20 Questions A Manager Will Be Asked At An Interview

The senior management is the life blood of every organization.

This is why it’s crucial to be a good manager because they can make or break the bottom line. If you’re ready to make your next move, this list of 20 interview questions will help you find the perfect role.

Behavioral questions

These questions can help the employer predict your future by evaluating your behavior in past roles.

1. Can you tell me about a time when a member of your team made a mistake? How did you handle it?

Get a glimpse into the types of boundaries that are important to you and what brand of culture you want to build.

2. What would you do differently next time?

Hopefully, you know what to change so that the next time there’s a better outcome.

3. What was the reaction after that happened?

See how you relate to your team while putting out a fire, and if you’re someone who can take responsibility for your actions.

Work history and experience questions

These questions will help the hiring manager find out how a candidate’s background relates to the open position.

4. Tell me about yourself. How did you get from the start of your career to your last role?

This is a great icebreaker that also gives the employer insight into how you view your career path.

5. Tell me about your leadership experience.

The hiring manager will ask about a time you helped develop an employee to get an idea of the kind of coach or mentor you are.

Soft skills and motivation questions

These questions will help the employer understand if a candidate can work collaboratively and manage diverse teams.

6. What was the best day at work you’ve had in the past three months?

Instead of the “What are your strengths” question, this is a another way to uncover your strengths.

7. What was the worst day you’ve had at work in the past three months?

To identify the candidate’s weaknesses, simply swap the question around.

8. What’s your plan for building rapport and credibility with your new team?

Employer wants to know how you plan to win the respect of the team.

9. How do you stay in contact with your team members?

To find out more about your communication style.

10. What’s your process for prioritizing tasks during busy times?

Get a feel for how you handle work amid stress and overwhelm.

Competency-based questions

These questions are designed to help the hiring manager evaluate a candidate’s skills and mindset by measuring how they handle certain situations.

11. How do you find opportunities to integrate management goals within your team?

Find out if they’re someone who can step up and get strategic when required.

12. What’s your definition of an awesome manager?

To uncover the type of manager you plan to be.

13. What criteria did your last company use to reward employees?

To find out which performance criteria you’re used to tracking.

14. Who was the last person you promoted? What prompted you to promote them?

The answer to this will let the hiring manager know if you are actively growing and retaining employees.

15. How many people did you promote on your last team?

Assuming the previous answer was yes.

16. How important are deadlines?

To understand how firm or flexible you’ll be.

17. How do you handle missed deadlines?

To get a feel for your ability to lead through a rough patch.

18. How do you give helpful feedback?

See if you’re the type to address performance issues directly and work with employees to find a solution together.

19. Tell me about a time you had to give some difficult feedback.

Determine how well you deal with having to give “bad” news.

20. How would you help prevent employee burnout?

To find out where you stand in terms of work/life balance.

Did you know 55% of all communication is non-verbal. Remember that the way you respond to everyone, from the company receptionist to the CEO, says something about who you are and how you’ll lead.