How To Answer The Most Common Interview Questions
Are you ready to ace your upcoming job interview? One of the most important parts of interview preparation is being ready to respond effectively to the questions that employers typically ask.
Since these interview questions are so common, hiring managers will expect you to be able to answer them smoothly and without hesitation.
You don’t need to memorize your answers, but you should think about what you’re going to say so you’re not put on the spot.
Your responses will be stronger if you know what to expect during the interview and have a sense of what you want to focus on. Knowing that you are prepared will boost your confidence and help you minimize interview stress and feel more at ease.
Here are the top 10 interview questions employers are likely to ask, plus 100+ more common job interview questions, example responses, tips for giving the best answer, and advice on how to ace the interview.
Top 10 Interview Questions For Managers In 2021
By Mike Simpson
Imagine if the job market were like a video game.
You start out with an objective , have to complete tasks and quests and eventually get the job of your dream .
Of course, no good game simply ends with you achieving your first goal , which means youll continue to get side quests and tasks and receive rewards .
Eventually, with enough of these under your belt, youll start advancingaka leveling up!
When you first start your job search youre at ground zero . Then you move to:
While each level takes longer and longer to complete, eventually youll get to one of the biggest opportunities of your career .
Congratulations!
Youre ready for your next adventure , mastering interview questions for managers!
Of course, like the hero in any good video game, leveling up takes time and effort, and making sure youre ready before you tackle this new quest is critical. Trying to level up before your skills are properly honed is a good way to incur a critical hit with your supervisors and lose points with the company youre working for.
And yes, were having way too much fun with this video game analogy to let it go, so sit back, get comfortable and make sure youve got a steady supply of Monster and Doritos on hand, because were just getting warmed up! Consider this your unofficial walk-through guide to interviewing for a management position.
Tell Me About A Decision That Was Difficult To Make Did You Consult With Anyone
Managers are always making decisions, including really tough ones like firing employees who arent working out, redistributing work when someone falls ill, making budget cuts, reporting to upper management that a project has failed, or promoting one person over another, to name a few. Interviewers want to see that youre up to the task.
Its also useful for hiring managers to see that you include others in your decision-making, rather than trying to make all the decisions by yourself. Work cultures are trending away from an overly hierarchical, top-down, command-and-control style of leadership. And a leader who relies on the input and expertise of subordinates and others in decision-making, also known as a collaborative leader, is often more effective and inclusive than those who do not.
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What Are Your Biggest Strengths
This question is most likely to lead you astray if you try to gauge your interviewer and say what you think they want to hear. Your best option is to be honest. Faking an answer for your interviewerâs benefit can backfire. Though choosing specific skills that are relevant to the job are ideal, your strengths can also be simple and applicable to every job. Some examples of universal strengths include: working well under deadlines, strong communication skills and punctuality. These skills are always nice to have, no matter what job is on the table.
Answering Interview Questions Correctly
Management is both about communication and management skills. Recognizing common management job interview questions and answers is important and showing the interview that you are perfectly comfortable in the management position is critical. It is more important to practice them repeatedly, and research the company in depth to seamlessly and accurately display your knowledge. The more you practice, the stronger your communication skills will appear throughout the interview, and the stronger these skills are the more successful your interview will be.
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Good Questions To Ask At The End Of A Program Manager Interview
When the sun begins to set on your program manager interview, theres a good chance youll be able to ask the hiring manager a few questions of your own. This is a critical opportunity that you shouldnt pass up. Not only does it make you seem more interested in the job, but it also lets you learn more about the role and the companys culture.
Sometimes, youll be able to choose some questions on the fly. If you dont learn something important during the interview, consider asking about it. But, if that doesnt happen, we have your back. Here are five good questions to have in your back pocket.
What Was Most And Least Rewarding About Your Last Position
What They Want to Know: This is another situation where its how you answer that is most important. Align your answers to what you know the employer is seeking in their next manager your most rewarding scenario should reflect a quality they want, and your least rewarding example should describe a skill or situation that isnt relevant to your ability to succeed in your new management role.
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Why Should We Give You This Job
This isnt the most common interview question, but it is still probable that youre asked this question in a job interview. They might also ask you: What are your main skills and strengths or Why do you think youre the best candidate for the role?
