7 Interview Questions To Ask When Hiring New Managers

One of the main factors of any successful company is having a team that is best suited for the job. Simply put, great managers bring great results, and they are the foundation of every task carried out by the company as a whole.

This is why knowing how to conduct an effective interview with a prospective manager is so important. Interviewing is what allows you to get a good grasp on the strengths and weaknesses of potential managers and reveals how they might function in your workplace.

It’s important to take this process seriously because the information provided during a job interview can instantly be a deciding factor on whether or not the interviewee is fit for the job. The best way to take advantage of interviews is to be prepared with a variety of detailed questions that aim to dig beyond the surface level of the new potential hire. You want to open the floor for a genuine discussion that allows you to see their abilities as a worker. 

The questions that are presented should be diverse and hit on a multitude of different characteristics so that a complete understanding can be developed. An example of different topics that are effective for this goal are ones that relate to the experience they have, their style of work, and their ambitions for the future.

Here are 7 specific questions to ask in a hiring interview that will help you to make the right decision and hire managers that impact your company for the better.

1. How Do You Handle Mistakes or Bad Behavior in the Workplace?

A manager should know how to efficiently react to any situation that arises in the workplace regardless of what it entails. This is why it’s so important that before being hired, you know exactly how they go about dealing with issues and resolving them quickly.

A business can’t run smoothly if it’s constantly being interrupted by a dysfunctional work environment. Problems between co-workers, mishaps with company procedures, and other time wasting things can all contribute to an ineffective workplace.

The manager’s job is to function as a mediator or problem solver that is quick on their feet and able to develop creative solutions to even the most difficult problems. They should know how to bring out the absolute best in the team and encourage them to move past any issues in the best possible way.

A manager is the glue that holds the rest of the staff and company procedures in place, and this question is great at targeting a person’s reaction response in the face of adversity or unfortunate circumstances.

One major thing to look out for in their answer is the confidence they convey on the subject. Ask yourself, “Based on their response, how willing are they to actually sort out these problems as they come?”

Leaders of a team must be able to make difficult, unpopular decisions sometimes for the sake of the company. If they can’t do this with confidence then negative results can unfortunately occur.

Another thing to look out for is how much experience they actually have with this aspect of management. They need to be accustomed to the high activity of a busy workplace and be quick on their feet to deal with anything they need.

This should all be done in a manner that keeps the best interest of the company and staff in mind so that complications can be properly mitigated.

2. What is Your Individual Management Style?

Different managers operate in different ways. They have unique strategies and individual things they do that alter the management style from person to person. 

Accessing the particular style of the interviewee can assist you in understanding how they go about leading others. Topics such as how they react to issues, procedures they use to encourage their team, and their general way of working can help see into their particular management style.

This is an effective method to analyze their ability to increase productivity and build a company atmosphere that is beneficial for all parties. The best answers to this question revolve around a good personal understanding of their own strengths and capabilities.

They should be able to immediately identify what their style actually is and explain it in a manner that makes sense. If they are able to do this, then it’s likely they are actually mindful of the choices they make and how their actions as a manager influence others.

3. What is the Job of a Manager in the Work Environment?

This question gives you insight into how the interviewee actually views the job they are trying to get hired for. It shows what they think the responsibilities are in this position and, on a deeper level, reveals how they themselves would go about performing. In response to this question, the person being interviewed should be able to pinpoint what they believe to be the main focus of a manager.

As a result of this, you will be able to get a glimpse into their individual opinions and ultimately if they line up with your own business model and the goals you have as a company. It is also another example of a question that evaluates the experience that they actually possess. If they have in-depth knowledge of a manager’s job, then it’s most likely that they know this based on first-hand experience.

4. What Are Your Career Goals and How Do You Plan on Accomplishing Them?

This question is great because it directly provides insight into two different aspects of a person’s character: their drive to be successful over the long term and their capability to develop future plans for themselves.

These are two unique features that should be prevalent within any good manager. You want to make sure that their mindset aligns with your interests and runs parallel to the goals you have specifically for your business.

These answers should subsequently point to their individual strengths and their passion for achieving objectives that they have set for themselves. This can be an amazing way to see their intentions and ensure that they are on track with what you want.

5. What Experience Do You Have?

This is one of the most basic manager interview questions and is common in most interviews - for good reason. When asking this, you’re putting the potential hire on the spot with how much experience they have truly obtained over the years.

You can also use specific aspects of their answer, such as how many people they were responsible for overseeing in the past, to make sure that they are the right fit for the team you have and the distinct characteristics of your business. They should be able to elaborate on what they have listed on their resume to give you a better understanding of what they can and will do if hired.

Also, one particular thing to look out for is if they have dedicated themselves to personal growth over time. If they have consistently developed over the years to take on more responsibility, it’s apparent that they have the will to continuously improve as a manager regardless of the environment.

6. What Has Been the Most Rewarding Thing You’ve Done in Your Career?

The answer to this question is one that expresses the specific qualities that are exhibited by the person being interviewed. It reveals their priorities as an employee.

Whatever answer they give will most likely relate to what motivates them as a manager and the aspects of the job that give them purpose as they work. They are telling you exactly what leads to their satisfaction and the ways in which they are able to grow as a result.

Whatever their reply is, you should make sure that it is on the same level of the values and principles that you hold true for your company. Simply put, you want to make sure that both of your definitions of success and achievement within the workplace are equivalent.

7. How Can You Actively Contribute to Our Company’s Growth?

This question gives them the chance to specifically state the ways in which they believe they can fit into your company’s framework. They should be able to share how they see themselves as part of your business and the qualities they have that can contribute to the overall growth of the company.

One of the main priorities of a manager should be to aid in the improvement of their workplace, and this question targets how the interviewee believes they can do this themselves.

In addition to this, it’s an easy way to see how familiar they are with your company and its operations. Ideally, their answer should be specific rather than a broad response that could apply to any company.

Finally, they should have the ability to relate the unique features of your business to their own existing methods and qualities.

Ask Interview Questions Based on Your Needs

While there are a seemingly endless number of questions you can ask during a manager interview, these tend to be the most beneficial in finding the right candidate.

However, a good interviewer should be able to find the best interview questions for a position based on their own company’s needs.

Finding the best candidate for a job can be a challenge, but with the proper questions in your arsenal you should be equipped to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Are you interested in making your workplace more efficient? Check out what Eden’s Workplace Management Platform can do for your office.