Top interview questions to assess career trajectory & How motherhood improved my professional skills - The Talent Newsletter Edition #8

Welcome to my bi-weekly newsletter! I've taken a well needed break from LinkedIn and from publishing the talent newsletter to staying at home and caring for our baby boy ??. However, now edition #8 is out, hope you find it useful!

In this bi-weekly edition you'll find:?

?? Top interview questions to assess someone's career trajectory?

???How motherhood improved my professional skills??

Let's jump in! ????

?? Top interview questions to assess someone's career trajectory?

When interviewing candidates, it’s essential to assess not only their current skills but also their potential for growth. To better understand a candidate’s future career potential, ask these top three questions to get?insights into a candidate’s long-term potential.?

1. “What are the most important factors for you in choosing your next role?”?

What to understand:?As the interviewer, seek to understand what truly motivates the candidate and what they value in a role and company. This can reveal their long-term goals and alignment with your company’s culture and future opportunities.?

Why this question:?This question helps to uncover the candidate's genuine motivations, priorities and how well they will fit your culture. It can reveal their aspirations indirectly by focusing on what they consider important, providing a more authentic picture of their career trajectory.

2. “Can you tell me about a project or role where you had to overcome something challenging? How did you approach it and what was the outcome?”?

What to understand:?As the interviewer, look for examples of resilience, problem-solving, and personal insights. Focus on how the candidate navigated the challenge, their thought process, and if they learned something new about themselves as a result of the process. Assess whether they remained adaptable, resourceful, and proactive during the challenge.?

Why this question:?This question reveals how a candidate handles adversity, unexpected difficulties and their own personal growth. It offers insight into their problem-solving abilities and growth-mindset when faced with challenging situations. It also prompts a response based on real experiences, making it harder to simply say what they think you want to hear.?

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3.?"Can you share an experience where you worked with someone who had a very different perspective or background to yours? How did you approach the situation, and what did you learn from it?"?

What to understand:?This helps you assess the candidate's ability to embrace diverse perspectives and work effectively in inclusive environments. Listen for examples that show respect for differing viewpoints, openness to learning, and collaborative problem-solving. Assess how they navigated challenging conversations or situations with people who have different experiences, cultural backgrounds, or opinions.?

Why this question:?This question is effective because it reveals someone's ability to work with different types of people, communication and relationship building skills, all of which are important ingredients in someone's career growth. It focuses on both the candidate's actions and their learning, giving insight into their level of open-mindedness and their willingness to foster inclusivity in the workplace.?

?? 3 things?motherhood thought me that improved my professional skills?

Motherhood has been an incredible teacher, not just in parenting but in personal development that impacts me positively professionally as well. Here are my three key things motherhood has taught me so far that have improved my professional skills.?

1) Asking for help is OK:?I’ve learned that I can’t do everything myself, and that’s okay. As a new mom you're put into a situation where you simply need to ask and accept help, whether it’s asking my partner to watch the baby while I shower or letting friends bring over a meal, or family watching the baby while I get a rest. Asking and accepting help makes me stronger, both personally and professionally.??

2) Embrace changes:?Giving birth and becoming a parent makes you and your life go through a massive transformation, and it’s easy to feel disconnected or even frustrated with the transformation. However, there is nothing I can do to change this fact, I've had to learn to embrace the change and instead of focusing on “bouncing back” or trying to live life as before birth, I’m finding acceptance and an appreciation for the change.?No professional change will ever feel as big to me anymore as the change of having a child.

3) Accept imperfection and let things go:?It’s hard when it feels like the house is a mess or I haven’t gotten anything done besides feeding and soothing the baby. However, through this I've learned to redefine goals and what achievement looks like. Keeping a tiny human alive, is a huge accomplishment in itself, even if it doesn’t feel like it at times. The idea of following a to-do-list to the dot and being able to get "everything" done on time has changed to getting the most important things done when they really need to and being ok with letting everything else go. I know I don’t have to do everything perfectly to still accomplish what needs to be accomplished.

And remember:

?? Thanks for reading this issue! Stay tuned for the next edition and remember to subscribe to get notified when the next bi-weekly newsletter is out! ?? ????

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