Tips For Passing A Leadership Competencies Interview
TIP #1 The first and probably most important tip when preparing for any type of leadership competency interview, is to remember how important it is to provide evidence-based answers to the interview questions being posed. The most effective way to achieve this is to structure you answers using the following STAR method:
SITUATION Start off by telling the interview panel the situation you were in.
TASK Now, tell the interview panel the task that needed to be done by either you or the team you are leading and managing.
ACTION You can now move on to the most in-depth element of your answer, which is to describe the action you took whilst completing the task.
RESULT The penultimate part of your structured answers to leadership competencies interview questions, is to tell the panel the outcome of your actions. For obvious reasons, the results should always be positive.
REFLECTION The reflection element of your answer is an additional part which shows a high level of maturity and professionalism. During the reflection aspect of the answer, tell the interview panel what you learnt from the experience and also what you would do differently next time.
TIP #2 Before you attend your leadership interview, we recommend you obtain a copy of the assessable competencies for your specific role. This will then enable you to confirm the competencies that are going to be assessed and, more importantly, predict the interview questions that will be asked.
Leadership Interview Questions About Negotiation
What the interviewer is looking for when discussing negotiation skills:
Strong negotiation skills are key for a good leader. On a day-to-day basis, you will have to persuade team members, clients, suppliers, or customers. Therefore, demonstrate that you can negotiate without causing conflict or upsetting others. Provide the interviewer with an answer that includes a work experience in which you successfully demonstrated negotiation skills. Show that you are able to assess your counterparts point of view and use that information to convince them. In other words, show that youre able to keep everybody happy.
What to avoid when answering questions about negotiation skills:
Avoid coming off too strong in negotiation. For instance, candidates who come across as intimidating or threatening are not likely to be hired. Its important that you show fairness, critical reasoning, empathy, and confidence. Show that you are that person that does not give in easily but that youre also a successful negotiator. The best way to do this is by explaining actual work experiences that had a successful outcome.
Everything You Should Know About Leadership Interview Questions
Most job interviews follow a standard format, including interview questions and open discussion about the position. For job applicants interviewing for management roles, reviewing standard leadership interview questions prior to the interview can help make answering questions much easier. In this article, we explain how to answer leadership questions, offer tips for describing your leadership style, and provide potential interview questions and answers.
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How Do You Handle Conflicts On Your Team
A leader’s responsibilities may include resolving team conflict and creating positive team environments. An employer may ask this question to evaluate your conflict resolution experience. They may also use this question to assess your leadership style and interpersonal skills. To answer, think of a time you solved a conflict on your team. You can describe the conflict briefly, but try to focus on how you handled the conflict to show your conflict management skills.
Example:’I resolve conflicts by encouraging open communication and creating a positive environment. In my last role at Broad World Health, I oversaw a team of healthcare professionals. Two team members had different approached to patient care. I set a time where the three of us could meet to discuss the different approaches. I asked each individual to explain their reasoning and feelings. I mediated the conversation to keep it actionable and positive. Towards the end of the conversation, we outlined a solution together. We created an alternative approach that combined techniques from both nurses involved.’
The Top 9 Leadership Interview Questions And How To Answer Them
Outstanding leaders play a critical role in a company’s success. They motivate their teams to achieve goals by providing them with moral and professional support. That’s why recruiters ask tailored interview questions to assess candidates’ leadership skills for high-level positions such as business executives, managers, and supervisors. However, you can showcase your leadership capabilities no matter the position or your experience level. In this article, we explore common leadership interview questions and how to answer them.
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How Do You Make Your Ideas Acceptable To Others
A leader needs to get his ideas and thoughts acceptable by all so that they follow them. The candidate should say something like -I tell them about the advantages of the idea and how to execute it. I stay open to their thoughts, feedbacks and change the ideas, the thoughts in a way that all agree to it. When the ideas are agreed to all of them, you are much more triumphant in achieving the goals as compared to making it mandatory for them to follow.
Which Other Companies Are You Interviewing With
This next question isnt specific to a leadership interview, but youre likely to hear it. Employers often ask what other companies youre interviewing with. This interview question isnt a trick they just want to get a sense of what youre looking for overall.
