Are you an aspiring manager? Is your current manager leaving and you are considering applying for their position? Or maybe you already are a manager but plan to leave for another company and are participating in the recruitment process for a team leader. An interview for a management position has its own specifics and, along with the standard questions, you may also expect some particular ones related to your potential future role. Here are five items likely to appear at such an interview, along with some tips on how to react to them.
This overview appeared on The Muse website.
"Give an example of a project you successfully completed as a team leader."
This question will definitely be asked. Consider your answer in advance and have a short speech ready in the form of a story which describes the initial situation, the challenge you were facing, the obstacles you had to overcome as a team, and the eventual success. If you have no work experience leading a team, you may use an example from your personal life: for instance, serving as a supervisor at a children's camp, or being part of a group that found itself in a challenging situation.
"How would you solve a conflict between two subordinates?"
These situations of course happen when you are a team leader, so a potential employer is interested in the strategies you would use. You should mention that you would always remain professional, you would ascertain objective facts and talk to both employees separately before taking any action.
"What are your weaknesses in terms of leadership?"
This is the managerial variation of the basic question: "What are your weaknesses?" It is again necessary to think about the answer in advance, then say honestly what you think your weaknesses are and what it is you want to work on. It should not be a fatal flaw but you have to say something: claiming you are perfect would only show you are incapable of self-reflection.
"How do you determine priorities for you and your subordinates?"
Time management, delegation of work, organisation of work and defining priorities: these are key tasks of any team leader. It is important you know how the company you are applying to works, what its basic structure is, and how it most likely organises its work internally. Only if you have an idea about these things are you able to answer this question.
"How will you give subordinates feedback?"
A dialogue between manager and subordinates is key to the satisfaction of employees and productivity of the team as a whole. The way you communicate with employees and give them feedback is crucial. Answer that communication must be regular and is important not only when something is wrong but when things are going well. Another thing to say is that when giving feedback, the manager should focus not only on mistakes, but also on work well done and on developing the strengths of the employees.
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