The Best Interview Questions and Answers For Managers

Interview Questions and Answers For Managers

The Best Interview Questions and Answers For Managers [Updated] – When you’re interviewing potential managers, it’s crucial to make sure you can trust that they will do their job right – and the best way to determine this is by asking interview questions that challenge them to think on their feet and show off their abilities. These are some of the best interview questions for managers; you can use them in any interview setting to get a better sense of how qualified they are to handle your company’s most important tasks.

You begin with a goal (getting a steady paycheck), must complete various tasks and missions (interviews), and eventually receive the job of your dreams (achievement unlocked: career!)
Of course, no good game simply ends with you achieving your first goal (getting your first job), which means you’ll continue to get side quests and tasks (increased responsibilities, performance reviews) and receive rewards (raise! promotion! parking space!).

In time, if you do enough of these, you’ll begin advancing. . . .or leveling up, in game lingo.
Starting a job search is difficult, but if you stick with it, you will start seeing success.

• Beginner level
• Under probationary consideration
• A full-time employee

As the levels get more and more difficult, eventually one will lead to your career’s biggest opportunity, the level up of Management.

Congratulations to you!
You’re ready for your next adventure (insert cheesy 8-bit synth wav file theme song and applause here), mastering interview questions for managers!

You’re going to need to spend time and effort if you want to level up in life, so make sure you’re ready before you tackle your new project.
And as a video game, yes, we’re having way too much fun with this to let it go. So you might want to get comfortable and make sure you have enough snacks at the ready – like a pack of Monster and a bag of Doritos – because this isn’t where the story ends.
Ok, so before we get started we wanted to let you know that there are over 100 other difficult interview questions you could be asked in your job interview. Sounds stressful right?

When A Management Position Opens Up

To continue our video game analogy, let’s pretend you’ve been at level 3 (full time employee) for a few years now.  You’re making a great paycheck, you’re good at your job, you consistently get great employee reviews and the rest of your team look up to you and respect you.

One day you overhear a few of your supervisors talking about a management position opening up in your department and that they’re looking to hire from within.  The pay bump is substantial, and the work is stuff you’re already familiar with, so you start thinking…maybe you’ll apply!

All this is incredibly exciting, but before you rush home to polish off your resume, let’s take a step back and make sure you’re really ready, and that means doing some serious self-evaluation.  Ultimately a company wants to hire a manager that they know can competently lead a team, get good results, and shares the organization’s long-term goals for the position.

Though different industries have different requirements, you can always expect the companies to be looking for a certain set of skills.

For a more objective view, we’ve put them together in this brief, self-assessment quiz

• 1. How do you develop a strategy?
• What makes you want to win?
• What are your greatest strengths?
• How do you deal with conflict?
• Why did you choose this company/department?
• If given the opportunity, what would you change about this department?
• If someone gave you $1 million, how would you change things?
• What book have you read that has influenced your life outside of business books (fiction or non-fiction)?
• What is success?
• What is your management style?
• How do you share tasks to your team?
• What Weakness Do you have in management?
• How do you cheer people?
• What is your conflict management between team members?
• What way do you manage stress with your team?
• Why do you want to leave your current job?
• What do you think your supervisor would say about you?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• What were your biggest achievements at previous jobs?
• What was your biggest failure and what did you learn from it?
• Do you have any questions for me/us?
• Conclusion

 

Most importantly:

If you were asked to take on a management role, do you think you would be prepared to do so?
Let’s imagine that these questions correspond to checkboxes for your video game character, every ‘yes’ marking off a green checkmark and every ‘no’ scratching off a red x.
With more green check marks than red X’s, it appears you are making progress as you go.
If the answer is no, don’t feel badly or badly. All is okay if you stay where you are and it is worthwhile getting more experience and making more goals. It’s better to be over-prepared than overly-eager.
Congratulations! If you said yes, you unlocked the next section.

