Tell me about a time when workplace politics affected your job. How did you handle the situation and what was the outcome? Give an example of a time when you used your knowledge of workplace politics to your advantage. Describe a time when you unknowingly made a political misstep.
Political savvy people are those who can view corporate politics as a necessary part of organizational life and work to adjust to that reality. They are usually maze-bright or people focused on gathering information from others.
Through this HR interview question on being political savvy, the interviewer often asks this question to see whether or not you have an under-standing of the politics in your organization. Remember that politics needn’t al-ways be negative. When answering this HR interview question on being political savvy, tell the interviewer how you keep your eyes and ears open to be adept with the political scenario in your office.
Tell me about a time you had to use your understanding of the politics of the business/organization to push a program through, that you really believed in.
It is important that you know people who can influence and have a good rapport with them so that the organizational goals can be met. One should have the ability to connect with the person who shuffles the cards. Cite an understanding of the scenarios in your office. It is possible that you were able to identify the people who manage the calendar and decide who gets priority with the boss.
Describe a time you had to maneuver around potential organizational landmines in order to bring a project to completion successfully.
David Lipscomb is a professional writer and public relations practitioner. Lipscomb brings more than a decade of experience in the consumer electronics and advertising industries. Lipscomb holds a degree in public relations from Webster University.
Asking illegal questions in an executive-level interview can get you and your organization in serious trouble. Omission of questions pertaining to family, religion, sexual orientation and race are federally mandated. Use caution, since innocuous questions like “are there any days you deem yourself unavailable” imply a day of worship or observance that falls under these protections. Medical issues that prevent execution of day-to-day execution of the candidates role are revealed after the offer, as are any concerning issues on a background check. Therefore, theres no excuse not to keep the questions strictly professional.
Executives lead larger groups of individuals than lower-level employees. Larger numbers of reports indicate larger responsibilities, which the executive cannot hope to handle all on her own. Its therefore imperative that you gauge the candidates effectiveness in leading and developing teams to meet company goals. Excellent questions you can use to gauge this behavior include “explain a scenario in which youve defined a target goal and used your team to achieve it,” or “provide an example of when you were successful in eliminating a significant roadblock in achieving a goal.” Answers indicate personal drive plus the ability to lead others to a common objective.
Executives often have a 30,000-foot view of an organization. In this, they should be able to identify key issues, understanding how to implement the companys mission statement and vision to tackle those concerns. Executives must also instill those core values into each and every employee under them, creating a focused and motivated group — while still thinking for themselves. Possible questions for identifying this skill might be “explain how youve embedded the companys goals and vision into your employees in the past,” or “offer insight into how you have moved past the status quo and offered innovative solutions to problems.”
Senior-level executive positions require different interview questions than entry-level or middle management roles. These questions pertain to higher-level viewpoints that affect entire organizations, rather than one department or branch. You can ask virtually anything you deem will provide insight into the executives ability to provide the necessary leadership for the role. However, you cannot ask illegal questions that can be interpreted as discrimination.
Political Savvy & Leadership Effectiveness
Do you think of yourself as “politically savvy” at work?
Research has found that politically savvy people have better career prospects, are seen as more promotable, and are less likely to have derailed careers. People who bumble through the political realities — or avoid or ignore them — are missing opportunities, connections, and resources.
Organizational politics is a sometimes controversial and hotly debated topic. Many managers in large organizations lament the fact that they must even acknowledge its existence, much less engage in political behavior in order to get ahead. They question the ethics of behaving in ways that may feel inauthentic, manipulative, and ultimately self-serving. Some will ultimately embrace politics as a necessary evil, while others will refuse to play the game entirely, despite the likely negative impact on their careers.
While the term political skill, or political savvy, generally elicits more negative than positive perceptions, it isn’t inherently a bad thing.
The first step in overcoming any lack of political skill is to accept office politics as a natural, neutral part of work life. Politics is neither good nor bad. In fact, political skill is a necessity, and when used appropriately, leaders can use their political savvy to create positive outcomes for themselves and others.
We define political savvy as the ability to maximize and leverage relationships in order to achieve organizational, team, and individual goals.
Leaders with political savvy can use their political skills to successfully meet their organization’s leadership challenges and to improve the performance and productivity of their teams. Possessing political skill will enhance a leader’s effectiveness at work, improve their team’s performance, and improve their own chances of career advancement.
6 Characteristics Associated With Political Skills
How can you tell if a leader has political skills? The answer: if they appear not to have any such skills at all.
Behaviors that are genuine, authentic, straightforward, and effective are associated with political savvy. Leaders who are not politically skilled can come off as manipulative or self-serving.
Politically skilled leaders are masters of 6 characteristics:
Leaders who have the behavioral flexibility to employ all 6 political skill practices will be more adept at maximizing and leveraging their relationships with others at work. If used properly, political savvy can help you maintain a positive in your organization and can help drive your individual, team, and organization’s performance.
FAQ
What questions do they ask in a government interview?
- Tell Me About Yourself. …
- Why Are You the Best Person for the Job? …
- Why Do You Want This Job? …
- How Has Your Experience Prepared You for This Role? …
- Why Are You Leaving (or Have Left) Your Job? …
- What Is Your Greatest Strength? …
- What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
What are the 7 most common interview questions and answers?
- Why do you want to work for the government? …
- Why do you want to work at this agency? …
- Tell us about yourself. …
- Why did you leave your last job? …
- What do you think of your previous boss? …
- This position is less senior than your last one.
What is political science interview questions?
- Where do you see yourself in five years? …
- What are your strengths/weaknesses? …
- Why should we hire you? …
- Tell me about yourself / your past work experience. …
- Why do you want to work for us? …
- What are your salary expectations? …
- What skills or experience will help you succeed in this role?
