At ghSMART & Company, we always seek to provide the best service possible to our clients and one way we do that is through constant evaluation of our programs. What familiarity do you have with training evaluation and why is this important to do?

"When I took my current role, I was thoroughly trained in Kirkpatrick's Training Evaluation model and I still use all four components to this day. With a recent training I put on for our leadership staff on servant leadership, I gauged initial reaction to the training by an emailed survey sent the afternoon the training concluded. I tested their learning with a fun quiz game during the final 30 minutes of the training. To follow up on the behavior component, we had our Director level leaders observe their staff in team meetings and 1:1 interactions with employees over the 3 months following the training. As we are finally entering the results stage, we are utilizing feedback from our Directors and also an all-staff survey that is currently in progress. All of the components of the Kirkpatrick model help get to the root answer of if a training program was effective and the model is very efficient in providing those results."

While all of the preparation, research and work that goes into setting up and implementing a training program is important, it is equally important to evaluate a program's effectiveness for future use and learning and ghSMART & Company recognizes this. Make sure to highlight some reasons as to why proper evaluation of a training program is important. An organization needs to know if the expected results were achieved to either replicate the training for future use if they were or to alter the approach if they weren't. If you have any direct experience in evaluating programs, be sure to talk in detail about that experience.

"Looking to provide education to a workforce is an extremely important undertaking in today's business world and constant evaluation is necessary in the changing landscape of all industries. We can work and work creating programs and implementing them, but we never achieve desired results if we don't evaluate the programs. Over the last five years in my role in our Organizational Learning department, I have developed some very effective post-training surveys and job observation methods that have given my department very useful evaluation data. I'd love to bring some of these ideas to the clients here at ghSMART & Company."

An often difficult part about working for ghSMART & Company and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?

"During my career to this point, I've been very fortunate to say that I've worked for one employer for over ten years and the experience that I've gained with them is a huge asset to me personally. But even though all of my relevant work experience is with the same employer, I've worked under six different department managers during my time there and each person had their own unique management style and expectations of me. As well, my organization has undergone three mergers in my time there and each merger brought a new and bigger organization to light with new values and culture. Whether it was a manager change or an organization change, I always prioritized openness and asking questions to get to know new processes better. I would bring this approach with each and every new client that I would work with in this role."

In the business consulting world, organizations work with clients that all have different backgrounds, leadership styles, cultures, industries and motivating factors. Consultants hired to come in to these organizations have to possess a chameleon-like ability to ingrain themselves in a new company's culture. For you to be successful in the role that you are interviewing for, you must possess this same ability. In your answer to this question, be sure to point out your fluidity to adapt to new situation in your work by giving an example or two of a time you had to do this to give your interviewer a sense of your ability to be flexible with clients.

"I would liken this role as a Client Manager to working with my customers in my current job. I approach each new customer with an open slated mind while getting to know their motivations, their needs and their expectations of me to help me get a better understanding of how I can best suit them. If hired for this position working with your clients here at ghSMART & Company, this approach would be vital because of the variety of businesses and industries that I would be working with."

At ghSMART & Company, you will have the opportunity to work with high level executives and leaders from the companies we contract with. What experience do you have in working with people at these levels?

"In my current role, I work directly under our Chief Financial Officer and sit on a couple of different committees that our Chief Executive Officer is on. Under the direction of my CFO, we have a great working relationship. I am comfortable approaching him at any moment with questions or to bring forward new ideas. He is aware of my strengths and respects my opinions on matters in my wheelhouse, so he never hesitates to come to me with important things. I think the keys to our strong relationship are the respect we show for each other and our open lines of communication."

As a business advisory and consulting firm, ghSMART & Company works with Managers, Directors, CEO's, CFO's, CAO's and leaders with other titles on all of our projects. Your role will likely involve working closely with these leaders. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are comfortable in working with the leadership team of the organization's clients by having you talk about your experience. Make sure that the examples you provide include some details on how you worked effectively to get the job done with the leaders you worked with.

"Throughout my career, I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with employees at all levels of the organizations that I've worked with. To me, working effectively with anyone requires a personal touch and a respectful approach. Whether I work with front line sales staff or members of the C-Suite, I take the time to get to know the person, their job and how I can best be of help to them in my role. This approach really helped me build a relationship with a Sales Executive that a few of my colleagues had struck out with in recent interactions."

Talk about a time you had to use conflict resolution skills in a business setting. What was the situation and the outcome and how did you positively influence that outcome?

"In my current role, I was asked to work with two sales managers that were not seeing eye to eye in future planning processes and I was asked to step in and intervene on the situation. My approach to this situation was to first meet individually with each manager to get their perspective on the situation and, lo and behold, both managers felt disrespected by the other. With that in mind, my approach to coaching their relationship focused on empathy and the ability to see things from each other's chair. I held an open forum where each could talk about times they felt disrespected by the other and I think it was really eye opening for each. At the end of that single conversation, both realized that they were in competition with each other and both agreed to work hand in hand for the betterment of the organization in the future."

