Rapid-Fire Question from Season 2: Interview Tips for Beginners
When it comes to interviewing for a role in Learning & Development, the right questions can make all the difference. In Season 2 of EdTalks, we asked our guests, “What question must be asked in a job interview?” Here’s a summary of the insightful responses and job interview tips from L&D professionals:
Tamara Perminova
“First of all, I’m a fan of competency-based interviews. I would definitely ask candidates to describe a situation from their life—an example of a recent skill they’ve acquired themselves. For me, it’s very important that an L&D specialist is constantly learning, and engaging in lifelong and continuous learning. I want to hear examples of how they’ve learned something new quickly, balancing all their responsibilities and finding time to invest in their own development.”
Diana Oliveira
“I’d ask them to give me an example of how they’ve used data to improve a learning program. Data is so important. We can’t enhance our programs based solely on our opinion—we need data to guide us.”
Giuseppe Perrone
“I think the most important question is, ‘Why are you interested in being an educator?’ If their answer is just because they need money to pay the rent, that’s not a great sign. What I’m really looking for is passion. As a student, I had teachers who inspired me and some who didn’t. The difference was always passion. If you want to be an educator, especially for young people, passion must be a big drive. So I’d ask them why they’re in this field, and based on their answer, I’d look for that passion in their eyes.”
Ren Narciso
“For me, it’s always about their design process. How do they approach a problem that’s given to them? I’m not particularly focused on whether they can code or use a specific tool. I want to understand their thought process, the decisions they make, and why they go down a certain path. That’s what matters to me.”
Anastasiia Naumenko
“I couldn’t agree more with Ren’s question. It’s all about how candidates overcome challenges in their career. It’s not about how spectacularly they did it, but how they accepted the challenge and adapted their working process quickly. I want to know how they handle obstacles.”
Mike Taylor
“This is a really good one, and it took me a while to think about. I’d ask, ‘How would you approach measuring the impact and ROI of a learning program?’ The ultimate goal isn’t just learning; it’s applying that knowledge for business impact. This question touches on a lot of important aspects—are they addressing the right issues? Are they identifying the correct business needs? It also touches on when training might not even be the right solution, which is an important insight to have.”
Dr. Steve Ritter
“I ask the same question you just asked: ‘What’s one of your biggest failures?’ But I ask it to understand what they know and believe about learning. Another good one is, ‘What do you think is the biggest barrier to students learning better?’ This helps me understand their pedagogical approach and how they construct educational experiences. For instance, if they talk about changing an abstract concept into something more concrete and relatable, that tells me a lot about how they engage students.”
Unekwu-Ojo Shaibu
“I’d ask about how they use data and analytics to inform the design and improvement of learning products. How do they understand user pain points and incorporate data—whether qualitative or quantitative—to make decisions? And how do they evaluate the impact of the product on learning outcomes? I think that’s a key part of improving student outcomes.”
Anna Danylenko
“A great question would be, ‘How do you support your level of knowledge and how do you develop?’ In this field, staying up-to-date is crucial because, as experience shows, your clients can often know more than you do. So it’s important to always be in touch with the latest trends.”
Imran Tanveer
“The question I’d emphasize is about how they would align their skill set with the organization’s objectives. There’s always a difference between the skills a candidate wants to learn for their own growth and the skills the organization needs. There needs to be coordination between these two. I’d also evaluate their leadership skills. Leadership is essential for anyone entering this field, so I’d make sure they understand and value it.”
Anser Aly
“Very simply, I’d ask about what motivates them. In the end, what you really want to know is whether they’re passionate about the outcome. As long as they are excited about the end goal, the challenges along the way won’t matter. For example, as a marketer, I was always excited to see my product on the shelf after months of hard work. In L&D, it’s about upskilling others and helping the business meet its goals. It’s harder to get excited about that because it’s intangible, but understanding why they’re in L&D and what motivates them is key. If I’m hiring someone, that’s one of the most important things I’d look for.”
