All of us have experienced that nervous energy in the hours leading up to a job interview. We want to know what questions they will ask the facility manager during the interview, what the right answer is for each question, and how many people are applying for the same job.
Traditional job interviews are already stressful. We are now in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, so many facility management interviews are done online. This can make the process even more stressful.
Although it’s important to note that not every interview will be remote. A Gartner survey from April of this year found that 86% of companies have switched from in-person interviews to phone calls or videoconferencing-based interviews.
Interviewing for a storage manager position? You’ll want to be ready to answer some common questions recruiters and hiring managers often ask candidates. Knowing how to thoughtfully respond can help you stand out from the competition. In this article we’ll look at 10 frequent storage manager interview questions why employers ask them, and tips to craft winning answers.
1. Tell Me About Yourself
This open-ended question is often used by interviewers to start off the conversation and get a high-level sense of who you are When answering
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Keep it brief – focus on highlights of your career and skills most relevant to the role. Aim for 3 minutes max.
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Start with a brief introduction of who you are professionally.
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Highlight your key storage management experiences and accomplishments.
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Emphasize the skills and strengths you would bring to the position.
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Explain why you’re interested in this opportunity and company specifically.
A strong answer focuses on your strengths as a candidate while providing the interviewer with useful insights into your background and motivations.
2. Why Should We Hire You?
This question allows you to expand on your most relevant qualifications. To stand out:
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Recap your top skills, experiences and achievements that make you an excellent fit.
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Explain why those qualities make you the candidate who could fulfill their needs best.
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Point to specific examples from your background that demonstrate strengths or abilities they are looking for.
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Highlight your cultural fit and enthusiasm about the role and company.
Your goal is to summarize your fit and convince the interviewer you have everything they need to excel in the position right away. Keep the focus on your value add.
3. What Skills Would You Bring to the Position?
Hiring managers want to know you have the hard and soft skills to succeed. When answering:
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List about 3-5 key technical skills required for the role and provide examples of how you’ve used those skills previously. These may include things like:
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Managing facility operations and staff
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Developing occupancy rates and marketing plans
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Handling collections and tenant accounts
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Overseeing maintenance, repairs and enhancements
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Also highlight important soft skills like communication, relationship building, problem solving and leadership. Give brief examples.
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Emphasize skills that enable you to deliver in their specific environment/facility.
Demonstrating a strong skill match helps assure the interviewer you can hit the ground running. Focus on skills that align with their open needs.
4. Why Do You Want to Work Here?
This question gauges your interest in and fit with the company. To make a positive impression:
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Show you’ve researched the company by mentioning a few appealing things that attracted you, like their culture, values, reputation, community involvement, etc.
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Highlight specific aspects of the role that excite you and align with your career goals.
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Explain why their facility, location or amenities are a great match for your experience and preferences.
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Express enthusiasm to bring your skills and strengths to their organization specifically.
Employers want people excited to work for their company long-term. Demonstrating genuine interest and fit can give you an edge.
5. Why Did You/Are You Leaving Your Current Job?
How you discuss your previous job exit can say a lot. Be thoughtful when explaining:
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Avoid badmouthing your former employer. Remain positive.
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Give an honest, professional reason, like seeking growth opportunities, work/life balance, culture misfit, layoffs, etc.
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Take responsibility for the situation; don’t blame others.
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Emphasize what you gained and enjoyed about your last role.
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Explain how you’re looking forward to new challenges and growth in this next position.
Keep it brief and put a positive spin on your reason for leaving. This demonstrates maturity and professionalism.
6. What Are Your Greatest Strengths?
This is a chance to sell your top skills. When sharing strengths:
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Pick 3 relevant strengths aligned with skills they want for the job. For a storage manager role, examples might include leadership, communication, sales abilities, attention to detail, etc.
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Provide specific examples that demonstrate those strengths in action from your experience.
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Choose strengths that enable you to perform well and stand out in the role.
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Keep answers concise – a few sentences on each strength.