In this role with ghSMART & Company, chances are great that you would be working with employees at clients who don't see eye to eye on things and you will quickly become the mediator between them with your expertise. Prior to interview, think about the conflict resolution skills that you possess and highlight those with an example of a time that you used them. At the end of the day, ensure that your interviewer walks away from your conversation knowing that you can be trusted with their clients in this respect.

"To me, conflict in the workplace is best settled when both parties understand and acknowledge the perspective of others and come to a mutual agreement to plan for differences. It is foolish to think that every relationsihp within a business setting is going to be 100% perfect, so these agreements are necessary. I did this recently with two nurses that were working side by side in an Emergency Department setting. From the start of them working on the same shift together, conflic began immediately and hard feeling only festered from there. As a facilitator between them, I promoted open dand respectful ialogue abetween them about what bothered each person in their relationship. It became clear that each had their own unique upbringing in the healthcare world and differing perspectives on ideal care for patients, even when each of their philosophies fell under the expectations of the department. By promotiing this, I was amazed to hear the two nurses work out a plan for handling each others differences without being prompted by me."

Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?

"Probably the aspect that I love the most about my current job is being the lead for training new hires into our department. Because of my years of experience and my innate ability to effectively orientate new employees, my director asked me to take this duty about four years ago. My approach with any new hire is to customize their training based on their knowledge and experience so the training is effective for them. What works for one person may not work for another and I always need to be fluid with this. I also prioritize the need to make orientation and training a hands on experience for the new hire because classroom learning can only take a person so far in the learning process."

The role that you are interviewing for with ghSMART & Company will likely involve providing education to clients in your area of expertise. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are comfortable and effective in providing education by having you talk about a time that you have done so. In the example that you provide, try to point out some key items to making business education successful like developing a plan/goals, respecting differing viewpoints/opinions, making it hands on and making it fun.

"As you can see from my resume, I've spent the last seven years working in the corporate tax field. While in this job, I worked very independently for a private organization, so I've been out of the training and education side for a while now. During my first job out of college as a CPA though, I was very adept at providing education to the clients that I worked with on a daily basis. What I learned in that experience was the importance of putting material out there in a manner that the person being trained understood. As well, talking to clients and understanding my client's wants and needs were very important for me to be able to best educate them. I really believe that these skills would enable me to hit the ground running with ghSMART & Company and your clients would benefit greatly."

Change management is an important aspect of consulting our clients here at ghSMART & Company. Have you participated in a change management process during your career?

"In my leadership role with my current organization, I have been part of an ongoing change process to optimize our staffing ratio to meet production needs. After being part of a careful analysis process and researching industry standards, we implemented a plan to heavily reduce our administrative staff while bolstering production staff and this was a huge change for our organization. My role in the implementation of the process was to gather data and put together a presentation for our Board and Senior Leadership. As well, I helped prepare both internal and external communications that went out regarding our upcoming changes. As things stand today, we have been in continuous review of new processes and things are going great! This involvement has helped prepare me for helping others manage significatn change in their business processes."

Due to many factors, change is inevitable adn unavoidable for businesses today. Because of this, ghSMART & Company is often sought after to lead change management processes for their clients and the role that you are interviewing for will help facilitate this process with clients. Prior to your interview, think about particular change management processes that you have been a part of and be able to speak to your ability to lead others in making necessary business changes. Make sure to talk about the importance of having a vision, developing a plan and measuring progress as part of the overall change process.

What interests you in joining the business consulting world here at ghSMART & Company?

"At this point in my career, I feel like I have really maxed out my capabilities in my current role as the IT Director with my current organization. Over the past two or three years, I've found so much fulfillment in my work when I've been helping others and providing education to them that I've narrowed my job search down to the IT consulting field. The prospect of helping other IT departments grow and become more efficient under my consultation is an adventure that I would love to embark on here at ghSMART & Company!"

Anytime the question regarding why you want to join the company is asked, it is very important to do your research on the organization and the position you are interviewing for so you can match your skills and desires to the job. In your answer here, be sure that you also speak to the potential move to a consultative type role if this will be the first time for you with a consulting organization. Be sure to highlight your qualities that make you an ideal fit for the job.

"As I've grown in my role in the Training & Education department with my current employer, I've gravitated toward leadership development and succession planning with my organization and I'd like to bring these skills to work here at ghSMART & Company as this position fits right in that mold. Using my experience and knowledge, you'll quickly find that I have a great ability to work alongside and train the top level executives with your clients in a manner that is professional and effective at the same time. My experiences in both healthcare and manufacturing sound like they'd fit well with your client base as well."

What knowledge do you have of differing leadership styles and how would you work effectively with each in this role?

"I have received training on working with the most common leadership styles in the sales industry: transformational leadership, transactional leadership, autocratic leadership, bureaucratic leadership and democratic leadership. I also fully understand the important characteristics and personality traits that leaders in each style display. I have some personal experience training an autocratic leader very closely on promoting teamwork within his department due to low morale. For this leader, it was important for me to personalize my approach by teaching him about his leadership style and what the pro's and con's both were. From there, my focus remained outward towards his team and their performance and how his approach could help impact that positively. Moving forward from our training, his team definitely felt a positive uptick in their morale and production."

