Karen Hood

Karen Hood (previously Karen Heather) is the HR Director of Virgin Atlantic. She interviews and recruits for Board Level Directors and is the final stage interviewer for Senior Management roles where appropriate.

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Different Interviewer

Karen's experience

Karen's twenty year career has predominantly been in the retail sector, which primarily covered the food and fashion sectors. Before Virgin Atlantic, she was the HR Director for Monsoon Accessorize. In her current role she interviews and recruits for Board Level, Executive and Divisional Directors. Within her department she has a top class resourcing team who recruit for all levels worldwide.

In interviews, Karen looks for lots of energy and enthusiasm as well as the ability to do the job in unusual or difficult circumstances. Focused energy and passion for the customer, the brand and the people you work with will ensure success at all levels.

Karen's style

Karen's style of interviewing and recruiting is challenging but informal. Karen uses structured interviewing which has questions designed around the requirements and competencies of the job. Karen believes that past behaviour is a good predictor of future behaviour, so most questions are behaviourally based to assess the candidate's perception and judgement about situations.

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Select questions by Karen Hood

  1. What is it about this role that excites you more than what you do now?

  2. Tell me about a time when you had to manage someone’s poor performance.

  3. Talk me through the toughest challenge you have faced in your career to date. How did you handle it?

  4. What is the hardest decision you have ever had to make? Talk me through this.

  5. Tell me about a time when you failed to meet a target or achieve your desired outcome.

  6. What has to happen for you to finish work one day and say ‘that was a good day’?

  7. What will you be doing in your first 100 days if you are successful?

  8. Tell me about a time when you received negative feedback about yourself. What did you do about it?

  9. What value do you think you will bring to the team?

  10. What do you think your team would say about you if they were sitting in your place now?

  11. What are your career ambitions?

  12. How are you performing against your Key Performance Indicators currently? Give me some examples?

  13. What frustrates you most about your current role?

  14. What excites you about your work?

  15. Talk me through a situation where you were successful influencing somebody to get something done or changed.

  16. Looking back at your career, what are you least proud of?

  17. Talk me through a time you have dealt with a crisis or an enormous amount of pressure?

  18. Describe to me your leadership style. Why do you think this style is effective?

  19. How do you manage change? Talk me through a situation recently when you managed a fairly major change.

  20. What concerns do you have about this role?

  21. What would you like to know about the company, the team or working for me?

  22. I’d like you to conduct an elevator pitch. Imagine you and I are in an elevator and you have just 1 minute to tell me why you are the best person for this job.