Recruiters look for strengths that indicate you will excel in the open position. Gear answers to the role’s core competencies.
7. What Are Your Greatest Weaknesses?
One of the toughest questions – be careful how you respond:
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Avoid very negative weaknesses or red flags, like poor communication skills or inability to work well with others.
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Choose a minor weakness that won’t significantly impact your performance in the role. Frame it as an area you’d like to improve on rather than a detriment.
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Emphasize the steps you’ve taken to actively work on and strengthen that weakness. Share examples when possible.
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End on a positive note by reiterating your core strengths and eagerness to keep growing.
The goal is to acknowledge areas to strengthen while minimizing concerns about your capabilities. Keep it professional.
8. Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?
Hiring managers often ask this to gauge ambition and fit with the company’s needs. When answering:
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Indicate your interest in staying and growing long-term with the company if possible. Hiring managers tend to favor loyal candidates.
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Share your career goals and how they align with potential growth paths and opportunities at the company. Be enthusiastic.
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If wanting to advance into other roles, tailor answers to opportunities commonly available based on others’ tenure and career movement there.
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Focus on your desire to take on more responsibility and develop new skills over time through their training and mentorship.
Recruiters look for excitement about growing within their organization. Demonstrate eagerness to learn, take on challenges and embrace leadership opportunities over the long haul.
9. How Would You Deal with an Angry Tenant?
For customer-facing roles like storage manager, expect behavioral questions about handling workplace situations. To shine:
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Emphasize listening first to understand their concerns before reacting.
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Explain how you’d employ empathy, patience and conflict resolution skills.
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Highlight the importance of remaining calm and professional when tensions run high.
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Share examples of how you successfully resolved tense tenant issues in the past.
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Express commitment to representing the facility positively and protecting their reputation.
Hiring managers want to see critical thinking and judgment required to effectively navigate challenges on the job. Prove you can handle adversity professionally.
10. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
Always close by asking 1-2 thoughtful questions. Smart ones to consider include:
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What are the top skills and attributes you value most in managers here?
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How would you describe the culture on your team?
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What training and growth opportunities are available for managers?
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What are some of the biggest challenges facing your facility right now and how are you addressing them?
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What are the next steps in the hiring process?
Asking insightful questions demonstrates your interest, engagement and preparation for the role. Jot down notes so you can follow up appropriately later as well.
Preparing responses to common storage manager interview questions helps ensure you have winning answers ready. Use these examples and tips to highlight your top qualifications while impressing hiring teams with your professionalism and fit. With some thoughtful practice, you can ace your next management interview and take the next step towards career success. Best of luck!
1 What facility management skills are you still working to develop?
When asked about your biggest weakness, this is also a chance to think and be honest; it’s not a time to brag. Think about this question before your interview and be prepared with a thoughtful response. You may not have done as much building maintenance in previous jobs, but you’re excited to take on the extra duty. In the past, you may not have had as much say in corporate real estate strategy. But you know you can make a big difference now that the company is rethinking how it uses office space. If you don’t have any experience with facility management, think about why it’s important to you and what you’re doing to get better at it.
What not to say: Don’t just say what you think the interviewer wants to hear. Yes, most of us could do a better job of communicating or setting priorities, but that doesn’t say much about you as a possible facility manager.
What are your career goals as a facility manager?
There are many ways to ask these kinds of facility manager interview questions, like “What do you want in a job?” or “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” There is one thing that the interviewer always wants to see: how you can connect your professional goals with the company. Connect your short- and long-term goals to the job requirements. This will show that you have researched the job and are knowledgeable. If you know what you don’t want in a job or why you’re leaving your current job, include that too. Just don’t say anything bad about your current boss, because that will make you look bad.
For example, you are on the facility management team, and your goal is to become the assistant facilities manager in two years. In five years, you will be the regional facility manager.
What not to say: If you are answering one of these questions about becoming a facility manager, don’t say anything about goals that have nothing to do with the job you are applying for. For instance, if you want to work as a facilities manager but your long-term goal is to be the head of marketing in 5 years, you should say so.
