By Dan Cardone
A big part of an athletic administrator's job is hiring coaches, and making the best selection from a pool of candidates is no easy task. But for contributor Dan Cardone, the process of finding the most qualified applicant is aided by a question-and-answer sheet that he evaluates using a quantifiable, objective grading system to rate each of the candidates' responses. After the jump, Cardone shares those questions and the grading criteria he follows.
I receive a lot of requests from athletic directors readying to interview coaching applicants for a list of interview questions. While we often know the person who is most qualified to coach ahead of time, tallying the scores I give to each candidate for how they've answered my stock questions usually helps me validate my selections by revealing a clearcut winner.
Below is a sheet of questions I ask coaching candidates when I interview them. You will also find a printer-friendly downloadable PDF of these questions at the bottom of this page.
Some questions are more meaningful than others, and more weight should be given to their answers. I rate responses based on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the heaviest. This helps make what can be a difficult process an objective one.
Here are some sample questions you'll find on my sheet, and what I look for in a candidate's response:
What would I observe when I see you in a practice or game situation?
I want to be able to elicit a response that is honest, and one that demonstrates this candidate is—above all—a teacher. If they fall short of their answer after being hired, I can also go back to their answer and remind them of their response during the end of season evaluation.
How do you deal with an irate parent?
The preferred answer is that they meet with the parents prior to the season, and set boundaries for when they will discuss concerns. After a game is not the best time to do so. Some coaches institute a 24-hour rule for parents.
The final question affords the applicant a chance to sell themselves:
Why do you think you are the best candidate?
They can be as boastful as they want, we just want them to prove to us they are the best hire.
I believe it is also a good idea to have a set of framed questions when interviewing potential coaches. It's important to know what kind of responses you're looking for ahead of time. As interviewers, we need to be even more prepared than the candidates we screen.
Dan Cardone is Athletic Director at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is a frequent contributor to Athletic Management.
Click here to download a PDF version of this form.