Are you preparing yourself for an upcoming janitorial job interview at a local startup? If so, then you must remember that employers follow a predetermined set of criteria when hiring someone compatible. Once you know what clients generally ask then I am sure you will prepare yourselves better. I worked as a manager for multiple janitorial services in the past; as a result, I often interviewed janitors, especially, before signing up with big office cleaning contracts

I am going to discuss 20 most frequently asked janitorial job interview questions as well as answers throughout the rest of the article.

Also, you can read ways to capture and verify janitorial leads online.

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20 commonly asked questions during janitorial job interviews:

Question 1: What motivates you enough to undertake a janitorial job?

Be honest even if it’s money acting as the sole motivating factor in your case, we all have our reasons.

Also, talk about how hygiene is extremely important for any workplace in a pandemic as employees need to feel safe from the CoVID-19 virus.

Right now, the janitors are called superheroes without a cape.

Certainly, it’s a cause that is greater than anything else right now for which you’re willing to work.

Question 2: How would your past employers’ rate your dependency and reliance factors?

Start away by informing the interviewer about your past as well as your present experience(s) related to this industry.

Practices you’ve adopted for grooming the perfect team ready to work full time with diligence ensuring your client satisfaction.

Names of companies that are hiring your services routinely, also mentioning the time period you have served.

Question 3: What are the strongest selling points of your business?

This may sound quite easy to answer; however, the question can still baffle many candidates during janitorial job interviews at times.

List down the key unique selling points of your cleaning business so that you could promptly deliver your pitch with perfection.

Keep in mind that your preparation before an interview says a lot about your diligence as well as the willingness to work.

Question 4: Are you willing to work longer hours during special events?

Companies host several events in a year; hence, it is likely that janitors will need to work longer hours during such events.

Saying “No” will surely strip your name off their potential list of janitors right away.

Make sure you say “Yes” and find out how much would the company be willing to pay you for extra hours.

Find out how to bill your clients depending on various scopes in every cleaning project.

Question 5: Do you think you’ve been a successful cleaning company to date?

The most obvious reason for asking this is to find out if you’ve been a reliable and consistent service provider or not.

Having recurring clients is a healthy sign of progress, but don’t worry even if you have only recently started.

Give the best quality service to your clients and you’ll soon experience remarkable growth in no time.

Question 6: Do you have past experience in dealing with chemicals?

Being a professional cleaning service I have had worked with various companies that specialize in manufacturing chemicals capable of melting snow as well as metal.

I need to be equally conscious about the appropriate composition for each chemical generally used by cleaning companies.

Question 7: Are you adequately patient to withstand the public while cleaning?

Janitors are often required to mop floors during moments of intense pedestrian movement, especially during the lunch break.

It is every janitor’s responsibility to maintain calm at all costs even if the ground gets trampled over while cleaning.

Your response should state that you’d be comfortable during such moments as you’ll have the opportunity to interact with people while concentrating on the work at hand.

Question 8: Tell us about a situation when you have carried out more than your responsibility.

A question like this meant to judge your character as a human being and not as a professional cleaner.

Sometimes people leave their belongings either cellphones or wallets mistakenly in the washroom.

Therefore, it’s also the responsibility of a reliable janitor to hand over any lost items to the authority in charge after collecting them.

Question 9: How would you react with individuals that may spoil a spot right after cleaning?

During such moments it’s likely to lose temper; however, for janitors, it’s the last thing they can do.

Tell them that you’d place wet floorboard signs and indicators for preventing pedestrians from spoiling floors that are cleaned recently.

If situations still become unmanageable, tell them that you wouldn’t mind cleaning the same spot multiple times if needed.

Question 10: What’s your expectation from this project?

This is usually asked before closing a meeting.

The answer is a tricky one; therefore, leave the choice to the interviewer and make them decide your wage rate.

Furthermore, your rate/charge-per-hour of every cleaner varies depending on their ability to work with perfection; moreover, a CIMS certificate can raise your per-hour-rate significantly.

Question 11: Elaborate on the time when you handled a customer’s complaint successfully.

Your response to this one question will reveal your professionalism as well as your efficiency level at work.

The purpose of asking this is to test your customer service skills.

Maintain an amicable attitude as you are going to communicate with prospects.