It might seem intimidating or you might even feel uncomfortable boasting about yourself, but if you are given the opportunity, go for it!
Your answer should focus on what you offer the company and not the other way round. The company wants to make sure that you are the right person for their firm.
When a company hires a good person, they are making it harder for their competitors to compete with them. Basically, you want to try to answer this question by letting the interviewer know what you can do that other candidates cant. Companies hire people to solve problems so let the interviewer know what problems youve solved and how your employers benefited as a result.
Focus on specific tasks in the job description that are critical to the position and tell the interviewer why you are the person to handle them.
Back your answers up with examples. Anyone can say that they have good organizational skills for example, but if you say something specific e.g. I have excellent organizational skills and in the past 12 months I have personally organized and supervised 6 corporate events with up to 300 participants on each one, you are definitely going to make a better impression than someone giving a generic answer.
How Do You Know The Project Is Off
Every project hits a snag along the way, but not every project manager is aware of that delay until the project budget or project schedule is affected. The ability to monitor and track the progress of a project and tell immediately when its not meeting the benchmarks you set in the project planning phase is perhaps the most important duty of a project manager. Then its also important to see if the project manager candidates have experience implementing a risk management plan to mitigate risks and keep projects on budget and schedule. ProjectManager has project dashboards to help project managers spot issues before they become serious problems.
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Reading In Preparation Of A Career In Management
If your goal is to enter the private sector in a production/operations management position, reading a few relevant books will allow you to combine your practical leadership experience with some supplemental information on the industry. Select one or two books from our Suggested Reading List to prepare yourself for the interview process. Additionally, we recommend that you read at least one book from the Sales reading list. Even if you’re not interested in a career in sales, until you get “the offer”, you are in the business of selling yourself, so learn how to do it well!
Describe A Time When You Had To Make A Difficult Decision
The interviewer may ask this question as a way to evaluate how you implement the decision-making process. You might answer with past experiences, and you may also give examples of how you would make difficult decisions should they hire you.
Example:“In the past, I had to make a decision regarding cutting costs that led to an extremely tough decision to layoff a small percentage of employees. I made this decision based on our company’s financial data that illustrated the necessity of making this choice.”
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Common Management Interview Questions And Answers
Management plays one of the most vital roles within a company. Effective leadership improves the efficiency of the organization, ensures deadlines and launches are met, and empowers subordinates to be accountable for their objectives.
To differentiate between manager applicants, management interviews have a variety of very specific job interview questions and answers, designed to distinguish your qualifications from other candidates vying for the same position. Below are several job interview questions and answers that specifically play a role in manager interviews. Use these interview questions to practice for your interview and supply answers that will generate the most positive response.
7 Day Manager Job Interview Preparation
Tips To Help You Prepare For Your Management Interview
The following tips can be helpful to prepare for your interview:
- Bring copies of your resume to distribute in case there are several people present during your interview
- Practice how you will answer interview questions with your friends or family or in front of a mirror
- If you get nervous, you can help yourself relax by breathing deeply, focusing on your strengths and keeping your practice answers in mind
- You might also think about describing clear examples of your past management positions and how you have developed the skills needed for the job
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Why Should We Hire You For This Fm Position
The interviewer could also pose this question as: Why do you think you would do well at this job? To properly answer these types of facility manager interview questions, you must be able to sell yourself. When preparing for the interview, make a list of all your positive attributes and how they relate to the FM profession, as well as the industry the organization is a part of. . Showcase your professional ambitions, such as motivation and your dedication to your position and the Facilities Management profession. Always highlight the similarities between your current job and the one you are interviewing for.
Example: “I am a quick learner and perform better under pressure. I adapt well to change and pride myself on motivating my teammates as we work to achieve the companys common goals.
What not to say: Avoid providing a laundry list of all your positive attributes limit your list to those relevant to the position you are interviewing for.
How Do You Motivate Your Subordinates
The best answer is to say that you try to address each issue of motivation individually, with every employee you manage. Identifying the problem should be the first step you take.
Second step consists in addressing the problem, whether with a right talk, or an incentive, or a punishment, or any other measure youd take to help your subordinate to regain their motivation and to deliver their best in work. Another good alternative is talking about a situation from the past, when you actually managed someone who struggled with motivation, and explaining what exactly you did to help them overcome a crisis.
