What is the hiring manager looking for?

Hiring managers ask this question to assess your leadership potential, ability to work collaboratively, and commitment to helping others succeed. They want to know that you can identify areas where team members need improvement, provide constructive feedback, and help them develop the skills they need to be successful.

How to structure your answer

STAR is a simple yet effective framework to answer this question:
* Situation: Briefly describe the situation or context in which you had to mentor or develop a team member’s skills.
* Task: Explain the specific task or project that you and the team member worked on.
* Action: Detail the specific actions you took to mentor or develop the team member’s skills.
* Result: Describe the positive outcomes or benefits that resulted from your mentoring or development efforts.

Tips to answer this interview question

Tips:
– Be specific and provide concrete examples.
– Focus on the positive outcomes of your mentoring or development efforts.
– Tailor your answer to the specific job you’re interviewing for.

Things to avoid:
– Don’t ramble or go off on tangents.
– Don’t be vague or general in your response.
– Don’t focus on your own accomplishments instead of the team member’s growth.

Example interview answers to this question

Sample Answer 1:
“In my previous role, I mentored a junior team member who was struggling with time management. I met with them regularly to help them identify their priorities and develop a more efficient workflow. I also provided them with resources and training on time management techniques. As a result, the team member’s performance improved significantly, and they were able to complete their tasks on time and to a high standard.”

_This answer is strong because it is specific, provides concrete examples, and highlights the positive outcomes of the mentoring effort._

Sample Answer 2:
“In my current role, I’ve had the opportunity to mentor several team members on new projects. For example, I recently worked with a team member who was new to project management. I provided them with guidance on how to develop a project plan, manage a team, and track progress. I also met with them regularly to provide feedback and support. As a result, the team member was able to successfully complete the project on time and within budget.”

_This answer is strong because it demonstrates the candidate’s ability to adapt their mentoring style to different team members and projects. It also highlights the positive outcomes of the mentoring effort._