People that work their way through the ranks of the business world and find themselves in high level positions can lead with many different styles. For this question, be sure to do your research on the differing leadership styles and be able to speak about specific times you have worked with leaders with that style or how you would effectively work with each style. Make sure to speak to the importance of differing leadership styles equating to the need for an individualized approach to training leaders.

"Having worked with leaders all across my current organization, I quickly came to realize that every leader works in and is motivated by their own unique set of circumstances. And because of those facts, it is important for me to take a personalized approach to training. I've worked with leaders that had a hard time delegating work and ruled with more of an iron fist than most others. For these leaders, a direct approach from myself as the trainer was required and a focus on the importance of teamwork and recognition were important. I've also worked with leaders on the opposite end of that spectrum that approached leadership from a very hands off perspective and were successful more on the administrative side of their roles. With these leaders, I had success in approaching training with an emphasis on establishing standards and procedures for their department and promoting their involvement with their team. I think my versatility in working with every leadership style would be an advantage here at ghSMART & Company."

Outside of work, what type of creative activities do you like to pursue?

"I have a lot of energy, so I like to bring out my creative side on the weekends by attending local art events, going to the theater, or trying a new paint and sip class. I look forward to bringing this creative energy to ghSMART & Company."

ghSMART & Company seeks creative people for their teams, no matter the department or role to which you are applying. The interviewer would like to know how you express your creativity, outside of the workplace. A genuinely creative minded person will have outside activities aside from what's happening in the workplace. Tell the interviewer about the variety of ways in which you express your creativity.

What roles are you comfortable assuming in working as part of a larger team?

"I am really comfortable working in any role within a team and I think my experiences throughout my career demonstrate this well. At many times in my career, I've been the legwork of team operations and have easily taken direction on projects and been able to hit pre-established deadlines. As well, I've lead many projects and have shown my ability to lead others in a team effort and the ability to delegate tasks and set milestones for projects. If hired for this position, you can be rest assured that I have the ability to be a key team players with your clients in helping better their business."

Coming to work for a consulting business requires the ability to work as part of a larger team on the projects you will be heading. Teamwork in this setting requires versatility and your interviewer will be looking to hear that you have that versatility in your answer to this question. Many times, you will be taking the bull by the horns and leading the way. Other times, you will be the worker bee researching behind the scenes. You may be tasked with being the organizer of projects behind the scenes as well. Make sure that you highlight your ability to be flexible when working as part of a team here.

"From a very young age in my career, I've always been a natural leader in a team based environment. My excellent communication skills, honesty, critical thinking and decision making skills have proven time and time again that I can lead others in the most effective way possible. And while being a leader comes naturally to me, I can easily let others take the lead on projects."

Looking at your resume, it seems there are certain skills necessary for this position that do not stand out. How do you think you will be able to compensate for these missing skills?

Most job descriptions will have a long list of requirements. Hiring managers are aware that, to find a candidate that checks ALL of the boxes, can sometimes be impossible. If you are missing some of the "nice to have" or even the "must have" skills listed in the job description, do not fret! Be open about your shortcomings and discuss with the interviewer how you plan to compensate for those.

"I bring full dedication to learning, and mastering, any skills I do not currently have. I will compensate for any lacking skills through additional research. Also, I am happy to take any coursework that you feel would help."

Do you have any experience in succession planning? If so, in what areas do you have specific experience?

"With my current organization, I was directly involved in the creation of the succession planning processes for many of our key positions and this process really opened my eyes for how to be successful in the future planning. The first key item to undertake was identifying the key positions that we wanted to have succession plans for. We identified these roles by determining which roles were vital to the success of the organization and which roles would deter future growth if left unfilled. Once key roles were identified, I worked with leaders of and incumbents in those roles to build the key competencies for those positions. With these inventories of competencies now in hand, I worked with our HR staff to build plans for internal succession of selected employees and I helped build succession training programs for specific individuals. With this role at ghSMART & Company, I think my experience would work well with your clients in many different industries."

A key component to consulting services for leadership development is succession planning and for this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear what experience you have in this area and that you understand the key components to the succession planning process. If you have experience, be sure to highlight some examples and what role you played. If you don't have any direct experience in succession planning, be sure to research and be able to speak about the key components of the process.

"My experience in succession planning falls in working with specific roles that I supervised and helping to identify great candidates to begin working with Human Resources staff on training and planning for future roles. During these processes, I used both quantitatvie performance data and personal experiences with my employees in identifying the best candidates. In planning to prepare for a leadership consulting role, I feel like I would bring great experience and ability to other key aspects of the succession planning process for your clients because I have extensive knowledge of different management roles adn their importance in the overall success of businesses."

If you are hired for this position here at ghSMART & Company, what do you think the biggest hurdle for you would be from the start?

"As you can see from my resume, most of my career experience is in the food industry. If fortunate enough to be hired for this position, the biggest area for learning for me would be the finance side of other industries like technology, telecommunications and healthcare. From day one, I would begin by thoroughly research the clients here at ghSMART & Company and speaking with as many industry experts that I know through business networking. While learning the ins and outs of other industries is the biggest learning curve for me, I see it as a great opportunity for me to become more proficient and effective in the work that I'd be doing for you."