Its a red flag if youre interviewing with a tech company but you tell them that every other company youre interviewing with is a health non-profit.
So, just make sure you can show them that youve applied for a couple of positions similar to theirs. They want to see that you have specific reasons for wanting to be doing this type of work in this industry.
Thats the only big trap to watch out for with this interview question.
If you can show them that their job fits the general theme of what youre looking for, and that youve thought about what you want to do in your career, then youll be fine.
Also, dont feel pressure to share specific company names. You can say:
Im interviewing at a couple of other mid-sized healthcare companies like yours. Id prefer to keep the names confidential. Id do the same for your firm if another interviewer asked me this question.
Heres more info on how to answer, what other companies are you interviewing at?
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Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles: An Overview
- Customer Obsession
- Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer
- Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility
Naturally, your interviewer will be listening closely to the examples of past performance you give in response to their behavioral questions, and how you’ve demonstrated these leadership principles. As we mentioned before, behavioral questions at Amazon interview may hold more weight than at other companies.
Which is even more reason to prepare for them ahead of time.
Let’s review each in-depth.
Below, you’ll find the short explanation of each leadership principle given by Amazon on their careers page. Read each explanation thoroughly, as you’ll pick up clues as to how your answers to behavioral questions will be scored. When you’re ready, watch the expert mock interviews linked and then try your hand at a few sample behavioral interview questions compiled from past interviews.
How To Answer What Is Your Leadership Style In Job Interviews
If theyre asking you this question in an interview, it means they care about your leadership ability and are likely using it as a factor in deciding who to hire.
This doesnt have to be direct leadership. You dont need to have managed or supervised people in a past job.
And you might even hear this question for a position that isnt going to require any direct leadership.
But maybe in a few years they plan on promoting you. Maybe they want someone who can lead by example and mentor newer people in a year, etc.
For whatever reason the interviewer wants to know how you lead and more importantly- how comfortable you are doing it
So you need to show them youre confident when leading and that youve done it before!
Lets get into some dos and donts now, so you can give a great answer.
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Not Every Product Manager Should Be A People Manager
Good salespeople often make terrible sales managers because the skills that help you close a deal are entirely different from those that help you motivate your staff. While theres a little more overlap on the product side, the same dynamic is also in play. Someone who loves immersing themselves in the details of their specific domain may not have the mental and emotional skills to add value across multiple products and product staff at a higher level.
With this in mind, its important to remember that people can climb the corporate ladder without necessarily taking on people management duties. Paying attention to how candidates answer some of your questions can help you steer them into the more appropriate track.
Some people thrive on identifying problems, connecting with customers, and getting into the weeds to find new opportunities. These folks are best suited for individual contributor roles. They will likely find people management responsibilities unfulfilling even if they think thats the job they need to advance their career.
Others thrive on amplifying their impact. While theyre still passionate about solving customer problems, theyre interested in building out skills and processes for the whole team. Theyre able to trust others and delegate so they can focus on the big picture.
How Do You Gain Commitment From Your Team
To answer this well, focus on a scenario in which you inspired and motivated those around you. For example:
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You got to know each individuals strengths and interests, and assigned roles accordingly.
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When a project succeeded, you ensured your team received credit from your superiors.
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You admitted to your team when you made a mistake, which made you likeable and approachable.
The result should always be that your team expressed satisfaction with your leadership.
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What Leadership Style Do You Find The Most Useful
This question says a lot about you as it asks you to define how you see yourself and the effect that you have on those around you. It’s also a good way for a company to determine if you fit into their culture. Study the varying styles of leadership and determine which best fits your approach. You might find that you’re a mix of several or that you use different styles in different situations. Try to relate this style to the sort of work you expect to be doing and the culture of the company you’re interviewing for.
Example:’I describe myself as a democratic leader. I take into perspective the views and opinions of my team members and I work with them to find a solution that pleases us all and reaches the production targets that we have. I find that this approach fosters a higher level of employee engagement and workplace satisfaction than any other. We feel closer as a team and work harder on our individual projects because we don’t want to let anyone down’.
