If you’re applying for a management job, you should show the interviewers your management skills and leadership philosophy, even if you’ve never been a manager before.
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In addition to other common interview questions, this article will give you 10 questions to think about and be ready to answer in your interview for a management position. Even if your potential employers don’t ask all of these questions, getting ready to answer them will help you understand your strengths and how you handle management and leadership. This way, you’ll be able to easily talk about your skills no matter what question you’re asked.
As an executive coach and organizational consultant for mission-driven businesses, I’ve helped a lot of managers and leaders show off their skills and knowledge in job interviews and with the media. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s better to tell a good story about someone’s skills to show a current or potential manager or leader what they can do than to ask them to believe me.
Interviewing for a management role? You can expect to face some difficult questions that dig into your ability to lead make decisions and solve problems. How you handle these important managerial interview questions can make or break your chances of landing the job.
In this article we’ll cover the top 10 common managerial interview questions companies ask with examples of strong answers. Read on for tips to ace your management interview!
1. Why Do You Want to Be a Manager?
This fundamental question gauges your interest in management. Be ready to explain the reasons why you’re drawn to leadership positions.
Focus your answer on your personal strengths and interests. For example:
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I’m excited by the chance to develop talent. I enjoy mentoring team members and helping others excel in their roles.
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I find that I’m good at seeing the big picture and creating a vision. Management allows me to shape team objectives in line with larger organizational goals.
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The responsibility of leadership motivates me I want to step up and take ownership of driving results
Avoid generic answers like “I want to advance my career.” Demonstrate sincere passion for managing and developing people.
2. What Management Style Do You Use?
The interviewer is trying to understand your leadership philosophy. Respond by emphasizing the management approach you find most effective.
For instance, you might say:
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I lead by example and strive to empower my team. I provide high-level guidance and let people determine how to best do their work.
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I have an open door policy. I prioritize accessibility, so team members feel comfortable approaching me with questions and feedback.
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I take time to understand individual strengths and motivations. I try to delegate tasks based on each person’s abilities and interests.
Focus on your people-oriented capabilities and your ability to relate to staff. This shows you prioritize developing a strong, collaborative team.
3. How Do You Handle Underperforming Employees?
Management involves addressing poor performance. Share how you’ve successfully turned around low performers.
You could explain:
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I start with candid one-on-one talks to understand why someone is struggling. I provide guidance and resources to help them improve.
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I establish clear expectations and deadlines for achieving them. I check in regularly to provide feedback on progress.
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If there is no improvement, I enforce consequences like probation or termination. Removing low performers ultimately benefits the broader team.
Demonstrate you can have transparent conversations, coach to improve capability, and make tough calls when needed. This instills confidence in your ability to manage productivity.
4. Tell Me About a Time You Led Change
This question reveals how you manage shifting priorities and lead teams through uncertainty. Respond with an example that highlights strong change management skills.
For example:
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When our team moved to agile project management, I got buy-in by clearly explaining the benefits. I held training sessions and invited feedback to smooth the transition.
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During a rebranding initiative, I scheduled regular updates to keep staff aligned on timelines and changing responsibilities. This maintained focus through a dynamic period.
Emphasize how you communicated frequently, provided support and training, and got input to minimize disruption. This proves you enable smooth change.
5. How Do You Make Difficult Decisions?
Managers must make tough calls on matters like budget cuts, layoffs, and conflict resolution. Discuss your decision-making process.
You might say:
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I consider the pros and cons and input from my team. But I take ownership as the decision maker, especially on unpopular moves.
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I establish the key factors guiding the decision to maintain objectivity. Then I choose the option that best serves our goals.
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If I don’t have all the information I need, I’ll research the context or consult subject-matter experts.
Demonstrate you own decisions, even controversial ones. Outline a logical approach to choosing the right path based on priorities and input from others.
6. How Do You Motivate Team Members?
This reveals your ability to inspire peak performance from staff. Share tactics you’ve applied successfully:
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I take a mentoring approach and look for development opportunities tailored to each person’s interests.
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I recognize achievements publicly in team meetings and highlight how it contributes to our goals.
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I maintain an upbeat, positive tone that gets people excited to do their best work.
Emphasize your personal, genuine interest in bringing out the best in every employee. This builds trust in your commitment to nurturing talent.
7. Tell Me About a Time You Delegated Effectively
Managers can’t take on every task alone – you must delegate effectively. Discuss a time you assigned responsibilities to the right team members:
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When I needed help creating sales training materials, I delegated sections to my most skilled presenters and writers. I asked them to draft content aligned to their expertise, which they were excited to do.
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To improve meeting efficiency, I delegated agenda creation and minute-taking to junior staff. This empowered them to play bigger roles while freeing up my time.
Demonstrate you know the capabilities of your direct reports and can allocate tasks accordingly. This shows you leverage delegation to develop team members.
8. How Do You Prioritize Projects and Tasks?
Managers juggle multiple priorities and deadlines. Explain your approach to staying focused and productive:
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I keep a running task list, then categorize items by urgency, importance, and due date. This helps me tackle critical projects first.
