Awesome Interview Questions For Management Positions
Managers are crucial to every organization.
They set and track business goals, train and motivate employees and ultimately take responsibility for the company’s most imperative projects. And they have a lot on their plates.
That’s why the cost of making a bad hire at the management level can be huge, sometimes more than you can afford to lose. If you’re ready to make your next management hire your best yet, this list of interview questions will help you find the perfect fit.
Question: Describe Your Worst Boss
I value an employer who communicates clearly with his employees. I’m a strong written and oral communicator and I appreciate employers who value those skills. In the past, I have had some employers who have been less than clear in conveying their ideas and directions. Although I work very well independently and I don’t require excessive supervision, I do appreciate employers who speak clearly to employees.
Why It Works: Here the interviewee takes the high road, dodging the temptation to criticize a previous employer. He also doesnt single out a single supervisor, but instead speaks in general terms.
Simple Pre Interview Tests:
Exchange a fair amount of correspondence with them before their interview. You can in this way test their professionalism, response time, telephone manner and command of the English language. You can get a good insight in this way into how they work. You may also wish to set them some sort of writing task that is based around the companys activities to test their enthusiasm, writing skills and attention to detail. You could ask them to email something over within an agreed timescale. No matter what type of company you work for, checking these basics will help a manager command authority.
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Tips For Passing The Manager Interview
TIP #1 Managing in any organization, large or small, requires a unique set of skills and talent. As a manager, you need to lead, make effective use of resources, manage, inspire and motivate. You also have to take full responsibility for the performance of your team. During the management interview, when asked what makes you a good manager, utilize all of these skills and be prepared to give specific examples of when you have successfully demonstrated each one of them in a previous role.
TIP #2 Manager interview panels often make good use of behavioural and competency-based interview questions. Questions such as, When have you managed an underperforming member of staff?, and Describe a time when you used effective negotiating skills in a management role? are commonplace in this type of interview. When answering questions of this nature, we recommend you use the S.T.A.R. technique for structuring your responses.
TIP #3 At every opportunity during the manager interview, we strongly recommend you use evidence-based answers to the questions posed. Do not fall into the trap of giving generic answers , but instead give answers that show the panel what you have already done in a previous situation. Evidence-based responses are far more powerful and will win you the interview!
QUESTION Who is your greatest competitor and how could I help you in this role to better them?
QUESTION What are the strategic plans for the company over the next few years?
The Art Of Interviewing For Management Positions
According to research from Brandon Hall Group & Glassdoor, âOrganizations that lack a standardized interviewing process are five times more likely to make a bad hire than those that do have such a process.â
It’s time to get this stuff right. To help you master the art of interviewing the best candidates for management roles, weâve put together a list of 21 awesome interview questions to add to your own guide or process.
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How Have You Successfully Delegated Tasks
Managers have to be cognizant of how work is distributed throughout their team. They need to know the details of who does what and who has authority over final decisions in shared tasksplus they must make sure that these things are clearly communicated. For example, who needs to see the contents of an email communication before it gets sent out? And does the email manager or communications director have final say if they disagree on something in the message? Hiring managers, in addition to seeing that you understand the importance of role claritythat workers know what their job iswant to be sure that as manager you dont attempt to take on the entire workload as a way of making sure it gets done, but rather that youll effectively distribute it to your reports.
Your story for answering this question could include what you did at a time when the workload was very heavy and you helped the team distribute the work and collaborate, what you did when there was a gray area as to who did what and how you helped straighten it out, or what you did at a time when a deadline was approaching and the team needed additional resources. Companies also want to see that you work to understand the dynamics of your teamwho excels at what tasks, who can handle more work, who needs more time off, and who needs tasks that will challenge them to grow, for example.
Here are some things not to do when answering this question:
Soft Skills And Motivation Questions
These questions will help you understand if a candidate can work collaboratively and manage diverse teams.
7. What was the best day at work youâve had in the past three months?
Instead of hitting your candidates with the same old âWhat are your strengthsâ question, this is a more organic way to uncover their strengths.
8. What was the worst day youâve had at work in the past three months?
To identify the candidate’s weaknesses, simply swap the question around.
9. What’s your plan for building rapport and credibility with your new team?
You want to know how your candidate plans to win the respect of the team.
10. How do you stay in contact with your team members?
Find out more about their communication style.
11. What’s your process for prioritizing tasks during busy times?
Get a feel for how they handle work amid stress and overwhelm.
