25 Youth Program Director Interview Questions & Answers
1. How do you decide what gets top priority when scheduling your time?
How to Answer
There is a lot of work that comes into being a Director of a Youth Program. There is much more paperwork than someone would think along with judging staff and the youth. Generally as the director you'll have an assistant as well, so some of the paperwork will be shared, but the majority of the work falls on you.
You are the person people will go to when they have questions, you'll be the one parents go to when there is problems- the interviewer wants to know that you are going to be able to juggle all the tasks that will be coming your way. You are going to need to decide between what is the top priority on your list every single day, because more will be added daily. Show the interviewer that you understand being the director won't be easy and reassure with examples on how you can balance multiple things that are important.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"The top priority will always be the safety of the youth, so no matter what I am doing they will come first. I know that being the director will be a huge task and I am ready to handle it. Since I have been an assistant director for the past three years, I've been able to learn how my current director schedules his time. A huge thing that I believe helps him is how he schedules his time when youth aren't here, he tries to get everything done that needs no interrupts, while saving things that can have interrupts when youth are at our center."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
2. Why should we hire you?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to know why they should pick you over the other candidates for this position. If there is anything that you haven't been able to mention about yourself in the interview yet, you should bring it up now. Is there an interesting certification that would be beneficial for them to know about or an experience that's not on your resume- tell them about it.
Talk about what you will bring to the program that you believe other people won't. Talk yourself up for this question, but remember not to go into a fifteen minute conversation. The interviewer wants to know what makes you different and why you'll be an asset to their program.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I will bring my whole heart to this program, I have always wanted to be a program director. I know that I am young and don't bring years of experience with me, but I bring a passion for growth for myself and the program. I want to give the youth of this center the best positive growing atmosphere possible."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
3. How do you communicate with parents and guardians?
How to Answer
When working with youth you must remember that generally they won't tell their parents or guardians the information they need to know, so it is the staff's job to keep them informed. There are many different ways to communicate to parents/guardians- the most common way is verbally. It is important to remember that everyone has busy lives and you may want to have a back up to remind them of the information you need them to remember.
There are tons of different ways to communicate with families- newsletter (paper or email), texting, apps, mail, etc. The interviewer doesn't need to hear about all the different ways that you reach out, but they want to know that you have more than one way to reach the family.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"Even as a director, I like to see each family at least once a week to check in with them, which isn't always possible depending on the size of the center. I also have made a monthly newsletter at my past center, I would have any updates on it and also upcoming events for the month. I've also heard center using apps to keep in touch with families as well, but I haven't used it before."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
4. How do you stay motivated?
How to Answer
Working with youth can be very draining and the interviewer wants to know that you will be able to keep yourself motivated to continue working day after day. You can talk about your passion for working with youth here, a time that you need a caring adult and didn't have one, etc.
You don't need to prepare a huge answer for this question, just be prepared to explain why you do what you do.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"The kids keep me motivated, even on the hard days when things get difficult. They amaze me every day with something new they've learned or even just the interactions they have with each other. I remember one five year old I was working with was picking on another child and I had a conversation with him explaining why that isn't okay; the following week the child was being picked on again and the five year old I had a conversation with stood up for him and explained to the other child why it wasn't okay to be mean to one another. I love seeing the growth even just a week can have."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
5. What is your greatest weakness? What are you doing to improve it?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to know that you can knowledge weaknesses, because when you know something is a weakness you are able to work towards improving it. You don't have to tell the interviewer about personal weaknesses. If you can't think of a weakness, think about conversations you've had with an old boss during review time.
If you are having a hard time coming up with a weakness, you can think about something you'd like to improve on. When answering this question remember to talk about how you're working to fix the weakness.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I am working on being more organized. I am a decently organized person and always get my tasks complete, but I believe there is always room to improve. I've currently been working with my mentor on different ways she organizing everything and even more recently I've started listening to a podcast about how to organize your work life and it has been helping."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
6. What is your greatest strength? How does it help you as a Youth Program Director?
How to Answer
This question doesn't have one correct answer; think about a few qualities that you believe are your strengths. Once you two or three, think of an example for each of them. You don't have to talk about all of the qualities you came up with, pick the one with the best example and use that for your answer.
