Comber - 2nd shift - Heavy Lifting
Posted Sep 8, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
This job involves picking up pumped bellies and pressing them onto a comb over and over. Have you done heavy, repetitive lifting before, and how did it go?
What they are checking: Whether they truly understand the physical load of this job and have handled similar work.
Tell me about a time you kept a steady pace on a job even when you were tired.
What they are checking: Whether they have the stamina and work ethic to keep up with a line all shift.
How do you get along with coworkers when the work is fast and everyone is stressed?
What they are checking: Whether they stay calm and respectful on a busy line instead of adding to the tension.
What would you do
Second shift starts in the afternoon and runs late. Is there anything that would get in the way of being here every day?
What they are checking: Whether they can be reliable on this schedule, since a missing comber slows the whole line.
You start feeling a sharp pain in your shoulder halfway through the shift. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they would report pain early instead of pushing through and getting seriously hurt.
If a belly falls on the floor, what should happen to it?
What they are checking: Whether they follow food safety rules for dropped product rather than putting it back on the line.
What would you do if the person next to you kept sending product your way faster than you could handle it?
What they are checking: Whether they communicate or call a lead instead of letting product pile up or cutting corners.
About the work
How do you lift heavy product safely when you have to do it hundreds of times a shift?
What they are checking: Whether they know safe lifting habits that prevent back and shoulder injuries in repetitive work.
Why do you think it matters where and how firmly you press the comb into the belly?
What they are checking: Whether they understand that small details at their station affect how the bacon cooks and looks later.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Smithfield Foods.