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How Do You See A Managers Role On A Team
The managerial role involves being a team member, but also maintaining a certain distance and working independently a good portion of the time. Its a delicate balance to achieve.
Workers who are too independent risk alienating or micro-managing their team, while those who are too team oriented may undermine their own authority by trying to be pals with everyone. Look for candidates who demonstrate a strong ability to handle both types of work scenarios.
How Do You Deal With Your Mistakes At Work
To err is human is a phrase that is true for all of us. Managers are no exception to this.
However, their mistakes may have elaborate consequences if not dealt with properly.
It is one of the most important interview questions for managers, as to how they handle their mistakes reflects a sense of responsibility and awareness.
To answer effectively, start with how you check for any inconsistencies and can identify your mistakes, followed by how you self-correct and deal with consequences.
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Main Points: Interview Questions And Answers For Managers
- Use the STAR method to create answers which point to a specific situation you succeeded
- There is a meaning behind every question, so do your best to try and find what your interviewer is asking
- When sharing about your skills, try to find practical examples where you’ve used those skills
If you are interested and excelling in your next interview for a management position, Enhancv has a superb career counseling program. In the program, you will be given all the tools you need to succeed, including providing you with a mock interview, allowing you to be confident in your next interview.
What Not To Say
Never Criticize a Past Supervisor. Your prospective employer will probably assume that you’re a difficult employee if you offer up a list of complaints, no matter how well-earned they might be. You don’t want this. Even when an interviewer asks you to describe your least favorite boss, focus on how you were still successful in this environment and emphasize what you look for in a manager rather than the qualities you dislike.
Dont Elaborate. Try to focus on just one or two past bosses/employers so you dont come off as a job-hopper.
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Tell Me About A Time When You Achieved A Breakthrough Result That Is Not Directly Quantifiable But Which Has Had A Monumental Impact On The Company’s Goals
Why It Works: While this is a bit of a brainteaser, the ultimate goal is to unleash the candidate’s creative juices beyond proving their bottom-line value. For example, perhaps the interviewing company has ambitions to break out into a more visible force in the community, beyond being a service or widget provider. If the candidate is able to share stories where they expanded the visibility and presence in a community service sort of way, beyond the bottom line, then they would be showing how they could fulfill a particular need the hiring company wants to satisfy.
How Would You Describe Your Leadership Style
Sometimes it seems that there are as many formulas and paradigms for describing leadership styles as there are people to lead. This article reveals eight different styles, but to make it simple, Ill provide four that I like to reference:
- Direct: when leaders know what they want, outline their expectations, and are not afraid to speak up or confront others
- Relational: when managers lead by forming strong connections with others
- Visionary: when leaders have big ideas and easily find out-of-the-box solutions
- Operational: when managers are focused on the processes of how work gets done
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How To Pass A Managerial Job Interview 5 Crucial Tips
Richard McMunn has over 27 years experience as a manager and leader both within corporate organizations and the UK Fire Service. His experience at management level is unquestionable and the following 5 tips will help anyone to successfully pass their job interview at this level. Reach each of the tips carefully and use them as an aid to passing your managerial interview.
MANAGERIAL INTERVIEW TIP #1
The first managerial interview tip is to ensure you understand your own style of management and how this is applied in different situations. One of the more common managerial interview questions asked is, whats your management style? Remember, there are many different styles of management you can utilize, depending on the situation you are in. Choose your style carefully and make sure it is appealing to the organization you are applying to work for.
MANAGERIAL INTERVIEW TIP #2
Be prepared for a series of tough managerial behavioral interview questions! These include, when have you turned around an underperforming team, tell me about a time when you took control of a difficult problem and, tell me about a time when you dealt with a conflict between two team members. When answering behavioral interview questions for managers, be sure to give a specific situation you have previously been in, and dont forget to use the STAR technique .
MANAGERIAL INTERVIEW TIP #3
SITUATION: Explain the situation you found yourself in.
TASK: Outline the task that needed doing.
Can You Tell Us About A Few Books On Management Youve Read And What You Were Able To Apply In Your Current Position From Them
Every manager has a few favorite leaders, and should be regularly reading material on organizational leadership. Their managerial perspective and your organizations work culture need to blend well. Understanding the schools of thought that inspire your candidates on management style, project management, etc, can give you a decent idea of what they will try to implement while working for your company theres no right or wrong answer to this job interview question, but do try to find someone whose ideas fit your organization.
