Interviewing for Head Coaching Jobs

[hail2skins]

I know this doesn't belong in this forum but I want to have the discussion here anyway.

*** THIS THREAD IS NOT ABOUT THE REDSKINS SEARCH FOR A HEAD COACH. IT IS NOT ABOUT THE CANDIDATES EITHER. IT IS ABOUT INTERVIEWING FOR HEAD COACHING JOBS IN THE NFL IN GENERAL AND WHAT YOU THINK HAPPENS IN THEM. ***

What do you think happens in this interview? What kinds of questions do you think gets asked and what visual aids you believe are involved.

[LATrueRedskin]

I think it consists of two parts. Part one is feeling out what type of person the man is, his non-sports background, his values, how he speaks, how he carries himself, his family, etc.

Part two is his football philosophy, whether he be offensive or defensive. I'm sure he's asked how he would run a team, what kind of practices they would run, how they would deal with players and certain situations. I'm sure he's asked to bring along his resume, and maybe demonstrate some game plans (i.e. "What would you do to stop Tom Brady and the Patriots? Show me).

I think it also depends on who is the man asking the questions. If it's an owner, the questions may be different than if it is a general manager or vice president. In our case, that's what I think Gibbs is "helping" Snyder with right now.

[akhhorus]

I think they ask the candidate:

-"So tell me, we hire you as coach right now, what's your general plan for this team?"
-"What do traits or skills to you look for first in your players/coaches?"
-"How do you feel about meddlesome owners?"

I think they also make him go through his scheme that he's known for and how he would blend most(if not all) of the current personnel into it.

[redskin_rich]

I think with other teams, the candidate attempts to make a strong presentation of themselves, their philosophy, their plan and how they will implement it on that team.

I think when Snyder interviews somebody, the Danny treats the candidate like a date by taking them to Morton's and waving $$$ at them.

[/half kidding]

[akhhorus]

I think with other teams, the candidate attempts to make a strong presentation of themselves, their philosophy, their plan and how they will implement it on that team.

I think when Snyder interviews somebody, the Danny treats the candidate like a date by taking them to Morton's and waving $$$ at them.

[/half kidding]

The fine wine, great steak, Vinny's hand on his thigh...the standard skins' sale pitch lmao.

[LATrueRedskin]

The fine wine, great steak, Vinny's hand on his thigh...the standard skins' sale pitch lmao.

Some soft violin...

[hail2skins]

Keep this serious.

So when they have to prepare does that mean looking at the Redskins team and giving an analysis of team?

I read where Byner said he had to do some analysis that could be used in interviews or to help him prepare to interview. What type of analysis you think that would be?

[LATrueRedskin]

Keep this serious.

So when they have to prepare does that mean looking at the Redskins team and giving an analysis of team?

I read where Byner said he had to do some analysis that could be used in interviews or to help him prepare to interview. What type of analysis you think that would be?

I think, in Byner's case, he has to produce hard evidence (stats) of the running game's performance while walking into an interview. I think it's much more broken down into game-by-game rushing performance.

I think a head coach interview is much more about whether or not this guy could manage an entire football team. Offense, defense, special teams. I think it has much less to do with stats than it does with the man himself. I think he will be asked about the current state of the Redskins as a whole, and what he would add to the mix. In Byner's case, it's, "What will you do with the running game?" and that's it.

[silverspring]

The whole process only comes about when a former coach either retires or is canned and probably the latter happens a lot more often. So I would assume a lot of questions are about what is the direction you would like to take the team and how would you do that.

I also think they probably talk about how the redskins FO works and try to figure out if the interviewee would fit into the process they like.

I wish i could be a fly in that room

[shally]

Keep this serious.

So when they have to prepare does that mean looking at the Redskins team and giving an analysis of team?

I read where Byner said he had to do some analysis that could be used in interviews or to help him prepare to interview. What type of analysis you think that would be?

some people show up with highly detailed plans for what to do with each position.. how to run the offense or defense. what positions need draft picks, etc..

i cant remember who the guy was last year, but there was a description of just how detailed this candidates plan was.. might have been tomlin ??

anyway, the guy won the job on the basis of his preparation for the interview

i think these days, it takes a lot more than simply showing up and telling ownership how many games you intend to win next year (unless you are someone like cowher who doesnt even need to do even that)

[firehawk157]

I don't think Cowher would even interview. There would be two statements of worth in the entire "meeting".

Cowher: I will take $10M a year, 3 years, and I hire and fire everybody.
Snyder: Deal.

[SkinsfaninNJ]

Keep this serious.

So when they have to prepare does that mean looking at the Redskins team and giving an analysis of team?

