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How Do I Prepare for a Management Interview · Enhance.training

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Preparing for a management interview is not quite the same as preparing for other interviews.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: In this podcast, we take you through five key areas you must include in your preparation if you want to get that job offer.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Jess Coles and I've sat in over a thousand interviews as a hiring manager, hiring at all levels from juniors all the way through to CEOs.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I've also personally been through many tough interviews and assessment days to get management level jobs in world-class companies.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: If you're new to this podcast, enhanced.training provides online business courses to help professionals, managers and business owners improve their performance.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: And if you like this podcast, please share it with friends and visit us at enhance.training.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about management level interviews.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: When preparing for a management interview, you need to think about what you have achieved through others.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Or if you're going for your first manager role, how you will achieve through others.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: So what do we actually mean by achieving through others?
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: At a basic level, a manager is a person that has responsibility for and directs a group of staff.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: The manager is responsible for the output of the team.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, as a manager, you cannot just do all the work yourself.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: You must get others to do the work needed to the right standard within agreed time frames, hence being able to achieve results through others.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Our first key preparation area we're going to discuss is as a manager, your job is to manage and lead.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Sounds simple, right?
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Managing is dealing with people and thus managing relationships.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: I mean just take a look at the bookshelves and the number of books dedicated to managing relationships in one form or another.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Because managing relationships is not easy.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: If you're going for your first management role, then a small proportion of your job is about management.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: You're still likely to be doing a lot of actual work too.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: If you are in or heading into senior management or director level roles, then you will probably find that 90% plus of your job is to lead and manage others.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: You don't actually produce much work personally, all or nearly all of your output is through others.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: So when preparing for a management interview, you should think about how you firstly lead and manage people, how you communicate with others, how you organise others, how you persuade, cajole, encourage, coach, you know, all the different ways you get others to do a task or a project, how you motivate the team and set direction for the team, and how you work with team members.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: And to be a good manager, you need to have reasonable to good self-awareness, and your answers need to reflect this.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Expect to be asked a number of questions about your management or leadership style.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: A very good starting point to answering all these questions is to work out how you specifically tackle all of these areas.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Being a good manager is also about being true to yourself, being genuine and authentic.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: Take what you do and paint it in the best possible light.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure you prepare good answers to all the obvious interview questions.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: How do you handle disagreements between team members?
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: How have you gained commitment from your team?
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: How do goals help you become a better leader?
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: How can we motivate you as a leader?
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: How do you manage a poor performer?
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: How do you manage a star performer?
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever had to implement a significant company change in one of your past roles?
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Have you had to take someone through a disciplinary before?
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say is the difference between management and leadership?
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: If you want structured answers written specifically for management levels, then take a look at our interview question bank by visiting enhance.training.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: The second preparation area we're going to discuss is what are the key problems the company has and will solve by hiring you.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Understanding the problems the company has is a critical step in your preparation process.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't know what the problems are, then how are you going to show you can solve them effectively?
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Your interview performance is always relative to the expectations of the interviewer and the other candidates.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: So let's cover expectations on each general management level.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: So for a junior manager, if you're going to your first management position, then the challenges outlined in the job advert or by the recruitment consultant for the team and the position are probably all you need to answer well.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: General research on the company will help you talk to additional challenges which will help you stand out from other candidates.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: For a middle manager, understanding the problems that your role will encounter is a must, of course.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: You will probably be expected to have a good understanding of the company level issues that will impact the function you're working in.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Try to understand as many of these as possible from your research and from the experience you've gained working in this function.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Demonstrating this wider awareness will help you stand out from other candidates.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Bring into your answers how you will contribute towards solving these functional level issues.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: For a senior manager, if you're applying for a senior manager or a director level role, then understanding the problems faced by the company as a whole rather than just your function is a must.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Part of your role will be helping to solve the wider company problems and challenges.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: During the interview, you must demonstrate an understanding of the company level problems and provide examples of where you have tackled similar problems and the outcomes you've achieved.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: As an interviewer, I would also expect you to be asking questions to gain a better understanding of the potential issues during the interview.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Doing so demonstrates your confidence, your question and problem solving skills, and would give me more confidence in your interests and durability.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's cover energy levels.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: This is an area that's much harder to gain.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: So the third preparation area we're going to discuss is how are you going to demonstrate your energy levels during the interview?
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Being a good manager or leader is hard work.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: There are a lot of demands on your time and your emotions.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: The stresses and strains of dealing with problems, challenges, and staff members do take their toll.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: How are you going to show you have enough energy to manage these challenges and to progress into more senior roles in the future that maybe demand even more energy?
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: During the interview, show your energy in how you talk, in your enthusiasm and your excitement for the role.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: But also provide examples that demonstrate that you have a good or high energy levels, enough certainly to do this role happily and more.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: Your examples might be talking about all the additional activities you do outside work after a long day in the office.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: It might be talking through how many objectives you and your team have delivered during the last year, say.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: Put your thinking cap on and work out how you're going to demonstrate your energy levels during an interview.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Working longer hours is probably expected.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: There are individuals that stay in the office for long hours but might not produce that much.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: How are you going to show that you are more productive than they are, or you have a higher level of output, or you work smarter than they do?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: And working long hours can also be seen as a negative by interviewers.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: For example, maybe you are not able to delegate effectively and end up doing a lot of the work your team should.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: So be warned and make sure you cover off these negative areas in your answers.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: If you come across with low energy and the role is demanding, then you could easily be out of the running.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: The fourth preparation area we're going to discuss is to use lots of appropriate examples in your answers.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: Using a lot of good and relevant examples of where you have solved problems or successfully managed specific activities is an absolute must.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: Construct the examples to demonstrate where and how you have solved problems that your target role will be facing.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: As I'm sure you know, examples are important to develop the interviewer's confidence and trust in you and specifically that you can do what you say you can do.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: Each key point or statement you make should have an example to back it up.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: The examples must show you're operating at a level of your current role and ideally of the role that you're applying for.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: This means that a lot of your examples will come from your current or previous role.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure the examples are relevant to the question being asked and the problems the employer may be facing.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: To do this well, you need to have a good range of examples, each carefully constructed and practiced before the interview.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure the examples you use reinforce the level you work at currently.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Ideally, most of these examples should show you are or will soon be operating at the level of your target role.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: The fifth preparation area we're going to discuss is the questions that you ask matter.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: During the interview and certainly at the end of the interview, you will have opportunities to ask questions.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: For manager level interviews, sensible and relevant questions are expected.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: The more senior the role you're applying for, then you should ask better and more probing questions.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: This shows the level of research you've already done, how keen you are on the actual role in the company, and your confidence levels.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: Interviews are a two-way street.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: The company and the interviewer have to impress you too with the opportunity the role has for you and how it will progress your career, among other things.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: By asking good and probing questions that help you find out more about the role, the people, and the challenges the business is facing, the more interested the interviewer will be in you.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: The majority of your questions should be specific to the company and demonstrate your research and interest, but it's also okay to have a couple of generic questions in the mix.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: So, in summary, the competition for management level roles is usually higher than the more junior levels.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: There are less roles and there are plenty of people wanting them.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, you need to prepare well if you want to be in the running for a job offer.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: The most vital preparation you can do is matching your relevant skills and experience to the problems the role you are applying for is likely to have.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: Being a good manager is hard work.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: From the interviewer's perspective, if you work to prepare well for the interview, then you're so much more likely to work hard in the actual job.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: So if you'd like to learn more about the resources, courses, and coaching we offer, visit us at enhance.training.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks very much for listening, and I look forward to speaking to you again soon.