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Practice Your Answer At Home
I recommend practicing by recording yourself talking into your smartphone . That way, you can see how your answer sounds and make sure youre remembering the key points you want to mention in your answer.
Dont memorize word-for-word youll just sound like a robot or get nervous in the interview. Instead, focus on talking about the key points you want to discuss, and in the order you want to discuss them.
Once youre able to give a clear, concise answer without leaving out key pieces, youre ready for your interview!
Good Questions To Ask Leaders And Managers About Conflict Resolution:
- Tell me about a time where two members of your team had a disagreement. What did you do to resolve this? Would you do anything differently if given the chance?
- Tell me about a project or situation that involved input from multiple departments/stakeholders. What did you do/say to manage the situation? What was the outcome?
- Describe a time that you had to deal with an employee that was toxic to the team/work environment. How did you communicate with the employee that his attitude/behavior was not ok. What was the outcome?
- Tell me about a time where a senior member of your team had an issue with the work of one of your direct reports. How did you react/resolve this situation? Would you do anything differently if given the chance?
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Work History And Experience Questions
These questions will help you find out how a candidate’s background relates to the open position.
1. Tell me your story. How did you get from the start of your career to your last role?
This is a great icebreaker that also gives you insight into how they view their own career path.
2. Tell me about your leadership experience.
Ask them to tell you about a time they helped develop an employee to get an idea of the kind of coach or mentor they’ll be.
3. What was the age, gender and race makeup of the last team you managed?
This is huge. You need to know their views on workplace diversity and inclusion.
What Is The Meaning Of Fit
Before we dig into how to answer Why are you a good fit for this job? lets take a step back a second and talk about what fit even means here.
The folks at Merriam-Webster define fit as acceptable from a particular viewpoint. Well, that doesnt help a ton, but it does start to shape the picture.
Think of it this way. A company is like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Every employee is a piece of that puzzle, coming together to create the picture. A vacant position is a missing piece, a hole in that picture. The hiring managers job is to fill that hole.
Ultimately, in the context of this question, fit is mainly about being that right puzzle piece. Its how your skills, experience, and interests match the duties and responsibilities of the job, as well as the companys culture.
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Question: What Types Of Managers Have You Worked For And What Type Do You Prefer
I’ve worked under employers with a variety of management styles. I’ve had some employers who encourage lots of independent work, and others who prefer to give clear, specific instructions. I thrive in both environments. I work very well independently, but also know when to ask questions.
Why It Works: This candidate demonstrates how she can adapt to different management styles, even though she prefers to work independently. She thus is able to strike the perfect balance as an employee who is open to supervision but doesnt require too much direction.
How Would You Describe Your Management Style
This question will help you understand how the job applicant interacts with their employees and helps to foster a positive working environment. What to look for in an answer:
- Leadership skills
- Ability to foster a positive work environment
- Ability to keep employees engaged
Example:
“I take a lot of time ensuring my employees are happy and enjoy working for me and the company. I’m a firm believer that you get better quality work with happy employees. To do this, I stay flexible with the schedules that work best for my team and am very hands-off. I like to be there for input and advice when required but am sure not to micro-manage.”
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What Are The Next Steps In The Hiring Process
Asking about the next steps lets your potential employer know that you are interested in pursuing this position. You are curious about how the hiring process works and what to expect next. The next steps could include another interview, testing, paperwork or a phone call. It is also important to know when they are planning to make a decision.
Management Interview Question 3 Star
Tell me about a time you had to manage a difficult employee.
In my previous position, I managed a team of 5 consultants. One team member was constantly late when it came to completing tasks. These tasks were set out and discussed during the weekly planning to make sure all team members had the same workload. With him being late, the whole team started to run behind on the planning. I had a one-on-one meeting with him and, next to giving him a warning, explained the situation and how it impacted the team performance. We discussed a deadline for him to improve his contribution to the team effort.
After the first two weeks that followed, I saw no improvement, so I talked to him again and told him that I would include this in his employee record and report it to the HR department. We discussed a final deadline to improve himself, and I offered to coach him during the process.
Luckily for the team and me, but also for him, he took it seriously this time. Within a week or so, there was a real improvement in his output and quality of work, and furthermore, everything was delivered ahead of the project the deadline. Besides his productivity and quality going up, the friction within the team was gone, and all issues were solved eventually.
Why this is a strong answer:
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