Management Interview Questions and Answers

Lots of companies are looking for talented managers, but if you are looking for a management role, preparing is essential. In order to give yourself the edge on the competition, you'll want to be well-prepared for any interview questions the company might ask.

Predicting what you're going to be asked during an interview process is difficult, but the following article will give you some insight into what to expect, and some of the most common questions at job interviews. The following questions will help you prepare, as these are some of the most commonly asked in management interviews. The following will hopefully give you an indication of how you should go about answering these common interview questions.

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What is your Management Style?

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The interviewer is trying to gauge how you would interact with employee in a management position. When you answer this question, you'll want to give real-world examples of your style as a manager and how it benefits the team. By picking out a great example or two, you'll be showing the interviewer your expertise and people skills.

Another good tip is to show your versatility. Suggest how your style may adapt depending on the situation and work environment. For example, how would you handle a certain team member from a management position in a given scenario. This may be a given but if you explicitly point it out in an interview, you'll gain points for showing your flexibility.

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What do you Believe a Manager's Role is?

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This is your opportunity to explain how you fit into a team dynamic while remaining an authoritative figure to team members. You'll want to give examples to back up anything you say here.

Managers who do not properly integrate with the team can become isolated while overly-friendly managers can lack enough authority. Show that you know how to balance out the two to be the best team member leader.

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Are you Able to Motivate a Team?

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Yes should be your obvious answer, but that one-word answer clearly isn't all the interviewer is looking for. Manager interview questions need to be answered thoroughly. You'll want to be very positive about your ability to motivate your team but once again, it's examples that will help you illustrate your point and give you credibility when answering manager interview questions.

Explain the different techniques you employ to make sure your team members are motivated. Recruiters are looking for you to prove that you understand how to motivate different sorts of people with varying personalities with their interview questions. Going into detail about how you use positive reinforcement with team members or recognition techniques will go a long way here.

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How Would your Colleagues Describe you?

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Here's a change of pace. Answering interview questions like this can definitely be tricky as you try to toe the line between confident and arrogant. In many ways, this question is a bit unfair but it's still likely to come up.

Being modest is a good idea but don't sell yourself short. Don't go over the top and sound cocky either. Explain your strengths when managing team members and use examples to back this up.

Positive quotes will help immensely here. Finding a balance between self-assured and modest isn't easy but come prepared and you won't be caught off-guard.

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How Would you Go About Managing a Difficult Person?

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This question is designed to assess your problem-solving skills as much as anything else. Explain how you approached the situation, how you assessed what needed to happen, and how you went about enforcing those changes. You have the opportunity to demonstrate many skills with this question, so do your best to highlight each of them.

If you don't have any examples from your professional life to call upon, consider one from a task in college or a sports team. Anything that can highlight your ability to solve the conflict in a management-like capacity is good.

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How do you Delegate Tasks?

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Managing workload is part of the package for any manager. How you pass tasks on to other members and who you choose to complete them is important.

Here, you'll want to explain how delegating tasks allows you to be more productive. Describe how you decide to delegate and how you play to your team's strengths. Once again, it's all about examples, so throw in as many detailed instances of delegation as you can.

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Other Frequently Asked Questions in Management Interviews

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• Talk me through your decision-making process as a manager
• How do you characterize success?
• How do you initiate change?
• Have you had any failures in management?
• How do you manage your time?
• What is your biggest success in management to date?

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Being Prepared

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As with any interview, the key to a management interview is to be prepared. This doesn't mean rehearsing your answer beforehand, but it does mean having a good idea of what is expected of you. Being adequately prepared will allow you to reel off examples that can impress the interviewer and make sure they take note of you.

The interviewer wants to get to know you and see how you would handle a given situation. Show that you are prepared for your management interview questions by answering with confidence derived from being in control.

It is easy to pick out candidates who haven't thought about the interview questions and answers in advance. So be prepared and consider your responses ahead of time.

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The Bottom Line

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In order to ace a management interview and prove you are the right candidate for the role, you need to be adequately prepared, and it needs to show. Aim to express your management style, techniques, and knowledge of the role.

Above all else, make sure you are yourself. It'll be quite clear if your answers are all scripted, so be as honest and genuine as you can be!