I read where Byner said he had to do some analysis that could be used in interviews or to help him prepare to interview. What type of analysis you think that would be?

That's an interesting question. This Schwartz interview happened quickly. I wonder if he attempted to watch some Skins film or get to know our roster. I'm sure there was some prep time, but there couldn't have been much.

[hail2skins]

I think, in Byner's case, he has to produce hard evidence (stats) of the running game's performance while walking into an interview. I think it's much more broken down into game-by-game rushing performance.

I think a head coach interview is much more about whether or not this guy could manage an entire football team. Offense, defense, special teams. I think it has much less to do with stats than it does with the man himself. I think he will be asked about the current state of the Redskins as a whole, and what he would add to the mix. In Byner's case, it's, "What will you do with the running game?" and that's it.Actually, Byner said some of his analysis may be used in an interview of a head coach.

[hail2skins]

some people show up with highly detailed plans for what to do with each position.. how to run the offense or defense. what positions need draft picks, etc..

i cant remember who the guy was last year, but there was a description of just how detailed this candidates plan was.. might have been tomlin ??

anyway, the guy won the job on the basis of his preparation for the interview

i think these days, it takes a lot more than simply showing up and telling ownership how many games you intend to win next year (unless you are someone like cowher who doesnt even need to do even that)Wouldn't that require a lot of prep time?

[hail2skins]

I don't think Cowher would even interview. There would be two statements of worth in the entire "meeting".

Cowher: I will take $10M a year, 3 years, and I hire and fire everybody.
Snyder: Deal.
This thread isn't about Cowher. It's about interviewing for head coaching jobs and what we think happens in them.

[hail2skins]

That's an interesting question. This Schwartz interview happened quickly. I wonder if he attempted to watch some Skins film or get to know our roster. I'm sure there was some prep time, but there couldn't have been much.I thought it was pretty quick as well but we don't know when he was contacted.

[smoak]

I think the interview differs based on who you are and where you are in your career.

A young coordinator is going to be grilled about situations, philosophy, etc. An established coach is going to have a much more relaxed interview IMO. It will probably be more focused on how to transition sytems and fit players...

But that is a guess on my part.

[lorimike]

Here is my assesment of the coaching candidates

1. Cowher- Will not be coming back until 2009. He has met with Penn State athletic director Tim Curly about taking over for Joe Paterno in one year.
2. Pete Caroll- wasn't this guy a failure at the NFL level? With a level playing field this guy in just ordinary. I could win at Southern Cal with all the 4and 5 star recruits that want to go there.
3. Swartz- why hire the student when you can hire the teacher?
4. Mike Singletary- I think Snyder might consider him.
5. Gregg Williams- in the end I think this job will be Williams

[GeneralDisorder]

I know this doesn't belong in this forum but I want to have the discussion here anyway.

What do you think happens in this interview? What kinds of questions do you think gets asked and what visual aids you believe are involved.

You get to play Dan and Vinny at Madden - if you win the job's yours.

Only thing though. They get to be the All-Madden team, you get the Amsterdam Admirals and the dodgy handset with the sticky 'x' button...

[hail2skins]

Here is my assesment of the coaching candidates

1. Cowher- Will not be coming back until 2009. He has met with Penn State athletic director Tim Curly about taking over for Joe Paterno in one year.
2. Pete Caroll- wasn't this guy a failure at the NFL level? With a level playing field this guy in just ordinary. I could win at Southern Cal with all the 4and 5 star recruits that want to go there.
3. Swartz- why hire the student when you can hire the teacher?
4. Mike Singletary- I think Snyder might consider him.
5. Gregg Williams- in the end I think this job will be Williams
This thread is not about the Redskins search for a head coach. It is about interviewing for HC jobs in general. Was I not clear before.

[Hr fan]

I think they ask the candidate:

-"How do you feel about meddlesome owners?"

I think they also make him go through his scheme that he's known for and how he would blend most(if not all) of the current personnel into it.

LOL. But too true. The first thing any successful applicant must do is to satisfy the decision makers that he is willing to accept and has thought through plans of how he and his staff will work within the Redskins unique management/personnel selection model. Clearly Snyder requires this ("If it ain't broke don't fix it").

After this how he would adapt to the existing team, including what he feels are the Redskins short and long term prospects and personnel requirements, who he would hire as staff (including what portion of existing staff/O and D philosophy would be retained), track record of success given the conditions he expects to inherit, etc., as well as his personality and ability to implement the Redskins media philosophy and perform as a leader.

Given where the team management feels the team is in terms of 2008 prospects and draft/FA requirements to best support this will not only favor incumbents, it will be used to disqualify applicants when differences are surfaced (for instance, if the applicant views the team as ageing/injury prone needing an infusion of youth versus so very close that only a few experienced pieces are needed).

