Interview prep
Director interview questions
13 questions it directors get asked, grouped by type. Under each one are the skills it is really testing, so you can pick a story from your own work that shows them.
Technical
- How do you decide when a team needs to be restructured to keep up with the work?Tests: org design, judgment
- You're told to cut your team's budget by a meaningful amount. How do you decide what to cut?Tests: prioritisation, delivery risk
- What metrics do you use to know whether your department is actually delivering, beyond feeling busy?Tests: data analysis, delivery risk
Situational
- One of your managers isn't performing at the level the role needs. How do you handle it?Tests: people management, ownership
- Your department and another department disagree on how a shared initiative should be run. How do you resolve it?Tests: stakeholder management, conflict resolution
- How do you decide whether to hire externally for a senior role or develop someone internally?Tests: people management, judgment
Behavioral
- How do you communicate a strategic shift to a team that's attached to the old direction?Tests: communication, influence
- Tell me about a major initiative under your leadership that didn't succeed. What happened?Tests: ownership, reflection
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker and how you handled it.Tests: conflict resolution, communication
- Describe a project or task that did not go well and what you did about it.Tests: ownership, reflection
- Give an example of persuading someone to adopt an idea they initially resisted.Tests: influence, communication
- Walk me through how you decided what to work on when you had more requests than time.Tests: prioritisation, judgment
- Tell me about a time you had to learn something new quickly to get a job done.Tests: learning agility, ownership
Getting the resume right first? See resume guidance for IT Directors, or browse interview questions for every role.