I’m continuing this week with the interview recording from the administrative assistant I started last week. The question in this recording is:
Tell me about a time when you helped a coworker improve their performance.
Listen to the Interview Answer(Time 1:37)
This is interview was recorded and posted with the permission of the job seeker.
The answer is in two parts – the initial answer and the follow up. The initial answer was pretty good. She described the situation and the actions she took well. I thought the description of the 360 feedback was great. This answer also gave her the opportunity to talk about the person she supervises. Many admin assistants have little to no supervisory experience. Highlighting that she manages someone in this role demonstrates leadership experience and shows that she was successful enough to be put in a lead position. All of this is good.
The thing that is missing is whether she was successful. My follow up question addressed this by asking what success she had had with this. Her answer focused on providing more details about the situation. She did indicate that there was improvement but it wasn’t clear how much improvement was made or the benefit to the company.
A much better answer would have included specific results. Did the person she coached perform better after the coaching? What feedback did they receive from others in the office? The coaching process started with a 360 feedback exercise – results of a follow up to this would be great to discuss. If there wasn’t a follow up, then the comments of one or more people in the office would help.
The key is to show a hiring manager success. Telling them that you were responsible for something doesn’t mean you were successful. You have to give examples to stand out.