Position Name: Director of Communications & Resource Development
Interviewer
Candidate Name
Interview Date
Introductory Questions
– Interviewer(s) share name, role, tenure, and hand business cards for thank you messages – Share a brief overview of the company
– Give Candidate the Job Description, highlight Job Purpose, Schedule/Travel, Major Challenges & Key Decisions, and Physical Requirements
Tell us about yourself.
What are your short and long-term professional goals?
Transitional & Verification Questions
– Clarify any unclear information from resume or application
– Verify availability for work hours and schedule, start date, and other important details
What interests you about working for us?
What accomplishment on your resume are you most proud of?
Technical Questions
– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups
Can you tell me in general terms how your technical skills meet the requirements of this position? In which specific areas do you need to come up to speed?
What has given you the greatest sense of achievement at work and why?
Behavioral / Situational Questions
– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups. Follow up questions may include:
- Tell us more about the action you took and the outcome.
- What did you say at that point?
- How did you react to that situation?
- Explain your role in more detail.
- Tell me in detail what steps you took.
- And what was the result?
- Describe the obstacles you faced in getting it done.
- What other options did you consider?
- Why do you think you reacted as you did?
- How do you think others felt about your actions at the time?
- Were you satisfied with the outcome of your actions?
- If the same or a similar situation presented itself, what would you do differently?
Communication
How do you ensure that your writing is clear and informative? Give me a specific example.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Give me an example of a time when circumstances changed the way you needed to communicate to others. What did you do and how did you do it?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Do you tend to take an observer/listener role or be an active participant in meetings? Tell me about a time when your preferred style worked well and a time when it didn’t.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Creativity/Innovation
What is the most innovative thing you have done in the last six months? Why did you go this direction? What was the driving business need?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity
Give us an example about how a business process or effort was more successful because of the different points of views held by members of the team.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Share how you have fostered an inclusive and welcoming work environment for employees, customers, vendors, and the public.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Facilitation/Presentation
Describe a time when you were particularly successful in your facilitation skills to achieve the desired result.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Planning & Organization
Give me a summary of the techniques you use to plan and organize your work. Describe how you applied one of these techniques.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Relationship Building
Tell us about a customer relationship that was challenging to establish and maintain. How did you resolve the situation?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Tell us about a time when you built rapport quickly with someone under difficult conditions.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Results Orientation
How have you emphasized the achievement of your organization’s goals and core values?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Give me a specific example that demonstrates your reputation for success and quality performance.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Sales
How do you prepare to call a past or current customer?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Customer Focused
How do you go about understanding the expectations of your customer—internal and external? Walk me through an example with an actual customer.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Candidate’s Questions
– Be sure to leave time for their questions, generally 1-3
– Paint a positive but honest view of the pros and cons of the work and culture
Notes
Closing Questions
– Describe where you are in the process, next steps, and when they can expect to hear back
– Ask if they have any final remarks
What could you bring to this position that other candidates could not?
What do you hope to find in our organization that you don’t have now?
Interviewer Assessment
Enter your overall assessment about the candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities, and fit for this position.
Would you recommend this candidate advance in the process?