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Have You Led A Team Before Tell Me About It
I have been the team leader on several team projects before, and I also promoted to deputy manager for the department in my last position. As team leader, I enjoyed the opportunity to organize responsibilities and provide oversight for the projects. As deputy manager, my responsibilities focused on regular communication with department members to ensure we were meeting their needs and that they were meeting their goals. I enjoyed the one-on-one communication as deputy manager, and plan to implement those check-ins in this role. Meeting with individuals helps build rapport.
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Tell Me About A Time You Led A Team To Success
Situation:
One of the responsibilities of my previous role was to collate sales data.
Task:
At the end of the last financial year, I noticed that sales for a product were falling.
Action:
I took the lead by calling a team meeting to address the issue. I suggested we create a package of deals to offer customers bulk quantities of the product for discounted prices. I scheduled weekly check-ins with my co-workers to assess sales and hear any concerns.
Result:
Our customers were very receptive. By the new years second quarter, not only had sales recovered, but profits for that product had risen by 15%. Our team was rewarded for boosting our sales numbers, which made us eager to improve further.
Why this answer is good: the candidate demonstrated leadership qualities by recognizing an issue, taking the initiative to solve it, and supporting and encouraging their co-workers to succeed.
How Do You Motivate Your Employees
Keeping your team motivated is of paramount importance. I have several strategies for doing so, depending on the team size and project. Generally, I like doing regular incentives. I find that a weekly or monthly prize based on reaching specific goals motivates employees to continue pushing their boundaries. I also like public praise. I try my best to publicly acknowledge each member of the team at least once a month to show that I see the work theyre doing and I appreciate it. I think both of these strategies would translate well to this office.
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Common Leadership Interview Questions And How To Answer Them
Leaders are an essential part of company success. Great leaders enable teams to achieve goals through clear direction and support. As a result, interviewers often ask questions that test for leadership skills when applicants seek positions such as supervisor, manager and executive. However, you can demonstrate leadership potential in positions at any level. In this article, we explore common leadership questions you might encounter during an interview and help you prepare quality answers.
List Of Leadership Interview Questions
Here are some frequently asked interview questions about leadership:
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Avoid Bad Hiring Decisions
The main reason why interviewers want to assess skills that are required for a job is obvious they want to avoid making a bad hiring decision. Making the wrong decision in hiring can be very costly for employers and not only in terms of money.
It starts with the time that is spent on hiring activities. If an employer makes a bad hiring decision, the process of sourcing, interviewing, and onboarding needs to start from the beginning again.
Furthermore, in addition to losing valuable time, a company may have additional financial costs. These costs may vary depending on the position for which the person was hired. Bad hires can also lead to decreased morale, and also negatively impact team performance. This, in turn, could lead to decreased productivity and even reputational damage for a company.
Due to the reasons mentioned above, companies will do everything to source and hire the right job candidate for their positions. Job interview questions about your leadership skills are used by interviewers to uncover important information about your professional work behavior and how you fit into the company culture.
How Do You Make Decisions
Next, you can expect a couple of behavioral interview questions, and how do you make important decisions? is one of the most common.
They may also ask for a specific time you had to make a tough decision, what you chose to do, and why.
Your aim to be that you were able to stay calm under pressure, use logic and facts to come to your decision, and then explained it to your team.
A great leader doesnt just make decisions they inspire confidence from their team by explaining new decisions and new ideas clearly.
So show that youre a great decision-maker, but also a great communicator.
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Define What Leadership Means To You
Built into questions about demonstrating leadership is a hidden subquestion: What does leadership mean to you? So youll want to make sure you start your answer by making your definition clear.
Theres no one way to be a leader, so as long as youve taken some time to think about what leadership means to you personally, youre not going to give a wrong answer. Your interviewer doesnt want you to guess what they think a leader is. Instead, its more important to show that youre self-aware, that youve reflected on what leadership looks like, and that you know its a journey. I would want to hear something that is authentic and intentional, Moyer says.
Before your interview, take some time to think about what you think makes a strong leader and what sort of leader you are and want to be, whether or not anyone would be formally reporting to you in this role. Start by thinking about your past experiences both as a leader and an employee and what worked and didnt work for you. For example, maybe youve thrived in work environments with regular, clear communication between teammates and team leaders at each step of a project. Make a list of the qualities, skills, and actions you value in a leader and use this to define what leadership means to you.