[hail2skins]

We should conduct a mock head coaching interview. Someone plays the role of Danny, Vinny and the candidate. This could be fun.

Disclaimer: This would happen online unless the role of Danny is played by someone willing to splurge at Morton's. :D

[riskus]

I think the interview varies depending on the job. If the guy is going to try and be the gm and coach I imagine the process would be more intense.

I am curious how much strategy and tech talk actually goes on.

I would imagine certain people could get away with out having to do much intense game plan talk if they came off as a strong leader of individuals. In theory he might have his o and d guys dealing with most of the strategy anyway.

It would be important to get a grasp on how the canidate interacted with players and how he deals with the different personalities he would have to coach.

If you really think about it there isnt much difference between a head coach and a middle manager or foreman in a lot of other professions.

[riskus]

We should conduct a mock head coaching interview. Someone plays the role of Danny, Vinny and the candidate. This could be fun.

Disclaimer: This would happen online unless the role of Danny is played by someone willing to splurge at Morton's. :D

wait... so is thread supposed to be about how we think coaching interviews in general go or how the redskins do it?

joking aside i bet there is a pretty big difference.

[hail2skins]

wait... so is thread supposed to be about how we think coaching interviews in general go or how the redskins do it?

joking aside i bet there is a pretty big difference.in general but folks have been taking the Skins FO structure into account. I don't mind that at all. I just want to hear folks perspective on what they think happens in the interview.

[riskus]

in the redskins case since snyder is so hands on i bet the canidates come in with lots of fancy tech talk and cater it to make him feel like part of the team.

[hail2skins]

in the redskins case since snyder is so hands on i bet the canidates come in with lots of fancy tech talk and cater it to make him feel like part of the team.You're gonna have to be more specific than that. Tech talk?

[WarEagle]

(In the case of a strong internal candidate, none of the following is necessary.)

If I was owner, I'd have maybe 5 really specific standardized questions for each prospect. They can take as long as they'd like to answer. I'd have a dry-erase board in the room so they can diagram plays when the questions are technical. I would expect a free-wheeling discussion to take place from each of these questions. Obviously, the questions would cover critical facets of the game, intertwined with his coaching philosophy. One of the questions would be "Describe your greatest failure as a professional or college coach." After the prospect answers that one, I would challenge him with a horrible game he coached from his past, and ask him to explain it. (Research is really important with these interviews.)

As owner, I would be accompanied by 2 or 3 trusted subject matter experts that I've gotten to know over the years. They'd serve as my muscle who can really challenge the prospect and pick his football brains with followup questions. Real football heads. If one or two powerful silent partners in the Redskins want to observe, they can come along, too, and watch. It makes them feel good about their investment.

I'd never do an interview over the phone. I'd send my private plane to pick him up and fly him straight to National. I'd rent out a conference room at the Willard Hotel for the interview and spend the day with him (including lunch). I'd ask him about his greatest influences and all of that crap informally at lunch. Interviewing him in the middle of suburban sprawl would lack the drama, so that's why I'd bring him downtown, very discreetly.

Remember, if I'm interviewing him, he and I both know he's on the short list. I wouldn't be interviewing him unless I thought he had a chance, AND I already knew his strengths and weaknesses (remember the research!). I'd be thinking, "Can this man articulate to me why he's a winner? Do I want to be around him? Would the players?"

This is one of the toughest duties of an owner.

[redskin_rich]

I'd never do an interview over the phone. I'd send my private plane to pick him up and fly him straight to National. I'd rent out a conference room at the Willard Hotel for the interview and spend the day with him (including lunch). I'd ask him about his greatest influences and all of that crap informally at lunch. Interviewing him in the middle of suburban sprawl would lack the drama, so that's why I'd bring him downtown, very discreetly.

What purpose does doing the interview downtown serve? What kind of drama are you talking about? Tall buildings? LOL.
Snyder has an office at Redskins Park in Ashburn, which is minutes away from Dulles Airport, which also happens to be where Redskins One is hangared. Wouldn't you want to show the potential coach the facilities?

[Hr fan]

This thread is not about the Redskins search for a head coach. It is about interviewing for HC jobs in general. Was I not clear before.

I agree that Swartz HC talk has no place here since I believe GW is so cemented that Schwartz is really interviewing as the new DC.

[WarEagle]

What purpose does doing the interview downtown serve? What kind of drama are you talking about? Tall buildings? LOL.
Snyder has an office at Redskins Park in Ashburn, which is minutes away from Dulles Airport, which also happens to be where Redskins One is hangared. Wouldn't you want to show the potential coach the facilities?

