According to the statistics, an average American moves a whopping 11 times in their lifetime. And since we live in the culture of consume and many people own a lot of things, someone has to help them moving their possessions from one place to another. You’ll find countless companies in the US specializing in moving furniture and other belongings from an old house to a new one. Some are small and some big, but all of them are hiring from time to time, advertising the job of a “Mover”. I actually like the job title, because it isn’t fancy and says clearly what the job is about. What will happen in an interview for this position?
Let me start with good news: The entry barrier is pretty low, and you do not have to be afraid of facing some tricky behavioral questions in your meeting with the hiring managers. In fact, they will typically ask only about your motivation, expectations on the job, driving skills, physical abilities, salary expectations, and similar matters. As long as you show your willingness to work hard, and right attitude to this type of work, they will hire you. Let’s have a look at the questions, one by one.
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Why do you want to work as a mover?
You won’t find many children who dream of working as movers once they grow up, but there are definitely some positives about the job. Try to focus on them while explaining your job choice. Maybe you prefer physical labor, enjoy working outside, and aren’t a type of a person who’d thrive spending ten hours a day in front of a computer screen.
What’s more, you are in a good shape, and do not find moving furniture particularly taxing. Considering your education and experience, it is actually one of the better jobs you can get. You definitely prefer it to working on a construction site, for example, or in a chicken factory… To sum it up, considering your skills, experience, and preferences, mover is a good choice at this stage of your professional career.
How do you imagine a typical day in a job of a mover?
The key is to show realistic expectations. You will spend most of your days carrying furniture from a flat or house to a van (or a truck) and then from the vehicle to another flat, house, or to a warehouse. You will spend some time sitting in the car (or driving it) in between, and communication with the customers may also be a part of the job. But you will have your hands full and work hard physically, and that’s exactly what you should say while describing your expectations on the job.
You can also mention working overtime or odd hours at times, because one cannot predict many things when it comes to moving–the traffic, problems with carrying some over-sized or heavy pieces of furniture, etc. It can happen that instead of at five you’ll finish your work at eight, and that’s something you should count on, and be willing to do (of course as long as you’re properly compensated for the time spent at work).
Do you have a driving license? What types of vehicles can you drive?
Movers typically work in teams of three or four people (rarely two or five), so you do not necessarily need a driving license to get the job. But it is a big plus, and if you happen to compete with more people for a single vacancy (which isn’t going to happen often but can happen), a driving license can move the needle in the right direction.
Anyway, if you have the license, and can perhaps drive a van, make sure to elaborate on your answer. Explain how many years you’ve been driving, how many miles you have covered in a driver’s seat (approximately), what types of cars you have driven, etc. You can also say that you have never had an accident (if that’s the case). And if you do not have a license, you can always say that you’d consider getting it, if necessary for the job.
* May also interest you: Delivery Driver interview questions.
Are you a team player?
You’re not gonna carry that 200 pounds bed from marble alone. Movers work in teams, and you should say that you are a team player, and actually enjoy working in a team. But the perfect answer does not stop there. Tell them about your former experiences that demonstrate your teamwork abilities.
Perhaps you worked in a fast-food place before, or on a construction site, or in a retail store. In each of these places you belonged to the team of people. Tell the hiring manager that you always tried to be attentive to the needs and feelings of your colleagues, and also felt a sense of responsibility towards your team members. You tried hard because you didn’t want to let them down, and you plan to stick to the same attitude in your work of a mover.
Working as a mover, you will have to lift and move around heavy objects. Do you feel ready for that?
Show some confidence in your physical abilities. Ensure the hiring manager that you’ve done hard work before, and that carrying one heavy piece of furniture after another won’t make you tired in an hour. Of course, you are a human being, you may need to take a break from time to time (just like everyone else), but you are not afraid that you won’t be able to handle the job.
Once again, you can elaborate on your answer. Perhaps you go to the gym couple of times a week, lifting heavy weights. Or you do this or that sport, or you simply had a similar job in the past, where you had to carry tons of material daily, and didn’t find it particularly taxing. You can even refer to teamwork at this point, demonstrating your preference for working in a team… Some pieces of furniture may be too heavy for you, but no doubt you will manage to carry them with the help of other movers from your crew…
5 other questions you may face in your interview for a job of a Mover
- Tell us about a time you had a conflict with one of your coworkers in your former job.
- What is your availability? Can you work also on weekends?
- Imagine that one of your colleagues drops a piece of furniture on his foot and starts screaming from pain. How will you react?
- What are your salary expectations?
- When can you start?
Final thoughts
Interview for a job of a mover belongs to interviews with easy difficulty. As long as you show right attitude to work, willingness to work overtime at times, and physical & mental preparation for the job, they will hire you. Just go over the questions once again, and think about your answers for a minute, to make sure you avoid embarrassing silence in your interview. I wish you good luck!
Matthew
May also interest you:
- Warehouse worker interview questions.
- Taxi driver interview questions.
- Construction worker interview questions
