Top 4 Questions Asked in Job Interviews to Become an Automotive Maintenance Technician

Job interviews can be nerve wracking, and ones to become automotive maintenance technicians are no exception. However, by preparing for questions that might be asked you will feel more confident going into any job interview.

While there are many types of questions an auto repair shop might ask in an interview, there are some basic questions that tend to come up more often than not. Remember, how you answer may just be the key to getting your dream job in the automotive industry. Here are four questions you can expect to be asked during an interview to become an auto maintenance technician.

1. What Do You Think an Automotive Service Technician’s Primary Responsibilities Are?

A pretty simple question, perhaps, but don’t underestimate the impression your answer will make on a potential employer. Interviewers want to know how well you understand the fundamentals of the profession and this question is your chance to show off some of the automotive knowledge you learned during your training.

Whether it’s inspecting, repairing, or diagnostics, it’s important to remember as many attributes as you can for what the job involves. Similarly, you may also be asked what a service technician needs to do regularly to keep a car in good shape. For this question, you can talk about what you learned about preventive maintenance in your training.

2. What’s Your Process in Diagnosing a Problem with a Vehicle?

This is another seemingly simple question that interviewers use to find out what you can actually do for them if they hire you. They’ll want to know about your troubleshooting and decision-making abilities as a mechanic, and how you’ve resolved issues with vehicles in the past. They might ask you to walk them through the procedures of how you fix vehicles. Doing this is a means of showing them how familiar you are with the job’s diagnostic processes, as well as what your hands-on training at automotive service technician school taught you.

3. Describe a Time When a Repair Didn’t Go Well. How Did You Handle the Situation?

Here’s another example of employers wanting to learn more about your problem solving skills. For example, there may have been a day where you accidentally broke something during a repair, or didn’t line parts up correctly, or even misdiagnosed an issue with a customer’s vehicle. Everybody makes mistakes, but what the interviewer want to know is how you handled a potentially difficult situation and made it right again. This question is also a chance for employers to see not only how you problem solve and overcome challenging situations, but also if you can take accountability for mistakes when they happen.

4. What are the Reasons an Engine Might Start Overheating?

When you’re in a job interview to become an automotive maintenance technician, you should expect technical questions to come your way. A question like this lets employers better understand your know-how with specific aspects of the trade. This is your opportunity to really display some of your more in-depth automotive skills. You can talk, for example, of why an engine may overheat, such as cooling system leakages, a collapsed radiator hose, or a broken water pump and what you would do to fix it. Answering this question effectively will show how specialized your automotive service knowledge is and what skills you bring to the position.

Looking for auto mechanic careers in Montreal?

Contact Automotive Training Centres for more information!