Inventory Coordinator Interview Questions and Answers

Updated on: July 16, 2016

Designing an interview is tough work but employers spend a lot of time designing them nonetheless. Each interview is designed to bring an interviewee’s best and worst out. This may not be great news for applicants who are already extremely nervous at the thought of appearing for an interview. But guess what? Interviewers don’t care!

So it is really up to you to make sure that you ace the interview and come out shining. And you can certainly not do it if you do not practice first – here are some likely interview questions and answers for inventory coordinator position to assist you:

 

Inventory Coordinator Interview Questions and Answers

What particular duties have you been assigned in the past, in the role of an inventory coordinator?
I have designed inventory systems from scratch and have also tweaked existing systems to meet the specific demands of a company. Additionally, I have been responsible for performing inventory functions such as receiving and checking packages, maintaining and analyzing inventory transactions and moving stock to appropriate storage areas. Handling documentation associated with inventory procedures is a great part of my work as well.

How do you handle inventory discrepancies?
Investigating the root cause of things is important when looking for discrepancies. You have to see what the problem is and then handle it accordingly. If there is an issue with demand and supply balancing, then one has to confer with procurement teams, and so on.

Tell us of a time when you had to resolve an issue that took a lot of time and energy.
There was an incident when the inventory showed a box less than what we had signed the receipt for. After two hours of physically checking storage areas and the database, I realized that the intern to whom I had assigned inventory posting, had left an entry out. It meant a lot of waste of time and energy that could have been utilized elsewhere but I managed to handle the problem.

What skills do you think are necessary to work as an inventory coordinator?
One has to have a great grasp on inventory processes and standards. Detail-orientation, meticulousness and the ability to tackle problems before they become crises is imperative too.

How do you manage quality control of incoming shipments?
I have a checklist that I work with when it comes to quality control. I check each received item to ensure that it conforms to the quality standards of the company. All checks means that the item conforms.

In case there are storage issues for incoming shipments, what is your modus operandi?
Knowing the inventory system as thoroughly as I do, this does not usually happen. I have a solid grasp on how much storage space we have and how to make additional space when required. However, if a problem like this does arise, I simply make sure that additional space is arranged, even if it is offsite.