66 Talent Buyer Interview Questions

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It takes a lot of time to get to know someone, unfortunately during the interview process time is typically a limited resource. So how do you make the most of the interview? 

It’s simple, you have to ask the right questions. And that is why we have assembled the most commonly asked interview questions for a talent buyer. This potent mix of questions should be more than enough to help you find the perfect candidate whilst snuffing out even the most beguiling casino talent buyer.

24 Communication Questions:

Proper communication is more than an exchange of information. You have to understand individual intent, purpose, body language, and the emotions driving the conversation.

1. Explain a time when you had to gather relevant information from multiple mediums or sources. Were you able to determine which information was relevant? How did you do it?
2. Do you consider yourself to be an effective negotiator? What methods made you successful?
3. In what ways have you gone out of your way while developing contacts with industry professionals such as; agents, clients, and organizations?
4. Share an experience in which you successfully conferred with a client to develop ideas or strategies for his/her career.
5. Can you share an example of a time where you yourself successfully organized or helped organize a diverse group of individuals to complete a project?
6. Have you ever dealt with a difficult entertainer or agent? How did you handle it?
7. Describe a time where you had to deliver bad news to someone.
8. Describe any experience where you have leveraged your ability to work well with others and reconcile differences to assist your company or employer.
9. When is the last time you have successfully persuaded another person to change their mind or way of thinking? Please describe (in detail)
10. Are you a strong public speaker? Please give an example of a time when you had to present to the group.
11. Provide an example of a time when you were able to demonstrate excellent listening skills. What was the situation and the outcome?
12. Who is the last person you helped coach or mentor? How do you see this person’s knowledge or skills developing?
13. Do you mentor any tribal members or Native American entertainment professionals?
14. Was there a time where your willingness to take charge or offer your opinion helped your company or client? Please explain.
15. Describe any experience where you coordinated seamlessly with others. Can you also explain any team coordination effort that was unsuccessful?
16. Name the most notable time when your patience was tested. How were you able to keep your emotions under control?
17. Describe an experience in which you were sensitive to another person’s feelings or needs. In what ways did your helpfulness impact your work environment?
18. Describe the best way to ensure success when communicating with the public or a group of people as a collective.
19. Describe a time when you voluntarily provided personal assistance to a coworker, patron, client, or organization.
20. Please share a time in which you successfully explained or taught a difficult lesson or concept. What methods helped you be successful?
21. In your opinion, what is the best way to balance independent thinking and cooperation with others?
22. How many casino concerts have you coordinated production, labor, or hospitality-related logistics for? What show was the most difficult?
23. Explain the most absurd rider request and how you managed to redline it successfully. Who was the request for?
24. Explain a bad business relationship that you have had. How did you work through it and why didn’t it work?

8 Creativity Questions:

Some people believe that you get less creative as you get older. Whether that is true or not is less important than determining if your candidate is creative enough to manage your entire entertainment program. Regardless, you can use these questions to help your tribal casino make the decision.

1. Do you have any creative techniques to leverage while scheduling live concert engagements for your customers?
2. Please share a time where thinking outside of the box was successful. How did it help or benefit your employer?
3. Describe your experience applying new technology or innovative ideas in your work. In which ways did it help your company.
4. Name a time that you inspired creativity or an alternative way of thinking that solved a problem in your workplace.
5. Describe a time that your advice to management stimulated change or had an improvement in your company’s or employer’s operations or outlook.
6. In your opinion, what is the key to developing a great team
7. Describe one reason your competitors dislike you.
8. How have you used your creative talent buying skills or marketing abilities to outrank, outshine, or outperform yours and your client’s competitors?

3 Ethics Questions:

1. How have your ethics been tested? Provide an example.

2. Describe any experiences in which your ability to take the initiative to find ways to help people improved company clients or your own work ethic.

3. In your experience, what is the best way to ensure your company or client is compliant with all laws, regulations, and standards that apply to your responsibilities?

