Tell Us About A Time Something Went Wrong In A Project You Were Managing
Setbacks are normal in managing projects. Hiring managers will want to know how youâve dealt with them in the past to understand what you do when things donât go according to plan.
How to answer: Since dealing with unforeseen challenges is a core part of project management, youâll want to have a few examples to point to for your interview. You can also mention how you would implement change processes in your project.
Consider using the STAR method when asked for specific examples from your past. Hereâs how to put the method into action:
Situation: Start by describing the facts of the situation and why it happenedâin this case, what had gone wrong.
Task: Go on to describe what task you were expected to do to solve the situation.
Action: Next, explain what you did, and how you did it.
Result: Finish by sharing the outcome. Also describe what you learned from the experience.
What Was One Of The Most Difficult
Why It Works: The answer to this question will help determine what motivates this management candidate in their career, what it is that gives them a sense of growth and satisfaction. This is helpful in assessing whether the candidate will sustain satisfaction in the particular environment for which you are assessing them.
What Are Your Personal Career Goals
This is a way to determine if a candidate is driven or not. The most driven candidates have a sense of where they would like to be in the next few years. Less driven candidates will say things like “I just want to work at a fun place,” or “I don’t really know.”
What to Look For in Good Answers
It’s fine for people to not know exactly where they want to be — many people don’t — but they should have researched various career paths or have some idea of where they might like to end up, and they should reference a career path, industry, or set of skills they want to add to their resume in the future.
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What Is Your Favorite Technology And/or Digital Tool And Why How Has It Supported Your Goals As A Manager
Why It Works: With today’s ever-evolving technology landscape, including AI, social media, etc., it is important to assess a manager’s touchpoints in these areas.
How managers at your organization interview candidates matters and will show up in company reviews. To get involved in the conversation on Glassdoor and start managing and promoting your employer brand reputation, unlock your Free Employer Profile today.
From the Resource Library
How To Make The Best Impression
The best way to make a great impression in a management interview is to demonstrate your confidence and competency in leading others, while at the same time expressing your enthusiasm for the company you are applying to.
When youve done your research of the employer and have honed your sales pitch , youll be ready to prove to your interviewers that youre the perfect candidate for the job.
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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.
What Experience Do You Have With Respects To This Particular Support Manager Position
Answer tips:
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you know you do not have much experience in the job you are applying for, plan for this question ahead of time and ensure you can provide some relatable examples based on what you have done.
Almost all interviewers will appreciate confidence and pride in the work experience you have earned and your passion in transfering these valuable skills to your future role or position.
Answer sample
Ever since my first paper route at age 10 Ive been doing something to keep myself busy and earn money. Back then, it was obviously about earning some spending money. What I didnt realize was that I was actually starting the journey of establishing what I liked to do and how I fit in to the grand scheme of things. I then worked as a junior computer tech in my last 2 summers of high school. It was here that I discovered what I was passionate about and what I wanted to do. I enrolled in college to get my degree in computer sciences, and I have been working around technology ever since.
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What Is The Biggest Challenge That You Foresee In This Job
Here, prove to the interviewer that you are visionary and have a plan for the future should you get the opportunity to work with them.
Tip 1: Ensure that the challenge you mention does not paint as you being incompetent.
Tip 2: If you can think of any solution, hint it out to the interviewer.
Sample Answer
I must mention that I admire the employee culture in this organization and find it impeccable. In my former workplace, we had a problem with some of the organizations ideas leaked to our competitors. I find that the IT policy here has a few loopholes that could jeopardize the organization if anyone took advantage. We will need to find a way of dealing with the loopholes and making the policy airtight.
How Would You Describe A Project Plan
An interviewer can try to gauge your technical knowledge of basic project management concepts.
How to answer: Start by answering the questionâdescribe what elements you know to be an important part of a project plan . You can then go into an example of how youâve typically implemented them in the past.
Read more: How to Make a Project Plan in 4 Steps
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General Senior Manager Interview Questions
Interviewers often begin by asking general senior manager interview questions that allow them to get to know you personally and professionally. Here are 15 general questions a hiring manager may ask you:
Can you give me a brief summary of your resume?
