Before joining any managerial position in a reputable company ,you must have gone through managerial round interview questions. Whether it is a new appointment or a promotion, every candidate must prove that they are capable and competent enough to handle the task. To help the Human Resource department of any company decide who is the best candidate, there is always a need for an interview. Those invited to the panel must be ready to answer tough questions.
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Source: UGC
Managerial round interview questions and answers will help any aspiring manager to prepare for an interview adequately. It is definitely the desire of every candidate to be picked from other competitors. To increase your chances, therefore, consider getting the best answers to the questions that are likely to be asked. This means that you have to prepare ahead of time.
25 managerial interview questions and answers
Fortunately, all questions likely to come up at an interview have been asked before. This means that none of the questions will be unique, hence the possibilities of being caught off-guard are slim. Even so, taking a look at a few managerial round questions and knowing how to answer them will heighten your success chances. It helps to check out what others have answered before, and modify the answers to fit your situation. The following examples will provide a great way forward.
What are the most common interview questions and answers?
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Source: UGC
Even before you get to the specific questions that focus on the managerial bit, there are those questions you expect at every interview you attend. These are questions that focus on you as an individual, your skills and your interest in the company. They include the following:
1. What can you tell us about yourself?
This is a common question that can be answered differently. The goal is to make sure the answer is appropriate and focused on the elements about you that will be beneficial to the company. The sample answer below offers a guide.
Answer: "I served as a technical project manager before. As a result, I acquired valuable skills continue to contribute to the over six years experience I have had working with the best Wall Street Companies. Recently, in my latest company, I was the leader of development of one award-winning trading platform. I'm the kind of person whose survival depends on the environment being a fast-paced one. Currently, I am seeking for a chance where my technical expertise can be challenged more and also have my creative problem-solving skills put into use at a company like this one."
2. Why are you interested in our company?
This question seeks to establish your interest and motivation in joining a company. You are being tested on whether or not you have conducted research on the company and how deep your interest lies. A great answer would be as follows:
Answer: "It will take immense pride working in an establishment such as this since it has a long standing long history of excellence especially with regard to leadership in a competitive industry. I had to do an intensive web research which made me to conclude that company’s XYZ products as well as projections show an impressive future. The XY team is one I would be proud working with. I need a place that allows my skills and background to fit seamlessly."
3. How successful do you think you are?
This question seeks to find out a summary of your career without being self-centric. You should give a comprehensive summary of what your career journey has been. One of the best answers for a manager could be:
Answer: "I consider myself successful every time I am able to meet my short term and long-term goals. I make an effort to achieve all the goals I set. As such, I work hard with the aim of achieving desired outcome. I choose to see myself as one of the people with a progressive attitude and one who does the best with given circumstances to attain 100% of my goals. I would therefore define success not just as my personal progress but also as when people around me excel."
4. Explain to us your strengths and weaknesses?
This question needs you to be smart if you are to answer correctly. You do not want to scare your potential employer away by outlining weaknesses that may pull the company down or seeming too accomplished to threaten their position. Check out what a great answer should be like.
Answer: "I have this strength which allows me to transform any negative work environment into a positive one while developing a team that is supportive. I have also been told that I keep several projects running smoothly since I focus on meeting all deadlines. Like every body else, I am not perfect and have been known to have a weakness as I easily get impatient with the expectation of wanting things to be done rather quickly. I am learning to handle this problem by re-considering and prioritizing my to do lists."
5. What would you say is your motivation?
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Source: UGC
The company wants to know why you are really asking to join their team. While it is great being honest, you do not want to make it all about money. You need to be driven by something more than just money.
Answer: "Being a person whose focus is mainly on results; I prioritize achieving desired results first. It is true that working solo on the project excites me, I tend to feel more motivated when there is a competent team working with me. I feel very refreshed when I work closely with other people especially if we have the same objectives. I like taking on new challenges, and rising to the occasion."
What are the top 20 interview questions?
Now that we know a few of the questions that will come up regardless of whatever post you are applying for, you should look at the best managerial round interview questions for testing. These are likely to be asked whenever you are going through the interview for a managerial position. Preparing early enough gives you the confidence to tackle the questions well.
