What do you do if you're asked about your experience in a Training role during an interview?

Talk about any previous roles where you were involved in training activities. This could include positions where you trained new employees, conducted workshops or seminars, developed training materials, or mentored colleagues. Explain your knowledge of various training techniques and methodologies you've used in the past. This might include classroom training, e-learning platforms, on-the-job training, or blended learning approaches. Share specific instances where you successfully designed and implemented training programs or initiatives. Discuss the outcomes of these programs and how they positively impacted the organization or individuals you were training.

Before coming to any kind of interview, I'd like to always be prepared. Reviewing the job descriptions of a role would help you anticipate possible questions the interviewer may asked. This question is a standard question for any role, so even before the interview think about your training experiences. Look into the different aspects of training as well. Reflect on the time you facilitated a training class, the time you develop a training curriculum, the time you created a PowerPoint presentation for a topic or course, the time you designed an evaluation. Use these as examples and always be clear.

Discuss specific achievements or milestones you reached in your Training role. This could include successful training programs you developed, positive feedback received from participants, or improvements in organizational performance resulting from your training initiatives. For eg;- Supplementing workshops for new trainees. Creating content relevant for skill development etc., Describe how your Training role contributed to your professional development, such as enhancing your instructional design skills, improving your communication and presentation abilities, or deepening your understanding of adult learning principles. Share your vision for the future of training and professional development in organizations

When answering interview questions, my go-to structure is the STAR method. Always very easy to remember especially when you to think on your feet during interviews. S - is for you to describe the situation or context where you have performed your training role. Make sure to be specific and include any challenges or objectives (review the job description so that you know which skill do they prioritize and give example on that). T - is to explain what are the tasks you had to do in performing the role A - is to explain the actions you actually performed and lastly R - is to share the outcomes. This is now your chance to highlight your success. For example, "It resulted to 100% increase" add some measure.

Being sales for over 5 years, I have incorporated various sales training techniques within my team. Topics like prospecting, negotiation, customer relationship management, and product knowledge. Training can be delivered through a combination of classroom sessions, role-plays, and on-the-job coaching. Giving examples and specifying about the various sessions you have taken and what insights you have gained out of it should be clearly communicated.

Identifying the need for more flexible, bite-sized learning experiences, I introduced a microlearning approach to training. By breaking down content into smaller, easily digestible segments, training is more accessible and convenient for busy employees. Identifying the need for on-the-go learning, I introduced mobile-friendly training solutions that enabled employees to access training content from their smartphones or tablets. This could involve developing responsive e-learning modules, mobile apps, or podcasts.

Address challenges and lessons learned:- Acknowledge any challenges or obstacles you encountered in your Training role and discuss how you navigated them. Describe any lessons learned and how you incorporated those insights into future training initiatives. Highlight how the outcomes of your training initiatives contributed to broader organizational objectives. For example, explain how your sales training program led to increased revenue, or how your leadership development program improved employee engagement and retention.

In my opinion, when interviewed for a Training role, it is important to highlight our experience in collaboration. Collaboration is essential in Training as it ensures the development of comprehensive training solutions that align with organisational goals. When discussing collaboration, focus on how we have collaborated with subject matter experts, department heads, and other stakeholders to create effective training solutions. Emphasise the importance of ensuring that training objectives align with the organisation's objectives and describe how we have secured buy-in from various levels of the organisation. This will demonstrate our ability to adapt and work effectively within a team and organisational structure.

Share your professional development activities Highlight your involvement in industry networks Describe how you've applied new learnings Show curiosity and openness Share how you've mentored or coached others Explain how you stay current with industry trends Discuss how you've contributed to a culture of learning

This might be a fair question for first round interviews with HR only. With that said every “trainer” should have some portfolio of work which includes proposals, material developed, courses/students instructed and surveys, which should suffice for these types of questions. Beyond this any interview I have had for a “training role” has had a requirement for the participant to develop material (course outline, lesson plan, presentation, tests etc) and give a brief presentation to actually demonstrate their skills. Anyone can say they’re an “instructor” until you see them reading from the slides, starring at the floor, failing to connect with attendees and not following the basic principles of design and development.

In my experience, almost all training interviews have a training demo as well. Be prepared for this so you can showcase your training and facilitation skills that were not covered during the interview. I also find it useful to always confirm from the interviewers how long are they expecting the demo to last, this way you can tailor your presentation and talk points to their expected length. Don't go overtime. As soon as you start, think of the as your trainees/audience/participants not the interviewers. If they are not participating, show them how you would handle someone in the training who is not participating, they are your trainees now. Sometimes interviewers would intentionally portray roles to see how you would handle such scenario.