Coaching is an art and need tremendous patience as well as hard work. So, it is desirable that while applying as a coach or if shortlisted for an interview, you must have a knowledge about the possible interview questions that you may encounter. This will certainly help you to sail smooth through the entire process. So let us have a look at the top 40 questions that one can ask a coach during an interview.
1.Tell us in brief about your philosophy pertaining to coaching
2. Explain you strategy to deal with athletes playing different kinds of sports
3. State the ways by which you can communicate your plan or expectations to parents
4. What do you believe is the proper role of parents in any athletic program?
5. Tell us your strategy to deal with players who have discipline issues
6. How to tackle repeat offenses while coaching your players?
7. Do you think you are a micro or macro manager ?
8. How do you communicate to parents about your players having less playing time?
9. What is your planning strategy for organizing youth feeder programs?
10. Do you think booster clubs had the potential to play a major role in your program?
11. Describe how you would like to organize an off season program .
12. Tell us your strategy to deal with key players who are not regular in attending training activities organized in off season
13. Explain about the tactic to achieve community support for your program
14. What is your thinking about the working relationship that exists between an athletic director and a coach?
15. What is your expectation from your players off the court?
16. Explain the importance of discipline in coaching
17. What is your plan to improve yourself as a coach over the years if selected for this position
18. Do you think coach must be a role model for his players and if yes, how?
19. How would you like to organize a typical practice session?
20.Please explain the routine for pregame, post-game and half-time that you will like to implement as a coach
21. Do you think it is important for a coach to become an excellent motivator and if yes, what will be your plan to motivate your players?
22. Tell us about the factor that you think are important for a player to develop or cultivate other than athletic ability.
23. What do you think about changing of seating arrangements during game?
24. Tell us about the coaches that have a tremendous influence in your life
25. Do you have a reading habit? If yes, what kind of books you love to read?
26. Is there any key event that altered the course of your life?
27. What is that one word with which you want people to associate you?
28. Why you think that you are the best person for this post?
29. Explain the phrase that your former players use to describe you as a coach.
30. How do you handle criticism at work?
31. What are the five top priorities in your life and why they are the priorities?
32. What is the first thing that you will like to do after getting appointed as a coach?
33. What will be your strategy to promote positive energy within your team?
34. Explain about your strengths and weaknesses as a coach.
35. What are the goals as a coach that you think to achieve within the next five or 10 years?
36. What are the mistakes that you think you have committed during your previous coaching stint?
37. If you ever replace a popular coach, what will be your strategy to cope with the high expectations of the players?
38.What are the coaching skills that you think you must develop soon to excel as a coach?
39. Tell us in brief about your educational background
40. Why you want to be a coach and not anything other?
Just having a knowledge about the potential interview questions as a candidate for the position of a coach job will help only to a certain extent as you should also keep in your mind the following things:
The following are some things to think about prior to walking into that interview.
- Gather some knowledge about the school or university before appearing for your interview.
- Try to know the distinctive requirements of the schools for which you are called for an interview for the job of coach
- Refrain yourself from telling an thing negative about the former coach of the school for which you are appearing for an interview
- Try to create a favorable first impression without pretending to be some one that you are not in the very first place
- Get prepared for common interview questions
- Don’t be too talkative while giving an answer as there is no need to give details than asked
- Try to be honest while giving your answers as interviewers can easily sense that you are faking
- When asked about weaknesses, it is best to spin some positivism in our answer
- Don’t be arrogant but having confidence is fine
- Don’t shake you leg or keep looking at your phone while thinking or giving an answer
- If you are unsure about any answer, take a few minutes more to think rather than giving an answer in a hurry as this may hurt your candidature
- Prepare yourself well to answer some hypothetical questions
- Don’t miss an opportunity if the interviewer ask that ” Do you have any questions to know about our school or program”?
- It is a good practice to say thank you or send an email after your interview for a follow-up
We hope that you will be benefited immensely by our write-up on interview questions for a coach. If you have any other questions or any more points that an applicant as a coach must have in his or her mind, please mention the same in the comment section below.