Demolition interview questions

A general contractor offers steady interior tear-out work at thin margins, while structural demolition pays better but carries more risk. How do you decide the mix?

Situational · Choosing the work mix

Strong answer

Weighs margin against safety exposure and insurance cost, steady cash flow, crew skills and equipment, and how much one customer would control the business.

Red flags

Chases whichever pays more per job without thinking about risk.

Walk me through how you'd use the company's safety and claims record to win more work from general contractors.

Technical · Safety record as a business asset

Strong answer

Knows general contractors prequalify subs on the experience modification rate and incident history, tracks those numbers, and invests in training, return-to-work and claims follow-up to bring them down.

Red flags

Sees safety only as a cost or doesn't know what the experience modification rate is.

A city wants bids to demolish a group of vacant houses. It requires asbestos surveys, prevailing wage and a bond, and you've never done public work. How do you decide?

Situational · Entering public work

Strong answer

Learns the requirements and costs, lines up an abatement partner and bonding, checks certified payroll capacity, and might start with a smaller public job.

Red flags

Bids low to get in without understanding the requirements.

Tell me about a time you walked away from a contract during negotiation.

Behavioral · Walking away

Strong answer

Names the terms that made it a bad deal, such as hidden-condition risk or payment terms, and what happened after.

Red flags

Has never walked away from work.

Tell me about a serious incident in a company you led and what you personally changed afterward.

Behavioral · Owning serious incidents

Strong answer

Describes their own role, the root cause, and a change they made and kept, not only a memo.

Red flags

Blames the worker or the crew lead.

Tell me how you built a leadership team that could run demolition jobs safely without you on site.

Behavioral · Building a leadership team

Strong answer

Explains how they chose and developed supervisors and managers, set safety and decision rules, and replaced those who didn't fit.

Red flags

Still makes every decision personally.

You learn a crew started a kitchen tear-out before anyone confirmed the gas line was shut off and capped. No one was hurt. What do you do?

Situational · Fixing a broken checklist

Strong answer

Stops similar work until confirmed, finds out how the start got approved without it, adds a sign-off before any start, retrains supervisors, and shares the lesson company-wide.

Red flags

Treats it as a close call and moves on.

How do you measure crew efficiency in demolition, where every job is different?

Technical · Measuring crew efficiency

Strong answer

Compares estimated to actual hours by job type, tracks tons or loads removed per labor hour, equipment idle time, and wait time for dumpsters.

Red flags

Judges by whether the job finished on time.

Your most productive crew also has the worst safety audit results. What do you do?

Situational · Safety versus production

Strong answer

Raises it directly with the crew lead, makes safety part of how the crew is judged, sets clear consequences, and follows up with spot checks.

Red flags

Excuses it because the crew is fast.

How do you decide whether to buy, rent or subcontract specialized equipment like a high-reach excavator?

Technical · Equipment strategy

Strong answer

Looks at how often jobs need it, rental and ownership cost, operator skill and transport, and the risk of not having it when needed.

Red flags

Buys it because it's impressive or never considers owning.

Tell me about a process change you made that shortened project time.

Behavioral · Speeding up projects

Strong answer

Names the bottleneck, such as debris haul-off or permit timing, the change, and the measured result.

Red flags

Pushed crews to work faster.

Tell me about a time an OSHA, air-quality or building inspector found a problem on one of your demolition sites.

Behavioral · Responding to regulators

Strong answer

Cooperated, fixed the problem fast, found the root cause (a missed asbestos notice, dust, unguarded openings), changed the process, and checked the other sites.

Red flags

Fought the inspector or blamed the crew.

Walk me through how you'd forecast cash for a demolition company with uneven project payments and large disposal bills.

Technical · Cash forecasting

Strong answer

Builds a rolling weekly forecast from billing schedules, retainage, disposal and hauling bills, payroll and equipment payments, and updates it every week.

Red flags

Looks at the bank balance and last month's profit.

How should scrap and salvage value show up in bids and job costs?

Technical · Scrap value in bids

Strong answer

Estimates it conservatively because prices swing, records actual scrap revenue against each job, and tracks the gap so estimators don't count on high prices.

Red flags

Lets estimators lower bids based on today's scrap prices.

Disposal costs on three jobs came in far over estimate. What do you do?

Situational · Disposal cost overruns

Strong answer

Compares estimated to actual tons, checks whether mixed loads were charged at higher rates than sorted ones, checks rate changes, and updates estimating and sorting rules.

