Interviewer: Do you have any leadership experience?
Abby: I do have some leadership experience. Two years ago, my manager had a baby and she took six months off for maternity leave. During that time, I was the temporary manager of the sales team.
Interviewer: How did it go?
Abby: At first it was difficult. I had worked with many of the staff members as co-workers for a long time, but suddenly I was their boss. It took some time to get used to, but after a couple weeks, I settled into the position.
Interviewer: What was the biggest challenge you faced and how did you deal with it?
Abby: The biggest challenge was making decisions regarding our sales strategy. Every sales member had different ideas about what we should do, but it was my job to come up with a plan for the whole team. I listened to everybody, thought about it for a while, and then I made my decision. After I made my decision, I explained my reasons to everybody.
Interviewer: How did everyone react?
Abby: Of course, some people disagreed. I listened to what they had to say, but I was firm in my decision. I was the acting manager, so they needed to respect my decision.
Patterns and Examples
Yes, I do. I ____________________.
- Yes, I do. I led a team of 10 salesmen at my last position.
- Yes, I do. I was in charge of the night shift at a 24-hour retail store.
Yes, I have leadership experience. At my last job, ____________________.
- Yes, I have leadership experience. At my last job, I was the manager of a design team for 2 years. There were 10 people working under me and I was in charge of running the team.
- Yes, I have leadership experience. At my last job, I took the lead on several projects which all ended up being successful.
I do not have any professional leadership experience, but ____________________.
- I do not have any professional leadership experience, but I was the president of my university’s hiking club.
- I do not have any professional leadership experience, but I am the captain of my club basketball team.