The interviewer wants you to brag a little about yourself here and talk about what you'll bring to the center. You don't need to go over the top, but talk about something that makes you proud.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I think my greatest strength is being approachable, it is very important for youth to be comfortable going to an adult when they need help with something. Also, being approachable is important for staff and parents/guardians to feel comfortable coming to me with any issues or concerns."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
7. How would a past employee or coworker describe you?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants you to think about how your past employees or coworkers see you, if you haven't done this before it is a great way to try to see things through a different perspective. For this question think about a few qualities you want to have as a team member and then think if you believe your coworkers/employees would see you that way, if yes explain why to the interviewer- if not it would be best to pick another quality.
There is no right answer for this question as long as you back up your answer with why you believe people would describe you with those qualities. Pick one or two qualities to talk about to the interviewer.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I believe my past coworkers would describe as caring and reliable. I always came to work a little bit early to make sure everything was set up and would help cover shifts when needed. I believe they would call me caring because I would always check on my coworkers when things weren't going well to see what I could do to help."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
8. What is your management style for staff?
How to Answer
For this one you don't have to talk about the management styles that you'd see in a business class, the interviewer doesn't need a certain name for the style you have. The interviewer wants to know how you management people- do you have an open door policy where staff can stop by with issues or should they make a meeting or do you let your staff handle it themselves?
The interviewer wants to know that you know how to manage a staff fairly and can handle managing both staff and youth. You can talk about the different ways you keep staff organizing- how do you rely information when everyone comes in at a different time? Do you hold monthly staff meetings, or individual meetings? Some of these decisions will have to wait till you meet the staff and get to know them, but you can talk to the interviewer about how you've managed staff in the past.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I want my staff to know that they can always come to me when they have problems, so I try to have an open door policy; unfortunately that doesn't always work, so if a staff member has a problem that can wait I set up a meeting with them. I am a very involved boss and like to walk around checking in on groups so that both the staff and youth know I am available."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
9. Think about a challenging staff you've been apart of, what improved the culture?
How to Answer
Not everyone on staff is going to get along and that's okay. The most important part is that the staff is able to work together to help the youth have a fun and safe place to learn. Many times there will be issues among employees, but is important to know how to handle everyone's differences.
The interviewer wants to hear about a time that you were on a challenging staff and how you handled it. You can talk about a staff you were the boss of and how you were able to resolve the issues among staff. If you haven't been the boss, that's okay- just talk about a time that you were a part of a difficult staff and how you handled it. The interviewer just wants to make sure that you'll be able to handle challenges with people.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I haven't been the supervisor of a challenging staff yet, but I have been a part of a few challenging staff environments. I think the most challenging staff I have been apart of was when two of my coworkers would not even talk to each other. It may it very difficult to get work done, I was able to help by being the mediator between the two. I also brought it to the boss's attention and he was able to get involved to help resolve the situation."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
10. Why do you feel it is important for our organization to have active youth members?
How to Answer
The whole point of youth programs is to give youth a safe, positive growing environment. This question is to make sure that you've done some research about the company, for this question you can bring in key words in their mission statement. Some centers focus on technology for example, so it would be beneficial to talk about the importance of active youth members would have in the technology setting.
If you don't know a lot about the mission of the center, you can talk about how youth centers help youth with education, emotional support, etc. You don't have to be completely focuse on the mission and keep things general.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"This center is located right near three elementary schools downtown, I believe it is important to have active members so they are more likely to come here instead of exploring the city on their own. Active youth also helps bring in more youth and gives them more of a voice in their community for what programming happens at the center."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
11. Have you ever been overloaded with work?
How to Answer
Most times during work environments people have felt overloaded with work and that's okay. You can be honest with the interviewer about a time you've felt overloaded. The interviewer is more concerned with what happened after you felt overloaded. The interviewer wants to know that you have coping skills to being overwhelmed with work.