That's a good point about convenience to Dulles. I doubt if I'd show the facilities to a prospect unless I'm about to offer him the job. I picked the Willard because during a break in the interview, I would take the prospect to a window looking over the city, point, and say "That's where I'm gonna build our new stadium." This would tell the prospect all he needs to know about me.

[smoak]

We should conduct a mock head coaching interview. Someone plays the role of Danny, Vinny and the candidate. This could be fun.

Disclaimer: This would happen online unless the role of Danny is played by someone willing to splurge at Morton's. :D

Actually, this could be interesting. I wouldn't mind palying either part over the w/e... No Mortons though.

[redskin_rich]

That's a good point about convenience to Dulles. I doubt if I'd show the facilities to a prospect unless I'm about to offer him the job. I picked the Willard because during a break in the interview, I would take the prospect to a window looking over the city, point, and say "That's where I'm gonna build our new stadium." This would tell the prospect all he needs to know about me.
I don't know... In any interview, you are selling your organization as well as the candidate is selling them self. I have been to many an interview where I was offered the job on the spot but found things I didn't like about the work environment and didn't take it. I think our facilities and our nice suburban location are selling points to any potential coach and I would be sure to flaunt that.

[Meatsnack]

I think the interview process varies widely by candidate and by team want.

For an established NFL coach who is a proven winner, the organization is basically woo-ing the coach because they have seen what he can do on the NFL level.

For "outsider" candidates without a head coaching resume, the candidate must sell his abilities. If the team is hiring a head coach to basically be a coordinator, like hiring Martz or Spurrier, then the candidate's job boils down to convincing people he can rehabilitate the offense while hiring the right coordinators to autonomously run Defense and Teams. If the team really wants a head coach/team manager type, then the interview process is probably more holisitic and covers leadership, coaching, and planning philosophy/practice.

The best candidates probably have strong presentation skills and multimedia shows of how their philosophy is translated into gameplans and hard copy folders of back-up detail for comprehensiveness and to show attention to detail. These are probably also true when the candidate has some head coaching experience in the past but it is of older vintage and/or less than stellar. Being able to spin why they could overcome what had held them back previously would be inportant.

Internal candidate interviews are probably more similar to the outsider interview. However, because they are known quantities from a personality and practice standpoint the interview can concentrate on how they would handle the other side of the ball and the overall management aspects of the team.

Last, they would all probably need to give an impression as to how well they would fit into the existing power structure of the team. For example, how much say in drafting/player personnel decisions would they want? How do they prefer to interact with scouts? How much is the rest of the staff involved and under what rules? For example, the Bengals' psoition coaches are essentially the guys who rank potential draftees handed to them by the couts and are heavily involved in the draft and player personnel decisions but this is not normal around the league.

[James F. Quinn]

in general but folks have been taking the Skins FO structure into account. I don't mind that at all. I just want to hear folks perspective on what they think happens in the interview.

First they ask questions to develop their feel for the guy. Is he strong-willed, tentative, aggressive to the point of arrogance, etc.

This doesn't have much to to with his O and D philosophies but rather goes to whether Dannie and Vinnie and the others think they can be comfortable working with the guy. In the very intensive environment of an NFL team, if you think the candidate is going to grate on your nerves, I think that puts him way down on the list.

After that would come general offensive and defensive philosophies. This is higher level, as opposed to nitty gritty. This guy might be scheduled to meet with some other teams, so it's unrealistic to expect him to know your entire roster in great detail and have studied game film extensively. But he should have done his homework on you to this extent: It is important to get the sense of whether he thinks he can adapt to your personnel or needs to overhaul the entire roster.

Then some dicussion of his coaching staff. What sub. coaches does he think he has to bring in vs those who are already on board.

If he seems to have a different view of how strong your team already is, make him explain his reasoning and convince you.

If you ask him his opinion of meddling Owners, expect him to ask you (Dan) how much meddling you plan to do. LOL

Might be interesting, if Joe is in the room, to ask him how he thinks he can do better than Joe Gibbs.

[bigcmr]

What the coaches plans are.
What his coaching style is.
Who does he want on his staff.
Who he wants on his team.
Can he work good with the FO.
Can his coaching style work with the tallent already here.
And what can he do in three years.

Many questions there is millions of dollars on the line. Might be one of the hardest interviews out there.

And the main thing is just like getting any job no matter what it is. You better ace the interview.

[riskus]

You're gonna have to be more specific than that. Tech talk?

the canidate would come in and share all his system strategy and everything that comes with it so that snyder really feels like he is running the team almost madden style.

the guy would come in and show him plays and schemes and everything like that. stuff to get snyder excited about the game itself almost like he was going to play