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Staff selection

Item bank of questions

The staff selection Item Bank of Questions, developed by Lionel Parrott, is designed to assist selectors with question formation when planning to conduct and interview.  It may also prove to be a valuable document for interviewees to gain an understanding of what may be asked of them in an interview.

Contents

Item Bank of Questions

GENERAL STAFF

Provision of information and advice

Could you describe a situation where a client has presented to you with a poorly defined problem? How did you deal with this?

Could you describe a situation where a client has been angry at his/her treatment by someone within the University? How did you deal with this?

What steps do you take to ensure clients have comprehended information provided by you?

Can you indicate what some of your sources of authority have been when giving information and advice?

Have you ever had to deal with a situation where a client has not understood information and advice given by you, but acted on their perceptions?

Describe a situation where you have had to clarify a rule or policy for a client.

Communication: Written and oral

Can you indicate an occasion where you have had to address a group of people? What did you do?

Have you ever had to persuade someone to accept your point of view/a suggestion/a proposal? Could you give an example?

What examples can you offer of instances where you have drafted correspondence, minutes or reports?

Have you ever completed a successful negotiation? In what context?

Listening is often described as an important communication skill—Can you provide an example, demonstrating your use of this skill?

Planning, setting goals and priorities

Can you provide an example of when you were responsible for a project which involved you in devising a plan and executing it successfully?

Describe how you set about ordering your activities each day/week. How do you determine the sequence in which they are tackled?

Have you ever been responsible for a project? Describe how you planned to do this and monitor your progress.

Can you give an example showing how you deal with competing priorities?

Teamwork

Can you give an example of when you have worked with others to achieve a successful outcome?

Have you ever succeeded in gaining co-operation from someone who was initially resistant/difficult? Give an example of one instance.

Have you ever been a member of a team that was malfunctioning? Why was this and how did you deal with this situation?

Numeracy

Have you been involved in doing tasks that have required you to use statistics? Could you give an example?

Have you been involved in devising a means of collecting statistical information? Could you describe such a situation?

Could you describe a situation where you have drawn on statistical expertise provided by another?

Problem solving / Problem diagnosis

Could you describe a situation where you have been presented with a problem for which a solution is not immediately obvious?

Can you give an example of a problem you have dealt with successfully indicating the processes you followed?

Have you been in situations where you have engaged the co-operation and expertise of others to contribute towards solving problems?

What is the most creative solution you have ever applied to a problem?

Use of technology

Could you describe items of technology you have knowledge of, distinguishing between that with which you are familiar and that in which you are competent?

Have you ever had to decide upon purchase of an item of technology? What factors did you take into consideration?

For what applications have you used technology? Have you ever been associated with an application of technology that has not met expectations?

Leadership

Could you describe the characteristics of a person for whom you have worked whom you would regard as an outstanding leader?

In leadership positions you have had, what principles have you applied?

In any position of leadership you have held, what have been your expectations of your staff?

As a leader, what have you delivered to your employer?

In any positions of leadership you have held, what form of reporting have you to monitor the progress of your staff in achieving departmental goals and objectives?

Delivering on time and within budget

What examples can you offer of exercising responsibility for framing a budget, time and ensuring that the budget comes in on target?

Have you ever been in a position of having to reduce expenditure to operate within a constrained financial climate?

What assurances have you been able to offer in the past that finances under you have been applied to the best possible advantage?

What does your record show of your proven ability to complete projects according to schedule?

Client satisfaction

Can you recall an instance of when you have worked in partnership with a client in order to match what you can provide more accurately against the expectations of your client?

What processes have you used for monitoring client satisfaction levels?

Can you provide an example of where you have successfully dealt with a sensitive client problem?

Have you ever been in a situation where you have had to modify your thinking and possibly that of your colleagues in order to meet a client's expectations?

What experience have you of using surveys of clients? How useful have they been?

Decision making

Can you give an example of a situation where you had to make a decision that could have led to personal unpopularity?

Can you describe the process you followed in coming to a significant decision?

Could you describe a situation where you made a decision and its consequences were not as you had anticipated?

Can you describe a situation where you have had to make a decision with insufficient information? What did you do?

Have you ever made a bad decision that proved to have a good outcome?

Are you able to describe a situation where you have had to make a decision that involved a high degree of risk? How did it turn out?

Application of resources

What experience have you had in achieving maximum productivity from resources at your disposal?

Can you give an example of where you had to achieve increased productivity with no increase in resources or even with reduced resources?

Can you give an example of where you increased the efficiency with which a resource was being applied eg in reduction of waste?

