Attracting and retaining employees is one of the most important challenges any business owner faces. After all, your people are your most important asset. HVAC techs who bring a strong work ethic, technical skills and knowledge, and great customer service to your team can help your business thrive. Conversely, hiring the wrong person can result in poor performance, customer dissatisfaction, turnover, and lost business.
Hiring the right people for your business starts with asking the right questions. Here are 15 questions to ask during an HVAC technician interview to assess your candidate’s skills and knowledge, customer service skills, work ethic and attitude. Some of these questions, especially technical questions, have a clear right or wrong answer. But others are designed to help you understand who this person is and how they function at work.
Technical Questions to Ask in an HVAC Interview
First and foremost, you need an HVAC tech with the experience, skills, and knowledge to do the job well. Beyond their work history and years of experience in the field, ask questions that get into the specifics of their industry knowledge and the work they do. Find out what kinds of equipment they have worked on in the past, and whether they’re familiar with the tools and software your company uses.
How do they approach an especially difficult job? How well do they know the ins and outs of HVAC systems? These questions can help you get a sense of your potential new hire’s skill level. Technical knowledge also relates to safety on the job, not just for your tech but for your customers and the rest of your team.
- What brands and/or models of equipment do you have experience working on?
- What certifications do you have? Are they up to date?
- What does BTU/CAV/AHU mean?
- What is the most complicated problem you’ve had to fix on the job and how did you fix it?
- Give your potential new hire an example of a recent job scenario at your company and ask them to explain how they would go about handling it.
- Do you use mobile technology in the field? Tell us about a time when you learned to use a new kind of technology on the job.
- What are the most common safety issues you’ve seen on the job, and how do you respond when you encounter them?
Customer Service Questions to Ask an HVAC Tech Candidate
Customer service is an extremely important part of an HVAC technician’s job, from addressing customer concerns to explaining the diagnosis of a problem and educating customers about what they need. Online customer reviews, word of mouth, and long-term client relationships are key to the success of your business, and your techs have a direct influence on each of those factors.
Use your time during the interview to learn more about how your potential employee approaches communication and customer service situations, including difficult interactions. It’s important to remember that a customer dealing with an expensive and frustrating HVAC problem is likely to be under stress, and your technicians will need to stay cool under pressure.
- Tell us about a time when you dealt with a particularly difficult customer. How did you resolve the issue?
- How would you handle a situation where the customer is upset about the cost of a job?
- How would you explain to a customer your diagnosis of their problem?
- One customer’s job is taking longer than expected and you have another job to get to. How do you handle this situation?
Work Ethic and General Questions to Ask in an Interview
Finding the right fit for your company means finding candidates who will bring a strong work ethic and a positive attitude to the job, in addition to their skillset. Employees who don’t work effectively as part of a team can drag down the morale of your workforce. These questions can help you better understand what it would be like to work with the person you’re interviewing.
- What are your favorite and least favorite jobs to do, and why?
- How do you handle disagreements with your manager or other members of your team?
- What is one thing you would have liked to change about your last place of employment?
- Do you prefer working alone or with a team, and why?
