How Would You Respond If A Member Of Your Team Came To You With A New Idea
Leadership involves listening to other peoples ideas and thoughts. The way you behave when approached with a new idea will tell whether you are a good leader or not.
Tip #1: You must show the interviewer that you are open to new ideas.
Tip #2: You should create an environment where other team members feel free to offer new ideas.
Sample Answer
I believe in open conversations and a friendly workplace. Therefore, when approached with new ideas, I will listen to the team member before starting a conversation to clarify some points. I will then present it to other team members and discuss it widely and improve it further.
What Is Your Leadership Style
First, for any leadership role, the interviewer is likely to ask you about your style and approach to leadership.
Employers want to understand the leadership qualities and leadership styles of the candidates theyre speaking to so they can hire someone whose style will fit with the current team.
This is why they ask, What is your leadership style?
They want to know. Do you micromanage? Do you give people a lot of room to work with and only intervene when theres a major problem?
They may also ask about how you delegate tasks, how you do performance reviews with employees, and more. So be ready to get specific about these topics in any leadership or management job interview.
Also, research the company and hiring manager before your interview and try to get a sense of whether they seem laid back, strict, etc. That way, you can make sure youre describing your leadership style and leadership skills in a way that will fit with their culture.
Read example answers to this interview question here.
Have You Ever Taken Up A Leadership Role Outside Work Why
The interviewer wants to know whether you are a leader outside the work environment.
Tip #1: Show your readiness to lead.
Tip #2: Exude passion
Sample Answer
In our book club, the group leader went abroad for further studies. I decided to step up and coordinate group activities since other members seemed to be busy all through.
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Talk About A Time When You Had A Problem With An Employees Behavior How Did You Resolve The Issue
Skilled leaders have strong conflict resolution skills. This behavioral interview question looks at how manager candidates resolve conflicts among workers, as well as between employees and management. How applicants approach interpersonal conflicts in the workplace can reveal a lot about their overall leadership style.
Behavioral Job Interview Questions About Communication Skills
Question #1 – How do you handle a disagreement with your colleagues? Give me an example of when you successfully persuaded someone to see things your way at work.
Situation: When I was working as a recruiter at Company X, I noticed that one of the candidates who had sent in their application was perfect for the role. Though he didnt have a university diploma and his resume wasnt too polished, reading his cover letter, it was obvious he knew the industry and had delivered clear results.
Task: I thought it was worth giving him a shot, but my supervisor didnt see it that way. She skimmed through the resume and told me not to waste time, and just discard the candidate.
Action: I was, however, still pretty confident in the candidate, so I talked to the supervisor over lunch. I took a bit of an indirect approach, though. Instead of trying to directly pitch the candidate, I asked her to clarify the job description a bit more. We went a bit in-depth on what, exactly, we were looking for in the candidate, and once we were done discussing it, I told her that we happened to have a candidate that possessed all the relevant experience, but his resume was a bit weak.
Results: Convinced, the supervisor decided to give the candidates application a more in-depth look and realized that they were, in fact, very qualified. She thanked me for bringing it up and agreed with me that the candidate was worth calling in for an interview.
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Describe A Time When It Was Especially Important To Make A Good Impression On A Client How Did You Go About Doing So
A perfect answer to this question has an outstanding outcome and illustrates the process of getting to that result. But even if you only have a decent outcome to point to instead of a stellar one, spelling out the steps you took will get you a strong answer.
For instance:
One of the most important times to make a good impression on a client is before theyre officially a client. When the sales team pulls me into meetings with potential clients, I know were close to sealing the deal and I do my best to help that along. Thats probably why I was chosen to represent the research team when we did a final presentation for what would become our biggest client win of the year. I spoke with everyone on the sales team who had met with them previously to learn as much as possible about what they might care about. The thing I do that sets me apart is that I dont try to treat all the clients the same. I try to address their specific questions and concerns so that they know I did my homework and that I care enough to not just give the cookie-cutter answers. In this case, having the data pulled and ready for every question they had made all the difference in building their confidence in our company.
Time Management Interview Questions
68. When you schedule out the work you need to do, how do you decide what to do first?
69. Can you tell me about a project you were in charge of? How did you organize the tasks and make sure everything got done?