For this question, you can showcase your research that you've done on both ghSMART & Company and the role you are interviewing for by being upfront and honest about what you feel would be the biggest learning curve for you if hired for the position and giving your plan for how you would approach this hurdle. In your answer, make sure that you highlight your skills and abilities in making a molehill out of a mountain on your way to success in this role.

"While this may sound funny to you at first, I think the biggest challenge for me from the start will be adapting to the great corporate lifestyle and culture here at ghSMART & Company. When I saw this position being open for applicants and I did my research, I was extremely excited to hear about the flexibility and openness to the ideas of your staff members. I've been working for six years in an environment that is very opposite of an open culture for new ideas and for me personally, it will feel foreign for me to bring new ideas to the team here and have them be accepted."

Working with our clients here at ghSMART & Company often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?

"In my role as a Project Manager with a large private organization, one of my first steps on any new project is setting a budget. Last year, I was leading the effort on a project focused on waste reduction in our manufacturing facilities. In the initial meetings for new projects, our CFO is always involved so she has a high-level overview of what the project will entail. In the meeting, she immediately berated me for the initial budget that I was proposing and vehemently insisted that the amount just wasn't correct or feasible. Rather than taking offense to her thoughts, I wanted to make sure that she, and the rest of the group, had a solid understanding of all that was taken into consideration for setting the budget. After I explained and showed line by line what the proposed budget broke down to, she was very thankful and didn't realize that team member labor was part of that equation. I think that my ability to understand why she was conflicted and my ability to keep a calm, cool head in that situation was vital and a perfect reason for me rating myself high on my conflict resolution skills."

When a consultant comes into an organization to help better an aspect of their business, there are many factors that can lead to initial conflicts with the consultant and their firm. Big egos not wanting a fresh new face and the fear of change are inevitable in this business and your interviewer wants to hear that you have the experience and ability to handle inevitable conflict that will come your way if hired for the position. While obviously rating yourself highly in this area, try to talk about a time where you handled difficult conflict on the job with ease.

"From my call center days, I think I developed great conflict resolution skills where I would rate myself an 8 out of 10. Handling customers who were upset about a product or service they received required a calm tone, an educational approach and the ability to not take things too personally. If hired for this position, I would be able to bring this same approach to the client of ghSMART & Company."

Being successful in consulting and working here at ghSMART & Company requires the ability to work effectively with Type A personalities. What are your experiences in working with this personality and how did you make the relationships a success?

"For the last six years, I have worked under your prototypical type A personality as my director. Being a self admitted type B, being under my new director was difficult at first. For me to be successful under her and for our relationship to flourish, I learned quickly that she liked me to regularly communicate timelines for projects and give updates when necessary as she was very time driven. As well, small talk and getting to know me personally wasn't a priority so our communications to this day are pretty succinct and to the point. In this role, I would feel very comfortable with working with high level type A's because of my firsthand experience."

To first understand this question, it is important that you know that Type A personalities are exemplified by being competitive, motivated, organized and goal driven, among many other traits. These traits often lead to success in high level roles within organizations and your chances of working with this personality type are high. Think of a time you worked with a typical Type A personality and explain the methods you used to ensure that you had a sound and successful working relationship. Make sure that your interview walks away knowing that you can work effectively with difficultly driven individuals with high expectations.

"If you haven't been able to tell during my interview so far, I am a type A personality myself. My personality has helped me become very successful as a Financial Analyst. Having had formal training in the different personality types, I know that I need to take a meticulous approach when working with other type A personalities. My current team is loaded with type A's and regular communication is key in ensuring that expectations are clear and timelines are being met. If hired for this position, I would know my place in working with leaders from clients and I can easily be both cognizant of my approach and have the ability to put my desire to be in the lead aside with them when needed."

In what ways would our clients here at ghSMART & Company benefit from your knowledge and services?

"As you can see from my resume, I have extensive experience in risk management in the healthcare industry. Having worked with some major players in the industry, your healthcare clients would benefit the most from the experience and solutions I could help provide them. Not to leave other industries out, I think my experience in the healthcare realm will also translate nicely to your clients in other areas of the private sector."

This question is your chance to talk about the unique skills and knowledge that you would bring to ghSMART & Company and that is exactly what your interviewer is looking to hear. In your answer, keep your focus centered on how clients of the organization will benefit from the things that you bring to their table because ghSMART & Company is client focused in all that they do. To be effective with this answer, be sure to do your research on the clients at ghSMART & Company and think about how your experience will be beneficial for them.

"Having worked in accounting and tax law in a few different industries during my career to this point, I also have the unique experience of creating new organizational policies and procedures in my current role. In hearing more about this role, I think this experience would be very beneficial for your clients as I would be helping advise them in their practices and creating new policy would be crucial in that process."

Customer service is our top priority at ghSMART & Company. What is your customer service philosophy?

"I noticed on your website that you put a lot of value into your customers by actively listening to their needs. You also survey them regularly while staying on top of industry trends so that you can provide them with innovative new services. To me, customer service goes beyond friendliness and efficiency. You need to understand your customer's business needs and have the ability to analyze their future needs so that you can respond appropriately to their business landscape changes."

