• In a council-manager form of government, one of the roles of the City Council is to select a city manager to lead the operations of the organization.

    As part of this process, recently undertaken following the prior city manager’s retirement, the council solicited input from community members to develop a city manager candidate profile. The profile helps identify key qualities desired by the community in a permanent city manager. The city is now enlisting the community's input again to submit interview questions for two community forums, where questions submitted by the public will be asked of the current city manager candidate, Acting City Manager Diane Carlson, who was found to meet the criteria of the candidate profile. The council voted on May 28 to adopt the city manager profile and proceed with a transparent and community-involved interview process for Carlson.

    Community members can use the form below to submit up to two interview questions, which city staff will compile and use in two community forums where a moderator will conduct the city manager interview.

    Thank you for taking part in this important process for the effectiveness of Bellevue's city government by submitting proposed interview questions using the below form. The form to submit questions will close on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

    You have the option on the form to provide your name and email address. If an email is provided, you will receive an email response confirming your submission once you have completed and submitted the survey. You will not receive this confirmation if you do not provide an email address. Personal information is not used during the assessment of the form responses, which will be used by the city's human resources staff to develop the interview questions for the forums. The public will be invited to attend the forums in person, listen in virtually or access a recording after the event.

    The recruitment brochure outlines the key duties of the city manager role for Bellevue. The brochure and the best practices for crafting interview questions below should help in your ability to propose questions that are relevant and meaningful to the selection process.

    Interview questions are essential for assessing candidates and finding the right fit for a position. Please consider these best practices:

    • Questions should directly relate to the specific role and responsibilities.
    • Avoid multipart questions that cover too many areas at once. Focus on targeted inquiries.
    • Types of Questions: 
      • Behavioral and Situational Questions:
        • Assess experience and background.
        • Gain insight into actual examples of expertise related to the position.
        • Examples: “Tell us about a time when ____,” “Describe your experience in ______,” “Share an example of ________.”
      • Technical Questions:
        • Assess specific knowledge relevant to job requirements. 
        • Examples: “Describe how you completed ________ and what was the outcome,” “How would you approach ________?”
      • Consider questions related to leadership, strategy and vision.

    Remember, tailoring questions to the role ensures effective candidate evaluation!

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