# Job Interview Questions



## tmurray (Sep 18, 2019)

So...I am in a position that I have never been in before. I had a resignation in my department and have to hire a new building inspector. I really don't know where to start with this process. Luckily I have an HR department helping me along, but they are relying on my for more technical questions. I know some of you are managers who have likely done this before, so I figured you would be excellent resources on some potential interview questions.

Thanks


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## classicT (Sep 18, 2019)

One of my favorites to ask is the following:

Given two commercial warehouse projects, one Type V-B and one Type II-B, what are some of the expected differences that you would expect to see or how would you inspect these projects differently?

or...

Given that you and the plans examiner have a difference of opinion regarding a code interpretation, how would you proceed?

A citizen flags you down and begins to complain about graffiti/garbage/etc. How do you handle this situation? What steps do you take?

During the course of your day you show up at an inspection that was scheduled for framing, but when you arrive, the project superintendent tells you that he made a mistake and wanted a mechanical inspection. What do you do?


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## Builder Bob (Sep 18, 2019)

Show him Fatboy's re-roofing inspection picture (with Fatboy's permission of course) - ask what does he see wrong, what are the possible code implications, and what steps would he/she pursue at that time.


i.e. not my pay grade (wrong answer)

tries to resolve it himself -  (wrong answer)

Notify homeowner of potential problem, need to research and get back, notifies supervisor (immediately) , tries to assist with previous records for the location - hopefully has a face to face discussion with chief inspector (if one is available) and Building Official to determine course of action - primary contact by building inspector gives information to homeowner as promised (closure of step 1).  If delivering bad news, may ask chief building inspector to go so homeowner sees that it was reached by consensus in office and not just an inspector being hard to get along with.


Sorry got long winded - but Fatboy's picture blew me away


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## cda (Sep 18, 2019)

Know the questions not to ask. HR should know.

Put a code book in front of them and ask if they know what it is


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## mtlogcabin (Sep 18, 2019)

https://www.thebuildingcodeforum.com/forum/threads/interview-questions.12040/


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## cda (Sep 18, 2019)

I guess you cannot do field interviews

All candidates would have to do the same building???

If you have other staff let them also ask questions and see if the person is a moron or someone they would not want to work with.


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## north star (Sep 18, 2019)

** & * & **

IMO, ...some, maybe even all of the technical aspects can
be learned "IF", ...the selected candidate has: *(1)* a positive
Work Ethic, ...*(2)* actual demonstrated integrity and* (3)* a
genuine willingness to learn.

These things are usually "observed behaviors" after they
are hired.........I have been in the position to hire some candidates
who interviewed well, but turned out to be a total disaster.
They presented themselves well in interviewing, but their words
did not match their behavior.

Unless your candidates are OCD like you \ us, ...they most
likely are not going to have a thorough fluency \ awareness of the
Codes, unless you are poaching from another jurisdiction.......If
they have a basic awareness of some of the Codes, you may have
to select someone to be teachable, and go with that.

** & * & **


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## e hilton (Sep 19, 2019)

north star said:


> , you may have
> to select someone to be teachable, and go with that.


Thats good advice.  While we all want to hire game changers who can step in and be 100% effective ... thats not practical.  We all started young (except Ice who was born with a code book) and we should take a little time to build our replacements.  Find someone intelligent and teachable, and help them grow.  

Im thinking the idea of having them look something up in a code book is a good interview tactic.  Mayb3 not a trick question, or one that is difficult, but something basic that they should know.  It would be quickly apparent if they were familiar with the book.  

Same thing about showing them a picture or two, see if they can pick out obvious problems.  Remember that picture of the deck, with the a/c unit hanging from a rope ... plenty of things to find there.


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## my250r11 (Sep 19, 2019)

In our state there are very few certified inspectors that are not employed. So almost all candidates will need to obtain their certs. after hired. They are given 12 months to get all their certs. needed for the position. This is how I did it as well, went from running work to inspecting work.


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## tmurray (Sep 19, 2019)

north star said:


> ** & * & **
> 
> IMO, ...some, maybe even all of the technical aspects can
> be learned "IF", ...the selected candidate has: *(1)* a positive
> ...


This is my current thought process.

Most building inspectors here are already employed by other municipalities or the provincial government. I can't see myself stealing another manager's employee simply due to the damage to our relationship.

Also, I think it would be easier to find someone with the right work-culture/mindset and train them on the code than get someone who is trained in the code and train them in the work-culture/mindset.


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## tmurray (Sep 19, 2019)

e hilton said:


> Thats good advice.  While we all want to hire game changers who can step in and be 100% effective ... thats not practical.  We all started young (except Ice who was born with a code book) and we should take a little time to build our replacements.  Find someone intelligent and teachable, and help them grow.
> 
> Im thinking the idea of having them look something up in a code book is a good interview tactic.  Mayb3 not a trick question, or one that is difficult, but something basic that they should know.  It would be quickly apparent if they were familiar with the book.
> 
> Same thing about showing them a picture or two, see if they can pick out obvious problems.  Remember that picture of the deck, with the a/c unit hanging from a rope ... plenty of things to find there.


 I'll have to print off some of ICE's photos.


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## ADAguy (Sep 20, 2019)

north star said:


> ** & * & **
> 
> IMO, ...some, maybe even all of the technical aspects can
> be learned "IF", ...the selected candidate has: *(1)* a positive
> ...


All good points but be careful of not asking each candidate the same questions to avoid bias challenges.


