Window cleaning interview questions

Your business is slammed in spring and fall and nearly idle in winter. How would you change that?

Situational · Fixing seasonality

Strong answer

Weighs adding gutter cleaning, house washing or holiday lighting, storefront routes, and prepaid or recurring plans, then picks based on margin, skills and equipment the crews already have.

Red flags

Accepts layoffs every winter as part of the business.

A crew lead tells you privately that the company's daily job targets push people to skip ladder safety steps. What do you do?

Situational · Safety culture

Strong answer

Thanks and protects the person who raised it, checks injury and near-miss data and rides along, changes targets or pay that reward speed over safety, and tells every crew safety comes first.

Red flags

Says the targets are fair and the crews just need to work smarter.

Tell me about the first leaders you hired to take work off your plate. What worked and what didn't?

Behavioral · Building a leadership team

Strong answer

Names the roles, how they chose people, what they handed over, and what they'd do differently.

Red flags

Has never handed over real decisions.

Tell me about a major investment you made, such as water-fed pole systems, trucks or scheduling software, and how you judged whether it paid off.

Behavioral · Investment decisions

Strong answer

Explains the case made beforehand (labor hours saved, fewer ladder hours, more jobs per day), how they measured it afterward, and what they'd do differently.

Red flags

Bought it because competitors had it, and never checked the result.

How would you grow revenue in the neighborhoods you already serve instead of spreading crews across a wider area?

Technical · Route density strategy

Strong answer

Uses customer maps to target nearby homes, neighbor offers and yard signs with permission, recurring plans, and pricing that rewards tight routes, then tracks revenue per drive hour.

Red flags

Advertises everywhere and takes every job regardless of distance.

A property manager offers you storefront and low-rise office work. Your crews only do homes now. How do you decide?

Situational · Commercial expansion

Strong answer

Checks the access methods, insurance and training needed, early-morning schedules, payment terms and margin, and starts with work the crews can safely do.

Red flags

Says yes to everything the property manager offers.

How would you reduce fall risk across the company?

Technical · Fall-risk reduction

Strong answer

Uses water-fed poles where they work, ladder standards and inspections, training with sign-offs, rules for roofs and power lines, spot checks, and a review of every near miss.

Red flags

Tells techs to be careful on ladders.

The spring backlog is three weeks long and customers are frustrated. What do you do?

Situational · Peak-season capacity

Strong answer

Tells customers honest dates, adds capacity safely (overtime limits, trained seasonal help, extra pole crews), prioritizes recurring customers, and plans earlier booking for next year.

Red flags

Pushes crews to skip setup steps to go faster.

Tell me about a time you added window cleaning crews quickly before a busy spring. How did you keep quality and safety up?

Behavioral · Scaling a field team

Strong answer

Names what was in place before new crews worked alone (ladder and pole sign-offs, a lead on each crew, inspections of first jobs) and shows callbacks and incidents through the growth.

Red flags

Added crews and handled problems afterward.

Tell me about a time you had to replace a manager or supervisor. How did you handle it?

Behavioral · Removing a manager

Strong answer

Set clear expectations in writing, documented misses such as skipped safety checks or repeat callbacks, gave support and time, made a fair call, and had someone ready to run the crews.

Red flags

Avoided it until the team suffered.

Damage claims for scratched glass, broken screens and ladder marks on gutters cost more every year. What do you put in place?

Situational · Damage prevention

Strong answer

Before-photos of existing damage, a written damage policy, a check for tempered or coated glass before any scraping, ladder standoffs and protection, claim reviews by crew and cause, and training tied to what the reviews find.

Red flags

Pays claims as they come in and moves on.

You need eight seasonal technicians trained and safe before spring. What's your plan?

Situational · Seasonal hiring

Strong answer

Starts hiring in winter, gives ladder and pole training with sign-offs, pairs new hires with leads, and limits them to ground and low work until signed off.

Red flags

Hires in spring and learns on the job.

Cash runs low every January and February. How do you plan for it?

Situational · Seasonal cash planning

Strong answer

Forecasts cash by week from last year's pattern, builds a reserve in peak months, sets up a credit line in advance, and pushes prepaid spring bookings.

Red flags

Uses the owner's personal money each winter.

How would you check whether per-pane pricing actually covers your costs?

Technical · Pricing profitability

Strong answer

Compares actual labor time per job to price by home type, adds drive time, equipment and overhead, and finds which job types lose money.

Red flags

Assumes it's fine if overall profit is positive.

Workers' compensation costs are high because of ladder work. What can finance do about it?

