[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]To do so, however, you must learn to think from the perspective of the interviewer. It is her job to help find a suitable candidate for this position. Hiring the right person will make her job (and thus life) easier and make her look good to her bosses. So what does she need to learn to conclude you’re the best candidate on which to take a chance?
Executive Compatibility During the Interview
To help you prepare for your next job interview, here are 15 interview questions and answer examples focused on how compatible you are in the workplace.
Compatibility was written by Rachelle Enns and updated on April 26th, 2019. Learn more here.
Tell me about your relationship with your previous boss.
The interviewer would like to know about your relationship with your most recent employer. Be sure to remain positive, even if the experience wasnt. Avoid talking about any previous drama and do not speak poorly of your employer. Keep your answer short and respectful.
“I had a very healthy relationship with my previous employer. She was easy to approach, and we would bounce ideas off of each other quite often. I would sum it up as a relationship lead by strong mutual respect.”
“My previous boss and I got along well. We had very different interests, so we did not spend a lot of time chatting, but our work interests were aligned, and we respected each other.”
“My previous boss and I had a great working relationship. We were in sync when it came to accomplishing things we needed to do in our department. We scheduled weekly touch base meetings to stay current on our progress and address any issues that came up along the way. I learned a lot from them on leadership while adding great value to the team.”
“I have worked for the same boss for the past eight years. We have an incredible working relationship, taking every opportunity to learn together and bounce ideas off of each other. He will provide an excellent reference once we get to that stage.”
“My previous boss spent a lot of time mentoring me when I first started working at the store. She is the regional manager but held my role before her promotion. We get along very well, and she has already agreed to provide a positive reference on my behalf.”
“I have had healthier relationships with previous employers, but my most recent boss and I did the best that we could. Our communication styles were very different which made it challenging at times.”
“My most recent Principal was an inspiration to me and helped to guide my career in education for the past three years. I have the utmost respect for her.”
“I had a good relationship with my previous boss. She was easy to approach and always offered new ideas to me. I feel we had a good working relationship. I have a lot of respect for her.”
Written by an Anonymous User
Our Professional Interview CoachRachelle Enns Reviewed the Above Answer
The respect that you display for your previous boss comes across as very genuine. Good response.
How easily are you able to adapt to a new environment? Describe a situation that illustrates how you have adapted to change and explain the strategies you have used. Be careful to describe your current organization in positive terms and to make it clear that you find change painless. Whilst I have been at ABC for nearly ten years, within that time I have made several successful moves between its divisions and worked in several locations. Having a flexible and open mind has enabled me to communicate easily with a new team and to quickly become a productive member.
Where do you see yourself in five years time? Your answer needs to express your ambitions in a structured and realistic way taking account of the job you are applying for and what you know of the organizations structure. If there is anything about the latter that you are unclear about then this is a good opportunity to ask about it. Your interviewer could be your future boss or someone in a position to influence your career within the organization.
There is unlikely to a perfect fit between your values and those required, so you will need to make a value judgment as to whether or not you are going to be comfortable with the management style and belief system. However, there is no need to do this during the interview and it is something you can think about later. The best approach is to give all of your attention to answering the questions you are asked with the aim of showing how you would quickly and seamlessly fit into the organization. The research you have done in your interview preparation should give you a broad understanding of how you will be expected to manage your team, delegate tasks, and interact with other teams.
The more senior the role, the more important it is that candidates have a close fit with the organizations ethos and mission. These questions provide you with an opportunity to gauge how comfortable you would be working within the culture of the organization. Actively listening to everything the interviewer says can give you an indication of what to expect if you worked there.
As well as the generic compatibility questions above, you may be asked some very specific ones about how you would behave in certain hypothetical circumstances. You need to pay particular attention to these types of question as they can indicate areas where the organizations real values are different to those they are happy to publicize.
While this goes above and beyond the usual interview tactics, if someone has made it through 90% of the hiring crucible and you want to be absolutely sure about compatibility, you can host a group project. Either in person or over a video conference, invite the candidate and their potential new team to handle a small work task together. While shyness, awkwardness, and getting used to each other is all perfectly normal, what you’re most watching for are signs that the candidate’s working attitude meshes well with the team as they settle in to finish the project. If all goes well and the team gives you positive feedback on the choice, you’ve found your new hire.
One of the biggest hiring challenges across the globe is finding the right talented professional for your team. After weeks if not months of searching and interviewing, it can be incredibly disappointing, not to mention costly, to see a new hire fail to mesh with their team or move on too quickly. While it never hurts to fine-tune your on-boarding and try to improve the welcoming aspect of company culture, the best way to prevent new-hire turnover is during the interview process. Recruiters will seek out and bring you a list of names for people with good resumes and phone presence, but not all of them will have the right attitude, work ethic, or energy level to mesh well with the team you want to place them in. It’s your job to find out which ones could be good matches and who will have a high risk of bouncing.
The most rewarding part of being a hiring manager is seeing a new skilled employee thriving both in their new role and working with their team. With your careful interviewing process and personal expertise, you can ensure each new employee you hire is a near perfect match for the position you need filled.
When the candidate you’re hiring will be part of a team, the way that team works matters to how well a new hire will mesh. Get the team leader to join you or explain to you what they are looking for in a new member and keep this in mind for the next wave of interviews. Then, without hinting at what you’re looking for, ask your candidates about their work process. People who love their work will light up happily lay out the details of what they do (once they’re sure you want that) and explain why each piece is important. This will give you a good idea of their personal work ethic, depth of knowledge, and whether or not their process can fit well with the team. However, don’t write someone off if their process doesn’t quite match the given description. Instead, take notes and check with their potential manager to see if the alternative style is equally acceptable.
The normal interview question set includes checking in on the tasks done in earlier roles but you can learn a lot from the attitude your candidate has toward their other work. The amount of enthusiasm and respect used when someone speaks about their earlier positions is a good indicator of how seriously they will take their work with you. While short periods in previous jobs is also a good clue, make sure to check and see if circumstances that caused those short employments has changed. You may find, for instance, that your candidate had a series of unfortunate life interruptions or was only working summers while they went to school.
FAQ
What are 10 good interview questions and answers?
What are the 3 types of answering interview questions?
- Tell me about yourself.
- Walk me through your resume.
- How did you hear about this position?
- Why do you want to work at this company?
- Why do you want this job?
- Why should we hire you?
- What can you bring to the company?
- What are your greatest strengths?
What are cultural fit questions?
