The Top 10 Life Storage Interview Questions and How to Ace Your Interview

Interviewing at Life Storage can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking experience. As one of the leading self-storage companies in the United States, Life Storage receives thousands of applications each year for various roles such as manager trainee sales associate customer care representative, and more. Landing a job with Life Storage provides tremendous opportunities to grow your career in the self-storage industry.

To help you prepare for your Life Storage interview, I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 most commonly asked interview questions along with tips on how to best answer each question. With the right preparation you can walk into your Life Storage interview confident and land the job!

1. Why do you want to work for Life Storage?

This is likely to be one of the very first questions asked in your Life Storage interview Hiring managers want to determine if you have a genuine interest in the company and the position

To ace this question, do your research on Life Storage ahead of time. Know their company vision, values, culture, and any recent news or growth plans. Speak passionately about why those aspects of Life Storage appeal to you and align with your own career goals. Show that you would be excited to grow with Life Storage.

For example, you may say: “I’m highly interested in a long-term career path in the self-storage industry. From what I’ve researched about Life Storage’s history and values, I believe this company would provide the perfect opportunity to develop my skills and leadership abilities over time.”

2. Why do you want to work in our industry?

Along with asking why you want to work specifically for Life Storage, interviewers will also want to know your interest in the self-storage industry as a whole. They want to gauge your knowledge of and enthusiasm for the field.

Talk about the growth of the self-storage industry, the increasing need for storage options among consumers, and the variety of roles available within the field from customer service to management. Convey your excitement to be part of an industry that is continuously expanding and be upfront if this will be your first foray into self-storage.

For example: “I’ve been highly interested in the self-storage industry, especially with the high growth that has been projected over the next several years. I’m excited to have a career that allows me to take on increasing responsibilities over time. Life Storage seems to provide great opportunities to start in entry-level roles and move into team leader and manager positions.”

3. What do you know about our company?

It’s imperative to show the interviewers that you’ve done your homework when asking this common Life Storage interview question. Demonstrate that you’ve taken the time to thoroughly research Life Storage as a company.

Be prepared to speak knowledgeably about Life Storage’s history, number of facilities, corporate vision and mission statement, executive leadership team, company culture and values, any major growth initiatives, and recent company news or achievements. Check their website, press releases, news articles, and Glassdoor company reviews to gather intel ahead of time.

When responding, you may say: “Life Storage has over 900 storage facilities across the U.S. and Canada. You’ve continued to grow through new facilities and strategic acquisitions, such as the recent purchase of Investment Real Estate Management. Your company is guided by the vision ‘To be the trusted, preferred, highly-valued storage provider and employer in every community we serve.’ It seems Life Storage truly values employee development and community engagement.”

4. Why should we hire you?

One of the top behavioral interview questions you can expect to hear is “Why should we hire you?” Essentially, this question allows you to sell yourself and your unique skills, talents, and qualifications for the role. Avoid simply regurgitating what’s already on your resume. Provide specific examples that show why you would excel in the position.

For instance, you may respond: “With 5 years of experience in customer service roles, including 2 years in the storage industry, I have developed extensive knowledge of the end-to-end storage process and the pain points customers face. My personable communication skills allow me to connect with customers to understand their needs and provide the best storage solutions. I also have experience training new hires, which would allow me to quickly onboard and mentor new team members.”

5. What are your strengths?

When answering this common interview question, pick 2-3 strong attributes that would enable you to thrive in the Life Storage role and provide specific examples that showcase those strengths. Good strengths to mention include customer service, sales, communication/interpersonal skills, organization, problem-solving, adaptability, positivity, teamwork and any technical skills required for the job.

For example: “Two of my biggest strengths are developing rapport with customers and colleagues and being adaptable to change. In my previous role, I was able to increase customer satisfaction scores by 15% over a 6-month period by spending time listening to customers and forming trusting relationships. When my team went through a merger, I was able to embrace the changes, cross-train employees quickly, and help everyone stay focused on delivering excellent service through the transition.”

6. What are your weaknesses?

One of the trickiest interview questions aims to uncover your weaknesses. The key here is to choose a minor weakness that won’t raise major concerns with the hiring manager. For example, you could mention struggling with time management and delegation in the past but share the positive steps you’ve taken to improve. Focus on showing self-awareness, progress, and a commitment to growth.

A sample response may be: “Earlier in my career, I struggled with delegating tasks and would take on too much by myself, leading me to occasionally miss deadlines. However, over the past year I’ve made a concerted effort to delegate appropriate tasks to my team members. I also started using project management tools to keep myself on track. This has allowed me to improve my time management and meet all project deadlines.”

7. How would you deal with an angry/dissatisfied customer?

Working for Life Storage will inevitably involve dealing with the occasional difficult customer. With this behavioral interview question, hiring managers want to see that you can remain calm and employ customer service tactics to resolve issues.

Describe how you would actively listen without interruption to understand the customer’s concerns, express empathy, apologize for any issues, take ownership even if the problem wasn’t your fault, and focus on developing win-win solutions. You may want to provide an example of successfully calming down an upset customer from your past work experience.

For instance: “I would first let the customer vent their frustrations without interrupting. I’d then apologize sincerely for any inconvenience they experienced. Next, I would ask questions to get to the root of their dissatisfaction and see how we could make the situation right. I have found that remaining calm and focusing on a mutually beneficial resolution leaves the customer feeling heard and appreciated, even if they were originally upset.”

8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

With this common interview question, hiring managers are assessing your career ambitions and how well they align with possible growth trajectories within the company. Convey that you are interested in taking on increasing responsibilities over time and growing into leadership roles like team lead, supervisor, or manager. Display loyalty by saying you’d like to see yourself still progressing at Life Storage in 5 years as they provide great opportunities for internal promotion.

For example: “In 5 years, my goal is to be excelling in a management role, potentially as a district or regional manager within Life Storage if there continues to be opportunities for advancement. I’m excited to prove myself in this company and take on increasing responsibilities over time. I see myself being a top performer who delivers strong results and mentors newer employees. Most of all, I want to contribute to Life Storage’s continued growth and success.”

9. Do you have any questions for us?

Always prepare 2-3 thoughtful questions to ask at the end of your Life Storage interview. Smart questions demonstrate your interest in the company and role while also giving you valuable insights. You may ask about opportunities for career development and advancement, additional details about day-to-day responsibilities, the onboarding/training process, strengths and weaknesses of top performers, or company culture.

Some examples include:

• What are the most important skills or traits needed to excel as a manager trainee at Life Storage?

• How would you describe Life Storage’s culture and work environment?

• What development opportunities are available for employees to expand their knowledge and skills?

• What are some of Life Storage’s goals for future growth that I’d have the opportunity to contribute to?

10. Do you have reliable transportation?

For many hands-on roles like manager trainee or maintenance technician, Life Storage will want to confirm you have consistent and punctual means of transportation to work each day. Be prepared to share details about your transportation situation. For example, if you have your own vehicle, note that and perhaps add that you’ve never had issues with reliability. If you use public transportation, specify your route and amount of time it takes to commute. Above all, convey that you have a consistent method of transportation and back-up options if needed.

A sample response may be: *“Yes, I