Interview Questions to Ask a Forklift Operator

Our area – the Inland Empire – is full of distribution centers and light industrial firms, all of which need at least one forklift or pallet jack operator.

Read below for some questions you should ask candidates for these positions:

  • How much experience do you have operating a forklift? What types of forklifts are you certified to operate?
  • In what types of industrial environments have you operated a forklift?
  • What shifts have you worked? Can you work second or third shift?
  • Why did you leave your last job/why do you want to leave your current job?
  • What do you like and dislike about being a forklift operator?
  • What, in your opinion, are the most important qualities in a forklift operator?
  • What will you do if we hire you for this position?
  • What motivates you to do a good job?
  • Do you prefer to work in a small, medium or large warehouse/distribution center environment? Why?
  • What do you see as your best characteristics? Your worst?
  • How would your current or last supervisor answer the above question?
  • How will your best characteristic help you perform in this position?
  • Where do you see yourself in your career/job in one year? In three years? Ten years?
  • How many accidents have you been in while operating a forklift in the past year?
  • Of those, how many can you honestly say were your fault? What could you have done differently to avoid the accident?
  • Did the accident result in any lost productivity or revenue for your employer (that you know of)?
  • What are the good characteristics of a leader?
  • Does a good leader need power or authority?
  • When have you placed yourself in a leadership position (even if you didn’t get the “title”)? Why did you do so/feel you had to?
  • What makes a job move from OK/good to great?
  • What kind of work situations make you feel stressed?
  • How do you handle this stress on the job?
  • No one likes everyone. What kind of co-workers do you find yourself having trouble with?
  • Even though you may not like a co-worker, you still need to work with him/her. How do you handle working with someone whom you don’t like/grates on you?
  • Have you found any ways to make the job of forklift operator easier or more productive?

If you’re an owner of or a manager in a warehouse or distribution center environment, you’re busy. Finding and interviewing forklift operator candidates can take plenty of time from your day-to-day activities. Why not look to Arrow Staffing to source, vet and place reliable forklift operators in your San Bernardino business? Contact us today.

If you are looking for forklift operator jobs in California, contact us today.

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