Top Interview Questions for Managers (With Answers) in 2023

Interview questions for a management position generally fall into two categories: performance — how you approach tasks, situations and ideas; how you do something, and behavior — how you handle certain situations, like a failed project or an underperforming employee.

Let’s look at 10 of the top manager interview questions and answers for each category.

Top 10 performance-based manager interview questions

Performance-based interviews focus on how you perform a task and the outcomes of your actions. When answering these questions, be specific and call on past achievements from your work history as examples.

• What do you hope to accomplish in your first month here?
• I have several goals for my first 30 days as a new manager with Letterpress Designs. I plan to schedule one-on-one meetings with each team member to learn more about their current projects and goals and to gather feedback about department processes. I will identify areas where we can streamline workflows to improve client services. I did the same thing in my last position and customer satisfaction increased by 20% over the following two months.
• How do you keep your teams engaged?
• I find that happy employees are productive employees. To help my teams stay happy, I keep an open-door policy and listen to their needs. Then I take steps to see how I can meet them as long as they pertain to the company’s goals. These steps might include training and career development, opportunities to join exciting projects, travel or engaging with the community through volunteer efforts.
• What is your approach to delegation?
• I recognize the individual strengths of each person on my team, and I assign tasks based on those strengths and each team member’s performance. This approach worked well in my former position. My strength lies in recognizing the potential and abilities of each team member and delegating tasks to reach the greatest team performance. There are two reasons for this conclusion. The first one is that delegating tasks helps me to get all the tasks at hand done and finalized within the set deadlines.
• How would you incorporate the company’s goals into a strategy for your team?
• I would do what I’ve been doing at my current job because it has worked so well. At the end of every quarter, I revisit the company’s goals and what we, as a team, have done to help make them successful. We celebrate the wins and then discuss what we could have done better. I then create team and individual performance goals based on the company’s goals for that quarter and individual performance goals based on the company’s goals for that quarter.
• How do you manage an underperforming employee?
• I’ve found this approach to underperformers to work every time: I set clear expectations verbally and in writing, and I talk one-on-one with the employee to ensure they understand my expectations. If the employee still struggles to perform, I work with them to create a roadmap for their success. The roadmap starts with small steps and gradually increases as the employee becomes more engaged. Throughout the process, I focus on the positive and meet with them weekly to review their performance and provide feedback. After about one month, we reconvene to reevaluate their job performance. So far, I’ve had nothing but successful outcomes.
• What is your plan to grow the team?
• I plan to restructure the current team and hire new people with new skill sets to complement the current team’s strengths. For example, I believe the current team’s biggest strength is product development. A data analyst can enhance it by providing insights into your customer’s purchasing trends and identifying areas where the company can improve. Beyond that, I will encourage inclusivity and diversity and prioritize collaboration.
• How do you reward your employees for excellent performance?
• First, I thank them face-to-face and explain what their contributions mean for the team and the company so they can see the tangible results of their efforts. I also look for ways to give them personalized rewards for their efforts and ensure their bonuses reflect their achievements. I make sure my high-achieving employees’ work is seen by the company, too. I thank them in team announcements via email and all-hands meetings.
• What strategies do you use to encourage collaboration within your team?
• For me, a strong team is a collaborative team. To achieve this, I encourage open communication, inclusivity, monthly team-bonding activities and team meetings involving brainstorming sessions so everyone may participate in a project. In my current role, we have team potluck lunches offsite, and the number one rule is: We don’t talk shop. Consequently, we have formed bonds that extend beyond work and enhance our ability to work together.
• Why do you think you’re a good fit for this job?
• I’m a great fit for this job because my skill set is a perfect match. I create and execute strategies that succeed at fueling growth and increasing revenue for companies and I have a proven track record of creating and growing sales teams that excel. For example, in my current role, I manage a team of 25 award-winning sales associates who consistently break sales track records.

Top 10 behavioral interview questions for managers

A behavioral interview looks at your behavior in difficult situations. To answer these questions, highlight the soft skills you’ve gained throughout your career.

• How do you handle conflict within your team?
• When there is conflict on my team, I remain neutral, and I listen to both sides. I discuss the issue with each person, and then we come together to figure out the best mutually agreeable solution. I was in a situation early in my management career where two team members did not work well together. I noticed it was affecting the rest of my team’s productivity, so I listened to them individually. Then I brought them together, and we devised a reasonable solution that worked well for the whole team.
• Describe a mistake you’ve made and what you did to fix it.
• My first year as a clothing store manager, I took all tasks on myself, from greeting customers to inventory control. It didn’t take long to realize that I needed to delegate to run the business efficiently and increase sales successfully. That lesson is the reason for my current ability to build award-winning sales teams.
• Tell me about a time when you had to reprimand an employee.
• I once had an employee who struggled with teamwork. She consistently received complaints from colleagues for not collaborating on projects. I had a one-on-one conversation with the employee in which she and I reviewed her colleagues’ complaints. During our discussions, the employee realized their interpersonal communication and teamwork skills needed improvement. Within one month, her colleague’s feedback improved substantially.
• Tell me about your most significant professional accomplishment.
• So far, my biggest achievement was spearheading an integrated marketing campaign for a new product my last company was launching. It was a new approach for a company accustomed to siloed marketing techniques that were no longer resonating with our core customers. My strategy was for a cohesive and comprehensive brand experience that created a renewed interest in the company and boosted our market share.
• Have you ever had to fire someone?
• Unfortunately, yes, once. There was sufficient reason for letting the person go — I caught him stealing from the company — so it was not a difficult decision. As a manager, I had to put the company first.
• Describe a situation where someone on your team became upset with you.
• I once had an employee who disagreed with me over the best way to handle a customer dispute. I called a meeting with my employee to discuss our different approaches privately and openly. She trusted me enough that she was honest about the concerns she had about my approach to the matter, and it turned out we were actually on the same page, but our communication about it had some glitches. From then on, I prioritized open, honest and direct communication.
• What is your leadership style?
• Throughout my career I have learned that being a good communicator who listens to my team is the most effective way to lead, and to that end, I am always sharpening my active listening skills. I have learned so much from my current team because I have instilled trust in them by encouraging them to come to me with ideas, questions and concerns.
• Tell me about a time you had to make an unpopular decision.
• When I started working as general manager of Swanky Nightclub, there were no scheduling procedures in place, causing tension among staff and confusion for managers. I implemented a new scheduling policy that forced accountability and restricted shift updates and the staff had trouble accepting the changes at first. Once they saw how my changes streamlined workflow and enhanced efficiency, they were grateful for the change.
• How do you know you can lead a team?
• I know I can lead a team because I’ve proven it. After three years as an individual contributor in my last job, I was asked to oversee the implementation of new content management software on a tight deadline. I created a project scope and budget, and I worked closely with the development team to ensure they stayed on deadline and within budget. When we were ready to launch the new system, I coordinated with several teams cross functionally and trained them all on the new system. In the end, the project was successful. Production was not interrupted and we finished on time and under budget.
• What is your biggest management weakness?
• There are times when I have to remind myself that I can’t fix everything. In past positions, when there have been problems with a project, I’ve tended to throw myself into it and attempt to solve it myself. I’ve learned that it gets in the way of my employees’ growth and causes them to feel like I don’t trust their abilities to handle problems. Now, I pause, assess the situation, and let my team know that they handle it but can come to me if they need assistance or advice.