Interviewer: Tell about a time when you demonstrated leadership.
Jon: When I was working at a retail store as a clerk, one time I had to be the leader. Our manager told the staff that we had to reorganize the store, but our manager didn’t give us a lot of directions. Everybody was hesitant and didn’t know what to do. So, I took charge and started organizing the staff into groups and assigning tasks to different groups. Everybody followed me and the work was completed well and on time.
Interviewer: Do you feel comfortable being in a leadership role?
Jon: Absolutely. I have no problem being a leader if that is what I need to do. But I also have no problem following orders. I just want to do what is best for the company.
Interviewer: It sounds like you are a real team player.
Jon: I try to be.
Patterns and Examples
I demonstrated leadership when I ____________________. I ____________________.
- I demonstrated leadership when I took over the sales team for one month while the sales manager was out sick. I ran the team and everything went smoothly.
- I demonstrated leadership when I took over as product manager for a failing mobile game. I helped turn around the game’s performance and made it into a relatively successful product for my company.
One time, I ____________________. I ____________________.
- One time, I led the effort to reorganize the clothing store where I was working. I organized the other workers into teams and assigned tasks to each team.
- One time, I was responsible for leading a research team. I organized the members into groups, assigned each team an area to research, and coordinated the teams.
I believe that I showed leadership when I ____________________. My leadership helped ____________________.
- I believe that I showed leadership when I was the manager of a Cuban restaurant. My leadership helped the restaurant run smoothly and helped increase sales.
- I believe that I showed leadership when I was the branch manager at a paper supply company. My leadership helped motivate employees and manage the office in a way that led to record profits for any branch office of our company.
