1. Are you a team player?
One of the initial requirements of being a team leader is to be a team player. The team leader interview will feature many questions pertaining to this. If you have already been a team leader in your previous company, the questions will be to the point and basic. However, if you were not a team leader in your previous company, but your interviewer sees you as a potential candidate for team leader, then the questions will be more ambiguous and require a better understanding on your part.
2. Have you handled a team earlier, in any capacity?
This question is more geared towards knowing whether you are comfortable with handling a team or not. In every company, there comes a time when a person needs to become an “impromptu” team leader and handle the team. This basically happens in smaller companies and startups, where a particular employee assumes dual or multiple responsibilities.
3. How do you handle differences between your teammates?
There is no workplace that is without any differences between two employees. However, whether it makes a difference to the production and development in the company depends on how these differences are sorted out. The interviewer will try to find out whether you had any differences with other employees, or whether you ever worked with two employees who had differences, in a bid to iron out their differences.
4. How did you handle difficulties?
If you provide them with satisfactory information about how you worked with the employees or even worked out your differences with others, your chances of being hired as a team leader increase.
5. How did you best communicate with your team?
For example, were you present with the team, in the thick of the action, always around to motivate, support and feedback, or were you absent allowing the team to get on with things independently and supporting them sporadically as needed?
6. What leadership styles did you use? Did you use them at the right times?
For example, a sports team will often respond best to a visionary leader and/or a leader with a coaching style. The visionary leader inspires passion and desire in the team by making the team really believe in themselves and to see their future success and glory as not only possible but probable. The coach uses their experience of the sport and ability to motivate a person to play at their best and keep learning new skills. They are able to coax the best out of their players and their team.
Other examples of leadership styles are: autocratic - this is where a leader directs the action without asking for much creativity or decision making from the individuals in the team themselves, and laisez-faire leadership - this is where leaders allow their teams to get on with things and check in with them now and again to monitor progress and provide feedback.
Using certain leadership styles at the right time can be very important, such as when leading an already highly performing and highly skilled team, you may want to use a liasez-faire leadership style, letting the team get on with things while you focus on strategy and building partnerships with other parts of the organization or other organizations.
7. How did you develop your teams?
For example, were you clear about skills needs in your team? Did you implement clear development plans for individuals and the team? What development activities did you encourage, such as training courses, soft skills workshops, on the job mentoring, coaching, etc?
8. What feedback did you receive from your teams about how you supported them?
It is often the case that you don't know what your key strengths are, especially if those strengths come very naturally to you - you don't see them as anything special. So it is important to reflect on the feedback that you received from your teams. What did people often say they appreciated about you? What positive feedback did you get from your bosses or peers? It might also be useful to contact people that used to work in your teams and ask them for feedback - people will remember the great things about you and will usually be only too happy to let you know what they are!
In short
Prepare well using reflective team leader interview questions and reflect on all the teams you have led (or in which you had a leadership role). Get feedback from others you have led as well as your previous peers and bosses.
You now know what leadership styles you have used and how you have adapted these to different working contexts and needs. Be confident in your unique individual abilities.
Know that you can make a difference in the job you are applying for, and talk honestly to that knowledge. Don't try to be something you are not, talk honestly and from the heart.
9. Have You Ever Had A Conflict With A Boss Or Professor? How Was It Resolved?
Yes, I have had conflicts in the past. Never major ones, but there have been disagreements that needed to be resolved. I've found that when faced with a conflict, it helps to fully understand the other person’s perspective, so I take time to listen to the other person’s point of view and then I seek to work out a collaborative solution. For example, (list an example from your previous experience here).
10. What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
Answer. I've had trouble delegating duties to others because I felt I could do things better myself. This, at times, backfired because I ended up with more than I could handle and the quality of my work suffered. But I've taken courses in time management and learned effective delegation techniques. I feel I've overcome this weakness since, over the past few years, I have been able to perform better.