Situational · Insurance costs

Strong answer

Works with operations on safety training and more ground-based methods, reviews payroll classifications with the carrier, tracks claims, and shows the savings case for safer equipment.

Red flags

Shops for the cheapest policy and stops there.

Tell me about a time you decided whether to buy, lease or rent trucks, trailers or water-fed pole systems.

Behavioral · Equipment buy or lease

Strong answer

Names the item, compares total cost over its life, how often it would be used, cash and financing impact, maintenance and resale, and says how the choice held up.

Red flags

Went with what the vendor recommended.

Tell me about a time your numbers changed how field crews were priced, scheduled or equipped.

Behavioral · Influencing operations

Strong answer

Names the analysis (job time versus price by home type, drive time per route, the cost of callbacks), how they showed it to operations, what changed and the result in margin or hours.

Red flags

Their reports were filed and nothing changed.

Operations wants to keep the whole crew on payroll through winter to avoid rehiring in spring. How do you evaluate that?

Situational · Seasonal staffing cost

Strong answer

Compares winter payroll to the cost of hiring and training new staff each spring, lost productivity and quality, and what winter work could offset it.

Red flags

Rejects it because winter revenue is low.

How would you decide whether to price by pane, by window or by home?

Technical · Pricing method

Strong answer

Compares how well each method predicts labor time, how easy it is to quote and explain, and how it affects margin across home types.

Red flags

Keeps whatever method the company has always used.

An HOA wants a big discount to clean all their homes over two weeks. How do you decide?

Situational · Bulk deals

Strong answer

Checks route efficiency, true time per home, payment terms, who the customer of record is and capacity, then prices with clear terms.

Red flags

Gives the discount for the volume.

There have been three ladder near misses in a month. What do you do?

Situational · Safety trends

Strong answer

Reviews each one, finds the common cause, retrains, changes equipment or methods, and checks in the field.

Red flags

Sends a reminder email.

Tell me about a time you developed a technician into a supervisor.

Behavioral · Developing supervisors

Strong answer

Explains how they chose them, taught them, and handed over responsibility.

Red flags

Promoted the fastest tech and hoped for the best.

Tell me about a time you improved gross margin in a field service business. Which levers did you pull?

Behavioral · Hitting margin goals

Strong answer

Names specific levers such as pricing by window type, tighter routes, less drive time or fewer callbacks, and shows margin before and after.

Red flags

Raised prices without checking costs or customer loss.

A larger competitor moves into your area with prices well below yours. What do you do?

Situational · Competitive pressure

Strong answer

Checks which customers and job types are at risk, holds price where service and reviews are stronger, pushes recurring plans and route density, adjusts only where costs allow, and doesn't race to the bottom.

Red flags

Cuts prices across the board right away.

On a site visit, you see a technician near the top of an extension ladder, leaning far to the side to reach the next pane. What do you do?

Situational · Stopping unsafe work

Strong answer

Calmly asks them to stop and climb down, has them move the ladder instead of reaching, explains the risk, and documents it for coaching.

Red flags

Waits until they're done, or yells at them while they're up the ladder.

A customer shows you a cracked window and says your crew did it. What do you do?

Situational · Breakage claims

Strong answer

Inspects the crack and the crew's notes and photos, considers impact, heat stress or an old crack, talks to the crew, and handles it fairly under the damage policy.

Red flags

Denies it on the spot, or accepts blame without looking.

What do you cover in a morning safety briefing for window crews?

Technical · Safety briefings

Strong answer

The day's hazards (heights, roofs, power lines, weather), ladder and gear checks, who does what, and what to do if someone gets hurt.

Red flags

Reminds everyone to be safe.

Tell me about a time an inspection turned up work a crew thought was finished. How did you handle it with them?

Behavioral · Giving correction

Strong answer

Showed them the specific misses, had them fix it, explained the standard, and checked their next jobs without holding a grudge.

Red flags

Fixed it themselves and said nothing, or criticized the crew in front of the customer.

Tell me about a time two people on a crew clashed and it started to affect the work or safety.

Behavioral · Handling conflict

Strong answer

Talked to each one privately, focused on the work and the risk of a crew that isn't talking during ladder work, set clear roles and expectations, and checked back on the next jobs.

Red flags

Ignored it until someone quit.

Your crew wants to work from the roof to reach a third-story window. What do you do?

Situational · Roof work

Strong answer

Checks the pitch and surface, requires fall protection with a proper anchor or an alternate method like a pole, and doesn't allow it without a plan.

Red flags

Lets them do it if they feel comfortable.

A technician asks to do only ground-level and pole work for a few months because of a medical issue. What do you do?

