An activity director coordinates and plans events and activities on behalf of retirement homes, colleges or organizations. The main responsibility entails planning and executing activities. A human resources manager must ensure that interview candidates can handle the pressure of planning activities and think on their toes when problems arise. Ask direct questions to find most qualified individual for the job.

Previous Activity Performance

A human resources manager must ask a candidate about his experience in activities planning and directing, as the position comes with many responsibilities. Ask about previous activity director positions and experience. Focus the questions on research, planning, tailoring activities to target audiences and the overall success rate of former events. This question reveals how much experience the candidate has and shows the human resources manager how well this candidate tackles problems during event planning and implementation.

Highlight of Career

Ask the activity director candidate about the highlight of her career to learn what she values most. It is common that directors learn by doing and take note of mistakes. On the flip side, directors also note when an event is well executed and earn the institution money. The candidate’s answer will reveal how well the activity director learns from her mistakes during planning and how well she recovers from setbacks, including bad weather or missing volunteers.

Working with Management

Although an activity director must call the shots, he must be able to cooperate with other managers, such as those working in accounting, marketing and production. Ask the candidate how she works with the management involved with the activities. Not only will this answer reveal how well the candidate works with other people, but also how well she delegates and follows up with planning, research and carrying out tasks.

Marketing Events and Activities

Part of the planning includes marketing events and activities, so people in the local vicinity know when and where the activity takes place. Ask the potential candidate about different marketing methods and how she has previously promoted events and activities. The answer reveals how creative the activities director is in marketing the events, whether it involves simple brochures in a retirement home or posters on a college campus. Evaluate whether the promotional techniques are suited for the activities in question.