Red flags

Accepts it as the cost of doing business.

Your insurance premium jumps sharply at renewal. What do you do?

Situational · Insurance costs

Strong answer

Finds the drivers, such as claims, payroll class codes or the experience modification rate, works with the broker to market the account, and builds a plan to bring claims down.

Red flags

Pays it or cuts coverage without understanding why.

Tell me about a time your cash forecast missed because of disposal bills, slow payments or a delayed job. What did you change?

Behavioral · Learning from forecast misses

Strong answer

Explains what was missed, how they found out, and how they changed the forecast method.

Red flags

Says their forecasts are always right.

Tell me about a cost-control change you led that operations actually adopted.

Behavioral · Partnering with operations

Strong answer

Involved field leaders, showed the numbers, made it practical, and tracked the result.

Red flags

Issued a policy that the field ignored.

Your estimators keep underbidding disposal, and several jobs lost money. What do you do?

Situational · Fixing estimating

Strong answer

Compares estimated to actual tons and rates by material, updates estimating sheets, adds sorting for recycling where it pays, and holds post-job reviews.

Red flags

Tells estimators to add a cushion to everything.

Walk me through the numbers you check each week to know whether the business is healthy.

Technical · Weekly health check

Strong answer

Backlog, job margins against estimate, disposal costs, receivables, cash, equipment downtime, and safety incidents and near misses.

Red flags

Looks only at sales.

A remodeler who sends you steady work asks you to skip the asbestos test on an old house to save time. What do you do?

Situational · Refusing unsafe shortcuts

Strong answer

Refuses, explains the legal and health risks, offers to get testing done quickly, and accepts losing the customer if needed.

Red flags

Agrees to keep the relationship.

Tell me about a time you improved the handoff between sales and the field.

Behavioral · Sales-to-field handoff

Strong answer

Found where information got lost and set up a specific fix, like a scope review meeting or checklist.

Red flags

Told both sides to communicate better.

Tell me about a time you cut or moved budget, such as equipment or overtime, over your managers' objections.

Behavioral · Tough budget calls

Strong answer

Explains the reasoning, how they listened, and how it turned out.

Red flags

Made the call without explaining it.

Tell me about a safety improvement you led across a whole company.

Behavioral · Company-wide safety

Strong answer

Names the change, how they got crews to adopt it, and how they measured it.

Red flags

Only added rules on paper.

Walk me through your morning safety briefing on a whole-house demolition.

Technical · Morning safety talk

Strong answer

Covers the day's tasks and order, falling debris and equipment zones, utility status, dust control, PPE, who spots for the machine, and the emergency plan.

Red flags

Reads a generic topic sheet.

The water supply for dust control fails, and dust is drifting toward neighboring homes. What do you do?

Situational · Dust control failure

Strong answer

Pauses the dusty work, finds another water source, shifts the crew to low-dust tasks, and updates the project manager.

Red flags

Keeps going because the machine is already running.

A neighbor walks onto the site to take photos while the excavator is working. What do you do?

Situational · Public on site

Strong answer

Signals the operator to stop, walks the person out of the zone politely, and fixes the fence or signs.

Red flags

Lets them stay because they're just watching.

How do you confirm utilities are really disconnected before demolition starts?

Technical · Verifying utility disconnects

Strong answer

Has written confirmation from each utility, sees meters removed and lines capped, tests electrical with a tester, and records it in the daily log.

Red flags

Takes the customer's word.

Tell me about a time you stopped work because of a hazard others had missed.

Behavioral · Spotting missed hazards

Strong answer

Explains what they noticed, how they stopped it, and what changed.

Red flags

Has never stopped work, or waits for someone else to.

Tell me about a time you had to correct a crew member on a high-pressure day.

Behavioral · Correcting under pressure

Strong answer

Corrected it right then, stayed calm, explained why, and followed up later.

Red flags

Yelled or let it slide.

You need [four] laborers fast for a large strip-out, and laborer turnover is already high. What do you do?

Situational · Fast hiring with high turnover

Strong answer

Uses referrals and trusted staffing partners, checks pay against the market, speeds up hiring, pairs new hires with a buddy, and studies exit reasons to fix turnover.

Red flags

Hires anyone who shows up without orientation.

Walk me through the training records crew members need before working where there may be lead paint or asbestos.

Technical · Hazard training records

Strong answer

Hazard communication, asbestos awareness, lead and silica training where exposure is possible, respirator medical clearance and fit testing under a written program, and any state licenses, all tracked with renewal dates.

