How does one gauge autonomy in a revenue operations interview?

I hate to type this, but the first gauge of autonomy for a candidate is: How involved are/were their parent(s) in the process? The candidate, individually, should be scheduling interviews, asking/answering questions and making employment decisions. Personally, if I have to engage with someone's parent, then I'm not offering the person the job. I may make an offer to the parent, though (kidding!).

Outside of that, I listen to how candidates respond to scenario questions and observe any noticeable response trends:

• Are they constantly referring to having someone double-check their work?

• When asked about independent decisions they've made, and the outcome of those decisions, do they have an example? Does that example involve cross-checking responses with a manager/supervisor?

Sometimes the best way to gauge a candidate's autonomy is to structure questions that specifically speak to that issue. If I get a sense that, beyond nerves, a candidate is not exhibiting autonomy, I'll ask questions like:

• What do you see as your level of authority/responsibility in a project team?

• Please give me an example of a time when you went to your supervisor for help with an issue. Why you needed to escalate the issue?

• Please tell me about a time when you had to adjust a stakeholder's expectations about a project. What did you do? Why? How was it received?

From there, I assess how well their answers demonstrate the level of autonomy required for the role. An entry-level position will require less initial autonomy than a senior manager.

RevOps autonomy varies with role and company, but workbook scope, alumni trajectories, task assignment and performance management provide valuable signals. To gauge autonomy I'd focus on 3 things:

• Obtain role scope detail with smart questions. RevOps is a broad container term, and the role may or may not align with your topics of expertise. Asking thoughtful questions about book of work, team vision, roles and responsibilities and partnership model with other teams not only clarifies expectations but also signals your ability to navigate uncharted territory.

• Look at past career trajectories. Ask how previous holders of the position evolved - did they gain more responsibility, make cross-functional jumps, or hit a ceiling? The growth of past team members tell you a lot about real autonomy.

• Probe task assignment philosophy and performance evaluation/OKRs. True autonomy lives in the middle. If processes are overly rigid, this may mean that you’re going to be autonomous, but only within a narrow, predefined scope. A loose or absent process? That’s not real autonomy - it just mean you're likely to be left to chase shifting leadership priorities.