Because ghSMART & Company puts so much effort into their customer service reputation, the interviewer needs to be confident that your customer service values align with theirs. Be sure to research the ghSMART & Company website and take note of any keywords they use when it comes to their customers. Match your language with theirs.

"As overused as this phrase may be, 'Service with a smile' has always been my customer service philosophy. Very few people can resist a great smile and a friendly interaction! Friendliness warms customers up, makes them more inclined to work with you, and also diffuses a conflict quickly."

If hired for this role, what team building skills and techniques would you be able to bring to our clients here at ghSMART & Company?

"Throughout my career, I've always held the belief that more can be done in a team based atmosphere. Even when working with bull headed leaders that want to do things on their own versus working with others, I think I bring a great deal of experience in convincing these leaders to be part of a greater team. For me, great teams that I've been a part of knew each other well and knew each others strenghts and weaknesses well. Because of this, I like to use fun ice breakers and activities to promote laughter and conversation at the start of meetings about new projects. As well, I always promote and discuss the importance of open lines of communication and I always stress that team members pick up the phone or send an email to always be in communication on progress made or questions that need to be asked."

ghSMART & Company consults with a wide array of clients that spans across different businesses and industries. One things that every industry has in common is the need for effective teamwork and consultants with ghSMART & Company are expected to bring a team building atmosphere to their clients. For this question, talk about your experience and techniques for helping to promote a high functioning team. In your answer, keep in mind that you will most often be working with high level leaders of clients and speak to your ability to create cohesiveness in teams involving these leaders.

"If hired for this position here at ghSMART & Company, my team building techniques that I would bring to the table for your clients would center around respect and trust as I've found these to be the biggest detriments of teams. Step one would be to promote an environment where every team member has a voice and the ability to be part of the decision making processes. Step two would be to create an environment where team members are honest and walk the talk towards a greater goals. Once these things are accomplished, a team can function to the highest of its ability."

How do you stay organized and on track when working on a long-term project?

"I really pride myself on my ability to multitask and my ability to stay organized in key in multitasking. For me personally, organization starts with using technology to my advantage and I do this through the use of my Outlook calendar and tasks functions. I take time each day to update my tasks and project work and use my ability to prioritize tasks to ensure that the right things are being worked on. In looking to bring these skills to long-term project work with your clients, staying organized and on task will be extremely important for the success of both ghSMART & Company and your clients."

Working for ghSMART & Company in the role you are interviewing for will require an innate ability to manage projects from conception to final implementation. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you have the ability to maintain organization to meet deadlines and customer expectations. Talk about your personal methods for organizing project work and give any examples that you have of your methods being successful. In the consulting and advisory industry, customer satisfaction and word of mouth are integral to success and growth of a business and effective project management is key in satisfaction.

"In my work, the ability to stay organized and on track comes down to having a plan of attack for each project and keeping track of the plan as milestones are hit. If you are familiar with the program Trello, it really helps me organize all of the components of the projects that I work on and give me the ability to track who is doing what, what deadlines are coming and what milestones have been hit. But even with a great program like this, I always have the ability to re-prioritize due dates and new tasks as needed with any project."

This role will put you face to face with leaders of our clients and have you coaching them on how to coach performance related issues. What insight will you bring to the area of performance evaluation and development?

"During my career, I have been involved in the creation of two different performance management system creations and both have provided a ton of insight to me looking to move into this role. I have been a part of creating effective evaluation tools that are used to drill down to the KSA's required for a particular job. This process entailed detailed job evaluations to help in identifying key performance measures for each job. The tool creating process also offered me the chance to design and create soem great feedback guidelines that hiring managers were trained on. I think this experience will pay off very well for your clients that are in need of creating or revamping their current performance management systems."

In this role with ghSMART & Company, part of your role would be working with clients on performance management and optimizing the performance of their staff. Be prepared to talk about any aspects of perfomance management that you have been a part of during your career as well as speaking about hte importance of the bigger picture of performance manageemnt in respect to teh performance of an organization. Another important thing to discuss is anything pertaining to coaching those that will be coaching others.

"In my current role, I have worked with our management and leadership staff on education and training for a new performance management system that my organization began using two years ago. While the technical side of learning the electronic evaluation program was very important, our leaders found the background knowledge around the evaluation process even more helpful. During that training, we talked about the importance that effective performance management played in reducing turnover and boosting employee satisfaction and gave our leaders great tips and tricks to use with their staff. I'd love to bring these things here to work with teh clients of ghSMART & Company."

Do you have any experience in 1:1 coaching of business leaders? If given the opportunity to coach leaders as a consultant here at ghSMART & Company, what skills would you bring to the table?

"After obtaining my MBA, I embarked on a career path that involved organizational development and corporate training in the healthcare and manufacturing fields. During my time in the healthcare industry, I was an integral part in coaching high level leaders and did get the opportunity to do so on an individual basis. In my training and experience, I believe that the key component of individualized leadership training is that it is customized to each individual to suit their needs. I have extensive experience in evaluating skill sets and developing individualized training to work on critical leadership skills. Last year, I developed an individualized training for my organization's new Chief Nursing Officer that was centered around having difficult conversations with staff. The new leader was highly equipped with all of the great skills for the position, but lacked the ability and confidence in this necessary aspect of the job."

