Things to Watch For During the Interview

1.  Does the candidate answer the question, reword the question and answer something else, ramble, dwell on unimportant matters, or does he/she stick to the subject, give forthright informed answers?
2.  Is candidate afraid to say “I don’t know”?
3.  Does the candidate know when to stop talking on one subject or does he/she talk it to death?
4.  Does the candidate have a sense of humor and of humility?
5.  Is the candidate overly conservative or overly liberal?
6.  Does the candidate sound like a “boss” or a “leader”?
7.  Does the candidate have real ideas and are they his/her own?
8.  Is the candidate selling himself/herself to the board?  How?
9.  Are the candidate’s qualifications, ideas and abilities selling you or is it just his/her personality?
10.  Does the candidate contradict himself/herself from one answer to another?
11.  Did the candidate do his/her homework?  Is he/she interested enough in the job to have become familiar with your district?
12.  Does the candidate display self-confidence?
13.  Is the candidate open and honest?
14.  Does the candidate possess the necessary vitality to perform in the role of the superintendent?
15.  Does the candidate possess and display good communication skills?
16.  When given the opportunity to ask questions, does the candidate have good and  relevant questions?  Does he/she concentrate more on his/her personal welfare and security or on students and instructional programs?
17.  Do you feel that the candidate understands the difference between pure theory and actual practice and has the ability to put theory into application?
18.  Do you feel confident about the candidate’s answers, personality and leadership?
19.  Does the candidate’s philosophy fit the board, the district, the community, the ethnic make-up of the school and community?
20.  Is the candidate’s philosophy school-oriented or is it self-oriented?