Professional & Business Services – VP Legislative Affairs

Position Name: VP Legislative Affairs

Interviewer

Candidate Name

Interview Date

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?

Business Acumen

Describe a situation where you successfully articulated the value proposition of a specific aspect of the business (or a product, idea, etc.)

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Walk me through the process you use to make sure you are making sound judgments in decision making regarding expenditures?

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Where do you predict your (industry/competition) is going in the next 18 months and why?

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Coaching & Mentoring

What advice would you give to a college student who is interested in your industry or field?

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Collaboration

Describe an example where you enlisted active participation of others to solve a problem.

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Communication

Tell me about a recent time when an e-mail or verbal conversation was misinterpreted by your team or employees. What was the situation and the outcome?

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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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Conflict Management

Tell me about a situation when you had to “stand up” for a decision you made even though it made you unpopular.

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Decision Making

It can be difficult to use good judgment when everyone else seems to disagree with your approach. Give me an example of a time when you had to go against the wishes of a group to get something accomplished. What did you do? How did you explain your reasoning? What was the result?

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Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity

Share a situation when you became aware of your personal beliefs and values at play while making a group decision.

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Emotional Intelligence

Describe a situation when it was more difficult for you to maintain self-control.

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What has been the most difficult criticism for you to receive?

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Facilitation/Presentation

In a meeting, how do you manage contrary opinions? Give me an example of when that went well/didn’t go well.

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Initiative

What types of work projects get you really excited? We all “geek out” about different things. What do you geek out about?

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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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Integrity

Discuss a time when your integrity was challenged. How did you handle it?

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Leadership

How are you more self-aware now than earlier in your career? Are there certain tools you use to help in your leadership self-awareness?

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Managing Others

What have you done to develop a successor for your position?

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Negotiation

When don’t you negotiate? Give an example.

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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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Self Awareness & Development

What personality types would you rather not work with?

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What are your current business-related subscriptions and memberships?

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Sales

Tell us about a time that you promised a customer something before securing agreement internally.

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Systems Thinking

How do you keep your knowledge of the industry and profession current?

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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?