In looking to hire staff to work with the leaders of their clients, ghSMART & Company may be considering candidates from many different backgrounds. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear if you have experience in working with and possibly coaching high level leaders in the business world. Talk openly about any experience that you have and, most importantly, talk about the unique skills that you would bring to the table if hired for this role at ghSMART & Company.

"During my experience working with and training leaders in the manufacturing industry, I think I have a great knack for working with Type A personalities and really reaching them and their needs. I am skilled at creating desired challenges for them to help develop and hone their skills like I did a few years ago with a newly hired Chief Operating Officer that struggled with interpersonal skills. My key with him was setting challenging goals in between our meetings and the plan worked to perfection. If hired for this role here at ghSMART & Company, this ability would be key with the leaders I would be working 1:1 with."

A key component to success here at ghSMART & Company is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?

"I am a firm believer that success in any role I've played in my career was due in part to the relationships that I've built in those roles. Whenever I have the chance to work with a new colleague or a new customer, my approach is to create an initial connection with them to build trust. After that point, my interpersonal skills take over through active listening. I use my listening skills to learn about the motivating factors and needs of the person that I will be working with and this helps mold that respect and trust between us even more. I think this approach would be very critical in working with new clients on a regular basis here at ghSMART & Company and I'd love the opportunity to bring these skills to the table for you."

The fast paced world of business consulting requires the ability to build relationship after relationship with all of the clients that you will potentially be working with. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to gain insight into how you build relationships with new people from the first time you interact with them. In your answer, talk about how you gain and build trust with new people and explain how the little things in your initial interactions go a long way toward building long lasting working relationships.

Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

"In my current role, I have a customer that flies off the handle very easily if things don't happen just right and I learned this from my first interactions with him. In seeing this happen from the start, I have always maintained a calm demeanor when he was upset and showed empathy by asking questions about his expectations and how to fix situations for him. To this day, I expect difficulty from him when we work together and the years we've had a working relationship together have better prepared me for more clients like him in the future."

At some point in any person's career, they have to work with a colleague or customer who is extremely difficult. Rather than looking to hear the fine details as to why this person was difficult, your interviewer will be looking to gain insight into how you personally handled the situation and others like it to ensure that a sound relationship was fostered even when you faced difficult circumstances. In your answer, some key things to focus on are your ability to be tolerant, understanding and a great communicator in these situations.

"A couple of years ago, a close colleague of mine had a very abrupt turnaround in her attitude and performance on the job. She was very curt and abrasive in conversations when she was normally very talkative and friendly on the job. After noticing some concerns in her work, I approached her with an open mind and asked her what was going on to cause these things to change. I showed concern and approached her as a friend and this approach prompted her to tell me about some issues happening in her personal life. By taking this approach, rather than getting upset or even made with her, I showed her that I cared and valued her as a person and my approach helped her open up and turn her life at work back around to the positive side."

If you came to work for ghSMART & Company, an expectation of the job would be facilitating training for staff with our clients. What do you feel are the keys to being an effective trainer?

"Whenever I have the opportunity to provide training to groups, the first focus of my design is to promote interaction from the people I am training. Active participation promotes motivation and I do this through role-playing, asking questions and even having people come up front with me to give real world examples to the group so they can hear the perspective of a peer versus me as the trainer. Another key thing that I try to bring to training sessions is energy. I bring high energy to a room and try to promote it among the staff. From a colleague, I recently learned about an ice breaking game to start an all day training that involves blind folding all participants in the room and assigning each person an animal. There are two people in each session with matching animals and the participants have to make the sound their animal makes and have to find and meet up with their matching animal. The two times I've used this have been a big hit and got the group laughing and having fun from the start."

As you may well know, the number one fear of people is public speaking and the mere thought of standing up in front of a group and talking strikes fear in most folks. One thing your interviewer will be looking to hear for this question is that you can thrive in that situation. On top of that ability, talk about any experiences you have in providing training to staff and highlight the key areas you feel are important. Talk about the importance of making training both fun and interactive to help drive points home to your learners.

"For me personally, the first key to being an effective and efficient trainer is knowing my topic inside and out. As the trainer, I will be asked questions and be expected to be the subject matter expert on what I'm presenting. If needed, I study and prepare diligently prior to facilitating training sessions. Another key for me is creating the right atmosphere to promote learning. This starts with small things like providing beverages and snacks and ensuring the temperature of the room is appropriate. It extends to much bigger things like ensuring training materials are well prepped and motivating all of the learners to participate in the program. If hired here at ghSMART & Company, you can be sure that I'd bring this same approach to your clients."

Being successful in the consulting industry requires adaptability and the ability to learn a business fast. What would be your approach to help you learn the ins and outs of a new client?

"As you can see from my resume, I've been in corporate training and education for over ten years. In my current role, I have to use similar techniques working with different departments to try and tailor programs that meet their specific needs. I feel that my current approach of hosting an intake meeting with leaders would be effective in a consulting role with external customers. The current intake meetings that I lead are an opportunity for me to ask questions and learn as much as I can about my customers. In turn, it is an opportunity for me to lay the groundwork for the project and set expectations. Do you see this as an effective approach for this role?"

ghSMART & Company contracts with businesses in different industries for their services and it is likely that your job would require you to learn the fine details of each business that you would work with. Demonstrate your ability to be flexible by giving examples of times you've had to do this during your career. As well, describe the approach that you would take to get the know the businesses you would be working with so you can apply your knowledge and expertise toward helping them.

