One of my favorite questions to ask a candidate in an interview is this: “What do you feel will be your learning curve during your first three months on the job?” The answer that will get a candidate eliminated (almost always) is some variation of “no learning curve for me”. Whether out of arrogance, or because people perceive giving an answer will admit to a weakness, what it tells me is that this candidate does not understand themselves well and is not able to articulate to others their traits that will come into play in that role. In other words, insufficient emotional intelligence- assurance of a very rocky learning curve. Everyone has a learning curve in any new role. It is possible that your learning curve will be short- maybe you have worked in this organization for many years, know who everyone is, and how the bureaucracy works, you have been working in the country already and your promotion was a natural progression. But unless you have done that exact position, with that team, and that portfolio, already- there will be a learning curve. To deny that is to make your integration process unnecessarily more difficult. More common for senior field leaders is that you are either with a new organization, in a new country, first time as the one in charge, or some combination of those things.
Reflecting on the answer to that question before entering into an interview will help you identify questions to ask of the recruiters.
Typical learning curves
| Curve | Question |
| New culture | Is there a cultural orientation provided by your organization, or which I can attend as soon as I arrive in country? |
| New organization | Can you tell me about your onboarding process for new employees? What resources are available to help those who are new to organization navigate the different departments and requirements? |
| First time at leadership (Director) level/supervising former peers | Do you offer a mentorship program (formal or informal) for new Country Directors (fill in the right title)? |
| Remote supervision | What is the typical level of communication with the supervisor of this position (frequency, content)? How do they measure successful leadership? |
| New program areas/sectors | Tell me about the level and type of technical support that is available for these aspects of the portfolio. |
Being aware of your learning curves and addressing them during the interview not as weaknesses, but simply learning curves will make it possible for you to get critical information as to whether or not this position is a good fit. If you have multiple steep learning curves and the organization was either not able to answer those questions, or reveals that it will offer limited support for your learning curves, this might not be the right fit for you- there is a difference between rising to a challenge (which is a healthy learning curve) and being set up for failure. Without exploring that during the recruitment process you will have no way of knowing which scenario you are entering.
Do you know what your learning curves are for that new position you are eyeing? Tell us below in the comments.