Prepping For The Battle Ahead

Sure, it’s a challenge, but it’s a mental challenge, not a physical one. That being said, you should start strategizing before you even come up with a plan.
When preparing for your interview, remember that it won’t always be the same type of interview that you’re used to. For example, in a traditional job interview, the interviewer will ask you questions related to your experience, but when interviewing for a managerial position, they will be more interested in what you bring to the table as a leader.

Furthermore, leading diverse personalities is another aspect of project management, so expect some questions about leadership and resolving conflict.
You should be prepared to answer some of the traditional interview questions that may come up, such as questions about your long-term goals, the job you currently have, and your career prospects in the future.
Having talked about what to expect, now let’s focus on how to build your response options so you’re well-prepared for the actual interview.

Like the behavioural questions we’ve gone over many times in the past, project manager interview questions should always be accompanied by concrete examples from your past. Your goal is to demonstrate to your interviewer that you’re not just knowledgeable, but that you’re experienced (max XP!).

Here’s my best tip: bear in mind that as a management position is, at its heart, about leading and directing people, when answering questions it’s really helpful to tell the interviewer about times you successfully acted as a leader.

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How do you develop a strategy?

When asked, many managers claim to have a strong understanding of what makes for a good strategy. But research has found that many managers still don’t really understand strategy. In fact, a growing body of literature has begun to suggest that many managers are more concerned with getting past performance hurdles than making clear decisions about where their companies should be going in years to come. This may be why so many established firms don’t seem to have strategies at all. Interview your candidate using management questions and answers from The Muse’s interview library

What makes you want to win?

The first thing you need to do in any interview is convince your future boss that you’re somebody who wants to win. You can answer that question with a personal story, an example of when you led or participated in a winning project, or an analysis of what your team would be able to accomplish if they were all winners. No matter how you answer it, remember: winning means different things to different people. So make sure you know what winning means for your company and for your role before claiming victory. If you don’t get any questions about why you want to win during interviews, it might be a sign that there are bigger problems on the horizon.

What are your greatest strengths?

You are probably not lying if you say that you’re a nice person, but that doesn’t mean it will impress your interviewer. Instead, think of specific situations in which you demonstrated each trait, or how it benefited your company. Don’t just rely on cliches like I care about people—include real-life examples, like how you were able to keep productivity high while still supporting your co-workers when they needed help. Whatever traits you choose to list as strengths, back them up with strong examples—that is what will convince an interviewer that you have those skills.

How do you deal with conflict?

This question is one of those questions that it’s easy to prepare for. Ask yourself, how do you deal with conflict? When was a time that you had conflict at work? How did you resolve it? If nothing comes to mind, think about how you would like your team to handle conflict when they are having problems with each other. Then ask yourself what steps you would have taken in order to resolve any conflict before there were any bad feelings. The process may even make sense to your interviewer or prompt a similar follow-up question. Asking questions is also a good way to show off your communication skills, if you can get interviewers involved in conversations during your interview!

Why did you choose this company/department?

Asking candidates why they chose their current position will help a hiring manager better understand what motivates them. Motivation, after all, is one of most important traits for any employee to have. If an applicant says they were motivated by a strong sense of loyalty or a great compensation package, that’s not going to give you much insight into how motivated they are now—you need them to explain what made them want to work for your company/department specifically. Just make sure you ask with as much of an open mind as possible; there could be hidden personal reasons applicants aren’t willing to admit out loud!

If given the opportunity, what would you change about this department?

Interview questions for managers are intended to gauge your experience, your enthusiasm, and whether you’re likely to stay with a company long-term. Knowing what questions might be asked means you can come in prepared for them—and demonstrate why you’d be a great addition to any team. It also means you can prove that you’re not seeking out a new job just because of economic concerns. If you were given free reign over your own department, what would you change? What would make it better?

If someone gave you $1 million, how would you change things?