16 Execution Questions:

Proper execution is likely the most important attribute for any successful operation. To improve a business’s performance the right candidate has to be able to follow through. Typically, if your talent buyer is a good communicator, they are also well equipped to execute on most given tasks.

1. How many hours a week do you spend on research that is related to keeping you informed on current market trends, innovation, and evolving industry standards?

2. Describe a time where you had to stay calm and solve a complex problem?

3. Describe a time where you willingly leaned in and took on extra responsibilities or challenges. Did you meet the demands of all those responsibilities?

4. Provide the best example of when you were fearlessly persistent in the face of obstacles or adversity.

5. Can you describe a time in which your attention to detail and meticulousness had an impact?

6. Share an example of a time where you went above and beyond your scope of work to achieve a common goal. What was the goal?

7. Share an example of the last time you were able to prevent a problem because you foresaw the outcome or knew how another person would react?

8. Describe any time where you had to work in a rapidly evolving enterprise. How did you deal with the constant changes? Do you consider yourself to be flexible?

9. Explain the last time you developed your own way of doing things and became self-motivated to accomplish or finish an important task.

10. Describe an experience where your ability to evaluate the costs and benefits of a possible action assisted you while choosing the most appropriate action.

11. Describe an experience in which your understanding of a current or upcoming complication helped you or your company arrive at a workable solution.

12. Explain a previous time where you had to identify a complex problem, evaluate the options and outcomes, and implement the best solution. How was the solution beneficial to the employer.

13. Explain a time where you had to build an entire entertainment program. How did your involvement contribute to the property’s success?

14. What would your first 30, 60 or 90 days look like if hired to buy entertainment?

15. What single project or task would you consider your most significant career accomplishment to date?

16. Walk me through a challenging plan you executed. How did you manage it, how did you measure its success, and what were the biggest mistakes you made throughout the process?

14 Organization Questions:

To be organized as a casino talent buyer, means you have a system or multiple systems that help you achieve optimal efficiency. There are a lot of different ways to determine if someone has the capacity to stay organized. It takes a special type of person to help those around them stay organized in the process. These 14 questions will help you determine just that.

1. Do you have strategies or techniques that you have found to be efficient or effective in ensuring that your clients are successful? Please share one relevant experience.
2. Have you ever effectively managed business and/or the financial affairs for a client? What methods did you use? How were you successful?
3. Tell me how you organize, plan, and prioritize your work.
4. Describe any time where you identified the strengths and weaknesses of alternative ways to solve a problem you were facing. How did your analysis impact the outcome?
5. What happened the last time you successfully advised a client or clients on financial and/or legal business matters. Was there anything you would have done differently?
6. Share an effective method you’ve used to collect debts, payments, and or issue credits.
7. When was the last time you had to display your ability to manage your time working effectively? What were your challenges and or final results?
8. On a scale from 1 – 3, how would you rate your writing skills? Do you have any examples of great writing skills?
9. What are some long-range objectives that you helped develop for your previous or current clients? What have you done to achieve them?
10. What methods do you prefer to use when monitoring the performance of your work and/or the work of others? Share the last time you had to take corrective action.
11. Describe your experiences while preparing and/or distributing accounting statements.
12. When was the last time you oversaw the work of someone else? How did you effectively motivate, develop, and direct the worker(s)?
13. Describe the methods you have developed to ensure that facilities, equipment, and accommodations meet the appropriate specification and standards.
14. Describe a time where you made a mistake on or before show day that impacted the performance or outcome of the event. How did you recover?

2 Final Questions:

1. What do you know about our company? 

2. What are your professional strengths and how did you acquire them?

Closing Thoughts:

Currently, we are seeing a lot of changes in casino entertainment. And those changes will become more apparent as additional events get canceled in the later parts of the year. Even if the doors reopen in May or June, and a fraction of the gaming crowd returns, that doesn’t mean the same casino talent buyers or the executives who hired them will be back as well. The reality is, a lot of venues will be closing for good and that could mean that those that do reopen, will likely need to go through total staffing restructure. 

If you are anticipating staffing restructure, and you need help asking the right questions when hiring your next casino talent buyer, this list is for you.