Red flags

Doesn't know what training applies.

A laborer reports an injury two days after it happened, and the foreman says it didn't happen at work. What do you do?

Situational · Late injury reports

Strong answer

Takes the report, follows the company's injury reporting process, investigates the facts, records it correctly, and makes sure there's no retaliation.

Red flags

Sides with the foreman and drops it.

How do you make sure staffing-agency workers get the same safety training as your own crew?

Technical · Temporary worker safety

Strong answer

Knows both the agency and the company are responsible, gives a site-specific orientation, documents it, and checks agency training records.

Red flags

Assumes the agency handled it.

Tell me about a time you reduced turnover in a hard, physical job.

Behavioral · Reducing turnover

Strong answer

Used exit data, changed something specific, and measured the result.

Red flags

Says turnover is just part of the industry.

Tell me about a time you enforced a policy on a supervisor who disagreed with it.

Behavioral · Holding supervisors to policy

Strong answer

Explained the reason and the risk, stayed firm, and documented it.

Red flags

Made an exception to avoid conflict.

Walk me through how you'd market interior demolition services to remodelers and general contractors.

Technical · Marketing to contractors

Strong answer

Builds relationships through associations and direct outreach, uses a capabilities sheet and case studies that prove speed and cleanliness, and tracks contractor leads in the CRM.

Red flags

Runs homeowner ads and hopes contractors see them.

The company wants more whole-house demolition work from builders doing teardowns. Where do you start?

Situational · Finding teardown work

Strong answer

Identifies active builders, uses public permit records where available, reaches out directly, and creates a page and offer aimed at builders.

Red flags

Boosts social posts to a general audience.

How do you measure return on marketing spend when jobs vary so much in size?

Technical · Return on spend

Strong answer

Tracks revenue and margin by channel, not just lead count, and counts repeat work from contractor customers.

Red flags

Uses cost per lead only.

A video of your crew knocking down a house is getting lots of views, but commenters point out a worker with no hard hat. What do you do?

Situational · Protecting the brand

Strong answer

Takes it down or edits it, tells the safety lead, and sets a rule that safety reviews all field footage before posting.

Red flags

Leaves it up because it's getting views.

Tell me about a referral relationship you built with remodelers, builders or property managers.

Behavioral · Building referral sources

Strong answer

Explains how they found and kept the relationship and the work it brought.

Red flags

Has never built one, or relies only on ads.

Tell me about a time you cut a marketing channel the owner liked, like a home show booth or a mailer, because it wasn't bringing in jobs.

Behavioral · Cutting what doesn't work

Strong answer

Brought data on leads, jobs won and margin from that channel, proposed where to move the money, and got agreement.

Red flags

Kept it to avoid the conversation.

Walk me through the paperwork that must be in a demolition job file before work starts.

Technical · Start-of-job paperwork

Strong answer

Signed contract, permit, utility disconnect letters, asbestos survey and any abatement clearance, any required state demolition notice or neighbor notice, a street permit for the dumpster if needed, and the insurance certificate the customer asked for.

Red flags

Just the contract.

A general contractor needs an insurance certificate naming them as additional insured before you can start tomorrow. What do you do?

Situational · Insurance certificates

Strong answer

Calls the agent the same day, checks the contract's coverage requirements, and tells the project manager whether it will arrive in time.

Red flags

Sends an old certificate.

An invoice went out without a disposal charge the contract allows. What do you do?

Situational · Billing errors

Strong answer

Confirms it with the project manager, sends a corrected invoice with a clear explanation, and fixes the invoice template.

Red flags

Lets it go or adds it quietly to the next bill.

How do you keep disposal and recycling records so you can prove where debris went?

Technical · Disposal records

Strong answer

Files weight tickets, manifests and recycling receipts by job, matches them to hauler invoices, and can produce them when a customer or agency asks.

Red flags

Keeps only hauler invoices.

Tell me about a system you built that kept permits, utility letters or insurance certificates from expiring or going missing.

Behavioral · Building systems

Strong answer

Describes the system (a checklist per job, an expiration calendar, a shared folder), how the team used it, and a problem it caught in time.

Red flags

Relies on memory and finds gaps at the end of the job.

Tell me about a time a homeowner or contractor called the office upset about something a field crew did.

Behavioral · Handling upset customers

Strong answer

Listened without arguing, got the facts from the supervisor, told the caller the next step and when, followed up, and made sure the fix was logged.