What motivated you to apply for this position?
What do you know about this company?
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
What are some of your greatest professional strengths?
What is one area in which you want to improve professionally?
How would you describe your ideal company culture?
How would you describe your ideal supervisor?
Do you prefer communicating by phone, email or in person?
Do you prefer managing large or small teams?
What’s your greatest career achievement?
What’s your ultimate career goal?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
What made you decide to leave your most recent position?
Do you have any questions for me?
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Our Field Is Always Changing As Such What Have You Done With Regards To Personal Development When It Comes To Our Posted Support Manager Position In The Last 12 Months
Answer tips:
Here is an opportunity for you to showcase a wide variety of things you may have done both personally and professionally that will get your potential employers interested. Be sure to think about this one in advance in the event that it comes up.
Keep in mind, one of the key things that employers look for is an applicant who is self motivated and goal oriented.
Even if you dont have something that is specific to the role you are applying for, dont be afraid to list hobbies or other non-work related activities here. Again, this shows your employer you are the go-getter they are looking for.
In the end, you want to ensure that you are leaving your interviewer with the impression that you are motivated, self sufficient, and manage your time effectively.
Answer samples
That is a really great question. While I havent had the opportunity to develop within this particular role per se, I have actually become very involved in my local foodbank this year. This has taught me a great deal about community, teamwork, and taking initiative.
I took it upon myself to enroll in a summer business admin course at the local community college. Through this, I picked up some really great knowledge on communication and teamwork, as well as further develop overall managerial skills. Though it may not be directly applicable to this particular job, I believe the overall experience I gained could be a real asset here.
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Why Should We Hire You
What They Want to Know: Hiring managers who ask this question want to know why you would be the best person for the job so youll need to give them a persuasive sales pitch. Try to describe at least five qualifications that you would bring to the position, quantifying them with percentages if you can.
How Do You Stay Motivated At Work
Despite all the challenges that you may face as an IT manager, the interviewer would like to know what keeps you going at the workplace. Your answer may help create a conducive environment for you.
Tip 1: Avoid mentioning anything materialistic things as this will make you look greedy.
Tip 2: Have a well-thought-out answer but be natural.
Sample Answer
Seeing that I am up to date with my work brings me pure joy and keeps me going. Knowing that I positively impact and bring change to the organization when my work is well done also satisfies me.
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What Is The Role Of The Helpdesk In Production Support
The helpdesk is typically the first point of contact for users experiencing problems. They will often liaise with production support teams to resolve these issues. Helpdesks are usually staffed by Level One support personnel responsible for tasks such as resetting passwords and restarting services. In some cases, they may also be able to provide basic troubleshooting assistance.
What is CAPA?
CAPA stands for Corrective Action and Preventative Action. It is a process used to identify and resolve problems to prevent them from happening again in the future. CAPA typically involves four steps: identifying the problem, root cause analysis, implementation of corrective actions, and preventative measures.
What Has Contributed To Your Leadership Success
The interviewer is seeking to determine if you have been successful as a leader in your capacity.
Tip #1: Explain what makes you successful in leadership.
Tip #2: Make the interviewer know that you have been successful.
Sample Answer
I believe in partnership, and I see myself as a partner to any business. I aim at adding value wherever I go and leading by example. I make the right decisions and always leave an impact on whatever I do.
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Who Was Your Best Manager And Who Was Your Worst Tell Us About Them
In response to this common interview question, a good manager will avoid naming the managers directly. It takes a little communication skill to talk about their worst manager without being overly negative. They will, however, describe what challenges were faced in working with the difficult manager and what made working with the good manager easier.
They will also demonstrate the ability to isolate management attributes that they hope to incorporate in their own management style, based on their experiences.
How Do You Communicate Effectively To Your Team
Effective communication is essential for employees to perform their work and accomplish it correctly. Here, you are tested on how to communicate effectively.