Situational · Accommodation requests

Strong answer

Treats it as a possible accommodation request, starts the interactive process, asks only for the information needed, keeps medical details private, looks at pole and ground work that fits, and documents it without retaliation.

Red flags

Says ladder work is part of the job, take it or leave it.

What safety training would you require before a new technician works on a ladder, and how would you document it?

Technical · Safety training records

Strong answer

Ladder selection, inspection and setup, power line awareness, roof rules, and a hands-on sign-off by a lead, with dates and refreshers tracked.

Red flags

Has them read the safety manual.

Your best technicians leave every winter when hours drop. What do you do?

Situational · Winter retention

Strong answer

Works with leadership on winter work, offers guaranteed minimum hours for key staff if possible, cross-trains, and keeps in touch with seasonal staff to bring them back.

Red flags

Rehires from scratch each spring.

Tell me about a time you handled a ladder injury from the first report through return to work.

Behavioral · Ladder injury claims

Strong answer

Got care and the report filed fast, kept the ladder and photos for the review, stayed in touch with the employee and insurer, set up modified duty such as ground-level or office work, and avoided anything that looked like retaliation.

Red flags

Left it to the insurer, or pressured the technician to come back early.

Tell me about a time you helped a supervisor handle repeated problems with a field employee, such as no-shows or skipped safety steps.

Behavioral · Fair discipline

Strong answer

Gathered facts and the employee's side, checked how similar cases were handled before, documented each step, and made the expectation and consequences clear.

Red flags

Let the manager act on anger.

A technician refuses a job because they think the ladder setup is unsafe. Their supervisor wants them written up. What do you do?

Situational · Safety refusals

Strong answer

Stops the write-up, looks into the concern, protects the employee from retaliation for raising safety in good faith, and fixes the setup if needed.

Red flags

Supports the write-up because the job had to get done.

It's January. How would you fill the spring schedule before the rush?

Situational · Seasonal campaigns

Strong answer

Reminds past customers early with booking incentives, pushes prepaid spring and fall plans, focuses on neighborhoods near current routes, and paces offers to crew capacity.

Red flags

Waits until spring when people start calling.

How would you market add-ons like screen repair or gutter cleaning to current window customers?

Technical · Add-on service marketing

Strong answer

Targets by home type and past services, times messages to the season, trains crews to mention them honestly, and tracks attach rate.

Red flags

Lists every service on every flyer.

Crews want to post before-and-after photos of customers' homes. What rules do you set?

Situational · Photo permissions

Strong answer

Written permission first, no house numbers or faces, no shots into private rooms, and only real photos.

Red flags

Posts whatever crews send.

Tell me about a referral or review program you ran. What were the results?

Behavioral · Referral programs

Strong answer

Names the program (referral credit, a review request after every job), the numbers it produced, and that every customer was asked and rewards never depended on a positive review.

Red flags

Paid for five-star reviews only.

Tell me about a marketing decision you changed because of data, such as cost per booked job.

Behavioral · Learning from data

Strong answer

Names the data, what it showed (a channel or neighborhood that wasn't paying off), the change, and the result.

Red flags

Can't name a decision that data changed.

Crews are working on a street of similar homes. How would you use that to win more business?

Situational · Neighborhood marketing

Strong answer

Door hangers or neighbor offers with clear pricing, yard signs with the customer's permission, and tracking replies by street.

Red flags

Has crews knock on doors during the job.

A customer files a damage claim for a broken window screen and a scratched sill. What do you put in the file?

Situational · Damage claim files

Strong answer

The customer's report and photos, the crew's notes and any before photos, the job details, the outcome of the review and every communication.

Red flags

A note that the customer called.

How do you keep job notes complete so crews arrive ready?

Technical · Scheduling coordination

Strong answer

Stories, window count, interior or exterior, screens and tracks, pets, gate codes, parking and customer preferences, checked before the job is confirmed.

Red flags

Lets crews call the customer for details.

Crews often add work on site, like extra screens, and invoices come out wrong. What do you change?

Situational · Billing accuracy

Strong answer

Requires crews to update the work order and get customer approval before extra work, and invoices from the updated order.

Red flags

Fixes each invoice as complaints come in.

Tell me about an office process you improved. How did you measure the change?

Behavioral · Office improvements

Strong answer

Names the process, what was going wrong, the change, and a number that improved, such as days to invoice or errors per week.

Red flags

Can't say whether anything improved.

Tell me about a day when the phones, billing and crew problems all hit at once. How did you handle it?

Behavioral · Juggling priorities

Strong answer

Sorted by urgency, handled the time-critical items first, and closed the rest that day.

