Interviewing for Managerial Roles: What Key Questions Should We Ask Candidates?

Interviewing for Managerial Positions: Key Considerations

When conducting interviews for managerial positions, what factors should we consider while hiring? What kind of questions should we ask the candidates?

Please kindly reply.

Regards,
Dipika Sharma

Dear Deepika,

As an HR professional who has handled recruitments at all levels, I wish to share some points. The art of interviewing is a special skill, enriched by experience.

- Basically, you should thoroughly go through his/her resume in detail and have a clear understanding of his profile and suitability.
- Have a telephonic discussion before inviting the candidate for an interview to assess his interest in changing jobs and his level of seriousness.
- Schedule the interview on a day when you can exclusively focus on it and limit the number of candidates to not more than two a day.
- Create a comfortable ambiance (avoid mobile phones, visitors, etc.), provide an overview of your company before the interview, and only highlight the positive aspects.
- Clearly explain the role, reporting structure, and why you are looking to fill a managerial position. Understand the candidate's current responsibilities, achievements, communication skills, professional competence, and leadership abilities in handling a team.
- Conduct two to three levels of interviews to evaluate technical skills and ensure the salary expectation matches. Only finalize the offer if a better candidate is not available.
- Finally, express confidence in the candidate's potential for long-term commitment, provide an overview of your company's performance review process, and refrain from giving any guarantees.

Regards,
S. Manohar
Group GM-HR/NSPL-Chennai

Dear Dipika, I don't know for which position you are talking about. I mean, is it for Manager Accounts, Manager Sales, or something else? In all respects, you should try to determine whether the candidate is capable of managing things. A manager's role is not to do the work but to manage things. You need to assess whether they can delegate work and have the capacity to get the work done. Delegation is the key to getting work done. Follow this line of thought for the interview.

Regards,
Atul Somani
Manager Accounts
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

It is better for you to create questions in your notebook as a profile. Show confidence, i.e., you are the only one. Think first about his/her CV and come up with questions such as profile, family background, growth path, and salary structure. Try to read the face during the interview. If you have any doubts, please email me.

Regards,
Pawan Mittal
Manager - HRM & IR (MNC)
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

This is a good opportunity for you to learn. Be confident and ask the questions that you generally ask others according to their profile. By inquiring about his/her past experience and family background, you will gain insights into his behavior and presentation skills. Also, inquire about his reporting authority, which can provide insight into his intelligence and work approach within the organization. Good luck.

Regards

Request for Interview Questions and Answers for Managerial Level Position

Hi, could you please provide me with the specific questions and corresponding answers that we should inquire about during the interview process for a managerial level position?

Regards,
Satish Patil.

Dear Deepika, I am considering that you will be conducting interviews for mid-level employees. Here are a few inputs:

A. Focus more on the assignments the candidate has executed.
B. Explore the candidate's areas of interest within the domain to generate relevant questions.
C. Include some lateral thinking questions. *I have an Ebook on Lateral Thinking with me and would be delighted to share it with you.*
D. Pose critical questions that highlight the candidate's contributions and achievements in previous tasks.
E. Encourage the candidate to elaborate on any innovations, achievements, or cost-cutting initiatives they have implemented.

Thank you.

Dear Dipika, Please see the main questions for the interview:


- Q: Please tell me about yourself.
- Total work experience.
- Why did you choose HR?
- Will you work with a team or independently?
- What are you currently looking after?
- Tell me about PF/ESI rules or something…?
- What is the organogram in your department?
- How many report to you, and to whom do you report?
- Why do you want to leave your current organization?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- What is your achievement? Or do you have any achievements?
- What about your current boss?
- Tell me about your current organization.
- What do you mean by IR/ER?
- Do you know about strikes?
- Are you a member of any club or society?
- Did you take any specific training?
- What is First Aid?
- What will you do in case of an emergency situation?
- What will you do in case of a fire?
- Why do you want to join our company?

Regards,
Pawan Mittal
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Interview Questions for Managerial Positions

Ask him questions regarding the items on his resume. Ask him how he'd act in different situations. Ensure there is a single line break between paragraphs.

Regards

Interview Questions for Managerial Positions

What were your responsibilities at your current (or last) position?

What was most/least rewarding?

What was your biggest accomplishment/failure in this position?

What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?

What were your starting and final levels of compensation?

Why are you leaving (did you leave) your job?

What applicable attributes/experience do you have?

What can you do for this company?

How do you evaluate success?

What is your greatest weakness?

What is your greatest strength?

What do you expect from a manager?

What was it like working for your manager?

Who was your best manager and who was the worst?

If you knew a manager is 100% wrong about something, how would you handle it?

How do you handle stress and pressure?

What motivates you?

What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make?

What do people most often criticize about you?

If the people who know you were asked why you should be hired, what would they say?

Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?

Why should we hire you?

What can you contribute to this company?

Why are you the best person for the job?

What are your salary expectations?

What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you?

What are your goals for the next five years/ten years?

How do you plan to achieve those goals?

Tell me about yourself.