Red flags

Passed the call to the field without following up, or argued about what happened.

Two jobs need your only mini excavator on the same day. How do you decide?

Situational · Equipment conflicts

Strong answer

Compares deadlines and penalties, checks if a rental is available, looks at sequencing on each job, and tells both project managers the plan.

Red flags

Gives it to whoever asked first.

Walk me through how you plan crew size and equipment for a commercial interior strip-out.

Technical · Planning a strip-out

Strong answer

Looks at area and materials, allowed work hours, the debris route (freight elevator or enclosed chute), dumpster spots and swaps, building rules, and the deadline.

Red flags

Sends the usual crew and figures it out on site.

A building manager says your crew's noise and dust are disturbing tenants and threatens to stop the job. What do you do?

Situational · Occupied buildings

Strong answer

Meets quickly, changes hours or methods, improves containment, shares a schedule of noisy work, and checks back.

Red flags

Argues that demolition is noisy.

How do you decide when a job needs another crew or overtime versus a schedule change?

Technical · Overtime decisions

Strong answer

Weighs overtime cost, fatigue and safety, contract dates, and customer impact.

Red flags

Always adds overtime.

Tell me about a time you turned around a crew that kept falling behind.

Behavioral · Turning around a crew

Strong answer

Found the cause, made specific changes, and tracked the improvement.

Red flags

Replaced people without understanding the problem.

Tell me about a time a crew damaged a customer's property. How did you handle it?

Behavioral · Property damage

Strong answer

Told the customer quickly, documented it, made it right, and changed a practice.

Red flags

Hoped the customer wouldn't notice.

Walk me through everything you line up before a house demolition starts.

Technical · Pre-demolition setup

Strong answer

The engineering survey OSHA requires, permit, hazardous materials survey and abatement, any required state demolition notice, utility disconnects and caps, sewer cap inspection where required, neighbor notices, erosion control, fencing, hauling and traffic control.

Red flags

Gets the permit and schedules the machine.

The asbestos survey comes back positive for floor tile and pipe wrap two days before demolition. What do you do?

Situational · Positive asbestos results

Strong answer

Holds the affected work, books a licensed abatement contractor, makes sure any required asbestos notice is filed, gives the customer a change order for cost and time, and starts demolition only after clearance.

Red flags

Has the crew remove it carefully to stay on schedule.

During selective demolition, the crew finds rotted framing the customer didn't know about. What do you do?

Situational · Hidden conditions

Strong answer

Stops that area, takes photos, tells the customer, gets a structural opinion if needed, and gets a signed change order before more work.

Red flags

Rips it out and bills later.

How do you track whether a demolition job is on budget while it's underway?

Technical · Budget tracking

Strong answer

Compares labor hours and disposal tons and costs to the estimate by phase, tracks scrap credits and change orders, and acts early on variances.

Red flags

Waits for the final bill.

Tell me about a time you handled a neighbor or community complaint during a project.

Behavioral · Neighbor relations

Strong answer

Responded quickly, listened, made a specific change, and kept them informed.

Red flags

Ignored it until it escalated.

Tell me about a time a subcontractor delayed your job.

Behavioral · Managing subcontractors

Strong answer

Raised it early, held them to the agreement, adjusted the schedule, and kept the customer informed.

Red flags

Waited and blamed the sub.

A rep's estimate for a commercial strip-out leaves out the after-hours work the building requires. What do you do?

Situational · Catching estimate gaps

Strong answer

Fixes it before it goes out, or if signed, talks with the customer, then coaches the rep and adds the item to the review checklist.

Red flags

Lets the job run at a loss and says nothing.

Walk me through how you review a demolition estimate before it goes out.

Technical · Estimate review

Strong answer

Checks the limits of work and what stays, hazardous material assumptions, disposal tons and rates, access and hours, equipment, permits, protection, and exclusions.

Red flags

Checks only the price.

A large general contractor wants you to sign a contract making you responsible for anything hidden in the walls. What do you do?

Situational · Contract risk

Strong answer

Negotiates a hidden-conditions clause, exclusions and unit prices for hazardous material, and is ready to walk away.

Red flags

Signs it to get the work.

Tell me about a time you grew a key contractor account.

Behavioral · Growing key accounts

Strong answer

Explains how they learned the account's needs, delivered, and expanded the work.

Red flags

The account grew on its own.

Tell me about a time you coached a rep through a deal they were about to lose.

Behavioral · Deal coaching

Strong answer

Diagnosed the real objection, planned the next conversation, and let the rep lead it.