1. What would you say are your career goals?
Answer: "My experience this far proves that I am limited in terms of scope to showcase all my Managerial skills. Working with your company, especially in a managerial role since this would assist me in becoming a project manager in the days to come. "
2. Convince us why we need to hire you?
Answer: "I have served my current employer loyally and I am now ready to take on a new challenge that will showcase similar or better dedication once presented the opportunity. Should I be hired, it will be solely because of attributes such as being a top performer, agility, confidence level, adaptability and my never say die attitude."
3. Tell us how you would deal with a co-worker at work if you are unable to build a good working relationship?
Answer: "In case I have to interact with a co-worker we are not in good terms with, I will take the following approach:
- Make it a regular thing to practice common courtesy like just saying “hello” and “thank you”
- I will call him or her with their first name and keeping eye contact
- I will communicate with them regularly.
- I will be friendly and keep encouraging the coworker
- I will invite the co-worker for a meal, say dinner or a weekend getaway to break the ice.
- I will strive to discover a common area of interest
- I will not present any unprofessionalism when in a social, personal or work environment.
- I will keep my emails on topic and keep them short and concise."
4. Explain how you would a situation where your senior at work criticizes your work?
Answer: "In case I find myself in a situation like this, I will remind myself that no can be perfect and that what matters is learning to deal with sit and to make sure there is no repetition of the same issue."
5. How do you deal with a situation where at your workplace there is a string resistance when you introduce a new idea or policy?
Answer: "I will keep in mind that change is not easy and as such,I will explain the significance of the new policy or idea to the worker. I will do this by providing as much supportive proof and evidence that proves the benefits of the implementation of the new idea."
6. Tell us what will be your reaction if a project you had been tackling is suddenly changed or the deadline moved?
Answer: "The first thing would be to ensure that I have all the facts of these changes as genuine reasons before I can inform my team members. With everyone aware of the changes, I will have to talk to the teammates and discuss a new way forward that works for all of them."
7.What would be your reaction if an external candidate is hired in your place for this internal position?
Answer: "I would appreciate the opportunity to serve in this internal position within my company. If it does not happen though, I am still committed to seeing our company progress and achieve its objectives. If not selected, I will definitely work with and offer my full support to whoever might get the chance. I will also continue looking for any other better position in the field that matches my experience and objectives."
8. How would you present a complicate project in a manner that everyone understands?
Answer: "To make a simplified presentation of a complex project, here are the steps I would follow:
- First, I would write all the task and have a break down of them
- I will then convert the big project or task in smaller tasks
- Next I would break down the time and utilize time management tools
- I will also multitask whenever I can
- I will always stay organized
- I will work smarter and not necessarily harder."
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9. Tell us for how long you have serves as a manager and the largest number of people that have been under you?
Answer: "I've been in management for about eight years now. I started out with a team of only 2 writers 6 years ago at the HTWW Magazine. I then transitioned to my present role at HTWW, which is Marketing. Here I deal with a team of five writers as well as 2 editors. Within that time our company added a project manager to the team, which means that I now have eight direct reports that update me on their weekly status reports and await project approvals from me."
10. How would those working under you describe your management style?
Answer: "I am a hands-off manager. I enjoy giving my team the necessary tools to succeed and allowing them space and time do their thing. The staff say that they appreciate that I give them the freedom to make decisions, but I believe they will also say that I am readily available to offer guidance whenever necessary. I have scheduled regular monthly check-ins to converse with them any challenges, concerns or ideas for change. The goal is maximum productivity for the entire team."
11. How has your management style changed as you got more experience?
Answer: "When I started out, I tended towards micromanagement. I believed that I could best handle my team and ensure its success if I took charge of all the details. However, my lessons from the feedback I received form the team was that this only led them to feel smothered and curtailed any possibilities growth. From them, I allowed them room to make their own choices and mistakes as long as major decisions are run by me first."
12. What common ways would you say are how people fail as managers?
Answer: "A major mistake I've seen most managers make lack of transparency. Of course, you need to keep some decisions under wrap, but remember that teams with excellent results are lead by an honest and an accountable person. In case a manager cannot be upfront about challenges or changes, chances are that they risk loosing the trust of the team."
13. Explain when last you had to deal with an under-performing employee, and how you handled it?
Answer: "Some months back, one of the graphic designers in our team started having time management problems. This was causing a lot of friction as he constantly turned things in late and our major client noticed. I had a word with him, and we came up with a plan where we set new timelines and took a few items off his plate as the were hindering his productivity."
