Introductory Questions
· Tell us your understanding of the post which you have applied for?
· Can you tell us how your experience to date relates to this post?
· Why would you like to be appointed to this post?
· What do you enjoy most about your current role?
· Tell us about your most significant career achievements to date?
· What personal qualities do you have which will enable you to be successful in this role?
Leadership and Motivation
· Can you give an example where you were you supported and motivated others within your team towards achieving a particular objective? (Demonstrates ability to support, guide and encourage others in the team to achieve individual and team objectives)
· Tell me the steps you have taken to ensure you work in a team environment where differences are valued, encouraged and supported. (Demonstrates respect for others, fairness, equality, tolerance and openness)
· Can you give an example of a time you participated on a team or project where 1 or more members were not motivated to work hard and contribute? How did you approach this situation?
· How do you motivate yourself to achieve the objectives of your role? (Able to take responsibility for own work and achieve objectives)
· Can you describe a time where you have had to give constructive feedback to someone you work with? What was the outcome?
Planning and organising to achieve results
· How can you add value to this post in the future?
· What methods have you used to monitor your own progress in achieving targets and objectives?
· What methods do you use to prioritise your own workload and manage tasks effectively? (Demonstrates ability to manage own workload and priorities to achieve required goals)
· Tell us about a time when you were asked to complete a difficult assignment and the odds were against you. What did you learn from this experience?
Commercial awareness
· How do you ensure that you are kept abreast of the latest external developments and opportunities in your service area?
· Can you describe a situation where you have had to consider the commercial or financial impact of your work? What was the outcome?
· Can you tell us about a time when you’ve recognised and seized an opportunity? What was the process and result?
· How do you see your job contributing to achieving the goals of the organisation? (Demonstrates an awareness of the commercial and financial environment and how they can contribute to achieving organisational goals)
· Can you give an example of a time you have proposed an idea for reducing waste or improving efficiency within your service? (Raises ideas and suggests improvements to improve the quality of work or service. Strives to reduce waste and inefficiency)
Delivering excellent Service
· Can you give an example of a time you have gone ’the extra mile’ to deliver excellent service? (Recognises the importance of maintaining the highest standards of service for all the organisation’s customers)
· What does excellent customer service mean to you and how do you measure this?
· Describe a time when you have been faced with a difficult customer problem. What did you do and what was the outcome? (Is able to identify and anticipate customer needs and responds positively to meet these needs)
· Give an example of a time when you have you utilised customer feedback to ensure service excellence?
Continuous Improvement, Innovation and Change
· Can you give an example where you have successfully encouraged others to respond positively to changes that they had been resisting? (Is positive about change, flexible in approach, and receptive to new ideas)
· Give an example of a suggestion you made to improve a procedure or process within the service? (Demonstrates ability to promote a culture of innovation, creativity and continuous improvement)
· Tell us about some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes in organisational priorities? What was the impact of the change on you? (Seeks to innovate and change in order to enhance personal achievement and service provision)
· Tell me about a problem which you have solved in a unique or unusual way.
· Describe how you help to foster a ‘can do’ attitude amongst your colleagues towards continuous improvement and innovation.
Communicating and Influencing
· How do you maintain positive working relationships with your colleagues and ensure open channels of communication? (Communicates in a constructive and positive manner and understands the need for clarity in all communications)
· Can you tell us about a time when you influenced others to act in a certain way? What methods did you use and what was the outcome?
· Describe how you build effective networks across work, and the methods you use to ensure credibility with these people.
· Can you give an example of when you have had to secure the support of more senior staff at work?
The ability to develop yourself and others
· What methods and strategies do you use to ensure your own continuous professional development? (Proactively identifies learning and development to enhance personal performance)
· Can you give an example of a time you have supported the induction or training of team members? (Demonstrates the ability to support and coach others)
· Do you have any training needs or areas of development, specific to this role?
· What was the most useful criticism you ever received? How did you deal with this and what was the outcome? (Demonstrates ability to accept critical feedback to identify personal development needs)
Teamwork and collaboration
· Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or help others to compromise. What steps did you take and what was the end result? (Seeks to understand what other team members do and values the contribution of others)
· Can you give an example of how you have fostered co-operation and teamwork within a team you have been a member of? (Demonstrates ability to contribute to the development and achievement of team goals)
· Have you ever had an experience where there were issues or strong disagreements among members of a team you were in? What did you do?
· Tell me about a time where, if it hadn’t been for teamwork, your goal might not have been achieved? What was your role?
· Describe the techniques and tools you use to ensure the sharing of knowledge and good practice between yourself and others?
Equality & Diversity Questions
· Give an example of your experiences of dealing with customers from diverse backgrounds such as people from different ethnic minority communities?
· Why do you think Equality & Diversity is a high priority for this organisation?
· During a team meeting a staff member makes a derogatory comment about disabled students. The chair of the meeting ignores the comment. What would you do?
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