How to ace your Instructional Design interview
Before and After Your Interview
Prep for Video Interviews
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Test your mic and camera before the interview starts so you can troubleshoot if needed.
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Dress professionally.
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Make sure there's nothing in the background you don't want the interviewer to see.
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Make sure your lighting is good. No glare on the screen, and light is shining on your face properly. Put a lamp by your computer or face a window.
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To the best of your ability, make sure there's no noise or interruptions.
Write a Question Bank
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Use the list below of potential questions you may be asked to prepare your answers ahead of time so you'll know what to say.
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Say "I did this" instead of "we did this", even if you worked on a team. You're the one being interviewed, not them.
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Don't be afraid to follow up with more detail; they want to hear your experience, and they can't do that if you don't brag.
Send a Thank You Note
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It's still a great way to recap an interview and leave a great impression on your interviewer.
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You can write something like:
Dear [Interviewer's Name (first name is usually ok, but it depends on the organization)],
Thank you for the interview today. It was great speaking with you! I appreciate the information about [something they spoke about during the interview], [brief detail about it]. I look forward to the next steps!
Thank you,
[First Name Last Name]
[(###) ###-####]
Questions you may be asked during your Instructional Design interview
Question (Q): Tell me about yourself.
Answer (A): Use the summary on your resume to give you a head start on developing an answer to this question. The interviewer wants to know, briefly, how much experience you have in roles like this.
Q: Tell me about your experience using ADDIE.
A: Prepare an example ahead of time of a project you created where you used this framework. Talk about it during the interview. End with how you succeeded in making the project and how it helped the organization.
Q: How do you approach [needs analysis, change requests, etc.]?
A: Look at the ADDIE process and prepare an answer to this question for each phase, including an example of a time you successfully used that phase. That way, no matter which phase you are asked about, you'll have an answer.
Q: Are you more comfortable using ADDIE or SAM?
A: Research the company ahead of time and find out if it is a large, slow-moving organization (which means they most likely use ADDIE and waterfall), or a small, fast organization (which means they might use SAM and Agile). Tell them the truth, but be mindful of meeting their needs. A good answer is that it depends on the needs of the project, and then give two micro-stories about how you've used each successfully.
Q: What tools have you used?
A: List the tools you've used and where you used them. Better if you can say how many years you've used them.
Q: How do you manage time and prioritize tasks?
A: Good answers include: I make a list and number it, I use project management tools like Jira, Smartsheet, Trello...
Q: How do you ensure accessibility and inclusivity in your projects?
A: Examples include: I use the Universal Design for Learning guidelines, I make sure diverse learners are represented in photos and videos, I make sure I have alt text for my images and captions for my videos...
Q: Describe a challenge you overcame and how you overcame it.
A: Plan this out ahead of time and come up with two or three examples in case they ask you a similar question later.
Questions for you to ask the interviewer
What are the next steps?
Is there anything you're unsure about that I can address?
What is the team like?
I have some logistics questions... (time, location, dress code, etc.)