How to recruit a good scrum Master (reprint)

How to identify a good scrum master is a problem for many people. Here I have the privilege to share with you an article by Uncle Mike that helps you identify who is a good scrum Master.

In an interview, it's not just a checklist to identify what the candidate needs to know and what to do, so it's not a simple job to interview scrum master. However, since many of the interviews with scrum master are similar to those for other positions, I am not prepared to waste time explaining them. As a follow-up, I'm more focused on the scrum master position.
At the same time, I would like to highlight the importance of ensuring that candidates are relatively comfortable in the interview process (the interview is stressful) and can ask open-ended questions. And, hopefully, the candidate will be able to take some time to think about how to become a qualified scrum master. 6 great features of a good scrum master.

Everyone has their own list to measure a good scrum master, and on my list there are 6 special items. In your interview, you can see how much a candidate can meet the requirements on the list. I usually score 1 points-5 points for each trait. Of course, you can decide your own criteria for judging.

1. Liability
A good scrum master has the ability and willingness to take on some responsibilities, and of course they can quit the team at the right time to let the team organize their own work. One orchestra conductor once said that he was incapable of directing the specific performance of each orchestra musician, but that he was able to help everyone in the orchestra do their best to do their utmost. A good scrum master can grow fully and help the team without authorization.
2. Humility
The good Scrum master is not self-centered, you want scrum master to put the needs of the team on their own. I used to see a scrum master that didn't write code on a sprint review the keyboard and said "This is what I want the team to do", "This is what I want the team to do next", "This is what I want to build under the team." This is not a humble scrum master should say, perhaps, the better language is "this is what we want to do together." Of course, the best thing is to keep quiet, and then let the team control the keyboard and decide for themselves.
3. Cooperation
A good Scrum master allows the team to maintain a culture of collaboration, and he should be able to ask team members to ask questions in the development discussions in a timely manner. When a dispute arises, he can lead the team to find a solution that will benefit all stakeholders, not just one victory.
4. Commitment
Some scrum masters are not very concerned about the success of the project, which is not right. Scrum Master should work with the team to make a commitment to the success of the project. In my mind, the ideal scrum master should be able to focus on the success of the project and try to solve the problem.
5. Influence
Scrum master often needs to build leadership without direct authorization. So it is important to be able to influence other members in this situation. Some scrum masters can use persuasive techniques to achieve this goal, while others may take advantage of personal charisma and personality traits. No matter what method you use, Scrum Master does need to influence people inside and outside the team with their own influence. This is a very important scrum master trait.
6. Knowledge System
In my case, the knowledge system includes technical and product areas, and I do not require a scrum master to be a traditional technical expert, nor to compel him to have knowledge of the product domain. But in my case, if there are these two advantages, I will give them a bonus points.So how does scrum master work?

Above is some of the features that Scrum master should have, and beyond that, I would like to know how Scrum master can demonstrate his abilities in different situations. I will ask questions in specific situations to see how they respond.
For example, your boss is now on a trade show and wants to add 2 new features that are not within the plan. When the same thing happened last week, you added a little bit of class and then added these features to the plan. But if you don't, you'll have an impact on sales and the boss will be upset.
I like to ask some hypothetical scenarios, because through the open question like above, I am able to know the following two points:
You've given the team the worst advice ever.
The most proud of you to give the team the Help
Why these questions are good, because they can give you a good understanding of the candidate's special background. Of course, I prefer to add some assumptions, so that a problem based on a situation can make me even more of a candidate for comparison.
Think about what the boss wants new, unplanned features at the fair. Imagine that you can get a different answer from 5 different candidates, and these answers are very effective for me, and they can let me know who I'm going to choose.
Finally, setting up some scenario-based issues is a very effective way to choose Scrum Master.

This article is reproduced to Https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com, written by Mike Cohn.
Original address: Https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com//blog/advice-for-interviewing-scrummasters