Tip #1: State ways you ensure information is received by your team
Tip #2: Show that you are skilled ineffective communication
Sample Answer
Depending on the type of information, I choose the mode of communication wisely to make sure the information gets to the team members on time. I use emails, memos, and phone calls to communicate. For urgent communication, I call the team head as well as send direct messages to team members.
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As An It Manager How Do You Keep Your Team Members Motivated
Here, the interviewer tests whether you can keep employees motivated.
Tip #1: Describe how you keep your team motivated
Tip #2: Give the impression that you can motivate your team to remain productive
Sample Answer
I keep my team motivated is by acknowledging their determination at work and thanking them for their contributions towards the success of a project. Besides, I provide gifts to top performers in my department. In doing that, I keep my team inspired towards performing excellently.
Top 20 IT Manager Interview Questions with Sample Answers:
How Have You Mentored An Employee To Help Them Achieve Their Goals In The Workplace
Employers ask this question to see how you use your leadership capabilities to encourage others in their improvement. When you discuss this mentoring experience, share how the professional you mentored transitioned from one set of habits to another or how they met a specific goal with your help. Emphasise how you guided them with your expertise and respect for the relationship.
Example:”I had the opportunity to mentor a new assistant manager in my previous position. My coworker was interested in management opportunities and was studying for an MBA. Since I had recently earned my MBA, he asked if I would mentor him through the process, both for his studies and for the new position at work. I was happy to do it.
We met every week for coffee and discussed coursework, projects and ways to use what we’d learned for the company. I attended his graduation last summer. If I’m hired for this position, he’s planning on interviewing to take my place there.”
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What Do You Know About Our Organization
This question is one reason to do some research on the organization before the interview. Find out where they have been and where they are going. What are the current issues and who are the major players?
Sample answers:
A good organization with perfect management. I heard that in this organization i can gain knowledge and good atmosphere. If its for a good renowned company then its better to go through the company website and know whats the company profile and whats their achievements/successes and branches & other details. According to me this is one of the best company. It has a good Environment, We feel good working in companies, which has good growth in the IT Industries. This Organization has all the qualities like good growth, good Environment, maintaining a best level in the IT Industries, etc.
What Is Meant By High Availability And Why Is It So Important
The interviewer wants to know whether you are familiar with high availability and its importance.
Tip #1: Define the term High Availability
Tip #2: Explain why it is important
Sample Answer
High availability refers to the state of a system or component functioning without interruption for long periods. High availability is very important because it ensures that goods and services are always available. In some industries, a downtime of several minutes can result in huge losses.
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What Experience Do You Have For Sales Support Manager
Answer tips
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can. If you are being asked this question from your employer then you can explain your experience. Tell the employer what responsibilities you were performing during your job. You can tell what programs you developed and what modules you worked on. What were your achievements regarding different programs.
Answer sample
I have been working with computers since 2001. I also have a degree in network support/computer repair. I have built my last 3 computers, have work with Dell as an employee. So I have around 15 years experience working with computers.
Customer Support Manager Interview Questions
The customer support manager leads the customer support strategy, ensuring that business clients receive excellent and consistent service from well-trained staff.
The ideal candidate will have experience recruiting new employees, managing the budget, and training staff to stay up-to-date on new trends in the industry. Avoid candidates with a lack of experience in managing, hiring, and training staff.
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What’s Your Management Style
Recruiters are trying to gain an insight into how you interact with employees so in your answer don’t just describe your style, tell them how it works by referring to real-life examples. Use some of your proudest moments as a team leader or manager to show how your management style leads to success.
Demonstrate awareness and an appreciation of how management styles can differ depending on the work environment and verbalise your ability to be flexible with your management style where needed.
What Was Your Biggest Failure In Your Previous Role And How Did You Recover From It
This question helps assess coachability and honesty. Everybody has failed, but the important part is did the candidate learn from it — or do they blame someone else for it?
What to Look For in Good Answers
Some candidates will give a cop-out answer. You’re looking for an answer that speaks to the candidate’s sense of personal responsibility, resilience, and ability to learn from mistakes in the future.
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