Red flags

Took the deal over.

How do you set sales targets for a team selling both small residential jobs and large commercial contracts?

Technical · Setting targets

Strong answer

Uses different measures for each, such as close rate and volume for residential and pipeline coverage for commercial, built from capacity and history.

Red flags

Gives everyone the same revenue number.

Walk me through how you inspect and maintain hydraulic breakers, grapples and shears between jobs.

Technical · Attachment maintenance

Strong answer

Checks for cracks and bad welds, pins and bushings, greasing, hoses and couplers, and tool wear, and logs what was found and fixed.

Red flags

Waits until the attachment fails.

Respirators come back from a job dirty, and some have damaged straps. What do you do?

Situational · Respirator care

Strong answer

Tags out the damaged ones, has them cleaned and stored the way the maker says, replaces parts, and trains crews on care.

Red flags

Puts them back on the shelf.

A crew needs a skid steer tomorrow, and both of yours are due for service. What do you do?

Situational · Service conflicts

Strong answer

Checks how overdue each is, services one tonight or early, rents if needed, and tells dispatch.

Red flags

Skips service.

How do you schedule equipment deliveries and pickups so jobs aren't waiting?

Technical · Delivery scheduling

Strong answer

Plans from the job schedule, confirms the day before, groups trips, and keeps a backup hauler.

Red flags

Handles requests as they come.

Tell me about a time a breaker, skid steer or other machine kept breaking down. How did you fix the pattern?

Behavioral · Fixing failure patterns

Strong answer

Tracked failures, found the cause, such as missed greasing or operator misuse, changed maintenance or training, and shows downtime dropped.

Red flags

Kept repairing it without asking why.

Tell me about a time you held a crew responsible for lost tools.

Behavioral · Tool accountability

Strong answer

Used checkout records, talked directly, and set up a fix.

Red flags

Kept buying replacements.

A homeowner calls wanting an old shed and deck torn down this week. Walk me through the call.

Situational · Taking a new request

Strong answer

Asks size and materials, access, whether power runs to the shed, when it was built, and where a dumpster can go, explains that permits and checks may be needed, and books an estimate.

Red flags

Promises this week without knowing the details.

A neighbor calls about dust from your demolition site landing on their car. What do you do?

Situational · Dust complaints

Strong answer

Apologizes, gets details, calls the field supervisor right away about dust control, sends any damage request to the manager, and calls the neighbor back.

Red flags

Says it's a construction site or doesn't follow up.

A customer calls upset that the crew left nails and debris in the yard after a deck tear-out. What do you do?

Situational · Cleanup complaints

Strong answer

Apologizes, schedules a return cleanup with a magnet sweep, logs it, and tells the supervisor so it doesn't happen again.

Red flags

Tells the customer the crew always cleans up.

Walk me through the call you make to a homeowner the day before demolition starts.

Technical · Confirming appointments

Strong answer

Confirms the time, access, utility shut-off status, dumpster spot, cars and pets out of the way, and who will be home, and notes the confirmation.

Red flags

Sends a reminder text and nothing else.

Tell me about a time you kept a customer updated while their project kept changing, like a start date that moved for permits or testing.

Behavioral · Ongoing updates

Strong answer

Set a regular update rhythm, gave honest news with the reason and the new date, and kept notes current so anyone could answer the customer.

Red flags

Only called when the customer called first.

Tell me about a time you made a mistake with a customer's appointment, such as an estimate visit or a start date.

Behavioral · Owning mistakes

Strong answer

Called the customer first, apologized without excuses, rebooked at a time that worked for them, told the crew, and names the check they added, like reading back dates.

Red flags

Blamed the system or a coworker.

A dumpster on a busy tear-out is full by mid-morning, and the hauler can't swap it until tomorrow. What do you do?

Situational · Debris bottlenecks

Strong answer

Calls other haulers, moves the crew to work that doesn't create debris, makes sure debris isn't piled where it blocks exits, and updates the project manager.

Red flags

Lets the crew pile debris anywhere or sends them home.

A crew finishes early and another job is behind. How do you decide whether to move them?

Situational · Moving crews

Strong answer

Checks skills and equipment fit, travel time, and the site's work hours, then moves them and updates the board and both supervisors.

Red flags

Sends them home or moves them without telling anyone.

Walk me through what must be confirmed before you put a demolition start on the board.

Technical · Ready to start

Strong answer

Permit, utility disconnects, hazardous material clearance, dumpster delivery, equipment and trailer, customer access, and any neighbor notices.