You don't have to go into detail about how you decompress from work when you are overwhelmed, but make sure you have a few different techniques so when you feel overwhelmed you know who to turn to. For your answer, give a brief time you felt overwhelmed and than talk to the interviewer how you were able to overcome it.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"When I first started as a director, I felt very overloaded with paperwork and my staff keeping up required trainings and much more. I called one of my mentors who had been in a similar situation starting out years ago and she was able to walk me through ways that I would be able to organize better. I have different resources to reach out to when I feel overworked that don't affect my job."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
12. How do you keep track of work so that it gets done on time?
How to Answer
There is going to be a lot of work to get done and a lot of people to keep track of- staff, youth, parents, etc. The interviewer wants to know what ways you have that will keep you organized. There are many different ways people keep organized to make sure work gets done on time, so there is not really a wrong answer here unless you tell the interviewer that you aren't organized.
Talk about ways that you've been organized in the past. A few different ways people stay organized are keeping lists, bullet points, an agenda, shared documents among staff, etc. Know which ways work for you and be prepared to talk about them.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I think of myself of as a pretty organized person, although I use my planner all the time. It has a section to more when things are due but also a section for notes so I can make a bullet list so I can cross out what has been done. It lets me look ahead to see what is coming but also what is due that day."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
13. How do you get a peer or colleague to accept one of your ideas?
How to Answer
In a director's position you have the title of boss, but that doesn't guarantee respect among your staff. Being a new director you'll still have t give and gain respect among the staff, especially when bringing new ideas to the center. Sometimes people get stuck in their own ways and believe that things should stay the way they are.
The interviewer wants to know how you will bring new ideas to the table and helping your staff accept the idea. There are different ways that people can introduce ideas to a group, sometimes people approach this by letting everything share an idea, so that everyone is heard. Another way is to try an idea on a test trial.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"When I have a few ideas that I would like to try with a center, I bring them in slowly so my coworkers don't think I'm trying to change everything all at once. If people are resistance to an idea, I ask for a group to do it as a trial run so we can see if it will work with our students."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
14. Why do you want a career as a Youth Program Director?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to know a little about you and why you want to be a Youth Director. This is your time to talk about what you are passionate about. When working with youth there is generally a reason that people want to work with youth- this may b because they had an amazing educator or even a bad experience and they want to make a difference.
This is your chance to show the interviewer why you want to be in this career and why you want to make a difference in the youth's lives. Take time prior to the interview to think about why you want to be a Youth Program Director. You don't have to come up with a ton of reasons why you want to do this job, but you should have a solid answer thought out prior.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I want to be a Youth Program Director, because I want to make a difference in the lives of the children. Unfortunately, there are many children in the population that are growing up without positive role models in their lives. I want to change that and continue to create a positive environment for the youth to grow and thrive."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
15. Describe a situation where you had to make a quick decision.
How to Answer
When working with youth there are going to be unexpected emergencies that you'll need to act fast during. The interviewer wants to know about a time that you had a deal with an emergency while working.
You don't have to have a huge rescue story for the interviewer, as long as you give them an example of a time that you were under pressure and had to make a quick decision. If you don't have an example of one while working with youth, you can also talk about a time with a different emergency from your personal life.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I was the lead for a group of children that were inside when a fire alarm went off. The other groups were all outside for recess at the time, so I had to lead my students outside to meet the rest of the students. We had no prior knowledge that a drill was going to happen, so it was the first time I had experience getting the students out by myself."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
16. Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?
How to Answer
Letting people go is never an easy task. The interviewer wants to know about your experience with this, because it can be emotional and hard. It's okay if you haven't had to let someone go, but you should acknowledge the difficulties of the task to the interviewer.