Red flags

Dropped things without telling anyone.

An HOA requires proof of insurance and a signed agreement before your crews can work in their community. What do you do?

Situational · HOA and property paperwork

Strong answer

Gets the exact requirements, requests a certificate naming the HOA as required, has the agreement reviewed and signed, and tracks renewal dates.

Red flags

Sends whatever certificate is on file.

How would you decide how many water-fed pole systems to buy versus ladders for your crews?

Technical · Equipment strategy

Strong answer

Looks at the mix of home heights in your area, safety benefits, speed per job, water and resin costs, training needs and payback.

Red flags

Buys whatever is cheapest, or whatever the crews ask for.

Crews often arrive without the right ladder or gear for the job. What do you change?

Situational · Scheduling systems

Strong answer

Adds equipment needs to job notes, has dispatch check them, and sets truck loadouts by job type.

Red flags

Tells crews to carry everything.

A technician fell from a ladder and was injured. After they're cared for, what do you do?

Situational · Incident review

Strong answer

Reports it to the insurer, and to OSHA if it meets OSHA's reporting rules, logs it, keeps the ladder for inspection, reviews what happened with the crew, fixes the cause and shares the lessons with all crews.

Red flags

Blames the technician and moves on.

Tell me about a time you raised crew productivity, such as homes per day, without hurting quality or safety.

Behavioral · Raising productivity

Strong answer

Names the change (tighter routes, set truck loadouts, moving upper windows to poles), the before-and-after numbers, and shows callbacks and near misses didn't rise.

Red flags

Pushed for speed and callbacks went up.

Tell me about a time you helped a crew lead become a better manager.

Behavioral · Leading leads

Strong answer

Gave specific feedback from ride-alongs, set one or two goals, checked in weekly, and the lead's crew results improved.

Red flags

Told them to manage better.

A customer is angry that the crew left muddy prints on their carpet. How do you handle it?

Situational · Customer escalations

Strong answer

Apologizes, arranges cleaning at the company's cost, finds out why shoe covers weren't used, and fixes the process.

Red flags

Offers a discount without fixing the cause.

How would you write a quality standard for residential window cleaning that new technicians can follow?

Technical · Quality standards

Strong answer

Defines clean (no streaks or edge lines, frames and sills wiped, screens cleaned and reinstalled, tracks if sold), uses photos and a checklist, and includes protecting the home.

Red flags

Says the windows should look clean.

Callbacks for streaks spiked after four new technicians started this spring. What do you do?

Situational · Training new hires

Strong answer

Rides along with the new hires, checks tools and soap mix, retrains technique, inspects their first jobs and tracks callbacks by tech.

Red flags

Tells the new hires to slow down.

One crew finishes far more homes a day than the others, but customers report missed screens and dirty sills. What do you do?

Situational · Speed versus standard

Strong answer

Inspects their next jobs unannounced, compares their times with job sizes, checks for skipped steps like sills, screens and ladder setup, coaches to the standard, and doesn't reward speed that skips work.

Red flags

Holds them up as the model crew because they're fastest.

Tell me about a training program you built for field staff. How did it improve results?

Behavioral · Building training

Strong answer

Describes the program (show, practice, sign-off) and a measured change such as fewer callbacks or near misses.

Red flags

Only describes the training content.

Tell me about a time a crew pushed back on a new standard. How did you get them on board?

Behavioral · Getting buy-in

Strong answer

Explained why, listened, adjusted where fair and held the line on the core.

Red flags

Dropped the standard as soon as crews complained.

How do you decide how many homes a crew can finish in a day?

Technical · Production rates

Strong answer

Uses pane counts and window types, stories, screens, tracks and interiors, plus drive time, then compares actual times to estimates and adjusts.

Red flags

Uses the same number of homes for every crew.

Crews say reps' estimates often undercount panes and miss hard water stains. What do you do?

Situational · Estimate accuracy

Strong answer

Reviews estimates against job results, retrains reps on counting and inspection, adds a checklist, and tracks estimate accuracy by rep.

Red flags

Tells crews to just do the work.

How would you build a pricing guide reps can use for homes with different window types and heights?

Technical · Pricing guide

Strong answer

Ties prices to labor time by window type and height, adds screens, tracks and hard water as separate items, sets minimums and limits on discounts.

Red flags

Gives reps a price range and lets them decide.

Tell me about a time you helped a sales rep improve. What did you change?

Behavioral · Coaching reps

Strong answer

Names the rep's gap (undercounted panes, weak follow-up, too much discounting), how they found it (ride-alongs, estimate reviews), the practice they did together, and the change in close rate or estimate accuracy.

