Managerial Job Interview Guide

OPENING:

1. Provide job description – What is the specific position? What is the job about?

“The position available in our company is operations manager. The operations manager is in charge of overseeing, designing and redesigning business operations to provide Internet service to clients/customers. He is expected to handle ten subordinates (operations officers) in his department.”

2. Ask for application or resume (if not yet submitted)

3. Overview of unit and campus – Give short introduction about the office
“Should you be hired for this job, you will report to this office in Manila. As you can see, there are several departments – accounting, sales, etc. You will work together with these departments...”

Transition from Opening to Interview Proper:

“Shall we start the interview?”

“Let's move on with the interview.”

INTERVIEW PROPER: Specific Questions
1. General  

• Tell me about your previous work experience. 
• How is your experience relevant or helpful to this job?
• Why are you interested in this position as operations manager?
• How would the people around you describe you?
• What’s a common misconception some people have about you?
• Tell me about a difficult decision you had to make recently. Walk me through the problem and what your thought process was, and how you ultimately handled it.
• What is one thing that you have had difficulty overcoming in your career, and how did you do that?
• What is some of the most useful criticism you’ve ever received? Why?
• Have you ever been given criticism that you disagreed with? What was it? How did you handle that?

2. Getting things done

• What has been your biggest achievement at your previous company?
• What were your department’s major goals last year? How did you settle on those goals? Was your department able to meet them? How did you measure whether or not you met those goals?
• What’s an example of a goal you didn’t meet? How come? How did you respond to that?
• What will success look like for you this year? Why is that important? How hard will it be to get there?
• Tell me about one of the (previous) organization’s (or department's) largest or most important projects and how you managed it, from start to finish. I’m interested in something where others were doing the work, but you were overseeing it.
  - What was the goal or vision for it?
  - What happened?
  - How did you ensure that happened?
  - How do you know it happened?
  - What lessons did you get from that project?
• What are some of the biggest obstacles your organization/department experienced in the last few years? What did you do to address them?
• Tell me about something you got done at  your previous company that someone else in your role probably wouldn’t have.

3. Managing People

• How would you describe yourself as a manager? How do you think others would describe you?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses as a manager?
• What is your philosophy about management?
• What do you think the fundamental purpose of a manger is? 
• How has your management philosophy evolved as you’ve gained more management experience?
• What do you do to work on being a better manager?
• What do you think are some of the most common ways people fail at management?
• Tell me about an employee who became more successful as a result of your management.
• Who are your best people? What are you doing to retain them?
• What do you look for when you hire people?
• When was the last time you fired someone or coached someone out? How many people have you fired in the last two years? Why? (You’re looking for a manager who fires people who don’t perform at a high standard.)
• Tell me about the most difficult employee situation you ever had to handle. What did you do and what was the result?
• Tell me about a time you were managing a poor performer. How did you handle it and what was the outcome?
• What was the most difficult management decision you’ve ever had to make?
• Tell me about a management mistake that you made in the past. What would you do differently?
• Even the best bosses generate complaints from their employees now and then. What complaints do you think the people you’ve managed would have about you?

CLOSING:
1. Questions or additional comments from the candidate

"Do you have any questions about the job?"
2. Timeline to conclude interviews and make a hiring decision

"The company will contact you within a week to inform the results of your application."
3. Explain who they may be meeting with next 

"Should you get the job, please come back to the office and report to the HR (Human Resource) Department for further instruction and orientation."
4. Thank the applicant
"Thank you for your interest in this job and for taking time for this interview. We will keep in touch. Have a good day!"  (shake hands)