While it’s not a perfect or foolproof method, one of the best ways to identify if a candidate is passionate about what they do is by figuring out how they would spend $1 million. When someone gets excited about an idea, their voice changes, their energy increases, and they appear as though they can’t wait to make it happen. By asking If you were given $1 million today, how would you change things? you get to see that passion in action. Interviewers commonly ask a variation of that question during job interviews. Asking questions like these is key for finding candidates who are enthusiastic about making changes in their careers or industries.

What book have you read that has influenced your life outside of business books (fiction or non-fiction)?

Ooh, tough question. The only book that comes to mind is The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. It’s a great novel about life, faith, friendship and loss, among other things. I’ve read it many times over the years because it offers a fresh perspective on important topics each time I go back to it. If you’re looking for something a little lighter, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is also fantastic. This book has introduced me to Nordic Noir novels—basically Scandinavian crime fiction books—and hooked me on that genre as well! As far as business goes, my favorite business book of all time is The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz.

What is success?

Whether you’re a new manager or one who’s been at it for years, you’ve probably been asked what your definition of success is. Although that question is commonly asked of everyone in an interview, it’s an important one to answer when looking for a management job since it forces you to consider how much money matters—to be successful in your industry, does bigger numbers necessarily mean more revenue? Or does it mean more sales? Can you succeed without working longer hours or having more stress? What do you define as success? What are your goals, both short-term and long-term? And once you achieve them, what will you set out to accomplish next?

What is your management style?

You should describe your leadership style, if you have one, during an interview. You might say that you are a hands-on leader or that you encourage a collaborative work environment. You should give examples of situations in which your management style has helped produce results or improved morale within your department or company. If you don’t have a leadership style in mind, it’s probably best to keep things general during an interview so that you can focus on specific details later if offered a job. (It can also come across as unprepared and lacking self-confidence.)

How do you share tasks to your team?

There are times when you need to share a task with your team. Maybe you have too much on your plate, or perhaps an employee has been away for an extended period of time. No matter what, when sharing tasks in your workplace, always remember to let people know exactly what is expected of them and how long they should take to complete it. When assigning a new task, consider asking yourself these questions: Will my team want to complete it? Is it important enough for them to start immediately? And finally, who can do it best? While asking yourself these questions may seem like common sense in a management position, they are questions that we often fail to ask ourselves when assigning work.

What Weakness Do you have in management?

The best way to answer a weakness question is to talk about a skill you want to improve upon and then explain how you’re already trying to do that. For example, let’s say someone asks you: What is your greatest weakness? An ideal response would be something like: I’m always striving to improve my communication skills and I’m currently taking an online course through Coursera on Communication in Business. Over time, I think these skills will help me become a better manager. It may seem obvious, but remember that most interviewers aren’t looking for perfection. They just want honesty and transparency from you. Remember, interviewers ask hard questions for a reason — they want honest answers.

How do you cheer people?

I show my appreciation for their work by making them feel valued, which is extremely important in any job. I spend time one-on-one with people to get a sense of how they’re doing and address any issues that are on their mind. If someone does a great job, I like to recognize them both privately (with gratitude) and publicly (e.g., at our daily standup meetings). It’s a nice way to encourage people because they know they have support behind them if they need it; managers who don’t reward hard work are unlikely to get sustained results over time.

What is your conflict management between team members?

As a manager, you will be faced with difficult decisions. People can become frustrated, angry or bitter toward each other at work. Sometimes they even let their emotions get in the way of their work performance. To keep your team working together, it is important to know how to deal with conflict between team members so you do not have to worry about them being destructive on your business. If your staff are arguing or becoming increasingly uncooperative toward each other, consider asking these six questions when attempting to mediate any situation: · How often does conflict happen? · When is it most likely to occur? · What caused it last time? · What was said? · Can I get everyoneâ€TMs perspective on what happened?

What way do you manage stress with your team?

Managing stress is not an easy task, and it gets even harder when you are in charge of a team. Many managers find that hiring people who’s backgrounds compliment their own can help reduce daily stress and increase job satisfaction. For example, if you’re a Type A personality, it might make sense to hire someone who is more of a Type B to work with on certain projects. If you tend to lean towards micromanaging, having an employee with supervisory experience under his or her belt could allow your employees to feel as though they have more room for creativity and autonomy. Whatever your management style may be there are always questions that need to be asked before landing a job so make sure they know what they will be getting into before accepting any position.

