Job interview role-play tips please
November 15, 2012 7:18 AM Subscribe
Can you give me some job interview role-play tips on:
(1) how to manage an underperforming employee, and
(2) how to manage a team meeting/huddle?
Hello there. I have a job interview coming up where I'm going to be called on to do a couple of assessed role-plays. In one, I'll be managing an underperforming employee (I don't know if this is a specific instance of underperformance, or an ongoing pattern of underperformance). In another, I'll be managing a team meeting or team huddle.
Can you give some tips on how to ace these? General tips on managing such meetings would of course be very useful. In addition, if there are specific things that I can do to beat these tests in the artificial situation of a job interview, so much the better. Bonus points if you can point me to videos that show me people doing these things well.
Hello there. I have a job interview coming up where I'm going to be called on to do a couple of assessed role-plays. In one, I'll be managing an underperforming employee (I don't know if this is a specific instance of underperformance, or an ongoing pattern of underperformance). In another, I'll be managing a team meeting or team huddle.
Can you give some tips on how to ace these? General tips on managing such meetings would of course be very useful. In addition, if there are specific things that I can do to beat these tests in the artificial situation of a job interview, so much the better. Bonus points if you can point me to videos that show me people doing these things well.
Team meetings/huddles.
1. Stand up. No one sits. This keeps our meetings short and to the point.
2. Decide on a format. For example, each person spells out three things: Did they get done what they said they would get done yesterday? If not, what are the obstacles? What will they have done by tomorrow's meeting?
3. Always always always start on time. If the meeting starts at 9:15, you close the door and don't open it for latecomers.
posted by DWRoelands at 8:31 AM on November 15, 2012
1. Stand up. No one sits. This keeps our meetings short and to the point.
2. Decide on a format. For example, each person spells out three things: Did they get done what they said they would get done yesterday? If not, what are the obstacles? What will they have done by tomorrow's meeting?
3. Always always always start on time. If the meeting starts at 9:15, you close the door and don't open it for latecomers.
posted by DWRoelands at 8:31 AM on November 15, 2012
One more things to add to the underperformance role-play.
6). So we agree you're going to X, Y and Z.
7). We'll meet in two weeks to review your performance at that time.
You want to be sure to solicit concrete actions from the underperforming employee, write them down and get his/her buy in.
Okay, so you'll make 40 calls per day, 15 appointments per week and 2 sales per week. What will you do differently to make this happen?
I will sit with you one day per week for an hour while you make calls, to give you feedback and tips for closing more appointments.
Be specific. Write it down. Evaluate in a short period of time.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:30 AM on November 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
6). So we agree you're going to X, Y and Z.
7). We'll meet in two weeks to review your performance at that time.
You want to be sure to solicit concrete actions from the underperforming employee, write them down and get his/her buy in.
Okay, so you'll make 40 calls per day, 15 appointments per week and 2 sales per week. What will you do differently to make this happen?
I will sit with you one day per week for an hour while you make calls, to give you feedback and tips for closing more appointments.
Be specific. Write it down. Evaluate in a short period of time.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:30 AM on November 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Point 3 of argyles answer is key to managing ongoing underperformance - what are the roadblocks, why are they happening, is this employee responsible or is there another cause that needs management?
Team meeting / huddle, kept short and to the point. Any points of discussion which come up and are not on the agenda are to be addressed in follow-up meetings.
posted by Under the Sea at 6:44 PM on November 15, 2012
Team meeting / huddle, kept short and to the point. Any points of discussion which come up and are not on the agenda are to be addressed in follow-up meetings.
posted by Under the Sea at 6:44 PM on November 15, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
1) Praise ability (Look, you're one of the sharpest people we have around here...)
2) Explain under-performance. (All the more reason I'm concerned that the TPS report was late....)
3) Ask to understand (I know you've done a lot of good work, is there something interferring with getting this done on time?)
4) Reinforce need to improve (We need to get this back on track, I know you can do it, can you help me out here?)
5) Offer further discussion (Please stop by if you want to talk about this more...)
Team meeting/huddle - You need to be more specific on what it's for. Basics are keeping the floor open to discussion and not shutting down conversation, but it varies on how based on the goal, brainstorming vs. failure analysis vs. status update vs. resource planning, etc.
Good luck.
posted by Argyle at 7:58 AM on November 15, 2012