Maintenance Mechanic

Tell me about a time you had to fix something you'd never worked on before. How did you figure it out?

What they are checking: Whether they can learn on the job using manuals, coworkers and careful testing, since the posting asks for willingness to learn.

You're on call every 12th weekend. What does being on call mean to you, and how have you handled call-ins before?

What they are checking: Whether they will reliably answer and show up after hours, which is what makes an on-call rotation work.

Tell me about a repair you did that didn't hold. What happened and what did you do next?

What they are checking: Whether they own their mistakes and go back to find the real cause instead of patching over it again.

You're in the middle of a planned repair when a nurse calls about a leaking pipe over a patient room. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they understand that in a hospital, anything touching patient safety or infection risk jumps the line.

This job means covering buildings across Onalaska and La Crosse. How do you keep track of work orders and priorities when you're moving between sites?

What they are checking: Whether they can stay organized and follow through when their work is spread across several locations in one day.

Working in occupied patient areas is different from a factory or apartment building. What would you do differently when repairing something near patients?

What they are checking: Whether they think about noise, dust, privacy and infection control when working where sick people are being cared for.

Walk me through the building systems you've maintained or repaired. What were you hands-on with, and what did you only assist on?

What they are checking: Whether their mechanical background is real and broad enough to cover hospital buildings, and whether they are honest about its limits.

A rooftop air handler serving a clinic stops running on a Tuesday afternoon. How do you go about finding the problem?

What they are checking: Whether they troubleshoot in a logical order, checking power, controls and safeties before swapping parts.

How do you handle lockout/tagout when you're working on equipment other people might try to turn on?

What they are checking: Whether safety procedure is a habit for them or something they skip when a job feels quick.

What preventive maintenance have you done on a schedule, and why does it matter in a hospital?

What they are checking: Whether they see preventive work as what keeps critical systems from failing when patients depend on them.

Which tools and meters are you comfortable using on your own, and what electrical or plumbing work are you qualified to do?

What they are checking: Whether they know the edge of their skills and licensing, so they don't take on work they shouldn't.