Interview guide
Interview questions for movers.
The text screen tells you who can carry heavy loads up stairs, who can drive the truck and who’s free on Saturdays. This interview is for how they protect a home, work with a partner on the stairs and keep their cool when a customer is watching every piece.
“Tell me about the hardest move you’ve worked, or the hardest physical job if you’re new to moving. What made it hard?”
- Why ask
- A real story shows how they think about stairs, tight turns and long days better than a list of past jobs.
- Listen for
- Specifics: a walk-up, a sleeper sofa that wouldn’t fit, a truck that had to be repacked. Listen for “we” and what the crew figured out together.
“Before the first piece of furniture moves, what do you do to protect the house?”
- Why ask
- Floors, door frames and banisters are what get damaged on a move, and every claim comes out of your margin.
- Listen for
- Walking the path first, floor runners, door jamb pads, padding the banister and propping doors open. Bonus if they mention moving rugs and cords out of the way.
“How would you and a partner take a dresser down a flight of stairs?”
- Why ask
- Carrying as a team is mostly communication, and one person rushing is how things get dropped.
- Listen for
- Take the drawers out first, agree who leads and who calls the moves, and rest at the landing. Watch for anyone whose plan is just “lift and go”.
“When do you stop and ask for a dolly, straps or a third person?”
- Why ask
- Knowing when not to muscle something through protects the furniture, the house and your crew.
- Listen for
- When they can’t see their feet, when a piece is too heavy or awkward for two, or when a turn is too tight. Pride about never needing help is a warning sign.
“How do you load a truck so nothing shifts on the drive?”
- Why ask
- Furniture gets damaged in the truck as easily as on the stairs, and a tight load prevents it.
- Listen for
- Heaviest pieces against the front wall, tiers built floor to ceiling, each tier tied off, and gaps filled with soft boxes or pads.
“A customer says you scratched their floor, and you’re not sure you did. What do you do?”
- Why ask
- The first few minutes decide whether it’s a claim you handle calmly or a bad review.
- Listen for
- Stay calm, don’t argue and don’t admit fault, take a photo and get the lead or the office on the phone. They hand it off instead of settling it themselves.
“The customer offers you $50 cash to take an old couch to the dump on your way back. What do you say?”
- Why ask
- Side deals on your truck and your time put your insurance and your pricing on the line.
- Listen for
- Thank them and send it to the lead or the office, who can add it to the job. Anyone who’d quietly take the cash is a risk on every job.
“Moves start early. If you’re going to be late for a 7 AM start, what do you do?”
- Why ask
- A missing mover can hold up a whole crew and a truck that’s booked for the day.
- Listen for
- Call the lead before the start time with an honest arrival time. A text at 7:15 is not the same thing.
Then, a paid trial.
Put them on a real local move as an extra person with your most patient lead, usually a half day to a full day. Watch how they pad and wrap, whether they call out moves on the stairs and how they talk to the customer; if you’re hiring them to drive, check their backing and turns separately, in your lot, with the truck empty. Pay the crew rate for every hour.
Your next great hire is already texting.
Early access is open for every trade.