Why do you want to leave your current job?
This question is generally intended to assess your loyalty, honesty, and integrity. If you’re changing jobs because of problems at your current job, be honest about it—you want to get hired for a job where you can be happy, not run from one problem to another. If you are leaving due to unhappiness with your pay or benefits package, do not say that; instead explain that although you enjoyed your work environment there were other factors (see below) that make it in your best interest to move on. Whatever you say, do not badmouth anyone at any time during an interview!

What do you think your supervisor would say about you?
For example, a manager might ask, What do you think your supervisor would say about you? In interviews for nursing positions and many other occupations, applicants are often asked what they’d like to be doing in five years. These questions are designed to gauge your career ambitions and assess whether or not they align with those of your potential employer. There’s no right answer to these questions–just keep in mind that when it comes to career-oriented interview questions, honesty is probably always best. Admitting that you’re looking for a job you enjoy rather than one with upward mobility isn’t likely to impress an interviewer; instead of lying about wanting something different, steer clear of these interview questions entirely by discussing how excited you are about growing within your position or company.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
It’s an interview question that stumps many candidates. It can be difficult to predict what may happen in five years, but don’t say you haven’t given it any thought—after all, it’s a requirement of most jobs these days. Focus on what your plans are now and how they will shape your career goals over time. This is also an opportunity to discuss why you’re interested in working for a specific company. Think about what drew you to them specifically: Is it their mission? Their business model? A particular product or service? Talking about those will show your interest in the company itself, not just its products or services. You can also use your answer as an opportunity to expand on any experience you’ve had with a similar organization or industry.

What were your biggest achievements at previous jobs?
If you’re interviewing for a management role, prepare to answer questions about your accomplishments. What was your biggest accomplishment at each of your previous jobs? How did it impact others? Are there any strategies you learned that could be applied to the job you’re interviewing for? With management positions, employers are particularly interested in candidates who are able to clearly communicate and demonstrate their skills. For example, when asked about a past achievement in an interview, frame your response with specific examples of how you were able to help people in an organization and/or specifically what it meant for them (for example: I helped implement new customer support training software that reduced customer service calls by 40 percent within two months.

What was your biggest failure and what did you learn from it?
This is one of those questions that can make or break an interview. The job candidate will be assessed on how he answered it. If he came up with a specific example, handled adversity, admitted his mistakes without blaming others, demonstrated humility, learned from it etc., then he has a shot at moving forward to next stage (interview with other managers). If not, then no matter how good he may look on paper that person won’t get hired!

Do you have any questions for me/us?
Questions managers will ask in interviews are a mixed bag. While these questions can’t give you an exact sense of what it’ll be like to work at a company, they can get you in tune with management style and corporate culture. Asking questions is also one of your best tools to assess whether a company is right for you, especially if it’s your first job out of college or university. Always take time to think about your answer to interview questions—and don’t try to guess at management’s motivations.

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Conclusion

One of our main goals is to help you manage your team better, which is why we’ve compiled a list of helpful questions and answers that any manager can use. Having these questions in mind during interviews and on-the-job training will help you get rid of time wasters, weak performers, and general negative influences from your team. If you’re looking for specific interview questions and answers for managers, check out our interview question database! The app contains over 1,000 interview questions for managers with answers! Whether you are a CTO looking to hire new talent or someone who simply wants to practice, it’s an incredible resource. After reading through all of these suggestions, you might be thinking: I want to write like that! And we don’t blame you. But just remember—don’t be discouraged if you don’t have anything published yet. When most people begin writing online content for blogs or other websites, they struggle because they compare themselves to writers who have been doing it for years. Don’t fall into that trap! Writing professionally is a skill just like anything else—and anyone can learn how to do it well enough to publish content online. All it takes is some time and practice.