70. Can you describe a time when you were part of multiple projects at the same time? How did you handle the workload?
71. When you have multiple requests from customers or co-workers, how do you prioritize them?
72. Can you tell me about a time when you were behind on a project? What did you do?
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Describe A Time When You Took Up An Informal Leadership Role In Your Team
The interviewer wants to know if you can lead without being an official manager.
Tip #1: Show passion for leadership.
Tip#2: Your example should paint you in a good light.
Sample Answer
My manager once called sick. I decided to temporarily act in his capacity, albeit unofficially, and coordinated other employees. I felt that we needed someone to guide us, and I was not going to stand back.
When Might You Be Asked About Your Leadership Skills
Many job seekers assume that if theyre not looking for a management role, they will escape leadership interview questions. In fact, employers are looking for potential leaders at any employment level, including entry- and graduate-level.
Businesses look for employees who are dedicated and likely to progress within the company, and your interviewer will ask you leadership questions to assess whether you are a good long-term investment.
Therefore, whatever your experience level, it is vital you prepare for behavioral leadership questions by referring to specific times you have demonstrated leadership qualities.
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Behavioral Interview Questions By Competency: Leadership
Leadership is the ability to influence the actions and opinions of others in a desired direction to exhibit judgment in lading others to worthwhile objectives.
- Behavioral Interview Question:Give me an example of how you have used your own personal qualities and appeals to lead others.Evaluating the candidates answer: Did the candidate make a presentation with an emphasis on feelings rather than facts, perhaps using metaphors/examples/stories to express the feeling? Was there little skill in using another persons emotions to influence his/her decision?
- Behavioral Interview Question:Communications and leadership go hand in hand. Give me an example of a time when your communication skills were powerful enough to enable you to influence the way others thought or acted, even in a very difficult situation.Evaluating the candidates answer: Did the candidate prepare a message, with careful choice of words, in order to be effective in light of individual/situational needs? Was there some reluctance to communicate, an absence of preparation, and/or an overuse of authority?
- Behavioral Interview Question:Give me an example of a time when you used facts and reason to persuade another person to take action. Be specific.Evaluating the candidates answer: Did the candidate make an organized presentation, making benefit statements, dealing with concerns, and/or asking for a decision? Was there little/superficial attempt to influence?
Ethics And Integrity Behavioralinterview Questions
1. Is their a time when a teammate or client questioned your honesty? How did you react?
2. Tell me about a time when it was difficult to be honest because of the situation. What was your thought process?
3. Can you describe a time when you followed a rule that you didnt agree with?Why did you follow it? Explain how you felt.
4. Tell me about a time when a co-worker was doing something wrong. What did you do?
5. Have you ever been in a challenging situation at work where you were dishonest? What happened?
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Have You Ever Served As A Coach Or Mentor To Anyone Whether Officially Or Unofficially How Did You Provide Them With Guidance
Serving as a coach or mentor can help you develop many valuable leadership skills, such as how to offer others constructive feedback. A hiring manager may ask about your coaching or mentoring experiences so they can evaluate times when you’ve exercised these skills. Learning more about your professional or personal relationships through mentorships might also help potential employers assess how you interact with others.
Example:”In my junior and senior years of college, I served as a mentor to incoming freshmen. The mentorship program assigned me several students to check in on throughout the school year. I reached out to my mentees regularly to ask how they were doing, tell them about a fun event at the school or offer college-related advice, like a study tip. I also organized monthly dinners for all of my mentees to attend so that they’d have an opportunity to learn from one another and empathize with each other’s challenges.”
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Make A List Of Examples
Interviewers develop questions to determine how successful a candidate will be, given the specific tasks of the job. Obviously, you want to present your experiences as clearly as you can, using real examples, and highlighting situations where you were successful.
Learn how to use the STAR interview technique to give well thought out and complete answers.
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Tell Me About A Time You Failed How Did You Deal With The Situation
For broad questions like this, it can be helpful to narrow the scope a bit. For a question about failure, you can do that by defining what it means to fail in your own words before sharing your example.
