Most of the interviews I’ve participated in have either been one on one or panel interviews. And over the last few years, many of the roles I’ve applied for have been internal, since I’ve been moving and switching positions within the same company. Because of that, previous interviews often focused less on whether I could do the job and more on my experience, why I wanted to make the change, and how my current role prepared me for the next one. For more horizontal moves, the questions were usually straightforward and centered around my background and motivations.
My most recent interview for a supervisor position felt very different. It was more intense and clearly focused on evaluating me as a people leader. The questions were about my temperament, how I stay organized, how I would handle escalations, how I work with different personalities, and how I would approach harder conversations like giving feedback or addressing performance issues. Those questions felt much more valid because they directly reflected the real responsibilities of a leadership role, rather than just technical skills.
This experience aligns with what Chamorro-Premuzic and Steinmetz describe in “The Perfect Hire“, where they argue that unstructured interviews often lack predictive validity, while structured, behavior based questions are more effective at predicting future performance. Interviews that focus on real situations and judgment provide more useful information for employers and a better assessment of leadership potential overall.
I’ve also always found it helpful to ask for feedback after interviews where I didn’t get the position. In one case, I was told that I didn’t ask enough questions about the role itself or what the day to day work looked like, which made it seem like I wasn’t very interested. Since then, I’ve made it a point to ask more thoughtful, role specific questions in every interview. Overall, most of my interviews have been effective, especially as learning experiences. Each one has helped me better highlight my strengths, understand employer expectations, and grow more confident in future interviews.
References
Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Steinmetz, C. (2013). The perfect hire. Scientific American Mind, 24(3), 42–47.
