As a qualified maintenance technician based in Africa, you’re in a unique position to find employment in some of the best companies near you.
Photo credit: Emmanuel
Compared with their counterparts worldwide, African-based businesses are often faced with unique challenges - lack of basic infrastructure and skilled labor.
As a qualified maintenance technician based in Africa, you’re in a unique position to find employment in some of the best companies near you. Below, we discuss the top five interview questions to expect and our suggested answers to help you sail through.
1. Why did you choose to become a maintenance technician?
The interviewer wants to know if you actually like this job by gauging your level of interest, passion, and commitment to this role.
Suggested answer: I have always liked the idea of making things run better and making everyday life easier for users of machines and other systems.
2. What do you think are five of the most important duties of a maintenance technician?
The employer knows that a maintenance technician’s job can be quite busy with several responsibilities to attend to daily. But even then, they want to have an idea about what your priorities are.
Suggested answer: From my experiences so far - I have seen that executing pre-planned maintenance work; conducting safety and compliance checks; quick response to work requests; carrying out fault-finding assessments and proactivity to keep maintenance issues minimal - are the five most important duties of a maintenance technician.
3. What is the most difficult task you have ever handled, and how did you handle it?
The interviewer wants to know how you’ve put your technical and behavioral skills to use in the past to solve real-world problems.
Suggested answer: Without sounding negative or blaming anyone, try to give details of a particularly difficult situation (e.g., a fire outbreak, recurring equipment failure, or a major shutdown close to a deadline) where you have used your knowledge and skills to resolve the issue.
4. In your opinion, what are the most important qualities of a good maintenance technician?
Besides the required technical know-how, they want to know if you’re familiar with other desirable personal qualities.
Suggested answer: I believe that would include exceptional problem-solving capabilities, the ability to work alone or as part of a team, and a generally proactive outlook.
5. How do you handle pressure when faced with difficult maintenance tasks?
This is a common interview question.
Suggested answer: Be honest and stay positive. Give a concrete example of when you successfully handled stress in the past and end with how you’ll bring the same skills to this role.
In conclusion
Finally, don’t forget to go with a few insightful questions for the employer. For instance, what are the most difficult maintenance challenges you have faced over the last year? Or, if I am successful, what would you need me to concentrate on within the first few weeks? Candidates with questions demonstrate their commitment and interest in the position.
About the Author
Bryan Christiansen is the founder and CEO of Limble CMMS. Limble is a modern, easy-to-use mobile CMMS software that takes the stress and chaos out of maintenance by helping managers organize, automate, and streamline their maintenance operations.