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Each week I touch base with my manager and team to identify upcoming needs. Then I block time on my calendar for those top priorities.
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If an urgent issue arises, I re-evaluate priorities and delegate lower importance items. I make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Convey that you have an organized system for managing competing demands. Demonstrate an ability to adjust dynamically when the unexpected occurs.
9. Describe Your Communication Style
Communication is a core management capability. Respond by highlighting your strong interpersonal skills:
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I’m an active listener. In 1:1s and team meetings, I encourage discussion and ask questions to understand different viewpoints.
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I provide open, direct feedback. I give praise frequently and offer constructive criticism in a helpful way.
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I overcommunicate changes and celebrate wins. I want the team to feel excited about where we’re headed.
Focus on your transparency, inclusivity and positivity. This portrays you as approachable, authentic and motivating.
10. Do You Have Any Questions for Me?
Always close your interview by asking smart questions. This demonstrates your interest in the company and role.
Some options:
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What are the top business priorities I would focus on in this position?
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How would you describe the culture on the team I would be joining?
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What managerial skills do you view as critical to success in this role?
Ask targeted questions that provide insight on key responsibilities, challenges and expectations. This shows your preparation and enthusiasm.
With serious preparation for these common managerial interview questions, you can build confidence in your qualifications. Use these examples and strategies to demonstrate your leadership capabilities. With a thoughtful, tactical approach, you can land the management job you want. Good luck!
What Is Your Leadership Approach to Managing Diverse Teams and Being Sensitive to and Inclusive of All Your Staff?
Don’t answer this question by simply spouting off the talking points from your last diversity training. Tameka Nikki Andrews, who has managed teams in nonprofits, tech, finance, and advertising and has a lot of experience with diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice (DEI) work, says that you need to show your interviewers how your values of these things show up in the workplace. Andrews is now the founder of the creative consulting firm Flannel and Blade. Andrews says that as a manager, you may be in charge of people of different genders, races, sexualities, ages, classes, and more. She says that companies want to know: “How are you going to make sure that your own biases and stories don’t hurt the way you manage people?” and “How do you effectively make a healthy and productive work environment?” team, when everyone is so different from one another?”.
As a manager, it’s your job to know yourself and learn about the best ways to use DEI in hiring, performance reviews, and handling conflicts. “We’ve all seen what can happen if you don’t educate yourself on DEI as a leader,” Andrews says. People of color are passed over or ignored because of leaders who haven’t looked into their unconscious biases. Ideas are stolen (usually by men from women) and microaggressions like sexually inappropriate and racially insensitive comments are common.
Share a story about how you helped people work together despite their differences by understanding their different points of view and ways of communicating, or talk about a time when you made a mistake and learned about differences that way.
You shouldn’t say that you don’t care about these issues because you are “colorblind,” want to score more goals, or were taught to accept other people’s opinions, even if they hurt other people.
Read More: 8 Interview Questions About Diversity and Inclusion Every Job Seeker Should Be Able to Answer
How Would You Describe Your Leadership Style?
The number of models and formulas used to describe leadership styles is sometimes as high as the number of people who need to be led. This article talks about eight different styles, but to keep things simple, I’ll just list four that I like:
- Direct: when leaders know what they want, spell out what they expect, and aren’t afraid to speak out or face people head-on
- Relational: when managers lead by forming strong connections with others
- Visionary: leaders who have big ideas and can quickly think of creative ways to make them work.
- Operational: These are times when managers are interested in how work is done.
As a leader, you may use two or even three different styles. For this question, you should talk about the style you use most and give examples of when and how it has helped people get motivated and do their work better. One relational leader I know wowed her interviewers with a story about an employee who all of a sudden started complaining a lot. She didn’t answer the worker’s complaints directly; instead, she asked, “Why now?” The worker broke down and said she was afraid the work was too much. The two of them worked together to make a step-by-step plan for setting priorities, getting help from coworkers, and, ironically, taking more planned breaks. The worker is more driven than ever and instead of letting problems build up, she goes to the boss with ones she can’t solve herself. The leader’s new bosses later told her that they liked this story because it showed how well she could listen and understand others.
TOP 10 MANAGER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS! (How to PASS a Management Interview!)
What are some examples of Management interview questions?
Here are 10 example interview questions for a management position (and answers): 1. What is your management style? ‘Trust, transparency, and communication are the heart of my management style.’
How should I answer a manager interview question?
When answering a manager interview question, keep your answer honest and related only to a management position. For example: “In the past, I’ve been told that I can be somewhat overly motivated to meet objectives.
How do I prepare for a managerial job interview?
When interviewing for a managerial position, it’s essential to prepare by reviewing potential interview questions. An interviewer may ask various types of questions to learn about your abilities. Understanding what questions to expect can increase your chances of interviewing well and receiving an employment offer. Reviewing potential interview questions can help you gather your thoughts and practice your responses.
How do I prepare for a managerial round interview?
To help you prepare for a managerial round interview, you can use example questions for different topics that interviewers may discuss. In this article, we share eight managerial round interview questions with sample answers and provide an overview of additional example questions your hiring manager might ask.
