It is a common saying that grave diggers enjoy the highest level of job security. People will always die, true, but they will also always renovate their houses and companies, and they will need painters to change the ugly walls and cabinets to beautiful homes and places of work.
You will nearly always find some job openings for this position. What is more, you won’t compete with many people for the job, since painter doesn’t belong to popular occupations people fight for. Summarized and underlined, you are up for an easy interview.
Do not get me wrong though. You can fail in an easy interview, just like you can fail in a difficult one. But once you prepare for the common questions, and know how to make a good impression, you should pass this hurdle. Let’s have a look at the questions.
Table of Contents
Why did you apply for this job?
Tell them they you like painting, that you’ve always enjoyed doing your job. You can also praise the location of work, especially if it is close to your apartment, or you have a good traffic connection with the place.
Try to show some enthusiasm for their work offer. They should feel that you truly want the job, and did not apply only because you can not get anything better at the moment.
* May also interest you: Body language in an interview.
Tell us something about your painting experience.
Try to talk about relevant experience. If your new job involves painting in heights, or other specialty, refer to your experience with similar work. If you will work outside most of the time, talk about the jobs you had painting outside.
Once again, it is important to speak with enthusiasm about your past experience with painting. They should feel that you enjoyed your past jobs, and it is your non-verbal communication that will decide their impression.
Painting is quite repetitive. What motivates you to continue trying your best in work?
In this case you should be honest. You can talk about your goals in personal life, nice things you want to buy, or family you want to (or have to) provide for. Show them that you have a reason why you go to your job, and that the reason motivates you to continue working.
Obviously you can also say that you simply enjoy painting so much, or that each painting project is different, you meet other people and work with other tools and colors every time, and therefor the job isn’t really repetitive in your view.
How do you prepare a room with furniture for painting?
This question is a simple test of your real experience. Every painter (a person who painted at least several rooms and places) will know the right answer. We all have our specialties, but in general, we can talk about the following steps:
- Mask the room with tape
- Spread clothes and move furniture (either in the center of the room, or outside)
- Prime the walls
- Sand and clean the walls
- Ready for painting…
What do you consider the most difficult aspect of this job?
Meeting the exceptions of a demanding client, meeting tight deadlines while ensuring about high quality of your work, mixing certain colors, working in heights, etc–you have definitely things to refer to.
Do not forget to elaborate on them, however, saying that you understand the importance of each step in the painting process, as well as of the communication with the client, and will therefor approach responsibly also tasks you do not enjoy doing, or find difficult.
Special Tip: Download the full list of questions in a one page long PDF, and practice your interview answers anytime later:
What would you do if a client/your boss wasn’t satisfied with the final work?
You can start with saying that it is unlikely to happen, since you approach every job responsibly, and always double check the expectations of the client/employer, to understand exactly what they want to achieve with a new painting.
Then you can say that you’d consider the situation, and offer them some options for remedy (either a free one, or option they’d have to pay for, depending on the situation).
Do you have any questions?
Ask about the types of buildings they work on, the colors they prefer and type of paint they typically work with. You can also ask about the salary offer (on a per hour or per project basis), whether you’ll work alone or alongside other painters/construction workers, about the shift patterns, and other things.
Asking a question shows that you care, and are interested in the job, after everything that has been said in the meeting with the employer. Therefor you should always ask at least one question.
Ready to answer all painter interview questions? Not yet?
Continue your preparation with InterviewPenguin.com:
- Work portfolio for an interview – Learn how to prepare a selection of your best works, and how to use it to show the interviewers the value you can bring to their team.
- How to nail an interview – Ten tips that should help you to nail your job interview (guest post).
- Salary negotiation tips – Basic rules you should remember when negotiating a salary in your interview.
