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.