Sample assistant coach phone interview questions

I previously shared a list of head coach phone interview questions. A fellow coach shared with me questions he got during a phone interview for an assistant coach position.

To provide context, this was for an NCAA Division II program. Interestingly, it was a committee call, directed by an Assistant Athletic Director, with the head coach just listening. Often times, these phone interviews are only with the head coach, as in this case.

  1. Tell us about your background in coaching and why you’re interested in this position
  2. Can you describe your coaching philosophy?
  3. Can you tell us a little more about your day to day responsibilities in your past positions?
  4. Are you familiar with VolleyMetrics?
  5. Can you describe a challenging situation that you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from it?
  6. Tell us about your best skills and character attributes that sets you apart from other candidates.

You’ll note that first question is the one you almost always get.

For those who don’t know, VolleyMetrics is a service (one of a few) that colleges and conferences use to breakdown and share video.

Questions 5 and 6 are pretty standard behavioral interview questions. Question 3 is a fairly straightforward request to find out what kind of experience the candidate gained in prior positions.

The second question might be the biggest. That’s the one that tells the head coach whether this assistant candidate is likely to be a good match for their coaching style.

This is, of course, just one set of interview questions. I think it’s pretty representative, but there’s always the chance of others. For example, something specific to that program could feature. That’s why it makes sense to do your research!

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John Forman

John is currently the Strategic Manager for Talent (oversees the national teams) and Indoor Performance Director for Volleyball England. His 20+ years of volleyball coaching experience includes all three NCAA divisions, plus Junior College, in the US; university and club teams in the UK; professional coaching in Sweden; and both coaching and club management at the Juniors level. He's also been a visiting coach at national team, professional club, and juniors programs in several countries.

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