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Athletic Director Mock Interview

Question 13 of 35 for our Athletic Director Mock Interview

Athletic Director was updated by on December 29th, 2022. Learn more here.

Question 13 of 35

Have you had to fire a coach before? How was that process?

"I have not yet needed to fire a coach, but if that situation came up, I would follow the procedures put forth by your school. I understand it would be a tough situation, but if a coach is not performing, they need to go."

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How to Answer: Have you had to fire a coach before? How was that process?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Athletic Director job interview.

  • 13. Have you had to fire a coach before? How was that process?

      What You Need to Know

      The interviewer would like to know if you have experience in terminations. If you do not have experience with terminations, share a time you had to let someone down. If the answer is yes, discuss the situation and explain why it was necessary to let them go. Retention of your staff is essential. Show the interviewer the strides you take to support your team and keep them around. When you have exhausted your options, and what steps did you take?

      Written by Rachelle Enns

      Entry Level Example

      "I have not yet needed to fire a coach, but if that situation came up, I would follow the procedures put forth by your school. I understand it would be a tough situation, but if a coach is not performing, they need to go."

      Written by Rachelle Enns

      Answer Example

      "It was difficult to let go of the basketball coach a couple of years ago. He was with the school for five years, but we had some issues with attendance in his last year. I met with him two times when we noticed his tardiness, and he shared some of his issues. I told him I was an advocate for him and wanted to support him, but I also needed to support our teams and administration. We put him on a performance plan, and I checked in with him twice a month. Unfortunately, he couldn't meet our expectations, so I had my final meeting with him and let him go."

      Written by Rachelle Enns

      Experienced Example

      "In my current role, I had a coach who was underperforming, and I was getting unfavorable feedback from the participants. Initially, I laid out a short-term performance plan to bring her skills up to standard, but she was not able to meet the goals we set. It was tough, but I was committed to the integrity of our athletic program and let this coach go."

      Written by Rachelle Enns

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "A few years ago, I had to let my defensive coordinator go. While no one ever enjoys this, as a leader I felt I needed to do what was best for my program. We ran into some issues earlier in the year regarding his demeanor and we sat down to discuss my expectations and plans moving forward. Unfortunately, he was unable to follow my expectations and I made the decision that he had to be let go based on the integrity of the program."

      Cindy's Feedback

      Ok, good start. In your revision, focus a bit more on the process. Before terminating, how did you bring problems or expectations to his or her attention? Did you provide an opportunity to improve? What did your coaching involve? This question is particularly audited to the STAR format. STAR stands for situation, task, action, and result. So, narrative the situation. What was he or she not doing that led you to take action, and what exactly did you do? What was the result? If you'd like to learn more about the STAR format, you can find a guide here: Master Behavioral-Based Interviews Using The Star Method

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