Professional Documents
Culture Documents
safety so it stands to reason that at an interview for this position, you will be tested along
these lines primarily. If you are comfortable in your safety officer role, it will show in an
interview; your knowledge of the work and how you execute it will be a great asset when
you sit across the table from an interviewer.
An interview for a safety officers position will focus mostly on your abilities of
implementing security policies and handling adverse situations. You should be confident
in both these areas if you want to excel in the interview. Remember, you only get one
chance to make a first impression so be prepared to give the interviewer what he wants!
While you will most probably be asked situation-based questions during an interview for
a safety officer position, you must prepare yourself for other types of questions as well.
These may include your knowledge of using safety equipment or understanding of safety
procedures and protocols.
Given below is a set of interview questions and answers that you could be asked when
appearing for an interview:
How would you define safety and its relevance to real time situations?
Safety is a condition which provides you freedom from risk. While most people say safety
and think people, it is not just about people. It is also about buildings and assets. Real
time situations that may warrant safety include physical hazards such as fire, natural
calamities, intended harm and emergencies.
What is a near-miss? Share a near-miss experience and what you learnt from it?
Near miss is a situation where an accident could happen but did not. These indicate leaks
in security arrangements. Last year, during a renovation project someone placed heavy
tiles on the first floor just where the floor was not strong enough to carry their weight.
The floor gave in and a couple of tiles fell down, no one was hurt but I learnt to always
place safety tags on weak parts of structures being renovated.
What is the biggest hazard in construction and what can be done to remove it?
Biggest hazard that applies to construction sites is that of collapse. This is avoided
through proper and secure scaffolding at sensitive structural points.
In the event of a fire inside a building, what thought will be foremost in your
mind?
Evacuation. I would want every living being inside the building to safely step out and run
as far away from the building as possible.
Have you ever been involved in a situation which has tested your mettle as a
safety officer on a personal level?
There was this situation in which the university that I was working for fell under a
vandalism attack. All security personnel looked for the perpetrator for three months but
I was the one who managed to pinpoint a student responsible for the vile acts. It was
unfortunate that the student was the son of my best friend. I had no option but to hand
him in even though I knew I could very well let him go with a warning and none would
be the wiser! My ethics said otherwise.
This is most typical questions that every recruiters will ask you at an job interview. You should try to
match this answer to your resume and cover letter. You can ref sample of interview answers, job
interview tips as follows:
1. Answer structure
Education: You should tell the interviewer about your educational qualifications and any relevant
miscellaneous educational qualifications that you might have amassed.
Professional experience: Standard questions during a job interview are tell me about your professional
experience. Depending on whether you are a novice or an experienced professional, you should share
your previous job experiences.
2. Answer tips
Keep the information crisp and relevant: One of the first things to remember is to keep the information
crisp and relevant. Try to speak in short sentences and moreover, try to give them as much information
as possible in the least amount of time.
Facts and figures: While telling about yourself, be prepared to be asked further questions about any
facts and figures that you have provided.
Fabricated or false information: Another important thing that you should remember is that you should
not give any fabricated or false information while answering the Tell Me about Yourself Interview
question.
Irrelevant and unnecessary information: It is very important that no irrelevant and unnecessary
information is given out during the question.
Do Not Tell them about: You should not disclose too much information. You might tell the interviewer
that your hobby is fishing, but telling about your last fishing trip in which you missed a big fish would be
too much information, unless the interviewer is a big fishing fan and actually goads you into telling the
details.
Do not repeat information from the CV: You should ascertain that none of the information that you
provide about yourself is repeated or duplicated from your curriculum vitae.
3. Answer samples
Answer sample 1
Answer sample 2
Answer sample 3