"Having worked in quality roles for most of my career in both the private and public sectors, I think my career experiences have shaped me well for this role. Transitioning to a consultative role would definitely be a transition for me and the biggest transition will be this need to work in many different industries. For me, researching clients, their business and their industry will be the first step to my approach in learning about them. I want to make a great first impression when I am face to face with a new client and that first impression starts with my knowledge. Then, my openness and ability to communicate would take over when I am working directly with clients. I know the right questions to ask for laying out quality initiative projects and I know the right things to educate clients on."

If you were to join ghSMART & Company in this role, you will be counted on to lead projects. Talk about a time you had to lead a team of individuals. What leadership skills do you have that you will bring to the table here?

"In my current role, I've been asked on numerous occasions to lead finance projects for my organization and I always do so with open arms and an open mind. On a recent project, I pulled together a team that included members of sales, production and upper management. to make this project successful, it was up to me to know each team member's area of expertise and delegate tasks based on their knowledge. A great part of the teams success was due to my ability to lead in a manner that promoted communication among individuals who never had the chance to work together and I accomplished this through fun ice breaking activities with the team and regular email communications outside of our in-person meetings."

The ability to lead others in project work or any other aspect of a business comes down to the fine details and traits of being a great leader. The experience you have can come from many different areas and can include project management, supervising/managing or even mentoring others. When you answer this question, be sure to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively, bring unity, lead by example and empower/teach others and talk about how you will use these skills if hired at ghSMART & Company.

"As you can see from my background, I have extensive experience as a Sales Manager and Director and I know that the skills I honed in these roles will transfer nicely to this position. I have always found that leading teams is best accomplished by leading by example and walking the talk that I put out to my staff. I feel that I've also developed great skills in mentoring and coaching my staff and I've been commended on these skills by both sales leadership peers and my team. In this role, I would bring this same approach when working with clients."

What do you think is the key quality for a great business leader and how would you promote and educate this quality with our clients here at ghSMART & Company?

"Through my years of working with high level executives and CEO's and through all of the great publications I have read, I truly believe that vision is one of the key components of any great leader. Where many great managers know what it takes to get the job done and do a excellent job of conveying that message, a true leader has a vision for the future to drive business to new levels while also having the foresight to put that vision into action. While being a believer that having true business vision comes naturally to the right people, I have worked with leaders on reflecting on their visions and giving them the tools to help project their vision into words with their staff. I'd love to bring these ideas to the leadership development programs here at ghSMART & Company."

Business research and leadership development research has shown that there are many qualities that great leaders possess. Rather than having you rattle off all of the great qualities, your interviewer is looking to hear you speak passionately about what you feel is an important quality of a great leaders. Prior to your interview, put some thought to this question to be able to speak about why you feel this quality is important in leadership and how you would promote this quality with your clients if hired for the position.

"In my experience working closely with high level leaders at the organization I've worked with during my career, I'm a believer that the promotion of teamwork and cohesiveness is one of the key qualities of successful leaders. I've witnessed to many teams and businesses fail because a leader was too stubborn to delegate work and trust others around them to help get a job done. For me, I've always stressed the importance of teamwork by promoting a trusting environment for my leaders and showing them the importance of not being the watch over your shoulder types of leaders. I have many great examples of great leaders who delegated work and entrusted their staff around them to work cohesively as a team."

What potential challenges or obstacles do you anticipate encountering when working with groups of high-level leaders for our clients on their team development?

"In talking to another employee here, I understand that this role will have me working across a pretty broad spectrum of industries and I honestly see this as the only hurdle I will have to overcome from the start. As you can see from my experience, my professional experience has strictly been in the retail industry adn this role will really push me to learn healthcare, manufacturing, sales and other industries so I can speak knowledgably to the businesses of my potential clients. I have great research skills and would utilize this skill to get to know my clients and their businesses very well if hired for this position."

The role that you are interviewing for at ghSMART & Company will put you in front of high level leaders at the clients you will be working for and you will have to possess the confidence and ability to work with them directly on team building and promotion. Dig deep to think about what you believe your biggest hurdle will be in that situation and talk to your interviewer about your plan to overcome that obstacle. Make sure that your learning opportunity promotes your insight into the role that you are interviewing and potentially points out an area of inexperience that have that you see as a great opportunity.