For example:
As a team manager, I consider it a failure if I dont know whats going on with my staff and their workbasically if a problem catches me by surprise then Ive failed somewhere along the way. Even if the outcome is ultimately fine, it means Ive left a team member unsupported at some point. A somewhat recent example would be this training we do every year for new project managers. Because its an event that my team has run so many times, I didnt think to check in and had no idea a scheduling conflict was brewing into a full-on turf war with another team. The resolution actually ended up being a quick and easy conversation at the leadership team meeting, but had I just asked about it sooner it would never have been a problem to begin with. I definitely learned my lesson about setting reminders to check in about major projects or events even if theyve been done dozens of times before.
Why Did You Choose This Career Path
The interviewer will likely want to know how you got started in this industry and this field of work, and finally why you chose a leadership path.
Thats why they ask about your reasons for choosing this career.
So be prepared to talk about what you enjoy about this career and how you got started both in the industry and in your specific area of focus .
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Behavioral Interview Questions For Managers
Behavioral interview questions for managers can help you quickly assess leadership traits, skills and knowledge in management candidates. To make the most of your time with each candidate, ask a mix of specific questions about their experience, knowledge, skills and behavior.
Behavioral leadership interview questions are especially important when assessing someones leadership potential, determining how they would add to your company culture and deciding if theyre the best candidate.
Tell Me About A Situation Where You Went Above And Beyond To Improve Your Workplace
The best managers are those who have the drive it takes to seek out opportunities for improvement without prompting. Self-starters tend to look for ways to improve working conditions, employee retention, customer service and other metrics that impact the overall strength of a company. Where and how candidates choose to take initiative can give you an idea of how they would help grow your company.
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Write The Situations Down & Flesh Them Out
After youve brainstormed relevant work experiences, write them down and flesh them out so that you’re not stumbling to remember some of the details amid the questioning. Make sure to write them down according to the STAR method, as well, to make sure your answers are both concise and fully developed.
How Do You Motivate Others
Next, youre likely to be asked how you motivate others, since keeping a team motivated is essential to the teams performance.
To answer this leadership question, talk about how you gain commitment from each team member, how you keep them engaged and interested, and what leadership qualities help you do so.
Even if this position youve applied to will be your first leadership role, you can still talk about how youve taken the lead in a task, a project, a team meeting, etc.
You dont need to be a team manager or oversee a whole team to point to past leadership and to demonstrate an ability to motivate those around you.
This is one of the top questions youll hear in the interview process, and its designed to separate effective leaders from those who will struggle. So practice this question if you want employers to be convinced of your leadership capabilities.
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Hire And Develop The Best
What does this mean at Amazon? “Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent, and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.”
Practice questions:
How Do You Solve A Disagreement Between Two Members Or Fractions Of Your Team
One important leadership ability is conflict-resolution skills. A hiring manager may ask you to discuss your approach to employee disputes to gauge how you respond to conflicts within the workplace. Answer this question by providing an example of a time when you successfully mediated a dispute between two coworkers or subgroups within a team. If you haven’t had this kind of experience before, think about a time when you mediated a non-workplace conflict or how you would approach this situation productively if you were to encounter it.
Example:”If my coworkers disagree, I give them both opportunities to explain their unique perspectives to me and to each other. For example, when I worked at a marketing agency, two of my coworkers got into a dispute about the best strategy for a particular client. I sat down with each coworker individually and had them explain their perspective and the merits of their marketing plan. Next, I scheduled a meeting with both employees so we could all talk together in a respectful environment. Ultimately, we figured out a way to combine aspects of each strategy into a comprehensive plan.”
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Taylor, explains a way to stand out during an interview when answering behavioral interview questions using the STAR Method, a strategic storytelling tool.
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Interview Questions About Adaptability
77. Can you tell me how you handled your transition between different jobs or positions in the past?
78. Can you describe a time when changes happened that you couldnt control? How did you react?
79. Can you describe a time when you experienced rapid change? How did you handle the situation?
80. Can you tell me about a time when you changed the course of a project? How did you relay the changes to your team? Is there anything you wish you would have done differently?
81. Can you talk about a time when you had to adapt to a co-workers work style to finish a task? What did you do?
82. Can you think of a time when you werent comfortable with a change? What did you do?