you have any allergies or other problems that prevent you from taking care of something, you should clearly explain it.
But you should always give them a good reason why you can’t do it–in such a case it shouldn’t be a problem, unless it goes about one of the principal duties.
Read the job description once again to see whether you can handle the job. Many companies, public institutions, and restaurants look for janitors. You should look for an offer that suits your skills and physical condition.
Some tips for your interview
- Show enthusiasm for the job. They should not get the feeling that you apply only becasue you need money, or any job. Janitor isn’t a first job choice for anyone. But they should not get a feeling that it is your last choice…
- Listen carefully, and ask questions. Listening carefully and talking to the point, you clearly demonstrate that you won’t have problems with following instructions at work, and that it will be easy to work with you. If anything is unclear, ask questions. This is also a good sign for the employer.
- You can dress casually, but keep your clothes clean. It makes no sense to wear your best dress, or a jacket and tie, for a janitor interview. That would just not help with the impression you want to make. On the other hand, you should wear clean and ironed clothes. If someone doesn’t care about themselves and about their physical appearance, how can we count on them to care about the building they are supposed to maintain in a good condition?
- Expect the best. Right mindset is crucial for your success in any interview. Believe that you will succeed. This is not a difficult interview. If you follow the advice from this article, you will succeed most of the time. Set your mind the right way before the important meeting with the employer…
Thank you for reading, we wish you good luck! InterviewPenguin.com – Your best job interview coach since 2011.
May also interest you:
- Custodian interview questions.
- Security guard interview questions.
- How to get a job with no experience? – If you have no previous working experience, you can still land a decent job. You just have to know how to turn your disadvantage (lack of experience) to an advantage in an interview.