Red flags

Puts it on the board when the customer signs.

How do you track equipment so service happens without pulling machines off jobs at the worst time?

Technical · Maintenance timing

Strong answer

Tracks hours and service due dates, schedules service on light days, and works with the shop to plan swaps.

Red flags

Finds out a machine is due when it breaks.

Tell me about a time you reshuffled crews after someone didn't show up.

Behavioral · Handling no-shows

Strong answer

Moved quickly, kept the most important jobs covered, and told customers and supervisors.

Red flags

Left the job short without telling anyone.

Tell me about a time you pushed back on a manager's scheduling request.

Behavioral · Pushing back

Strong answer

Explained the conflict with facts, offered options, and accepted the final call professionally.

Red flags

Said yes to everything and missed commitments.

Walk me through how you'd code dumpster rentals, landfill fees and scrap metal payments so each demolition job shows its true cost.

Technical · Coding disposal and scrap

Strong answer

Codes rentals and tipping fees to the job and cost code using the weight tickets, records scrap payments against the job they came from, and checks hauler invoices against the tickets.

Red flags

Puts disposal in one overhead account and scrap in miscellaneous income.

A crew lead hands you cash from a scrap yard run with no scale ticket. What do you do?

Situational · Cash controls on scrap

Strong answer

Counts it with the crew lead, writes a receipt, asks for the scale ticket, records it to the job, and tells the manager so scrap sales follow a set process.

Red flags

Puts the cash in the drawer without a record or question.

The asbestos abatement subcontractor's invoice is higher than the purchase order and has no lien waiver. What do you do?

Situational · Subcontractor invoices

Strong answer

Holds payment, checks the purchase order and any approved change, asks the project manager to approve or dispute the difference, and requests the waiver before paying.

Red flags

Pays it because the work is done.

What would you give the owner each month to show which demolition jobs made money?

Technical · Job profit reporting

Strong answer

A job cost report comparing labor, disposal, equipment, subcontractors and scrap credits to each job's estimate, plus receivables aging and cash.

Red flags

A company profit and loss statement only.

Tell me about a time you found a charge that didn't belong, like a fuel card used on a weekend or a dump fee with no job behind it.

Behavioral · Catching irregular charges

Strong answer

Explains how they spotted it (matching tickets to jobs, card activity to the schedule), checked the facts quietly, who they told, and the outcome.

Red flags

Ignored it or confronted someone without facts.

Tell me about a time a customer or general contractor disputed an invoice, such as a change order for extra debris or hidden materials.

Behavioral · Resolving billing problems

Strong answer

Pulled the contract, the signed change order and the weight tickets, walked the customer through the charge calmly, fixed any real error, and recorded the agreement.

Red flags

Let it drag on, or wrote it off without checking the records.

Walk me through how you'd track respirator cartridges, gloves and other protective gear so crews never run out.

Technical · Tracking PPE

Strong answer

Sets stock levels per crew, logs usage, reorders before running low, keeps the sizes and models crews use, and checks shelf life.

Red flags

Orders when someone complains.

A crew needs respirators for a job tomorrow, and the model and size they were fit tested on is out of stock. What do you do?

Situational · No substitutions on respirators

Strong answer

Doesn't swap in a different model, finds the right one from another supplier fast, and tells the supervisor if it won't arrive in time.

Red flags

Sends whatever respirator is on the shelf.

Saw blades and breaker bits are disappearing faster than the jobs explain. What do you do?

Situational · Unexplained usage

Strong answer

Compares usage to job volume, checks checkout logs and truck stock, and works with supervisors on tracking.

Red flags

Keeps reordering without asking why.

How do you set reorder points for supplies like blades, plastic sheeting and contractor bags?

Technical · Reorder points

Strong answer

Uses past usage, vendor lead time and upcoming jobs, sets minimums, and reviews them as the job mix changes.

Red flags

Guesses, or orders when bins are empty.

Tell me about a time you organized a stockroom, truck or tool crib so crews could find what they needed fast.

Behavioral · Fixing inventory systems

Strong answer

Explains the old problem, the layout, labels or bins they set up, how stock levels were tracked, and a result like fewer emergency supply runs.

Red flags

Can't describe a system they owned.

Tell me about a time field crews pushed back on your process.

Behavioral · Working with crews

Strong answer

Listened to the crews' complaints, made the process simpler, got supervisor support, and checked it was followed.

