skip-level interview questions

• What projects at work have you most enjoyed working on?
• What is some good news that you’d like to share?
• What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
• What is the biggest issue facing your role in the organization?

Skip level interviews are a great way to build relationships with employees – supporting retention efforts at your company. They are most effective when leaders take the time to build meaningful relationships; from these conversations the leader learns more about the employees and their working environment.

MSL Talk #118 | Skip Level Meetings: Prepare, Purpose, Pitfalls

Tips for Facilitating Skip Level Interviews

– Don’t make the meeting too formal. Employees need to feel comfortable and trust you to share what’s on their minds.

– Schedule skip level meetings regularly. Schedule them at least once a year.

– Meeting should be in closed office to facilitate honest conversations and dialogue.

– Meetings should be 30-45 minutes in length.

– Questions should be open-ended to drive discussion. Refrain from questions where the response is yes or no.

– Quickly act, address and follow through on important topics and issues that arose from the meeting.

Table of Contents:

[Ed note: Want these available for easy reference where you keep your meeting notes? Then sign up for Lighthouse, which is purpose-built to help you make the most of all your 1 on 1s, including your skip levels.]

Skip level interviews are a great way to build relationships with employees – supporting retention efforts at your company. They are most effective when leaders take the time to build meaningful relationships; from these conversations the leader learns more about the employees and their working environment.

66 Questions to Ask in a Skip Level Meeting to Improve Your Leadership

If youre not familiar with skip level meetings, our post last week is the place to start. But heres a quick overview of what skip level meetings are great for:

The skip level meeting is all about improving communication and the flow of information. If you find yourself trying to accomplish any of the following, then you will get a lot of value out of skip level 1 on 1 meetings:

With just a few hours of your time each week, you can get insights from people you rarely get to interact with otherwise.

Now, lets look at specific questions you can use to accomplish the above goals with your team.

FAQ

How do I prepare for a skip level interview?

1. Know who you’re meeting.
2. Have a list of things you love.
3. Have suggestions for what could improve.
4. Know your goals and progress.
5. Share roadblocks you experience.
6. Ask questions about work and life.
7. Reach out to team members for what to expect.
8. Ask for feedback.

What questions should I ask in skip level meeting?

• What mentorship opportunities are there available for me?
• What skills do you think our team is lacking?
• How can I help train and support others in the company?
• Who in the company do you think I can learn the most from?

How do you skip level meeting?

1. Set the tone. Meeting with your boss’s boss can feel like being called into the principal’s office. …
2. Connect. …
3. Invite their insight and/or feedback. …
4. Open it up. …
5. Wrap up. …
6. Meet with everyone. …
7. Don’t hide the ball. …
8. Aim for meeting twice a year with each person.

What is skip level interview in Infosys?