14. How do you deal with your mistakes at work?
Answer: "Being the manager, I believe it's important to be personally accountable. This will set a standard for the entire team. Admitting and correcting my own mistakes,will make it easier for those under me to take responsibility of their actions too. I am quick to apologize to the people affected by a mistake I make. I explain about how I intend do better in future. A good example is when recently I sent a client the wrong report. I corrected it immediately when I sent the right report and committed to the director that I would organize my desktop files better to avoid a repetition of the same.
15. What, in your view are the most significant contributions of a manager in any workplace?
Answer: "I believe keeping employees motivated and on focused on the company's objectives is one important and crucial for a manager. It is important to be on top of what clients or customers want, but also ensure that the tools employees require to make it all happen are availed. As a manager, I believe I am somewhat a conduit between clients and the employees under me. My primary role role is to keep clients excited about our work and also to keep employees highly motivated as well as equipped to keep creating."
16. How would you handle a conflict between team members?
Answer: "I understand that there will always be two sides to a story. This realization makes it possible for me to stay neutral and have an open-mind when handling any conflict between teammates. A few years ago I had to sort out a conflict where two of my team were not in terms with each other. I could not risk ignoring it, and assuming they would sort it out themselves. Instead, I sat them down individually and asked for an explanation. After discussions, we arrived at a reasonable as well as professional solution that was acceptable for both parties. This is how I managed to fix the matter."
17. Tell us about a time when you had to let an employee go
Answer: "It is never fun firing people, but there comes a time when it is the only thing left to do . So, one summer when working as a local pool supervisor, I had a lifeguard under my watch, who consistently got late to work. Since I was his supervisor, I talked to him about the situation. I did this 3 times, explaining in details how his lateness was a violation of company policy. I served him a warning that his fourth time would lead to his dismissal. I involved the HR team every step of the way, and even properly document each meeting. Unfortunately, he repeated the mistake a fourth time, which is how I informed him of his termination. It was a difficult task that had to be done."
18. Describe an instance when you led by example
Answer: "I believe that good leaders are always willing to work too. I may be setting tasks for the team, but I also ensure that they’re tasks I would happily do. At one point I was the supervisor of a shop whose responsibility was to clean and test float monitors that are used in storage tanks. One time, I received a call from a business with a number of our products in his sewage tank. Unfortunately the sensors were faulty hence the concern. After a bit of research It was established that the sensors needed replacement. This would be a miserable task, but it had to be done. Additionally, we were short staffed which meant more days on the replacement task. Instead of making employees suffer longer than was necessary, I put everything down and grabbed protective gear, then joined in the work. We satisfactorily completed the task in a day. After this, my employees expressed their gratitude for my help, something that has earned me more respect as a leader and team player."
19. Give us an example of one tough decision you had to make
Answer: " I believe that the good of the company should always come first before personal feelings. So, sometime back, I was faced with a scenario where I was supposed to hire a new team member to work on a major project for our company. I narrowed down the selection to 2 qualified candidates; one was a new hire that seemed like an excellent fit for the job, and the other was an, established employee that may not have been the right fit for that particular position. The problem was, I considered him a personal friend. Naturally, I would prefer hiring my friend, but it wouldn’t have made sense for the company, hence I ended up hiring the newcomer. When my friend inquired about it, I explained clearly. This led to a discussion of other opportunities that were excellent for him. I can say that this was not an an easy decision then, but by all means it was a correct move that I would repeat."
20. What would you say is your biggest management weakness?
Answer: I have to keep reminding myself that although I’m in charge, and that the success or failure of a project rests on me, that I need to trust my employees by taking a step back and allowing them to do the jobs they were hired for. Previously, in case of problems would I would jump in and sort out the problem myself, regardless of the assignee. I may have been able to fix things but I learnt that it often made the team member to be discouraged as it showed lack of trust. I learnt this the hard way and I am still struggling with it. However, today I am able to allow others fix the issues as I only step in if I must.."
The above managerial round interview questions with their possible answers will give any person an idea of how to answer such tough questions. It is not always easy to give a good answer, especially if you are caught off guard. Preparing ahead makes it easier to handle a strict team of panelists who want to select only the very best fit for the position.
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Source: Legit.ng
