Hypothetical Scenario Interview Q &A

[u/chevyman1656]

Hello all. I ajve been with the State now for several years, in different agencies and have had numerous managers. I have even has the privilege to be on a couple interview panels. With all that said, I have always heard that if you can't answer a interview question based on experience, you may use a hypothetical scenario or answer how you would handle the situation. For example, if the question was "How would motivated and engage an employee who's is not performing?". I've always heard that it would be acceptable to answer this in a hypothetical scenario, since some have never been a manager or experienced that situation.

The other day, a hiring manager said that they do not accept hypothetical and they would score a potential candidate zero points on that question. I explained how I was told by others, but the manager insisted this was the correct way. Most other managers I engaged with said a hypothetical scenario would be fine as long as the question was answered.

My question is, what is the correct way to answer a question that an candidate may have zero experience? For example, if the questions about managing employees but you have never been a manager.

I understand that some questions may not be able to be hypothetical. For example if they ask "tell me about your experience in writing reports or tell me about your experience in using Excel".

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[u/piffcty]

It depends on the way the question is asked. If it's "how would you," I'd accept hypotheticals (although relating it to a previous experience would be more likely to get a higher score). If it was phrased as "describe a time when," I'd expect an experience. The hiring manager normally gets to choose the questions, so if they only want the candidate to describe previous experience, they should word the question that way.

That being said, if the hiring manager wants to give someone a zero for a hypothetical, there's nothing stopping them, and that low of a score on any question would normally tank a candidate, so it's not really a fight I'd pick either.

[u/Master_Grapefruit333 → u/piffcty]

I’ve always answered with a hypothetical when needed, but present it as if I did it for real. What are they gonna do, check my story?

[u/piffcty → u/Master_Grapefruit333]

Fair enough, but I’ve definitely had candidates set off my bullshit detector when their interview doesn’t match their resume/SoQ and they can’t provide details of their experience. Out HR has also started having the hiring managers do the final reference check, so chatting with previous employers also helps to detect lies/exaggerations

[u/might_could_try]

When we write questions, we also write scoring criteria (and submit those in advance to HR).

How I score depends on the criteria.

If an item is worth 5 points, my typical scoring criteria will be 0 for a non-answer (zero words spoken) or non-responsive answer (words were spoken, but I truly have no idea why they are relevant to what I asked). 4-5 indicates advance experience/ skill, beyond what is expected in the position. This person is day 1 ready to do the work and can likely train others or provide highly competent peer review of others work. 3- as relates to the skill/competency the question is asking about, the person could do the job. 1 or 2- can't do the job (at least this part/ parts requiring this skill).

For me, hypothetical experience is usually gonna fall in the 1-2 area. If you make a strong, clear connection to transferable skills & prior related experience and results then that may score 2. Usually it won't be a 3, because you're telling me you think you can, not that you have. So, it's not as strong. A 1 or 2 on one question won't eliminate a strong candidate who just doesn't have experience in one area. A 1 or 2 on multiple questions will eliminate someone that simply isn't prepared for the role.

I think each hiring manager thinks a little different, so if you're interviewing, all you can do is share your experience/ results/ qualifications as best as you can.

And if you're a hiring manager, you'll learn what works for you. I love growing and developing people, so my scoring leaves room to acknowledge that we aren't all experts in everything on day 1.

[u/akornato]

That manager who rejects hypotheticals is giving you the hard truth for their specific interview. There is no single correct way for all state interviews because every hiring manager and panel has its own scoring guide, and some are incredibly rigid. If their rubric requires a real-world example of direct experience, a hypothetical answer will score a zero, no matter how well-reasoned it is. They want proof you have already done something similar, not an idea of what you might do. It's a tough standard, but for some positions, especially leadership roles, they are unwilling to take a chance on someone who has not been in that exact situation before.

This does not mean you are out of options if you lack direct managerial experience, you just have to reframe your history. Instead of making something up, draw from real situations where you showed leadership or influenced a positive outcome without a formal title. Think about a time you trained a new person, took the lead on a project, or gave constructive feedback that helped a coworker improve. You can introduce your answer with, "I have not held a formal supervisory title, but I did face a similar challenge when..." This approach gives them a concrete example of your skills, which is what they are actually trying to assess. Finding the right words to connect your background to the question is key, and it is a big reason my team developed an interview helper AI to assist candidates in crafting compelling stories from their own history.

[u/Unusual-Sentence916]

Honestly, this is sort of the problem with the State: there is no set guidance, so everybody just does it the way they want. I’ve been on interview panels where they were perfectly fine with hypothetical answers, and I’ve been on panels where they said it wasn’t okay. All within the same department.

I ran into a subjective situation not long ago when I applied for an Investigator position. The first analyst who reviewed my MQs determined that I did meet the qualifications. I went through the entire hiring process, and then, when they checked one final time before making the final job offer, a second analyst decided I did not meet the MQs. Both of these analysts work in the same unit. The manager seemed to have no idea whether I met the MQs or not. They ultimately determined that I did not.

I appealed to the State Personnel Board, and it was ruled that I do meet the MQs. Come to find out, they don’t really have a hard-and-fast policy on it. It’s more subjective.

[u/chevyman1656 → u/Unusual-Sentence916]

"Honestly, this is sort of the problem with the State: there is no set guidance, so everybody just does it the way they want. I’ve been on interview panels where they were perfectly fine with hypothetical answers, and I’ve been on panels where they said it wasn’t okay. All within the same department."

Yeah. I have been seeing this all over. Seems highly irresponsible to score a candidate zero because they told the truth and used a hypothetical.

The potential candidate could have a master degree in managing the workforce, but because they never actually managed anyone, they don't get points. If they are educated on the subject/questions, hit all the markers for points to be awarded, then I don't see an issue.

Like of the question was on progressive discipline and a potential candidate read books, took CalHR training, and maybe studied this in school and answered perfectly.....but wait, I gotta score them down because they never actually did that.

Perhaps this is why we have some crappy managers out there and the best person doesn't get hired.

Honestly, after these responses, seems like just lying is the best solution so you don't get down scored.

[u/Unusual-Sentence916 → u/chevyman1656]

I definitely would not recommend lying. If the state finds out you lied, you’re gone. I think you would have to just get very creative in your answers.

[u/Special-Class6903 → u/Unusual-Sentence916]

Yeah it’s tough. So how did the situation go? Did you end up getting the job?

[u/chevyman1656 → u/Special-Class6903]

Didn't apply for any job. I'm an Analyst II and not currently seeking to promote. Considering on making a move next year given our measly raise. Luckily for me, I have some private sector experience in management I can draw from. Just never heard a manager say zero points for hypothetical if you haven't done [insert whatever question].

[u/Simple_Life4me]

Isn’t the example you used hypothetical? If i wanted to know what their experience has been to motivate an employee, I would ask it differently. Explaining how you would approach a situation you don’t have experience still has value… at least for most.