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I shared on X a couple weeks back that I was going to put together documentation around interview prep. This isn’t earth shattering. However, if any of this information can help you think, prep for something or just refresh your mind…great! Tried to keep it general so this would help individuals in athletics and also outside of that world. Next week, I’ll send some more thoughts.
The Softballs - Standard
Tell me about your life from birth until now.
What did your parents do for work?
What are the qualities you like least and most like in your parents?
How do you stay connected to people in your life outside of your immediate family?
What are your hobbies?
What is the motivating factor in applying for this?
What do you enjoy about your current role and dislike about your current role?
What are your unique gifts in the world?
What are three adjectives that your friends would use to describe you?
How would a former boss describe you if I saw them on the street?
What are your biggest opportunities for growth?
When was the last time you thought “outside the box” and how did you do it?
Tell me about a time when you had to work with others who were ineffective.
Tell me about a time you didn’t have all the answers but found ways to be resourceful.
Can you share an example of when you made a big mistake and how did you respond?
Tell me a time you failed at something important and what you learned from it.
Who do you call on a bad day?
How do you handle unexpected changes to a process?
How do you handle your schedule when it’s interrupted?
Can you describe a time when your work was criticized?
What's the hardest piece of feedback you've received?
Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback.
What makes you stressed and how do you handle it?
Are you better working on your own or within a team?
Would you consider yourself big picture or detail oriented?
What does being ethical mean to you?
Describe top three priorities in life and rank them?
Who is your greatest role model or influence in your life?
Describe your favorite boss and least favorite boss.
Are you the type of person to strike-up a conversation to a stranger?
Why did you join “company x” originally and why did you leave?
What is your greatest accomplishment professionally?
What comes naturally to you?
What do you do to get better outside of work that no one will see?
What separates you from other candidates for this position?
What are you currently curious about?
What are your pet peeves?
What is your greatest fear?
What is your biggest regret and why?
What is one question we should have asked you?
The Curveballs - Deeper Thinking
If you had millions of dollars, what would you do every day?
What four guests (dead or alive) would you invite to dinner with you?
What are the commonalities of the greatest professionals you’ve worked with?
What are the common traits of leaders you know who have sustained excellence?
If there's one thing you could change about yourself, what would it be?
What is your process to learn something new?
What new experiences have opened you to new worlds of possibilities?
What is the largest project you were a part of?
Tell me about the last argument that you can recall being in?
What event nearly happened that would have fundamentally changed your life, for better or worse, had it occurred?
If I was to arrange the furniture in your house, how would that make you feel?
What app do you have on your phone that very few likely have?
Can you share the process for the last big purchase you made?
What do you need to do more of and what do you need to do less of in your life?
What inspirational quote do you live by?
The Fastballs - Quick Hitting
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Favorite childhood memory?
How would your best friends describe you?
How did you make money in high school?
What did you do for your last vacation?
Who is your favorite musician or band? Favorite movie? Favorite superhero?
What animal would you be best described as?
What podcast is your favorite to listen to?
What book has had the most influence on you?
Outside of friends, family and work, are there any groups, clubs or organizations you are part of?
Sport Specific
If you were named head coach today, what would your first 24 hours look like for you?
How long would your first team meeting last and what would the message be?
What’s your coaching philosophy?
How will you build a great culture?
Do you believe in culture fit or culture add?
What do you want the mentality of your team to be?
If you had your choice, what would your offensive and defensive system be?
How do you communicate with your athletes?
What type of guidelines and rules are important to you within your program?
How do you deal with players that don’t communicate well or show up late to practice?
What does handling disciplinary actions look like in your program?
How are you going to monitor academics?
What’s your process for choosing the leaders of your team?
How do you deal with parents?
How will you assemble your coaching staff?
How do you plan on delegating to your staff?
What’s your belief on player development?
How do you handle an off-season program for your athletes and staff?
What’s your background and philosophy with strength and conditioning?
How do you scout and prepare for opponents?
What does a typical practice look like in your season?
How do you keep practice plans and thoughts organized?
What’s your demeanor like on the sidelines and how do you interact with officials?
How do you measure success?
How do you plan on retaining your players?
What’s your experience with fundraising at previous programs?
How will you go about marketing your program?
What types of camps, leagues or clinics will you run?
What has been your role in community engagement?
How do you create value within an athletic department?
How do you feel about taking no for an answer?
How would you feel about working for someone with less experience than you?
What will student-athletes remember after they are done playing for you?
What’s your WHY for coaching?
What’s your philosophy on recruiting a student-athlete?
What are your initial steps in recruiting?
Talk me through your process of recruiting a student-athlete.
What do you feel is the parent's role in the recruiting process?
Is character or ability more important to you?
How do you budget your recruiting activities?
Episode #71 - Scott Pera - GM of Penn State MBB
We learn about how Coach Scott Pera got his start in coaching. We discuss the Hoosiers 2.0 story at Annville-Cleona, coaching James Harden at Artesia and Arizona State, making the jump to college coaching, how he got connected to Mike Rhoades, getting his opportunity to be the head coach at Rice, being let go, getting better and his current role as general manager of Penn State men's basketball.
Book Review
(2002)
I recently saw some tweets regarding this book. I can’t recommend this book enough for coaches. I grew up a huge North Carolina basketball fan and after Coach Smith passed, he gave the greatest gift one could give to his former players.
"You never know who might drop in to see us, or when the telephone might ring for us to go across campus for a meeting. If we dress properly we'll be ready for any circumstance."
Seniors made the team rules and Coach Smith enforced them.
Being honest with players (what were players thinking)
Respecting the players (don't embarrass)
Wouldn't talk to team after the game until he had time to eval the film
Practice is a privilege
Thought of the Day and Emphasis of the Day
Statistics weren’t allowed in locker room
Being punctual (being late means you’re arrogant)
Scouting information (concentrate on you and not a lot of info to players)
Recruiting unselfishness
Giving the tired signal
Pitching to the man ahead
Pointing to the passer
Seldom does the leading scorer in the nation play on a ranked team or championship team
Sprinting to the bench
Standing for a teammate and helping him up
Act like you've done this before
The Blue Team
Honor Roll (drawing charge, defense, assist/turnover ratio, offensive rebounding, screening, blocked shots, deflections, loose balls)
1)Were we unselfish?
2)Did we play hard on every possession?
3)Did we execute basic fundamentals offensively and defensively?
What Are You Reading?
Currently trying to finish two books (Built To Lose and Tanking to the Top) on the NBA and tanking. I didn’t watch a single regular season or playoff game in the NBA this 2025-26 season.
I believe the league has a lot of issues from load management, injury reporting, tanking, draft pick protections and how many years picks can be traded, officiating, emphasis on large markets over small markets, honestly the list goes on and on.
Since this is Thursday and I typically like to drop a #TBT article or video. Reminds me of 10 years ago when Sam Hinkie dropped his resignation letter to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Worth Your Time
I have 20 different subscriptions on YouTube. Most of them are some of my favorite podcasts or those who I consider NEXT LEVEL interviewers.
To list a few:
Graham Bensinger - Every single interview he does is ELITE
Adam Breneman - Specializes on interviewing coaches and personnel from the college football world
Ryan Hawk - Recent guest on the Fired Coaches Podcast
Chris Williamson - The interview with Naval Ravikant below is a must watch. Naval is a great follow on X and one of those “drop what you’re doing when he speaks” kind of people.
Fired Coaches Podcast started in May 2020. The podcast interviews coaches, scouts, media and others connected to the sports world that fell from the mountaintop. They were either fired, resigned or told that their contract would not be renewed. Level does not matter. The story does.