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Explain The Meaning Of Risk Breakdownstructure
To answer this risk management interview question, you need to understand the interviewer is interested in knowing whether you are familiar with risk management tools.
Tip1: Describe the meaning of a risk breakdown structure
Tip2: Give power to your answer by mentioning all important points
Sample Answer
A risk breakdown structure or RBS is a representation of risks in a hierarchical manner. An RBS begins with the risks at higher levels and goes down to the risks at the finest level. With different levels, it is easier to streamline risks. Besides, it makes it quicker to identify risks categorically with the focus being accorded to specific risk categories.
Tell Us About A Time When You Led A Team
Such interview questions for managers cover all bases by aiming at the most crucial part of the profile.
Since there cannot be a manager without a team, talking about your experience with leading people can provide better insights into how well versed you are with being a manager.
To answer effectively,
- Choose to talk about a successful project led by you
- Discuss the details of your team, but avoid sharing too much
- Give a brief about the targets, nature of the job for context
- Speak about the achievements and challenges faced and how you dealt with them
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How Would You Manage A Customer Who Claims Their Drink Order Is Wrong
Remember that the customer isnt always right. However, they do know what they want. The interviewer wants to know how you fix a mistake, or simply make a change to help them have the best possible experience.
Example Answer:
I simply ask them what is missing or wrong, then I remake the drink order to their specifications. Ill repeat the order back to them just for clarity. Of course, I will apologize for any inconvenience as well.
How Do You Give Feedback And Hold People Accountable
In addition to making sure that your team gets their work done and that its high quality, managing means that you will continually be learning new ways to help people be better at their jobs. As a manager, youll be leading performance reviews and challenging employees to grow. So for this question, think back: When it comes to giving feedback, what have you done that works? How did someone take feedback that you gave and make an improvement in their performance, and how did that improvement impact the team or initiative at large? Particularly if you havent managed anyone before, you can use an example from times youve given feedback to a coworker or even a superior.
You can describe how you were able to keep a team on task and how youve held people accountable for their deliverables. What tricks have you learned to help people work smarter and what system have you used to track improvement or lack thereof? If holding others accountable has been difficult, as it was for one seasoned leader I worked with whose employees had different ideas about the flexibility of deadlines, what resources have you relied on to help you solve the problem, such as consulting with mentors or coaches or reading up on the latest trends in employee management, as this leader did?
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Sample Interview Questions For Managers
- Imagine youre assigned an important task but your team members keep interrupting you with questions. How do you complete the task, and how do you respond to your team?
- Tell me about a time you had to deal with a team member who constantly opposed your ideas. How did you handle it?
- Describe a time when your team managed to achieve ambitious goals you set. How did you support and motivate them?
- Describe a project you successfully managed end-to-end. What challenges did you face and what did you do to overcome them?
- Whats your approach to delegating work to employees? How do you ensure that tasks are completed?
- Describe a time you mentored someone. How did they grow? What were they doing initially, and what are they doing now?
- How would you tell a colleague that he/she was underperforming?
- Talk about the time you led an important meeting. How did you prepare for it?
Bryqs 10 Best Interview Questions For Managers
Tell us about the best manager youve ever had.
When asking usual job candidates this question, we are looking to see how well a candidate might work under the current management team. When asking potential managers this question, we are wondering what qualities they feel are most important and effective in a manager. The hope is that the candidate would emulate these positive qualities if hired.
Describe the worst manager youve ever had.
In this question, we are simply looking for the opposite of what we were looking for above. By asking this question, we are trying to figure out the bad qualities that a candidate is unlikely to bring to the table if hired.
How do you motivate employees to achieve their goals?
Motivation is so important to employees. As a manager, you are an employees biggest cheerleader. You want them to do well because they are a reflection of your leadership. When asking this manager interview question, you really want the potential manager to acknowledge that not every employee is motivated the same way. Managers should get to know their employees on a personal level in order to learn how each one of them is motivated. They might also need to change their management style in order to motivate some of their employees. This question will show adaptability and resilience, as well as emotional intelligence. Its a great question to ask!
What is your management style like?
How have you put your management skills to work in past roles?
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