Try to recall an event when a dissatisfied customer left a stingy review on your Facebook page, and the result was “1000 views” in just twenty-four hours!

Social media is where people generally hold various discussions on topics you are unlikely to come across.

Question 12: If you see one of your co-workers violating the company policy or work compliance, how would you react to it?

Are you someone that is willing to comply with a company’s policies and abide by the rules imposed by your employer?

Agreeing and working according to the imposed guidelines and etiquettes reveal your sincerity, and this also builds a strong work relationship with employers.

Following a strong work ethic can help you go a long way in a world that’s already competitive.

Question 13: How frequently do the cleaning equipment need to be sanitized for reuse?

The answer to this question must be, “The equipment at my disposal are cleaned and sanitized for once a day at least.”

The tools that you are going to use for cleaning a site must be sanitized, which is quite similar to ensure hygiene in the workplace.

Being a cleaner, if you fail to take care of your tools, then the odds are good that you won’t be landing any contract.

Hygiene is a mandatory part of life that you need people to realize, otherwise, people are less likely to remember you.

Question 14: When was the most distasteful situation you had endured at work?

Needless to say that signing up with any janitorial job/contract will definitely make you come across with distasteful situations.

Official ceremonies where employees are likely to drink and throw up following an event is what I consider to be distasteful.

Drinking is common; however, you also need to know the category of events and the number of people to be attending an event.

Asking the right questions to the interviewer will help you predetermine situations before you encounter them.

Question 15: How often are you available for handling more projects?

Ideally, every janitor should work for at least 192 hours a week.

In case of emergencies, the allocated timeframe can exceed for meeting requirements of clients.

Also, I would like you to stop agreeing with every need imposed by a client just to make them realize that you are human and have a life of your own.

Most importantly, don’t be too harsh on yourself; therefore, do not hesitate to ask whether or not you are going to get paid for working extra hours during the janitorial job interviews and sessions.

Question 16: How do you intend on dealing with rude clients?

The answer to this question will help to determine your patience meter while interacting with people.

The key is to maintain your calm even if someone decides to go berserk and throws a rant.

The best reply to this question would be that you will calmly handle the situation and leave the place without causing further trouble.

If needed, you’d rather report to the HR or quit the job entirely if situations get worse.

Question 17: Have you taken any exam or certification that proves your janitorial skill sets?

Your reply to this question will prove the extent of acquiring new skills as well as knowledge surrounding the janitorial cleaning process.

It is imperative that client requirements will vary; hence, the higher your receptive power the greater will be chances to establish a solid grasp over any project.

If you have taken exams previously as a janitor, make sure you have the certificate readily available in your hands for showing it to the potential prospect.

HIPAA compliant measures will certainly improve your chances of landing more commercial cleaning jobs.

Question 18: How do you ensure physical fitness to be able to work for prolonged hours as a janitor?

The reason employers often ask this question is to find out how active you are, and whether you’d be capable of working for long hours or not.

Naturally, the job requires an individual to keep standing for long hours in addition to performing heavy lifting occasionally.

The fitter you are, the better will be your chances to get past the janitorial job interviews phase.

If you are regularly hitting the gym then do not shy away from stating out that clearly to the interviewer.

Question 19: Have you ever broken or damaged a client’s property while on duty?

Lying isn’t always going to put you into trouble; therefore, even if you have actually caused any damage to a client’s property, deny the fact!

I know this must sound unethical, however, if lying could get you the job, then why not?

Before handling any sophisticated pieces of device, make sure you have clarified the proper usage by consulting with the client.

Or completely stay away from the device if the client isn’t around.

Question 20: Do you have any questions?

One must not shake their head implying “NO” to this question after any janitorial job interview session.

Rather, think of a question or two to ask before finally showing up at any janitorial job interviews beforehand (inquire about pain points, e.g.).

Your question will determine the extent of the research you have performed about a potential employer.

A well-thought-out question is the indication of your sincerity towards the opportunity.

Sometimes job descriptions will clearly state the range of salary, in such a case, stick to the average sum of the stated figure.

Wrap it up:

If you think I have left out any important questions that are frequently asked during janitorial job interviews, feel free to leave a comment underneath. Stay with us for more insightful tips on growing and branding cleaning businesses.