Red flags

Told them to try harder.

Tell me about a time you grew recurring revenue rather than one-time sales.

Behavioral · Recurring plans

Strong answer

Names the offer (spring-and-fall plan, priority booking, a locked price), how reps were trained and paid on it, how many customers signed up and how many renewed.

Red flags

Has only one-time sales experience and no plan.

The owner asks how many jobs you'll sell this spring. How do you build the number?

Situational · Forecasting the season

Strong answer

Uses last year's spring, rebooking rates, current estimates and marketing plans, checked against crew capacity.

Red flags

Adds a percentage to last year.

Reps are selling more than crews can deliver in May. What do you do?

Situational · Sales and operations

Strong answer

Works with operations to set realistic booking windows, shifts sales to prepaid later dates, and keeps customers' expectations honest.

Red flags

Keeps selling and lets operations handle it.

How do you inspect, tag and store ladders so a damaged one never goes out on a truck?

Technical · Ladder management

Strong answer

Scheduled inspections with a log, clear out-of-service tags and a separate quarantine spot, repair or destroy, and covered storage.

Red flags

Crews tell you when a ladder is bad.

A cold snap is coming, and water-fed pole systems are stored in trucks and an unheated shed. What do you do?

Situational · Water system care

Strong answer

Drains systems or moves them to a heated area, protects pumps, hoses, filters, membranes and resin from freezing, and checks them before use.

Red flags

Leaves them where they are.

Two crews report broken pole pumps on the same day in peak season. What do you do?

Situational · Equipment repair

Strong answer

Swaps in spares, gets repairs moving, tells dispatch which jobs need ladders instead, and looks at whether the pumps are failing for the same reason.

Red flags

Waits for the parts and lets crews figure it out.

Tell me about a time you organized a shop or truck so crews could load ladders, poles and water systems faster.

Behavioral · Organization

Strong answer

Explains the layout change, such as truck kits, labeled bins and ladder racks by size, and how much load-out time it saved.

Red flags

Has no measured result.

Tell me about a time you held people accountable for returning gear in good condition.

Behavioral · Accountability

Strong answer

Set an end-of-day check-in, tracked damage by crew, and followed up every time until returns improved.

Red flags

Complained but had no system.

What do you check to make sure ladders and poles are loaded safely on trucks?

Technical · Vehicle safety

Strong answer

Secure racks and straps, nothing past legal overhang without a flag, poles protected, and a check before each truck leaves.

Red flags

Trusts the crew to tie things down.

A customer calls after a cleaning and says some windows still look cloudy between the panes. What do you tell them?

Situational · Explaining foggy windows

Strong answer

Explains that fog between double panes usually means a failed seal, which cleaning can't fix, offers a tech check if unsure, and notes it.

Red flags

Promises a free re-clean that won't help.

Storms are forecast for tomorrow, and you have to move several customers. What do you say to them?

Situational · Weather rescheduling

Strong answer

Calls early, explains safety and quality reasons, offers specific new times, and confirms in writing.

Red flags

Waits until morning, or texts 'rescheduled' with no new time.

A caller wants a price. What do you ask to give an accurate quote?

Technical · Phone quotes

Strong answer

Number of windows and panes, stories, inside and out, screens and tracks, special windows like skylights or French panes, hard water stains, and access.

Red flags

Asks only for square footage.

Tell me about a time a customer called upset about a service visit, such as a missed appointment or work they weren't happy with, and how you handled it.

Behavioral · Handling complaints

Strong answer

Let them explain without interrupting, confirmed the details, offered what they were allowed to (a return visit, a call from the manager), gave a time and followed up until it was closed.

Red flags

Transferred it right away, or argued with the customer.

Tell me about a time you handled many calls during a busy season. How did you stay accurate?

Behavioral · Busy-season pressure

Strong answer

Used notes and the system, confirmed details back, and scheduled callbacks.

Red flags

Relied on memory and missed some details.

A customer calls the day after a cleaning, upset that it rained and the windows have spots. What do you tell them?

Situational · Rain after a cleaning

Strong answer

Follows the company's rain policy, explains honestly that rain usually leaves only light spots on clean glass, offers a re-check if they see streaks or missed areas, and notes it on the account.

Red flags

Says rain isn't the company's problem, or promises a free re-clean the policy doesn't cover.

The forecast shows strong winds and storms after noon, and six crews are booked. What do you do?

Situational · Weather calls

Strong answer

Works with the supervisor to move ladder-heavy and exterior work to the morning, swaps in interior or low work, calls customers early, and keeps safety first.