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## Inspector Gift (Sep 20, 2019)

tmurray, there is a lot of good advice here.    I'm not sure if there's much difference in Canadian Building Codes and the ICC Codes as adopted in lower states; but if you would like, I am willing to send you most of  the questions that we have used interviewing building inspectors.  Just PM me with your email address.


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## tmurray (Sep 23, 2019)

Inspector Gift said:


> tmurray, there is a lot of good advice here.    I'm not sure if there's much difference in Canadian Building Codes and the ICC Codes as adopted in lower states; but if you would like, I am willing to send you most of  the questions that we have used interviewing building inspectors.  Just PM me with your email address.



On the surface, they are very different, but when you look closer, many of the concepts are similar and many of the actual requirements are similar as well.


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## ADAguy (Sep 23, 2019)

consistency requires that an inspector: observe, report and differ to the AHJ when necessary.


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## cda (Sep 23, 2019)

Candidate, the question is,,,

Are you or have you ever been a “Sawhorse” with the “The Building Code Forum”?


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## e hilton (Sep 23, 2019)

ADAguy said:


> and *differ* to the AHJ.


I would hope not!


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## tmurray (Sep 24, 2019)

e hilton said:


> I would hope not!


I think defer was the intention.


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## tmurray (Sep 25, 2019)

Thank you to everyone for the help.

I am always surprised at the willingness for perfect strangers to offer help. I know I should not be, particularly here, but it never ceases to amaze me.

Thanks again.


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## ADAguy (Sep 27, 2019)

"We" are all here to "share" information that shouldn't be lost when we are called to leave this planet.
Your "thanks" make it all worthwhile.


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## jeffc (Oct 14, 2019)

I saw a similar post on a different list serve and thought it was worthy of a repost:

Over my 30 or so years in the code enforcement industry I had the opportunity to hire literally dozens of inspectors and plans examiners. A couple of insights I gained over the years is that you can train just about anyone to be a competent plans examiner but you cannot fix a bad attitude. You can drive a bad attitude under the table for a while but it eventually always comes back up.

Another issue is that some people tend to weaponize the codes. They look at the codes as a finite, inflexible bible rather than an outcome based set of documents.

I’ve always felt that the job of the plans examiner is to help make the job of the inspector easier. You get what you need on the plans so the inspector doesn’t end up looking like the bad guy after things are already built. What you need on the plans is going to differ with each jurisdiction. As example, if your inspectors are not having issues with handrail heights, why bother having it detailed on the plans? If you want total code compliance on the plans, you need to attach all of the codes to every set of plans that you issue a permit for.

Items I’d look for in a plans examiner include:

Problem solving skills rather than a propensity for throwing up unneeded road blocks.

A strong sense that every permit applicant is a customer rather than a potential victim.
A basic understanding with how things are built in your jurisdiction.
Basic mathematical skills but not advanced calculus.
An understanding that each day a permit is held up means someone is having money taken from their purse or wallet.
Willingness to solve concerns with a phone call (more personal than email) rather than a correction letter.
Willingness to take projects out of chronological order to get small projects out the door quickly rather than wait in line behind larger, more complex projects.

I wanted to include a basic understanding of static and dynamic loads but decided against it as you as the building official can always teach those things to a plans examiner. Attitude always overcomes ineptitude. I’ll take a happy, customer service oriented employee that knows next to nothing about the codes over a miserable sot any day.


Construction background is extremely helpful but not completely necessary. Inspection background is also very helpful. I’ve hired several people that are graduates of Butte College in California (and therefore have a lot of certifications) as well as Chemeketa College in Oregon with very mixed results. Attitude is king. Place attitude over qualifications every time. As stated, a bad attitude is poison and there is no antidote. Hire a person with all the qualifications in the world and if they have a bad attitude you are going to make your workplace and your customers miserable.


So….. how much effort are you as a building official willing to put in to training a great person that doesn’t yet possess the skill sets that you’re looking for? Washington State Supreme Court ruling in Taylor v. Stevens County (1988) was very clear that code compliance is the duty of the person doing the work and not that of the jurisdiction. Accordingly, I’d recommend tailoring (pun intended) your job description around a customer service, friendly and helpful employee above technical expertise. You can teach technical expertise but you will never cure a bad attitude.


Given the rural nature of your jurisdiction I would recommend test questions relative to the sorts of buildings you normally encounter. In my rural experience the most common failures we saw were post framed building (pole barns) collapsing due to snow, manufactured homes having car ports supported by the home rather than being self-supporting, ice dam damage on roofs and concrete flat work being destroyed because of frost heave.


I’d recommend keeping testing questions mostly related to customer service skills. You can wash out a lot of really great candidates asking technical questions however, a few technical questions can help you assess the order of your candidates.. Perhaps things such as:



What is the minimum assumed compressive strength of soil assumed in the IRC?
What is expansive soil?
What is liquefaction?
What is air entrainment for?
What is advanced framing and what is intermediate framing?
How many exits are required from a manufactured home?
What is the difference between a modular home and a manufactured home?

I remember years ago I was asked to apply for a building official position in an unnamed jurisdiction on an island in Lake Washington. I wasn’t really interested in the job but the City Manager was a good friend and he didn’t have a large enough applicant pool to hold interviews so I agreed as a favor and threw my hat in the ring. The oral interviews went really well (I knew everyone on the panel) but when it came to the test questions it was clear that they were really looking for an engineer, not a code expert. One of the questions was regarding calculating the sliding interface for a retaining wall with a certain surcharge with a given coefficient of friction to the supporting soil. I’d had enough training over the years that I could perform the calculation but why would anyone expect a building department employee to do so?


The point I’m trying to make is to not require a great deal of technical expertise but rather focus on happy people that can be trained.


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