Top 11 Manager Interview Questions to Prepare For Before an Interview

If you are going to be a manager, you have several responsibilities at hand! Hence, preparing for such interviews can be stressful at times. However, now that you have an interview at hand, this is a great way to advance in your career path. Management interviews require concentration, focus, humility and the right answers to technical questions.

Hiring managers want to examine your technical knowledge, leadership and professional skills if you are applying for a managerial position. Managers deal with daily schedules, team management and empathy all the time, so you need to ace the interview with well-chosen manager interview questions.

In today’s article, check these answers to manager interview questions. Check these questions and answers, analyse your CV and list down anecdotes and examples that demonstrate your managerial capabilities. Let us take a look:

1. What are a manager’s primary responsibilities?

Hiring managers want to check if you understand the responsibilities that come with becoming a manager. Talk about the parameters of good management leadership techniques and prioritising tasks. If you are asked about your management style, offer a broad answer such as aligning with company goals and maintaining intellectual honesty, respect, professionalism and teamwork.

2. Do you have experience in management?

Share your best anecdotes in a former leadership position, be specific (team size, initiatives and accomplishments and explain the successful metrics achieved. Recruiters want to know if you would handle a team and fit in with their company, so give them the confidence, especially if you do not have ready experience in management.

If you are an experienced manager, your style might have changed over the years. Recruiters want to assess your growth and maturity path, and its impact on your working approach. Tell them about why and how your management approach has changed and its impact on the team.

3. If yes, what has been your experience in leading teams?

The hiring manager wants to know more about how you lead teams, and if you can be a capable manager. Tell them about a successful assignment that you have led, discuss the objective and context, challenges and how you led the team forward to meet targets. If asked, tell them a few firsthand positive comments while describing your strengths, without sounding arrogant.

Talk to them more about what you have done, apart from repeating generic words like “communication and leadership skills”, “responsibilities” and a “good team player”. Give them specific answers with evidence that your contribution as a team member has benefited the company in a way, and you are a high-performing employee.

4. How would you make decisions?

Even though decision-taking could be a team effort, you will often have the field to yourself as well. Start with a basic outline and then dive into the details, such as prioritising outcomes, analysing options and delegating tasks to team members.

5. How should you delegate tasks to your team?

Task delegation is a major responsibility of a manager, which boosts productivity and well-being in the team. Tell them that tasks are delegated as per an individual member’s strengths and equally distributed for maximum efficiency. Talk about an industry-standard task management software, if you have used any.

6. How would you motivate the team?

A common interview question, team members look up to the manager for motivation. Describe your communication approach with specific examples, and how and why you take the time to understand your employees. Share examples where you have empowered your team, understood their strengths, inspired them to work on initiatives and complimented them on their success.

7. How would you share negative feedback?

Sometimes, managers have to be serious while critiquing their teams. Give the hiring manager a positive anecdote about how you deliver constructive feedback, whether general or specific. Do you wait for a performance review or give prompt feedback? Do you encourage team members to work with you to chart a plan to overcome shortfalls?

8. How would you work with an under-performing team member?

Hiring managers ask how you would bring a not-so-high-achieving employee back on track to success, such as providing feedback and working together on an action strategy to meet performance goals. If you do not have experience regarding what they have asked you, be truthful and tell them your perspective of dealing with the situation.

Mention the STAR technique while describing the situation, and do talk about possible slip-ups that had occurred and how that pivoted you to handle such situations more proactively – without emotion clouding your judgement.

9. How would you handle inter-team conflicts?

The manager is supposed to handle the team with ease whenever there is a conflict, whether it be related to professional reasons or otherwise. Discuss how to prioritise teamwork over conflicts, handle such problems at the outset and stay unbiased in the situation.

Discuss that each team member has their personalities, performance and working styles – thus, you have to devise a unique plan for each situation. Clarify that you get to understand your employees to know what works for them, and devise strategies that give great results.

10. Are you an organised person?

Recruiters want to see you prioritise time and technology, and your daily routine where you handle unforeseen circumstances. Multitask between different priorities that display their flexibility, and how to modify approach the situation as well. Work along with the company culture, goals and earn praises given by the management. Take calculated risks and well-informed decisions, or do not lie.

11. What are your weak points as a manager?

Apart from assessing your responsibilities, it speaks of your managerial work ethics and principles. It further defines your learning curve, mistakes and responsibilities. Discuss inconsistencies that you first experienced in your career, their consequences and how you corrected them.

Additional managerial interview suggestions:

Now that you know what to reply to these questions, here are some more tips that build your understanding of the job and confidence to ace the interview.

• Research the organisation

Know about the company’s mission to accordingly frame the answers. You should know about where the company comes from, who are its leaders and what do they stand for. If it is possible, gather the latest information about their statistics which can make way for a fruitful conversation.

• Highlight that you can lead a team

If you are applying for a managerial position, know that you will be expected to demonstrate your leadership. Have three to four examples that display your ability in making quick and effective decisions, task delegation to junior members, create a team and motivate them.

• Know about different manager interview questions

Have a look at the several possible questions that recruiters ask, and prepare answers to them. Hiring managers may ask you about how you handled tough situations at work, so develop grounded real-time answers that demonstrate your previous accomplishments.

The aforementioned answers to project manager interview questions are great ways to impress your recruiters and secure that much-dreamt-of managerial job. If you are looking for candidates with a managerial bent of mind, connect with us at OLX People. We have the right job applicants for your vacancy.