Red flags

Keeps the schedule and lets crews decide on site.

A crew is running two hours behind, and the last customer took the afternoon off to be home for the inside windows. What do you do?

Situational · Running late

Strong answer

Calls the customer right away with an honest time and options, checks whether another crew can help, and notes why the day slipped.

Red flags

Lets the crew show up late without warning.

Walk me through how you match crews to jobs when homes differ in height, glass condition and access.

Technical · Matching crews to jobs

Strong answer

Matches height and equipment (ladder sizes, water-fed pole), two-person needs for tall ladders, skills like hard water removal, area and customer preferences.

Red flags

Assigns jobs to whoever is free.

Tell me about a day when weather, a sick crew member or cancellations forced you to redo a schedule, and how you kept track of every change.

Behavioral · Juggling changes

Strong answer

Describes the tool they used (board, app, checklist), how they ranked who to call first, confirmed each change with the crew and customer, and checked the board at day's end for misses.

Red flags

Lost track of at least one change.

Tell me about a time a field crew misunderstood your instructions. What did you change?

Behavioral · Clear instructions

Strong answer

Took ownership, found what was unclear, and changed how they give instructions, such as written job notes with photos and a read-back from the lead.

Red flags

Blamed the crew.

A crew arrives and finds a loose dog in the backyard where they need to work, and the customer isn't home. What do you do?

Situational · Access problems

Strong answer

Tells the crew not to enter the yard, calls the customer, does the front and other areas if safe, and books a return for the rest.

Red flags

Tells the crew to work around the dog.

Customers can prepay for a spring and a fall cleaning in one payment. How do you record that?

Technical · Prepaid service packages

Strong answer

Records the payment as unearned revenue, recognizes each half when that cleaning is done, and keeps a list of prepaid visits still owed.

Red flags

Books it all as sales the day it's paid.

How would you find out whether your state charges sales tax on window cleaning and add-ons like screen repair?

Technical · Sales tax research

Strong answer

Checks the state revenue department's guidance on services, confirms with the company's CPA, and sets up each service correctly in the billing system.

Red flags

Assumes services are never taxed, or copies what another company does.

Most revenue comes in spring and fall, but bills and payroll continue all winter. What would you give the owner each month to help plan?

Situational · Seasonal cash reporting

Strong answer

A simple cash forecast by month using last year's pattern, booked and prepaid work, fixed costs and payroll plans, with the low point flagged early.

Red flags

Only the monthly profit report.

Technicians sometimes collect payment at the door. A customer's check shows as paid in the app, but it isn't in the deposit. What do you do?

Situational · Field payments

Strong answer

Matches the job to the hand-in log, asks the tech neutrally, contacts the customer if needed, and tells the manager about any gap in the hand-in process.

Red flags

Marks it unpaid and sends the customer a late notice.

Tell me about a time card payouts from a payment processor didn't match the sales in your books, and how you worked it out.

Behavioral · Reconciling card payouts

Strong answer

Matched each payout to the batch of jobs behind it, separated processing fees, refunds and chargebacks, recorded fees as an expense instead of netting them against sales, and set a monthly check.

Red flags

Plugged the difference to make it balance.

Tell me about a month-end close routine you set up or improved for a small business.

Behavioral · Month-end close

Strong answer

Lists the steps (bank and card reconciliations, prepaid and unbilled jobs, payroll, a review of open invoices), how they kept it on schedule, and how much faster or cleaner the monthly reports got.

Red flags

Closes the month whenever there's time, with no checklist.

What would you track for supplies like squeegee rubbers, scrubber sleeves, scraper blades, towels and soap?

Technical · Consumables tracking

Strong answer

Use per crew per week, reorder points, which items wear out fastest, and supplier lead times before the spring rush.

Red flags

Counts the shelf when someone runs out.

A crew says their water-fed pole is leaving spots. What do you check on the supply side?

Situational · Water purification supplies

Strong answer

Asks for the total dissolved solids (TDS) reading of the water coming out of the pole, checks whether the resin or filters are spent, replaces them, and tracks resin life by crew.

Red flags

Sends more soap without checking the water.

Spring is six weeks away, and last spring you ran out of rubbers and resin. What do you do?

Situational · Pre-season stocking

Strong answer

Uses last year's usage and booked work to set a spring stock level, orders early, and confirms supplier lead times.

Red flags

Orders the usual amount and hopes.

Tell me about a time you made inventory records more accurate for trucks or crews.

Behavioral · Record accuracy

Strong answer

Explains what was going wrong, such as missed sign-outs or no counts, the process change, and how closely counts matched afterward.

Red flags

Counted more often without changing the process.

