In this post, you'll learn about the best Scrum Master Interview questions.
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Table of Contents for this tutorial
- What is Scrum
- How do I become a Scrum Master
- Scrum Master Interview Questions
- How to answer these questions effectively
- How to grade applicants effectively
- How to pick the right Scrum Master
If you'd like to learn to ask or answer Scrum Master job interview questions, keep reading to learn how to answer or ask great job interview questions.
This is part of a four part series on how to hire a Scrum Master
- Scrum Master Interview Questions (this post)
- Scrum Master Salary
- Scrum Master Jobs
- Scrum Master Resume
- Scrum Master Training
What is Scrum
If you're not sure what Scrum is yet please head over to our what is Scrum tutorial where you will learn about the Scrum framework
- roles
- events
- artifacts
How do I become a Scrum Master
It can be hard to get your first Scrum Master position, but it's almost impossible to do unless you're a professionally credential holding Scrum Master. If you are still waiting for your chance to get your Scrum Master credential may we suggest the cheapest Scrum Master credential?
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Scrum Master Interview Questions
Here are the five best Scrum Master interview questions
- Walk me through an entire Sprint's worth of activities
- Describe an impediment you have removed for your team
- Describe a time you coached a developer
- When have you effectively removed an enterprise level impediment
- What did the velocity of you last team do while you were Scrum Master?
How to answer these questions effectively
If you're reading this tutorial and you're a Scrum Master getting ready for an interview it will be important to understand how to answer these questions effectively.
Here's the trick, first you need to know your stuff. Study the Scrum Guide and know it inside and out. You may want to also bush up on our Scrum Summary blog post which gives you and overview of the roles, events, and Scrum artifacts.
Next, listen closely to any question that starts with "describe". These questions are asking for you to explain how you have already demonstrated what they are asking about.
Give concrete examples and consider using the STAR format for your interview answers. If you've heard about STAR answers a hundred times already, that's because they work.
Next, be very specific. Describe a single event, not a general approach.
You may find yourself in a situation when you've been asked about something you've never done. That's fine. State clearly that, "while I've never done exactly x, y, z I've done something similar to that when I a, b, c". That's your best option so try to describe things close to what you were asked about.
If you are asking these questions at an interview, be very specific and particular about the answers you will accept. If you ask to "describe a time when x, y, z" and the answer isn't addressing that either score low marks or state, "could you provide a specific example please?"
Of all of the questions above the most important question is question 2. You need a Scrum Master that can remove impediments and has done so in past assignment.
How to grade applicants effectively
Grading applicants must be based on the HR guidance of your organization so be sure to know that guidance. Ideally, your company would have a hiring course you could attend.
If not, seek the HR guidance and follow it rigorously.
How to pick the right Scrum Master
Picking the right Scrum Master is hard. You need to pick one who understands scrum, can lead a team, can coach a team, and has a track-record of removing impediments.
Using the five questions above you'll have the best chance of picking the perfect candidate.
Conclusion
In this post you learned the five best questions to ask at a Scrum Master job interview. This should help you pick the best candidate and have the most effective Scrum teams.
To review, we covered:
- What is Scrum
- How do I become a Scrum Master
- Scrum Master Interview Questions
- How to answer these questions effectively
- How to grade applicants effectively
- How to pick the right Scrum Master