Interview Questions 1
The Interviews
Southern New Hampshire University
PAD 631
Werlaine Badio
Interview Questions 2
James Kelly of Fox 25 news has recently reached out to me to interview the rising senatorial
candidate Michelle Easle, who is said to have a vision for a new America. I have prepared a set
of questions to ask her seeing as she has used this vision heavily on the campaign trail. Below
are my questions and rationale as to why I’ve provided them. Please go through them and edit as
you see fit. I will be turning them in to senior management for approval.
1. Why are you running for this position and what set you apart from other candidates as it
relates to your vision?
This is an important question to ask because it uncovers the candidate’s intentions when it
comes to her vision, and it shows how the candidate views herself in comparison to her
opponents. The constituents want someone they feel understands them and someone that wants
to have the position for the right reason. The answer that Michelle provides to this question can
help pick out any inconsistencies and changes to her next set of answers. The people want to
know that Michelle isn’t saying things to win votes but is passionate about her work and the
changes she has sworn to want to make. Politicians are widely known as liars. “Politicians lie is
one of the most heard refrains about the American government, and that is because, it is true.
Elected officials and their associates knowingly make false statements to the public all the time."
(Millstein, 2017). Michelle’s answers to this question will help combat that generalization.
2. If you were to come across any information the shines a negative light on your
opponent’s private life, would you expose it knowing that it would give you a guaranteed
win? Why or why not?
This question would test Michelle’s ethical decision making. Would she risk blowing up her
opponent’s life and family through unproven allegations for her own political gain or will stand
Interview Questions 3
true to promises and only make decision based of facts and not emotion. Although exploiting her
opponent would give Michelle a verified win, would he be willing to do so by starting out by
breaking her promise. This is another question that will either support or disprove that all
politicians lie. "Similarly political ethics refers to making moral judgements to guide action and
methods of decision-making for the public good." (Ethics in Politics: Are Politicians Like the
Citizens They Represent?, n.d.). Though personal assaults on political opponents aren't helpful to
the pursuit of=democracy as a whole, they can be a powerful, yet dangerous tool for rallying a
candidate's base supporters. When it comes to analyzing ethics, utilitarianism represents the most
widely used methodology. Utilitarianism holds that the best course of action is the one that
maximizes the number of individuals who gain from it while minimizing the number of persons
who are harmed by it.
3. Tell me about a time where you’ve been in a situation while working with colleagues
where you were in a disagreement about something you were passionate about, and the
decision was made favoring the colleague’s viewpoint. How did you work through it?
Everyone has been in a situation like this, whether through work, school, or home.
Maneuvering through these challenges take patience, acceptances, and adaptation. How Michelle
answers this question=will reveal whether or not she=meets her constituents’=expectations of
professionalism in handling conflicts and communicating such opinions. It will also
reveal=whether she=can make a choice without being=bias. "Professionals are highly vested in
their jobs and to have one's vision of excellent organizational performance criticized or rejected
can be trying"(Bryson, 2017).
Interview Questions 4
References
Bryson, J. M. (2017). Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Guide to
Strengthening and Sustaining Organizational Achievement (5th ed.).
Ethics in politics: are politicians like the citizens they represent? (n.d.). netivist.org.
https://netivist.org/debate/ethics-in-politics
Millstein, S. (2017, August 8). 13 Times Politicians Have Lied To Us in 2017. Bustle.
https://www.bustle.com/p/13-times-politicians-have-lied-to-us-in-2017-74833
