What the Hiring Manager Is Really Asking…

With the question, “What is a time you exercised leadership?” the hiring manager wants to know what leadership qualities you see as important. They also want to hear about your leadership experiences you’ve had and whether you’d be a good fit for their company.

• What leadership qualities do you highly value?
• What leadership qualities do you have?
• What examples can you think of when you’ve shown leadership?

Points to Emphasize

In your response, highlight your positive traits by following these tips:

• Talk about what abilities you have that make you a good leader.
• Show how you are a good team builder.
• Support what you say with leadership experiences.
• Describe why you think you’re a good leader.

• What leadership abilities do you have?
• How do you help build teams?
• What experiences could you share to support what you say?

Mistakes You Should Avoid

Avoid these mistakes in your response:

• Don’t talk poorly about others.
• Don’t tell negative examples.
• Don’t use examples of when you’ve needed to lead because someone else failed.
• Don’t confuse managerial qualities with leadership qualities.

• Do any of your examples sound negative?
• Are any of your examples as a result of someone else failing?
• Review your leadership qualities you want to emphasize.

Sample Answer

Here’s an example to the question, “What is a time when you exercised leadership?”

I’ve always been drawn to leadership roles. I can help people find what they’re skilled at. For example, during a crisis at work, I stepped up and coordinated roles for others on my team. As a result, all our work was completed and our sales maintained on a steady growth.

• Write the first draft of your answer with your tutor.
• Are there any words or phrases that you are not comfortable pronouncing?
• Now rehearse with your tutor until you are comfortable answering the question without the script.