11. How Will You Motivate Your Team?
Answer. When it comes to motivating a team, the bottom line is to stay motivated. Involving all the members in the ongoing developments and progress of the company is extremely important. For this, I will communicate and interact with the team members and ask them to give me regular updates on their personal performances. There is also a need to celebrate both individual and the entire team’s performance. Asking for innovative ideas and focusing on recognizing excellent performance will also be on my priority list. I will also set challenging goals and push the team to work hard in order to accomplish them. I will encourage consistency and transparency within the team. Letting the members know why they have been assigned a particular task is important to me since it gives them a direction and increases the productivity as well. (You could also list a past experience where you brought in phenomenal change and record breaking productivity!)
12. What is the difference between Team Leader and manager?
Well a team leader is a person who protects their team at all times but the team leader also build their team up and not down(motto)A team leader just don"t have a team to be a leader the person was maybe pick to be a leader because the may show manners,greed,trust,honor,and other things. A manger is a type of person who works at a job.The person who is the manger can hire people or even fire people and that"s the definition for MANGER & LEADER thanx n follow on facebook:-)
13. What is the importance of being a successful team leader?
Being a team leader is important so that you can direct you teammates in the right direction. When they need motivation, you motivate them! When there is a team dispute, you settle it! A leader unites a team so that they can accomplish one common goal... winning usually..... Having a strong team is imperative for every team because then they have someone to rely on no matter what!
14. What is the difference between a team player and a team leader?
A team leader needs to be a team player also - but they need extra skills, such as motivational ability and an understanding of their team members' strengths and weaknesses.
15. Qualities of a team leader?
1. Know your team.
2. Meet your team.
3. Train your team.
4. Grow your team.
5. Set objectives for each team member.
6. Review the performance of each team member.
7. Inspire your team.
8. Socialise with your team.
9. Thank you constantly.
10. Praise constantly.
11. Communicate constantly.
12. Eliminate.
13. Really listen. Many of us
14. Accept honest criticism
15. Think strategically.
16. Have a role model.
16. What are the job responsibilities of a team leader in Software Development?
Quality of leadership.
17. How do you fill a self-appraisal form for a BPO Team Leader?
To what extent does the employee display a positive, cooperative attitude toward work assignments and requirements? Consider compliance with established work rules and organizational culture.
18. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a team leader?
Advantages:
*Promotion both money-wise and structure-wise
*Looked upon as a responsible individual
*Looks good on a resume/CV
Disadvantages:
*Get the blame for problems within the team
*Personal mistakes stand out a lot more
*Stress becomes a major factor
19. Should a good team leader allows conflicts to be worked out?
A good team leader should encourage conflicts to be resolved. Depending on the situation it could be resolved simply by the members or the Team Leader may have to get involved to moderate the situation.
20. What is the role of a team leader?
To follow everyone else around and do as he/she is told by the team.
21. What do you like best as a team leader?
Having the opportunity to set an example for others, in regards to the true meaning of team spirit.
22. What are the objectives of a team leader?
The objective of a team leader is very important, they have to be an example to there boys & girls. Also the main objective is to lead their team into the goal that they have such as...
Win a Basketball game
Get the team ready for a relay race etc.
So the objectives that are given towards them is to get them ready (Train them) that is why we have people called a Team leader.
Getting the team for a race is really common to the top just have to train people how to run and breathe in order to run faster.
23. Why should you be selected the team leader?
you must be selected a team leader if you possess the properties of a leader. and most important to be a leader, you need to learn how to listen even to your subordinates.
24. Four general roles of a team leader?
l. A team leader has to be able to identify the goals of the team
2. A team leader has to evaluate the ability of his team towards meeting the goal.
3. A team leader has to encourage the team to work together to meet the goal.
4. A team leader has to identify the tasks necessary to meet the goals.
25. What are the differences between a team leader and a supervisor?
A team leader is a person who is a leader as well as a dealer himself.
In other words, he not only can lead the whole group but also deal with his members on their level and also can replace them if necessary.
Whereas on the other hand, a supervisor is someone who is good at monitoring the whole situation, he need not motivate or boost his member's confidence but only has to see if everything is going as per the plan of action.
