Tyre Fitter Job Interview
In a tyre fitter job interview, employers will ask questions based on the tyre fitter job duties, which, in the main, is the repair, maintenance and replacement of tyres on a range of vehicles.
Some tyre fitting companies specialise in HGV, coach or specialist vehicle tyre-fitting, but in the main, most tyre fitters work on cars and small vans.
Whereas garages will often recruit mechanics that are also responsible for tyre repair and replacement, employers running a tyre fitting centre require skilled tyre fitters.
Depending on the job position, some employers will recruit an apprentice – someone with the perceived work ethic and skills for the role, whereas others need an experienced tyre fitter.
Job Interview Questions for a Tyre Fitter
Below you will find 12 job interveiw questions that are commonly asked during a tyre fitting job interview, with an explanation of how to answer each of the questions.
Job Interview Question 1: What is your tyre-fitting or garage experience?
If an applicant has any previous tyre-fitting experience it is good to state this at the job interview start, linking the duration in the job role to the applicant’s knowledge base:
‘I have been working as a tyre fitter for X number of years. In my current role, I am responsible for welcoming customers to the centre, diagnosing the tyre issue – if the tyre needs replacing or repairing. I am experienced in wheel-balancing, removing nails from tyres and selling new tyres to customers.
For a new entry to the tyre-fitting career, the applicant needs to promote their skill set and worth ethic. This is a common approach for a school leaver or someone making a career change:
‘I recently left college where I gained a Level 2 diploma in vehicle fitting. During the course, I learnt how to check and replace tyres, tyre maintenance and basic automotive tasks; carrying out MOTs for example. During the course, I undertook a 2-week tyre-fitting work placement and was highly praised by my manager.’
Job Interview Question 2: How do you welcome a new customer?
The customer ‘welcome’ is an important part of the business.
The ‘welcome’ helps to set the standard of customer service but also helps to create a quick turnaround which increase profit.
This interveiw question can be answered by explaining the process in several ‘steps’
‘Welcoming a new customer is important as , when it is done properly, it shows the professionalisum of the business creating a good first impression. When I welcome a customer I follow these 3 steps:
Step 1 – I check if they have been booked in for a wheel change or if they have just turned up. In busy periods pre-booked customers take priority. For ‘just turned up customers’ I would explain the potential wait time.
Step 2 – Next I explain the process; how I will check the tyres for damage and wear, and how I will give advice on the tyre replacement, explaining how long this process will take.
Step 3- Finally, I show them where they can wait and offer to get them a hot drink to help them feel comfortable.
Job Interview Question 3: Explain how you check a vehicle’s balancing?
When answering technical problems, it is best practice to start by explaining the reason behind a task, before giving an answer as this who the applicant’s level of job confidence and competencies.
‘Wheel alignment and balancing important in terms of driver safety. Unbalanced wheels cause vibrations and can be dangerous when driving, especially in icy conditions. When checking wheel alignment I look at the angles of the wheels, check the balance before making any adjustments. I also explain the importance of regular checks to customers, telling them how accurate wheel alignment ensure that the vehicle runs staright.’
Job Interview Question 4: What was the quality of standard of work/customer service in previous positions?
In the automotive trade employers need employees with a strong work ethic.
This question is trying gage each applicants qualities. This is deemed to be important because manual work requires mental strength. Working in a tyre-fitting company means that employees will work weekends as part of buisness-as-usual.
‘My work ethic is very strong. With every task I undertake from fitting tyres to wlecoming customers I approach with professionalism and enthusiasm.’
In addition to the above example opening answer, interveiwees need to provide a reallife example of strong work ethic.
Set the scene – start by explaining the situation, as an example, an increase in workload on a partcialur busy day.
Action – discuss what actions you took, highlighting your work ethic.
Success – end the interveiw answer by stating the positive ouctome; this could be feedback from the manager.
Job Interview Question 5: What does balancing and re-aligning wheel mean?
As a technical question, this interveiw question can be answered with a detailed explanation of the reason behind the requirement for wheel realignment.
