How to Interview a Driver?

Do you have a fleet in Senegal or are you planning to start one? Then, you need to invest in the one thing that can make or break its reputation: the drivers. Be prepared with questions for drivers to get you started with hiring top-quality talents. And in this post, we’ll share driver insights so that everything can go smoothly.

To successfully interview a driver, you need to be prepared. Here are a few things that you need to do before the first interviewee comes:

• Be clear about what skills, qualifications, and other characteristics you’re looking for
• Have a list of questions for drivers to prevent you from getting off-track
• Create an evaluation criteria
• Make sure that the interview environment is comfortable
• Identify how you’ll take notes

If you already have all of these, you’re ready to interview a driver!

Feel free to add more based on specific rules that your Senegalese fleet may have. But at the most basic, you should ask these:

• Do you have any professional driver experience?
• Do you have a Senegalese license and a clean driving record?
• How do you make the ride comfortable for the passenger?
• Have you worked for other Senegalese fleets before, and what will they say about you?
• What hours and days are you open to working?
• How do you plan to address transportation challenges while on the road?
• Have you handled an emergency situation before?
• What experience do you have with maintaining a vehicle?

Remember, you don’t have to just stick to the questions for drivers that you prepared. If there’s something that you want to clarify, feel free to ask follow-up questions.

Conducting a successful meeting with a candidate isn’t just about asking the right questions. When you interview a driver, you should also try to incorporate these techniques:

Encourage Them to Ask Questions Too

This is a great way to get driver insights, which you may use to refine your questions. If there’s something that you need to clarify, this is a great way to do it as well. Just make sure that what they’re asking is still related to the job. After all, you don’t want to be late for the next candidate!

Take into Account Non-Verbal Cues

Your driver insights shouldn’t just be based on what they say on paper. Take into account how they respond as well. For example, do they seem to avoid certain topics? Do they seem to be not interested in being there? Since you want drivers who will actually stay, it’s a good idea to take these into account too.

Take Notes

You want to be as objective as possible. But it’s hard to remember everyone, especially if you’re spending the day just interviewing people. Make sure your notes are clear so that you can rely on them when you evaluate the interviewees later on. Did you create an evaluation criteria? Having extra notes can help put into context why you graded them a 3 instead of a 5, for example.

As you’ve seen here, there’s a lot that makes a top-notch hire beyond the driver experience. And by being prepared to learn more about the potential talents in Senegal, you’ll be able to easily identify them. Being excellent on paper is great! But we hope that through this article, you’ll find the best mix of soft and hard skills needed for your Senegalese fleet to be successful.By working in high-demand areas in Senegal and providing premium services, you can boost your income. Have a safe and profitable ride!