Skilled Trades, Construction & Manufacturing interviews. Scored the way the field scores.
72 job titles across 7 specialisms. Pick yours to see what interviewers score, the questions they ask, and where candidates lose it, then practise it live.
Last reviewed
Construction & Site
15 titlesElectrical & Plumbing
7 titlesMechanical & Maintenance
14 titlesManufacturing & Production
10 titlesCivil & Structural Engineering
11 titlesMining & Energy
8 titlesAgriculture & Environment
7 titlesWhat interviewers in Skilled Trades keep scoring
Every title has its own model, but these competencies come up again and again. Each title page shows what a weak, adequate and strong answer looks like for each one.
Safe isolation, lockout & permit-to-work
Isolates, locks out and proves dead before working on electrical, gas, steam or pressurised systems, follows permit-to-work rules, and refuses to work live or unsafely regardless of pressure.
Fault finding & systematic diagnosis
Diagnoses electrical, plumbing or HVAC faults methodically - symptoms, drawings, measurements, elimination - rather than swapping parts, and explains the root cause.
Installation to code & standards
Installs to the applicable standards (e.g. SANS 10142 wiring code, SANS 10252 plumbing, gas regulations, manufacturer specs), sizes conductors, pipes and protection correctly, and produces work that passes inspection.
Testing, commissioning & certification
Carries out the required tests, records results honestly, commissions systems and issues or supports Certificates of Compliance only when the work is genuinely compliant.
Customer-facing conduct on site
Explains the problem and options to a customer or facilities manager in plain language, gives realistic time and cost expectations, and leaves the work area clean and the customer informed.
Reliability, time-keeping & job completion
Turns up on time with the right tools and materials, completes jobs in the time quoted, records work accurately on job cards, and does not leave jobs half done.
Coordinating with other trades & supervisors
Plans work around other trades on site, protects and does not damage others' work, raises clashes early and takes instruction from the site supervisor while defending safety and code.
Lockout, isolation & safe work practice
Applies lockout-tagout and energy isolation (electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, stored energy) before working on machinery, works to permits and risk assessments, and stops work when controls are missing.
Mechanical fault diagnosis & root cause
Diagnoses breakdowns systematically using symptoms, drawings, measurements (vibration, temperature, clearances, pressures) and elimination, and identifies root cause rather than repeatedly replacing parts.
Precision fitting, alignment & tolerances
Fits and assembles components to specified tolerances: bearing fits, shaft alignment, gearbox and coupling assembly, torque settings and clearances, using the correct measuring tools.
Planned maintenance & work order discipline
Executes PM schedules and inspection routes to standard, records findings and parts used accurately on job cards or CMMS, and feeds observations back to improve the maintenance plan.
Breakdown response under production pressure
Responds to breakdowns quickly, makes safe first, decides between temporary and permanent repair honestly, and communicates realistic restart times to production.
Interview like a Skilled Trades hiring manager would.
Thirty minutes, voice to voice, scored against the competencies above. Five minutes of it free.