Athletic Director Interview Preparation Guide

You can briefly mention education and experience, citing specific cases which exemplify qualifications: prepared a team for participation in competition; organized tournaments between schools in a district, etc.

Don't try to find an ideal answer. Simply give a true and thoughtful answer it will be better appreciated than an obvious attempt to impress. For example, an outstanding quality might be the ability to motivate participants, including the more difficult ones, by finding individual approaches to those who need individual incentive.

Coach directors are often required to travel and work long hours. Contests require personal meetings with the directors of other teams. Organizational activities in general take long negotiation and painstaking coordination, so work hours are often long.

An important question. Coaches are expected to inspire on the level of field training. Directors are expected to inspire by organizing exciting events and creating a general atmosphere of enthusiasm, team work, and self betterment.

Might seem like a strange question to ask a sport manager (athletic director), but there is rationale behind it: not all coaches can be directors, and not all coaches are able to do more than enforce strict but perhaps unproductive discipline. True coaching requires emotional and social intelligence.

The practice of coaching, however, transcends the traditional relationship of an athlete in a sports arena. Today, with increasing popularity, coaches are being utilized for professional as well as personal purposes. Life coaches, health coaches, business coaches and dating coaches are just a few of the various types of coaches currently used in the professional and personal arenas.

Any candidate can read and regurgitate the company's About page. So, when interviewers ask this, they aren't necessarily trying to gauge whether you understand the mission-they want to know whether you care about it. Start with one line that shows you understand the company's goals, using a couple key words and phrases from the website, but then go on to make it personal. Say, I'm personally drawn to this mission because or I really believe in this approach because…" and share a personal example or two.

Again, companies want to hire people who are passionate about the job, so you should have a great answer about why you want the position. And if you don't? You probably should apply elsewhere. First, identify a couple of key factors that make the role a great fit for you (e.g., I love coaching because I love the constant human interaction and the satisfaction that comes from helping someone solve a problem, then share why you love the company e.g., I've always been passionate about education, and I think you guys are doing great things, so I want to be a part of it.

This question seems forward (not to mention intimidating!), but if you're asked it, you're in luck.
There's no better setup for you to sell yourself and your skills to the hiring manager. Your job here is to craft an answer that covers three things, That you can not only do the work, you can deliver great results. That you'll really fit in with the team and culture; and that you'd be a better hire than any of the other candidates.

When answering this question, interview coach Pamela Skillings recommends being accurate share your true strengths, not those you think the interviewer wants to hear, relevant choose your strengths that are most targeted to this particular position, and specific for example, instead of people skills, choose persuasive communication or relationship building. Then, follow up with an example of how you've demonstrated these traits in a professional setting.