Red flags

Gave up or argued.

Walk me through a site visit to price tearing out a kitchen and two bathrooms in a lived-in house.

Technical · Scoping a tear-out

Strong answer

Measures, notes materials like tile, cast iron and plaster, plans the debris path and dust protection, utilities to disconnect, when the house was built for hazard testing, dumpster spot, hours, and what stays.

Red flags

Prices by room without looking closely.

A homeowner asks why your quote includes an asbestos test they think is unnecessary. What do you say?

Situational · Explaining testing

Strong answer

Explains in plain words that older materials can contain asbestos, that testing protects the family and crew and may be required, and holds firm.

Red flags

Drops the test to close.

A customer wants the crew to save the cabinets and fixtures for reuse. How do you handle it?

Situational · Salvage requests

Strong answer

Lists each item, prices the extra care, agrees on where they'll be stored, and writes it into the scope.

Red flags

Agrees verbally and doesn't tell the crew.

How do you estimate how much debris a job will produce?

Technical · Estimating debris

Strong answer

Works by material and area, uses past jobs, and accounts for weight on heavy materials like plaster, tile and concrete as well as volume.

Red flags

Guesses one dumpster.

Tell me about a demolition or tear-out job you lost to a cheaper quote. What did you find out about the other bid?

Behavioral · Learning from losses

Strong answer

Explains what they learned, such as the other bid leaving out disposal, permits or asbestos testing, and how they now show scope differences clearly in writing.

Red flags

Blames lowball competitors only.

Tell me about a time you made sure what you sold matched what the crew delivered.

Behavioral · Matching sale to delivery

Strong answer

Walked the job with the crew lead or wrote a clear handoff, and checked in during the job.

Red flags

Handed off the contract and moved on.

You call a homeowner who got your quote for a garage teardown last spring and never replied. How do you open the call?

Situational · Reopening stalled quotes

Strong answer

Reintroduces themselves, names the specific project, asks whether it's still planned and what held them back, offers an updated quote or timing, and sets a next step or closes the lead politely.

Red flags

Launches into a pitch, or offers a discount before learning why they stalled.

Walk me through how you decide which old demolition leads are worth calling back.

Technical · Prioritizing old leads

Strong answer

Looks at job type and size, why it was lost, how long ago, whether the project could still be pending, and whether it's a contractor who might have repeat work.

Red flags

Calls everyone in the order they appear.

A contractor who used you once says your crew showed up late on their last job. What do you do?

Situational · Repairing relationships

Strong answer

Listens, apologizes, checks what happened, explains what changed, and brings in operations if needed.

Red flags

Argues or changes the subject to a new pitch.

A past lead says they hired another company and don't want more calls. What do you do?

Situational · Respecting a no

Strong answer

Thanks them, politely asks once for feedback, marks them do-not-contact, and stops.

Red flags

Keeps pitching.

Tell me about a time a deal you lost led to new work.

Behavioral · Turning losses into wins

Strong answer

Explains how they kept the door open and what brought the customer back.

Red flags

Wrote the lead off as soon as they said no.

Tell me about a time your follow-up system caught a lead that would otherwise have slipped through.

Behavioral · Follow-up discipline

Strong answer

Describes their CRM routine (every lead has a next step and date, a daily task list, notes after each call) and the lead it saved.

Red flags

Uses memory or sticky notes.

Walk me through how you'd sequence taking down a house with an attached garage on a tight lot.

Technical · Sequencing a house demolition

Strong answer

Starts with the engineering survey, clears hazardous materials and utilities, strips salvage and recyclables, brings the structure down in a controlled order away from neighbors and the street, keeps exclusion zones and dust control, then handles foundation and sewer cap per local rules.

Red flags

Starts knocking it down with the machine and sorts it out later.

Halfway through a house demolition, you see a crack spreading in the neighbor's foundation wall near the property line. What do you do?

Situational · Protecting adjacent property

Strong answer

Stops work, documents with photos, tells the project manager, changes methods to cut vibration, and gets an engineer's input before going on.

Red flags

Keeps going and hopes it was already there.

Walk me through how you handle fluorescent tubes and ballasts, mercury thermostats and old refrigerators in a building set for demolition.

Technical · Handling hazardous items

Strong answer

Removes them before demolition, handles lamps and mercury devices as universal waste, checks older fluorescent ballasts for PCBs, has refrigerant recovered before disposal as EPA rules require, and keeps the records.

Red flags

Tosses them in the dumpster.

