Become an expert at describing your leadership abilities during an interview.

1. SkimaTalk Official Course
Interviewing Skills
Lesson 4: Describing Your Leadership Abilities

2. 2
Preparing For Your Interview
l Read the job description for your practice interview (on the next page)
OR prepare a job description of your target position.
l Write down two examples of a time when you demonstrated leadership. Make
sure you also write down the steps you took to solve the problem and the
outcome of your actions.
INSTRUCTIONS

3. 3
Practice Interview
Job Description
Employer: ABC Co. – A leading software company.
Job Title: Social Media Manager
Overview of Role:
The Social Media Manager is responsible for managing the company’s social media
accounts and creating successful social medias campaigns.
Key Criteria:
l Creativity.
l Experience with popular social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.).
l Strong organizational skills.
l Attention to detail.
l Able to work independently
Answer your teacher’s interview question.
* If you would like to use the job description that you prepared,
inform your teacher.
INSTRUCTIONS

4. 4
The question can take many forms, such as:
Tips #1:
Interviewers Will Want to Hear About Your Leadership Skills
l “Please describe a time when you demonstrated leadership.”
l “Please describe your experience leading teams.”
l “Can you provide an example of a time when you took initiative to
solve a problem?”
l “Have you ever had to deal with a difficult teammate? If so, please
describe what actions you took to make the relationship work.”

5. 5
Tips #2:
Leadership Is Not Only About Leading People
Solving a tricky problem
Taking initiative
Managing a cross-functional team
Dealing w/ a difficult employee
Leadership can be…
You don’t need to be in management to demonstrate leadership

6. 6
Tips #3:
Leaders Are People Who “Get Things Done” When Others Can’t
The leadership question is an opportunity to demonstrate
your ability to generate results
Leadership Example
“At my previous job, I accepted a project that had been stalled for
six months. I identified the key obstacles for each team member,
and took the necessary steps to eliminate those obstacles. After
just three weeks, the project was back on track and the team was
re-energized.We finished the project ahead of schedule.”

7. 7
Tips #4:
Three Keys to Answering the Leadership Question
• What is the problem or obstacle you helped the company overcome?
• If relevant, identify failed attempts by others at the company to solve this
same problem.
1 Identify the problem
• What are the actions you took to fix the problem?
2 Outline the specific steps you took
• What are the results of your actions? Be specific (e.g., the team launched
the company’s new website in record time).
3 Demonstrate results

8. 8
End of Lesson
We Hope You Enjoyed It!
© 2016 SkimaTalk, Inc.