Team lead interview questions

Hiring someone to lead a team is hiring the people who will shape that team’s days. The first round should show how a candidate gives feedback, shares out work, handles conflict and helps people grow, with real examples rather than management theory.

10 questions for a team lead first round

Pick three to five that fit your role, rather than all ten: a short first round gets more finished interviews. All ten together take about 24 minutes to record. The time limits suit a one-way video interview, where each answer is recorded once.

  1. 1

    Tell us about a time you gave someone difficult feedback. How did you prepare, and how did it go?

    Listen for: Specific, kind and direct feedback, given in private and followed up.

    3 min to answer
  2. 2

    How do you decide what to do yourself and what to hand to your team?

    Listen for: Delegating to develop people, not just to offload, and staying available without taking work back.

    2 min to answer
  3. 3

    Describe a conflict between two people in your team. What did you do?

    Listen for: Hearing both sides, focusing on the work and acting early.

    3 min to answer
  4. 4

    Tell us about someone you helped grow. What did you do?

    Listen for: Understanding their goals, giving stretch opportunities and specific coaching.

    3 min to answer
  5. 5

    How do you handle a team member who isn’t performing?

    Listen for: Finding the cause, setting clear expectations and support, and acting if nothing changes.

    3 min to answer
  6. 6

    How do you keep a team motivated when the work is repetitive or the pressure is high?

    Listen for: Explaining why the work matters, recognising effort and protecting the team from unnecessary pressure.

    2 min to answer
  7. 7

    Tell us about a decision your team disagreed with. How did you handle it?

    Listen for: Listening, explaining the reasoning and either changing course or committing openly.

    2 min to answer
  8. 8

    How do you run one-to-ones with your team?

    Listen for: Regular, focused on the person rather than status updates, with notes and follow-up.

    2 min to answer
  9. 9

    Describe a mistake you made as a lead and what you learned.

    Listen for: Honesty and a change in how they lead.

    2 min to answer
  10. 10

    What would your current team say about working for you?

    Listen for: Self-awareness, including something they are still working on.

    2 min to answer
Scoring

Signs of a strong candidate

  • Gives specific feedback and follows up
  • Delegates to grow people
  • Acts early on conflict and performance
  • Is honest about their own mistakes

Agree what a 3 and a 5 look like for each question before anyone watches, and save your own rating before reading your colleagues’.

Use them

Run these as a video interview

  1. Save your chosen questions as a question set in AsyncView, with the minutes for each.
  2. Create an interview for the role, import the set and pick a deadline.
  3. Paste your candidates’ names and emails. Each gets a private link.
  4. Watch, rate and compare answers with your team, then shortlist.
How question sets work
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Send these questions to your team lead candidates today.

Candidates record their answers in their own time; your team reviews together. The Free plan includes 5 interviews and needs no card.

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