Financial Services & Banking – Director of Learning and Development

Position Name: Director of Learning and 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 type of environment do you thrive in? What type of management style do you enjoy most?

What are your short and long-term professional goals?

What do you know about our organization?

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 this role?

What interests you about working for us?

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 specific areas (related to the position) do you consider yourself the most knowledgeable? What areas have you had less experience or do not feel as comfortable with?

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?

Adaptability

What is one of the most challenging changes you have faced at work? How did it impact you? What was the outcome?

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What is the most difficult or frustrating part of constant change for you? How have you coped with it?

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Tell me about a time when you faced a significant challenge working with people from a different department? What actions did you take?

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Change Management

Tell me about a recent time when you needed to introduce a new idea or procedure to people on the job? What was the situation and how did you handle it?

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Tell me about a situation where you needed to adjust quickly to a significant change in team or department priorities? What did you do? What was the outcome?

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Communication

Give me an example of the types of writing that is required of you in your current position. How do you go about beginning the writing process?

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To get our points across, we sometimes need to use differing approaches when talking with different types of people. Talk to me about a time when you have done that successfully.

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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?

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Decision Making

Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision that impacted multiple people. How did you communicate that decision and how was it received?

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Developing Others

Describe a training plan or onboarding plan you’ve created for a team member or direct report.

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How do you go about assessing team member’s development needs and goals?

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Facilitation/Presentation

In a meeting, how do you get each person to participate? Give me an example of when that went well/didn’t go well.

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In which settings are you most comfortable in presenting? How does your style and comfort vary for large group versus small group presentations?

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Innovation

Describe a process or system you knew could be better. How did you design and get approval to make improvements?

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Leadership

What makes you an effective leader? Why do you think people want to work for you?

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Judgement

Tell me about a project or task you completed with little to no guidance or support.

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Planning & Organization

What tools do you use to plan your day? How do these help you determine priorities? How do you keep others informed?

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How do you manage a project? What are the various elements used?

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Project Management

Tell me about the steps you have taken to get a project back on track when it was at risk of not being completed on time. Give me a specific example.

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Describe the process you use in developing a project plan. Tell me about a project that worked out very well because of the plan you developed. Give me an example of a project that was difficult to complete despite having a well through-out plan. What did you do about it?

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Relationship Building

How does one go about building rapport quickly and maintaining successful business relationships?  Give examples of how you made these work for you.

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Describe a time when you removed a business obstacle for yourself or your team through deliberate relationship building efforts.

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Strategic Thinking

Describe a decision you had to make that had a significant financial impact on the organization.

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What is the most strategic program you have implemented during the past 12 months?

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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 is one thing I should know about you that I haven’t asked?

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?