Tell me about a time you got field crews to report the supplies they used from their trucks.

Behavioral · Working with crews

Strong answer

Made reporting quick, such as a truck checklist or a photo of the shelf, explained how it kept their trucks stocked, and followed up until it stuck.

Red flags

Gave up when crews didn't report.

How should used scraper blades be collected and thrown away?

Technical · Safe blade handling

Strong answer

In a puncture-proof container on each truck, never loose in trash bags, with containers swapped out and disposed of safely.

Red flags

Tossed in the regular trash.

Walk me through your estimate visit for a two-story home.

Technical · On-site assessment

Strong answer

Counts windows and panes by type, notes stories and access, checks screens, tracks, hard water and damage, asks about interiors and pets, and explains what's included.

Red flags

Estimates from the street.

During the estimate, you notice scratches on several panes and a few bent screens. What do you tell the customer?

Situational · Disclosing existing damage

Strong answer

Points them out, notes them with photos on the estimate so the crew isn't blamed later, and explains what cleaning can and can't fix.

Red flags

Says nothing, so the crew gets blamed for the damage later.

The customer says another company quoted half your price for the same windows. What do you do?

Situational · Price objections

Strong answer

Asks what's included (screens, tracks, inside), explains your process and insurance, and holds value without bashing.

Red flags

Matches the price on the spot.

Tell me about a sale to a homeowner that you nearly lost. What turned it around?

Behavioral · Closing

Strong answer

Names the real concern they uncovered (price, worry about damage, timing, who'd be home for interiors), how they answered it honestly, and that the customer booked without a deep discount.

Red flags

Gave a bigger discount.

Tell me about how you followed up on estimates that didn't book right away.

Behavioral · Follow-up

Strong answer

Describes a set schedule (a call within days, a reminder before the season, a final note), what they offered each time, and roughly how many later booked.

Red flags

Waits for customers to call back.

A customer wants a one-time cleaning. How would you introduce a recurring plan?

Situational · Selling recurring service

Strong answer

Explains real benefits like keeping hard water from building up and priority booking, offers it once, and respects the answer.

Red flags

Pressures them or doesn't mention it.

How do you plan your call list in the weeks before spring?

Technical · Seasonal timing

Strong answer

Sorts past customers by last service date and season, puts recurring and high-value customers first, includes old estimates, and removes do-not-contact names.

Red flags

Calls everyone in the database alphabetically.

You call someone who got an estimate last fall but never booked. They say they forgot. What do you say?

Situational · Recovering old estimates

Strong answer

Confirms the details are still right, offers specific open dates, and mentions any current offer without pressure.

Red flags

Pushes for a yes on the spot.

A past customer says the last crew left streaks, and they didn't call because they didn't want a fight. What do you do?

Situational · Uncovering service problems

Strong answer

Thanks them for telling you, apologizes, logs it for the manager, offers to make it right, and doesn't push a sale first.

Red flags

Moves straight to booking the next cleaning.

A loyal customer says they'll book their spring cleaning only if you take off more than you're allowed to. What do you say?

Situational · Respecting limits

Strong answer

Is honest about what they can offer, mentions any real options like a prepaid plan, and checks with a manager if needed.

Red flags

Gives it anyway, or says no and ends the call.

Tell me about a time you kept following up with someone without becoming a pest.

Behavioral · Persistence with respect

Strong answer

Spaced follow-ups, added something useful each time, and accepted a clear no.

Red flags

Called every day until they answered.

Tell me about a time you tracked your own results and changed your approach.

Behavioral · Tracking outcomes

Strong answer

Names what they tracked (calls, contacts and bookings by list or time of day), what it showed, and the change that improved results.

Red flags

Doesn't track their results.

Inside a customer's home, the next window is right above a white couch. What do you do before the cleaning starts?

Situational · Protecting the inside of homes

Strong answer

Asks before moving anything, lays drop cloths or towels, wears shoe covers, keeps water off furniture and the sill, and tells the cleaner about anything fragile.

Red flags

Starts without protecting anything.

You're holding the base of the ladder for your lead when the customer's dog runs out and starts jumping on you. What do you do?

Situational · Ladder footing

Strong answer

Keeps hold of the ladder, calls up to the lead to stop and hold on, and asks the customer to take the dog inside.

Red flags

Lets go of the ladder to deal with the dog.

You're taking screens off to clean them. How do you keep track of which screen goes in which window?

Technical · Screen handling

Strong answer

Labels each one with its location, stacks them carefully away from the driveway, and reinstalls each in the right spot.

Red flags

Stacks them and figures it out later.