TEACHING ACADEMIC STAFF

Course and subject objectives

From your past teaching practice, could you indicate what information you have included in descriptions of your courses?

Could you describe an example of a past learning outcome specified on one of your courses and indicate how a student would progress towards a more competent state in that course?

Could you describe, drawing on an example from your teaching experience, generic capabilities a student could acquire from one of your courses, together with any discipline specific capabilities?

Could you describe an educational objective or set of objectives arising from a course you have taught?

Assessment

Could you explain how you have made clear to students from the outset of their studies the purpose of assessment?

Drawing upon your past experience, how have you used assessment to provide students with feedback about their
performance?

Specifically, with what forms of assessment are you most experienced?

Can you give us an example of how you have used assessment to reflect course educational objectives and style of presentation used for the subject matter?

Giving examples, can you indicate some of the criteria you used to judge student performance?

Using examples, can you demonstrate what you believe the purpose of giving students feedback about their performance to be?

Teaching and Learning

Can you explain how you use course materials, activities and tasks to develop student knowledge, skills, understandings and attitudes?

Are you able to provide an example of how you have provided students with an opportunity to be involved in the structuring of their own learning experiences and to take responsibility for their own learning?

How have you taken into account, when planning teaching activities, the prior knowledge, abilities, and backgrounds of students?

How have you assisted students to critically evaluate their own work and that of other students?

Can you give an example of your role in providing information and advice to students?

To what extent have you sought feedback from students about your teaching, and how have you used this information to improve yourself?

Are you able to indicate how all students, have an equal opportunity to learn from you and to demonstrate that learning?

Can you indicate how open you are to the right of students to express an opinion?

Can you demonstrate how you have shown concern for the welfare and progress of individual students?

Can you explain, using examples, how you revise your teaching material and incorporate fresh material into your teaching?

Can you give an example of a situation where you have encouraged students to learn from each other and/or work in groups?

Are you able to indicate ways in which you have been an effective role model for thinking and practice within your discipline?

What examples can you give of where you have successfully developed your own proficiency as a teacher?

Can you give an example of your coping successfully with disruptive student behaviour?

Can you give examples showing how you interact with professional colleagues for mutual benefit?

RESEARCH ACADEMIC STAFF 

Are you able to give an example where you have made a significant contribution to a successful grant application?

What examples can you provide of having been a member of a successful research partnership involving other disciplines or partners external to a university?

In previous positions that you have held, what general ethical considerations have governed the conduct of your research?

Can you give any examples of where your research has had a direct impact upon your teaching?

Is your publications record truly representative of your productivity as a researcher?

To what extent has your activity as a researcher displayed emphasis upon internationalisation, a productive interaction with business, the professions and industry?

To what extent has your research activity been enhanced by attendance at international conferences?

What does your research record demonstrate in the way of personal accountability?

Could you describe, giving examples, your contribution to the training and development of younger researchers?

Have there been any instances of your research resulting in taking out of a patent?

Can you give an example of participation in an OSP enhancing your research?

What evidence can you give of your research advancing and applying academic knowledge?

What has been your role in providing supervision of researchers and post-graduate students?

To what extent has any software developed by your contribution towards your conduct of research?

Have there been any other forms of intellectual property developed by you that indicate your competence as a researcher eg artistic, literary, dramatic works, musical work, sound recordings, films, broadcasts etc?

COMMUNITY SERVICE ACADEMIC STAFF 

What examples can you give of personal involvement in professional or learned societies?

To what extent have you contributed to the advancement of your discipline in the wider community?

Can you detail instances, such as consultancies, or commissions, where you have provided expert advice or service to the community?

Are you able to give any examples of contribution to education eg to the conduct of courses at other Universities, TAFE Colleges, Secondary Schools, or Continuing Education?

Have you been involved in any way with media organisations through providing background or interpretative information, newspaper articles, interviews?

Have you ever been engaged in representing the University in other community forums or circumstances?

ADMINISTRATION/MANAGEMENT ACADEMIC STAFF 

What evidence can you offer of undertaking administrative responsibility eg through membership of committees?

Are you able to give any examples of where you have positively influenced the activities of others in helping them to achieve their goals, through professional collaboration or undertaking a mentoring role for example?

Have you in any way been involved in contributing to policy development?

Can you detail any involvement you have had in promoting your discipline through student recruitment, Open Days, preparation of information material or similar?

Have you been involved in working with students or staff from under-represented groups?

Can you give an example of any involvement you may have had in administrative reviews or reviews of efficiency?

Can you think of any other ways in which you have made a contribution to the life of the University, through its clubs, associations, or cultural life, for example?