Your crew wants to cut a steel beam to speed up a partial demolition, and there's no engineer's plan for that cut. What do you do?

Situational · Protecting structural members

Strong answer

Stops the cut, explains that cutting a structural member can cause an unplanned collapse, gets the engineer's sequence and any shoring in place first, and keeps everyone out of the area.

Red flags

Lets them cut it with someone watching.

Tell me about how you trained a crew member to run a demolition machine or tool safely.

Behavioral · Training on equipment

Strong answer

Taught in steps, watched them work, and signed them off only when they showed they could do it safely.

Red flags

Let them learn on the job without oversight.

Tell me about a time you worked with an inspector, utility or local authority to keep a demolition on track.

Behavioral · Working with authorities

Strong answer

Was prepared, respectful and responsive, and got what was needed without cutting corners.

Red flags

Went around them or argued.

Walk me through how you check whether a wall is safe to remove during an interior tear-out.

Technical · Before removing a wall

Strong answer

Confirms with the lead or plans whether it's load-bearing, looks for wiring, plumbing, gas and ducts inside, confirms power is off and tests with a voltage tester, and waits for shoring if it's bearing.

Red flags

Starts swinging once told the wall is coming out.

You open a wall and find old pipe insulation that you think might contain asbestos. What do you do?

Situational · Suspect asbestos

Strong answer

Stops, doesn't touch or break it, keeps others away, and tells the supervisor so it can be tested.

Red flags

Bags it up and keeps going.

Your voltage tester shows a circuit is still live after the panel was supposedly shut off. What do you do?

Situational · Live circuits

Strong answer

Stops, tells the lead, waits for the right breaker to be found and locked out or for an electrician, and retests before working.

Red flags

Cuts the wires carefully anyway.

Walk me through how you set up a work area to keep dust out of the rest of a lived-in house.

Technical · Dust containment

Strong answer

Sets plastic barriers, seals vents and returns, protects floors along the path, uses misting and a HEPA vacuum, cleans up daily, and follows lead-safe (RRP) rules in older homes.

Red flags

Closes the door and sweeps at the end.

Tell me about a time you protected something on a job that wasn't supposed to come out.

Behavioral · Protecting what stays

Strong answer

Describes how they marked or covered it, told the crew, and kept it safe.

Red flags

Damaged something and didn't report it.

Tell me about a time a teammate was cutting corners on safety. What did you do?

Behavioral · Peer safety

Strong answer

Spoke up directly and respectfully, and went to the lead if it continued.

Red flags

Said nothing to avoid conflict.

Walk me through how you control dust when breaking up or cutting a concrete floor.

Technical · Silica dust control

Strong answer

Uses the controls OSHA's silica table lists for the tool, such as water to the blade for saws and water or a vacuum shroud for jackhammers, wears the required respirator, keeps others clear, and never dry sweeps or uses compressed air.

Red flags

Cuts dry, or relies on a dust mask and a broom.

You're loading a dumpster and see old fluorescent tubes and a thermostat in the pile. What do you do?

Situational · Spotting hazardous items

Strong answer

Takes them out carefully without breaking them, sets them aside, and tells the supervisor.

Red flags

Throws them in with everything else.

You're told to clean up a room where someone is still pulling down ceiling drywall. What do you do?

Situational · Working below overhead demolition

Strong answer

Waits outside or asks the person overhead to stop before going in, and doesn't work below falling debris.

Red flags

Goes in and works fast to stay out of the way.

During a dusty tear-out, you notice dust getting past your respirator. What do you do?

Situational · Respirator problems

Strong answer

Leaves the dusty area, tells the supervisor, checks the fit and cartridges, and doesn't go back until it's fixed.

Red flags

Keeps working to finish the room.

Walk me through how you'd load a dumpster so it holds the most and is safe to haul.

Technical · Loading a dumpster

Strong answer

Puts heavy, flat items on the bottom, breaks down bulky pieces, fills evenly, keeps it below the top edge, and keeps banned items out.

Red flags

Throws things in wherever and piles them high.

Tell me about a time at work, school or volunteering when you finished a dirty or unpleasant job without being reminded.

Behavioral · Work ethic

Strong answer

Gives a specific example and why they followed through.

Red flags

Can't give an example or needed constant reminders.

Tell me about a time at work, school or volunteering when you were asked to do something you didn't know how to do.

Behavioral · Asking for help

Strong answer

Asked questions, watched someone first, and checked their work.

Red flags

Guessed and hoped for the best.