Tell me about a time at work, school or volunteering when you and someone else had to rely on each other to get a physical task done safely.

Behavioral · Working safely as a pair

Strong answer

Gives a specific example, how they agreed on who did what, how they kept their attention on the task, and a time they spoke up when something looked unsafe.

Red flags

Prefers working alone, or stayed quiet when something looked wrong.

Tell me about a time at work, school or volunteering when you got feedback you didn't expect. What did you do with it?

Behavioral · Taking feedback

Strong answer

Listened without arguing, asked questions to understand it, changed what they did, and can say what got better.

Red flags

Got defensive or ignored it.

On your first day, the lead hands you a spray bottle and a squeegee and says to start on the patio doors. What do you ask before you start?

Situational · Asking before acting

Strong answer

What's in the bottle and how much to use, the right technique, whether the glass has film or coatings to avoid, and where to put the screens.

Red flags

Nothing, they just start.

A customer's windows have heavy hard water spots from sprinklers. How do you handle them?

Technical · Hard water removal

Strong answer

Inspects closely, tests a small area with the method they're trained on, explains that some spots may have etched the glass, gets agreement on results and price, and avoids methods that harm coatings.

Red flags

Scrubs hard with whatever is on the truck.

When would you use a water-fed pole instead of a ladder and squeegee, and what can go wrong?

Technical · Water-fed pole judgment

Strong answer

For upper windows reachable from the ground; checks the TDS reading so the water is pure, rinses frames well, keeps carbon and wet poles away from power lines, and knows poles won't handle heavy grime or interiors.

Red flags

Uses it everywhere, or doesn't know its limits.

A junior technician refuses to climb to a third-story window because they feel unsafe. What do you do?

Situational · Respecting safety concerns

Strong answer

Never pressures them, checks the setup, uses another method or does it themselves only if it's safe, and talks with them later about training.

Red flags

Tells them to toughen up.

Tell me about a time you taught a new technician a hard technique. How did you know they had it?

Behavioral · Training juniors

Strong answer

Demonstrated it, had them practice on low-risk glass, watched them on several jobs, and signed off only when quality was steady.

Red flags

Showed them once and moved on.

Tell me about a time a homeowner raised a problem during a job, such as a missed window or a worry about damage, and how you resolved it.

Behavioral · Solving problems on site

Strong answer

Looked at it with the customer, fixed what they could on the spot (re-cleaned, reset a screen), was honest about what they couldn't, stayed within what they're allowed to offer, and told the office.

Red flags

Made a promise the company couldn't keep.

A customer says the windows cleaned yesterday look streaky in the afternoon sun. What do you do?

Situational · Streak callbacks

Strong answer

Goes back, looks with the customer, re-cleans, and finds the cause (worn rubber, dirty water, too much soap) to coach the crew.

Red flags

Says the streaks are on the inside of the glass.

Walk me through setting up an extension ladder to reach a second-story window.

Technical · Ladder setup

Strong answer

Inspects the ladder, checks the ground and overhead for power lines, sets a safe angle on firm level footing, uses a standoff to protect the glass, keeps three points of contact and moves the ladder rather than overreaching.

Red flags

Leans it on the glass and climbs.

You see paint specks on a large window. How do you decide whether to use a scraper?

Technical · Scraping tempered glass

Strong answer

Checks for a tempered stamp or a coating, knows scraping tempered or coated glass can scratch it, follows the glass maker's guidance, keeps the glass wet, tests a small corner or uses another method, and checks with the lead first.

Red flags

Scrapes every window dry.

While removing a screen, the frame bends and the mesh tears. What do you do?

Situational · Reporting damage

Strong answer

Stops, tells the lead and the customer, takes a photo and doesn't reinstall it as if nothing happened.

Red flags

Puts it back and hopes no one notices.

The only spot to set your ladder puts it close to the power line running to the house. What do you do?

Situational · Power line safety

Strong answer

Doesn't set it there, knows poles can conduct electricity too, skips that window, and tells the lead and customer.

Red flags

Sets it carefully and works fast.

Tell me about a time at work, school or volunteering when you could have cut a corner and nobody would have known. What did you do?

Behavioral · Integrity

Strong answer

Gives a real example where they did the step anyway, such as wiping the sills or resetting a ladder, and explains why it mattered to them.

Red flags

Admits they cut it, or says nobody checks those things anyway.

Tell me about a time someone showed you a better way to do a task you thought you already knew. How did you handle it?

Behavioral · Coachability

Strong answer

Was open to it, tried it honestly, kept using it when it worked, and can say what improved.

Red flags

Kept their old way because it had always worked for them.