‘Wheel alignment is important for safe driving as it improves the vehicle handling and reduces stress on the vehicle suspension. Signs of poor balancing include the car pulling to the side, vibrating steering wheel and uneven tyre wear.’
If you have an out-of-balance condition on the steering, have all four wheels balanced, front and back. Unbalanced wheels on the rear can often be felt through the steering.
Job Interview Question 6: Give an example of going above and beyond on behalf of a customer
Customer service is important in the automotive industry as a happy customer will return for repeat business.
When answering this question, first explain your understanding of customer service before giving an example of providing excellent customer service.
‘I believe customer satisfaction is very important in this industry. A negative review on Google can reduce the number of customers choosing our garage for their tyres. With that in mind, I always focus on customer satisfaction. An example of this is when a new customer arrived before the centre was officially open. The customer needed a quick tyre change as they were late for an important meeting. I could see the customer was distressed, and even though we didn’t officially start my shift for another 20minutes I decide to start work early and help the customer out. Two weeks later the customer returned to thank me for my support, explaining that they manage a fleet of cars and would use this garage for the annual replacement of tyres.’
Job Interview Question 7: Name 3 different types of tyres and their pro’s and con’s?
Another technical interview question.
Depending on an applicants knowledge level depends on how they answer this interview question. One example would be talking about tyre tread.
It doesn’t matter what the interviewee discusses as long as they highlight their level of industry knowledge.
‘When I discuss the pro’s and con’s of tyres to customers, I often explain the various treads.: symmetrical tread is the cheaper option but doesn’t perform well it wet conditions. A second option is directional tread – great for wet roads but due to their soft rubber can become warn quicker. The final option I discuss is asymmetrical tyres; these tyers have excellent handling but need fitting in a certain way.’
Job Interview Question 8: Describe the process for repairing a puncture?
As one of the key task for a tyre fitter, this is going to be a common interview question.
When answering the technical question explain it in steps. New to the trade interveiwees can explain what they believe the process is using the below as a guide. Experience tyre fitters can add their own experiences to the answer, adding additional technical information.
‘To repair a tyre I would first search for the puncture or damage, also checking for potential second punctures. Once I have located the puncture I would remove the embedded object causing the damage. Next I would fill the hole before replacing the tyre.’
Job Interview Question 9: What do you need to look for when checking for signs of damage and wear?
Checking for damage and wear is a buisnes-as-usual task. Employees when conducting any repair on a tyre would also check the remaining tyres for wear. Therfore it is important to understand the different types of tyre damage.
Understanding the various damage types is what the employer is checking with this job interview question.
‘There are several types of tyre damage I check include; tread depth – checking that each tyre meets the legal requirement. Exposed cords, faults from previous repairs and foreign objects which could cause secondary damage. and Finally tyre deterioration.’
Job Interview Question 10: What does health and safety mean to you?
The tyre fitting shop is filled with machinery and moving vechiles.
Therfore, following health and safety is deemed as high importance. Employers expect all employees to follow the health and safety act. The employer asking the H&S interview question is wanting to check an employees current knowledge and understanding.
‘For me, health and safety is virtual for me and my colleagues. If you don’t follow the H&S rules it may result in injuries that take staff members out of work for long period of times. Due to this I always follow all H&S rules including keeping the garage free from obstruction, returning tools and equipment to their designated place and checking for danger before starting a task.’
Job Interview Question 11: How do you manage your day to day duties?
Working in a tyre fitting garage is a busy workplace with a mixture of pre-booked appointments and walk-in tasks.
Employers are ideally looking for a tyre fitter who can time manage their workload to ensure any additional work, gain on the day, can be dealt with.
‘I am a good with time management. At the end of each day I look at the pre-booked appointments for the following day and check what equipment and resources I require. I can then collect these saving time. I also have a good idea how long each duty takes and I can work out how mush ‘free’ time I have for any drop-in tasks.’
Job Interview Question 12: Do you have any questions to ask?
- Are you looking to expand the business?
- What other mechanical jobs do you carry out?
- Do you offer any training or qualifications relating to tyre fitting?
- How many people work with the tyre-fitting centre?
- What is the average number of customers per day?
