Interview Questions And Answers You Should Expect When Interviewing For A Managerial Positions

We all aspire to grow career wise and I know many of you are looking forward to either a promotion or are looking for managerial position come next year. Are you well equipped for the Managerial interview though? Do you know what interview questions to expect and how to answer them? Before we look at the interview questions answers to expect it’s important to first understand what qualities employers are looking for in a manager.

A leadership position requires a person of integrity, a leader should also have good judgment, must be competent and most importantly a good leader must have a Vision of where he wants to see the company go. Once you have understood that it’s very easy to formulate answers to questions asked by the interviewer.

Some of the most common Managerial Interview Questions and Answers

1. Tell me about yourself

Melody Mwendwa, a Career Coach at Corporate Staffing Services one of the leading recruitment firms says that this is a very common question in an interview and unfortunately many candidates do not known whether to approach it from a personal perspective of from the career angle. Her advice is that candidates should consider this as a way of breaking the Ice, so one can talk very briefly on some interesting aspects of their personal life and quickly transition to the professional side. So talk about some skills and expertise that you possess which you could use if you joined the company.

Related Article: Tell Me About Yourself Interview Answer

2. Describe How You Managed a Problematic Employee

If you are interviewing for a managerial position you will be required to demonstrate that you are able to manage all types of people. Handling soft and easy employees is a walk in the park. So prepare for this type of question by reflecting on some of your most challenging staffs. Come up with examples of cases where you dealt with a problematic employee. For example, talk about how when you talked to the specific employee it resulted to change in performance thus increased productivity.

3. What major challenges and problems have you faced? How did you handle them?

This is a question meant to gauge your problem solving and critical thinking skills. Here, recall of a challenge that you successfully handled and talk about it. Explain what it was and also explain how you handled it. Do not just state the challenge and wait for the interviewer to ask what happened.

4. What strategies would you use to motivate your team?

This is a very sensitive question and should be handled the same way. Remember you will be supervising staff and managing projects so it’s very important on how you handle your staff for productivity. You can give an example of motivation by recognizing and acknowledging staffs achievements or motivation by giving consistent feedback.

5. How do you handle stress and pressure?

Off course everyone gets stressed in their career, so do not tell your interviewer that you never get stressed. You could for example mention that good pressure is very important as it helps in staying productive, but of course, there are times when too much pressure can lead to stress; so probably mention that you possess skills in balancing multiple projects and meeting deadlines.

6. Why are you the best person for the job?

Finally you are at the end of your interview process and despite all the information you have given you have to convince the employer to give you the job. So simply match Your Qualifications to the Job you are interviewing for. Melody says that, you should focus on your uniqueness because remember you might not be the only one interviewing for the job and all other candidates were invited on the basis of qualification so bring out that rare aspect about you.

For interview coaching services contact melody@corporatestaffing.co.ke

The writer is a Communications Officer at Corporate Staffing Services, a leading Recruitment firm that offers CV Writing, Job Placement & Career Advice. Email florence@corporatestaffing.co.ke