ghSMART & Company Interview Questions

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1. At ghSMART & Company, we always seek to provide the best service possible to our clients and one way we do that is through constant evaluation of our programs. What familiarity do you have with training evaluation and why is this important to do?
2. An often difficult part about working for ghSMART & Company and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?
3. At ghSMART & Company, you will have the opportunity to work with high level executives and leaders from the companies we contract with. What experience do you have in working with people at these levels?
4. Talk about a time you had to use conflict resolution skills in a business setting. What was the situation and the outcome and how did you positively influence that outcome?
5. Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?
6. Change management is an important aspect of consulting our clients here at ghSMART & Company. Have you participated in a change management process during your career?
7. What interests you in joining the business consulting world here at ghSMART & Company?
8. What knowledge do you have of differing leadership styles and how would you work effectively with each in this role?
9. Outside of work, what type of creative activities do you like to pursue?
10. What roles are you comfortable assuming in working as part of a larger team?
11. Looking at your resume, it seems there are certain skills necessary for this position that do not stand out. How do you think you will be able to compensate for these missing skills?
12. Do you have any experience in succession planning? If so, in what areas do you have specific experience?
13. If you are hired for this position here at ghSMART & Company, what do you think the biggest hurdle for you would be from the start?
14. Working with our clients here at ghSMART & Company often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?
15. Being successful in consulting and working here at ghSMART & Company requires the ability to work effectively with Type A personalities. What are your experiences in working with this personality and how did you make the relationships a success?
16. In what ways would our clients here at ghSMART & Company benefit from your knowledge and services?
17. Customer service is our top priority at ghSMART & Company. What is your customer service philosophy?
18. If hired for this role, what team building skills and techniques would you be able to bring to our clients here at ghSMART & Company?
19. How do you stay organized and on track when working on a long-term project?
20. This role will put you face to face with leaders of our clients and have you coaching them on how to coach performance related issues. What insight will you bring to the area of performance evaluation and development?
21. Do you have any experience in 1:1 coaching of business leaders? If given the opportunity to coach leaders as a consultant here at ghSMART & Company, what skills would you bring to the table?
22. A key component to success here at ghSMART & Company is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?
23. Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?
24. If you came to work for ghSMART & Company, an expectation of the job would be facilitating training for staff with our clients. What do you feel are the keys to being an effective trainer?
25. Being successful in the consulting industry requires adaptability and the ability to learn a business fast. What would be your approach to help you learn the ins and outs of a new client?
26. If you were to join ghSMART & Company in this role, you will be counted on to lead projects. Talk about a time you had to lead a team of individuals. What leadership skills do you have that you will bring to the table here?
27. What do you think is the key quality for a great business leader and how would you promote and educate this quality with our clients here at ghSMART & Company?
28. What potential challenges or obstacles do you anticipate encountering when working with groups of high-level leaders for our clients on their team development?

ghSMART & Company Interview Questions

1. At ghSMART & Company, we always seek to provide the best service possible to our clients and one way we do that is through constant evaluation of our programs. What familiarity do you have with training evaluation and why is this important to do?

2. An often difficult part about working for ghSMART & Company and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?

3. At ghSMART & Company, you will have the opportunity to work with high level executives and leaders from the companies we contract with. What experience do you have in working with people at these levels?

4. Talk about a time you had to use conflict resolution skills in a business setting. What was the situation and the outcome and how did you positively influence that outcome?

5. Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?

6. Change management is an important aspect of consulting our clients here at ghSMART & Company. Have you participated in a change management process during your career?

7. What interests you in joining the business consulting world here at ghSMART & Company?

8. What knowledge do you have of differing leadership styles and how would you work effectively with each in this role?

9. Outside of work, what type of creative activities do you like to pursue?

10. What roles are you comfortable assuming in working as part of a larger team?

11. Looking at your resume, it seems there are certain skills necessary for this position that do not stand out. How do you think you will be able to compensate for these missing skills?

12. Do you have any experience in succession planning? If so, in what areas do you have specific experience?

13. If you are hired for this position here at ghSMART & Company, what do you think the biggest hurdle for you would be from the start?

14. Working with our clients here at ghSMART & Company often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?

15. Being successful in consulting and working here at ghSMART & Company requires the ability to work effectively with Type A personalities. What are your experiences in working with this personality and how did you make the relationships a success?

16. In what ways would our clients here at ghSMART & Company benefit from your knowledge and services?

17. Customer service is our top priority at ghSMART & Company. What is your customer service philosophy?

18. If hired for this role, what team building skills and techniques would you be able to bring to our clients here at ghSMART & Company?

19. How do you stay organized and on track when working on a long-term project?

20. This role will put you face to face with leaders of our clients and have you coaching them on how to coach performance related issues. What insight will you bring to the area of performance evaluation and development?

21. Do you have any experience in 1:1 coaching of business leaders? If given the opportunity to coach leaders as a consultant here at ghSMART & Company, what skills would you bring to the table?

22. A key component to success here at ghSMART & Company is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?

23. Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

24. If you came to work for ghSMART & Company, an expectation of the job would be facilitating training for staff with our clients. What do you feel are the keys to being an effective trainer?

25. Being successful in the consulting industry requires adaptability and the ability to learn a business fast. What would be your approach to help you learn the ins and outs of a new client?

26. If you were to join ghSMART & Company in this role, you will be counted on to lead projects. Talk about a time you had to lead a team of individuals. What leadership skills do you have that you will bring to the table here?

27. What do you think is the key quality for a great business leader and how would you promote and educate this quality with our clients here at ghSMART & Company?

28. What potential challenges or obstacles do you anticipate encountering when working with groups of high-level leaders for our clients on their team development?