As for the second part of the question, the interviewer wants to know that even if the task is difficult, you'll be able to do it if needed.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I have had to fire employees before. It is never easy, but there is always evidence and prior meetings with the employee before. If someone isn't doing their job up to the standards, I sit down with them and create a plan. After time I have had to fire someone it hasn't been a surprise to the employee."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
17. What techniques do you use to find the right person to hire?
How to Answer
As the Director of a Youth Program, you will need to insure that you are at full staff all the time. People leave jobs all the time, so you'll need to be prepared to hire a new person as soon as possible. If you haven't hired someone before, don't worry, you can talk about the different ways you've found a job before. You can also ask about the different ways that the interviewer has found people, you can state that you are open to new ideas as well.
There are so many job sites now for employees and also employers, but sometimes those are always the best way to find the right person. So, talk about face to face opportunities as well, like career fairs for example.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I haven't hired anyone yet, but from my personal experience I have used job sites and gone to job fairs. Another way I've seen people hired is word of mouth from current employees, when you're employees feel they are respected and treated fair they are more likely to recommend other people to work there."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
18. Ten years from now, where do you see yourself?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to know that you aren't just going to stick around for a little bit and want to make sure you have plans to stay. This isn't a trap question, no one is expecting you to say that you plan on working for their center till the end of your career. If you have hopes to grow further with the company, feel free to share that because that will show commitment. Don't lie to the interviewer if that is not what you want though.
If you don't know where you see yourself in ten years, you can talk about different opportunities for growth that you are looking into. For example, different trainings that are available for yourself- there are many different training opportunities that you can find online in your state; research a few prior to your interview.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I don't see myself in a certain position per say in ten years. I see myself continuing to make a difference in the lives of children. I have looked into a few different training opportunities that would be beneficial to help myself grow."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
19. How many years of experience do you have working with youth?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to know how long you've been working with youth for. Don't be scared of this question if you don't have a ton of years of experience, this question can create a meaningful conversation about this newer journey you are on or for those who have a ton of experience you can talk about what you've learned over the years.
There are many different experiences you can have related to youth that doesn't have to be work related. You can talk about the times you've volunteered, educational experiences, and even personal experience with siblings.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"I've been working with youth in school and after school settings for twenty years. I've decided to change pace by becoming at Director of a Youth Program. I believe my years with youth have prepared me to run a center to continue to help improve th lives of students."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"For example: "I just graduated college in May, while getting my degree I volunteered at the local after school program during the school year and also helped summer programming for the school's sports clubs. I am looking forward to starting my career to help create and maintain a positive learning environment for children."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
20. Tell me about an accomplishment related to a past program you are most proud of.
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to know about a program you've created or been a part of during your past jobs that you are proud. Think about a program that you and the youth you've worked really enjoyed. Was there a program that you implemented or were apart of that you were passionate? This is your time to talk about a program you were passionate about.
You can bring up an educational program that was created that engaged the youth or about a fun program that engaged the center. If you don't have a program that you created, it's okay to talk about one that you were a part of.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I was working at an adventure education camp, when a co-worker created 'The Great Trash Hunt'. The center had a lot of trash around, so with gloves and trash bags each teams went around to clean up. The team that collected the most won a prize. I loved the educational part of the program and also how it helped the center, I implemented the program a center I worked at last year and it was a huge hit."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
21. What is the most rewarding part of working with youth?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to know what keeps you going in this career. There are days that are going to be difficult and the interviewer wants to you have a reason for coming back every day. You will need to find out what drives you to do what you do, it doesn't have to be a huge answer.
Take time to think about why you do what you do. Does the light in the eye of a child finally learning a new skill what drives you or maybe being the adult in their life that will always be there to listen? To make it easier to answer this question, think about a time where you saw the difference you were making in a child's life and talk about that time.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I was working for an after school tutoring program for struggling freshmen. Last year I ran into the student at the grocery store, she graduated from high school and is off to college. Back when I was working with her, she didn't believe in herself and was only passing one class. She thanked me for my help and told me how she didn't know where she would be without the help she received. When working with youth you sometimes don't see the results right away, but later down the road they see how efforts made. The most rewarding part for me is seeing them succeed."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
22. What do you know about our organization?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to know you've done some research about their organization prior to the interviewer. It's important to know what you're getting into when applying to different organizations. Research a little history about the organization what they value, are they for profit or a nonprofit, etc. You don't have to know the full history of the program, but is important to know a little bit more than just the name.
Depending on the organization you may or may not need to follow certain rules and regulations within the state. Many for profit organizations have state rules related to childcare, while many non profit organizations do not. It'll be important for you to know about the difference because depending on the program you may need to have your staff do continued education hours and track them. It'll fall on you to make sure those hours get done. For your answer just pull in something from the organization that you've found interesting and pulling a question in would be even better to show the interviewer that you are interested and care.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"As a for profit childcare center, I saw on your website that there has been a lot of programming related to volunteering for the community. I found that very interesting and I would love to continue and expand that initiative. I also was looking at the license you have here, you have the capacity to have thirty more youth in the program, I was wondering if the plan is to expand to have thirty more youth enrolled or do you plan to stay at the same amount?"
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
23. How do you evaluate success?
How to Answer
As a Youth Program Director you'll be accountable for the youth, your staff, and yourself. You can choose to answer this question based on just one of those three or choose to explain them all. If you do choose to explain all three, don't over explain each of them.
If you are going to focus on just the youth, talk about your plans to improve the program to help the youth more. And explains the different ways that you'll make sure that is happening. This could be doing surveys with the youth and families about how they believe it could be improved. If you are going to focus on staff, talk about the different ways that you'll be able to support the staff. How will you make sure they are successful with the youth and also with keeping up to date on their continued education requirements? When talking about how you evaluate your own successful, remember that this can be a measurement form to hold yourself accountable like getting a certain amount of students into the program or if you're planning on bringing in new programming ideas.
Pick the one you feel most comfortable talking about and come up with a few talking points for your answer.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I evaluate my success on how the youth and my staff are doing. I believe the program is a success when the youth have a positive atmosphere to learn and grow. I also believe that having staff that support each other is important as well. Success means the team as a whole working together to support the youth."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
24. How do you handle stress and pressure?
How to Answer
The interviewer doesn't expect you to answer this by saying that you never get stressed out or that the job isn't stressful. Working with youth can be stressful and pressure can build up on staff members- that is going to happen. The interviewer wants to know what ways you use to handle the stress.
It is important to remember as a director you'll also be handling your employee's stress alongside your own. Working with youth is all about teamwork- if the team is always stressed out that can create a negative working environment. Acknowledge that there will be stress but also explain how you'll be able to address the stress.
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
Answer Example
"I've been working with youth for a few years now and I understand that it can be stressful. There is always something new every single day with youth, which is part of what keeps me coming back- the youth make keep me on your toes. I believe that teamwork is the best way to help each other handle stress working. I also believe that it is important for people to work together but also not to be afraid to ask for help."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
25. What is a major challenge or problem you faced at your last position?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to know about different difficulties that you've experienced with work. There are always going to be challenges when working, but it is important to remember that especially working with youth that any difficulties mean handling the issue but generally also talking to the parent or guardian as well.
For your answer think about a challenge you faced that you were able to fix with problem solving. Basing your answer off a situation that happened with youth will make your answer more powerful for the interviewer. Y
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"One of my major issues I face at my last job was with two youth were using racial slurs towards another student. We had a zero tolerance rule against bullying there, and I had to have conversations with the youth and their parents. One child continue the following week to use the slurs and further action was needed for that student. I had to have another difficult conversation with the parent and had to make the decision to suspend the student from the program."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"For example: "One of the challenges at my last job was a guardian was always picking up there child at least thirty minutes late every day. Generally after fifteen minutes the parent of guardian is charged extra. This guardian didn't care about the cost, so I had to have a discussion about the youth potentially not being able to the program if this were to continue. This conversation was very difficult because the child was always well behaved and almost never had to be redirected."
Written by Cassandra Bates on December 2nd, 2019