Retail – Manager

2725

Position Name: Manager

Interviewer

Candidate Name

Interview Date

Introductory Questions

– Interviewer(s) share name, role, tenure, and hand business cards for thank you messages
– Share a brief overview of the company
– Give Candidate the Job Description, highlight Job Purpose, Schedule/Travel, Major Challenges & Key Decisions, and Physical Requirements

Tell us about yourself.

What type of environment do you thrive in? What type of management style do you enjoy most?

What are your short and long-term professional goals?

Transitional & Verification Questions

– Clarify any unclear information from resume or application
– Verify availability for work hours and schedule, start date, and other important details

What accomplishment on your resume are you most proud of?

Are you able to perform the essential functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodation?

Technical Questions

– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups

Can you tell me in general terms how your technical skills meet the requirements of this position? In which specific areas do you need to come up to speed?

What specific areas (related to the position) do you consider yourself the most knowledgeable? What areas have you had less experience or do not feel as comfortable with?

Behavioral / Situational Questions

– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups. Follow up questions may include:
- Tell us more about the action you took and the outcome.
- What did you say at that point?
- How did you react to that situation?
- Explain your role in more detail.
- Tell me in detail what steps you took.
- And what was the result?
- Describe the obstacles you faced in getting it done.
- What other options did you consider?
- Why do you think you reacted as you did?
- How do you think others felt about your actions at the time?
- Were you satisfied with the outcome of your actions?
- If the same or a similar situation presented itself, what would you do differently?

Teamwork/Team Building

What do you think are the top fundamental values to building a strong team and why? How do you build these values into a team?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Managing Others

Describe your management style. Tell me about a situation that exemplifies your management style.

Situation:

Action:

Result:

To get the most from your staff, describe the amount of structure, direction, and freedom you give?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Give me an example of how you’ve provided developmental tasks and assignments that linked directly to a person’s development needs. How did you select the tasks? Which tasks or assignments did you proactively identify for the purpose of development?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Project Management

Describe the process you use in developing a project plan. Tell me about a project that worked out very well because of the plan you developed. Give me an example of a project that was difficult to complete despite having a well through-out plan. What did you do about it?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

What is the scope of the projects you have managed? Pick one and briefly describe the process and end result? What was something unanticipated that occurred?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Leadership

What makes you an effective leader? Why do you think people want to work for you?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

What strategies do you use to communicate a new directive/initiative?

Situation:

Action:

Result:

Candidate’s Questions

– Be sure to leave time for their questions, generally 1-3
– Paint a positive but honest view of the pros and cons of the work and culture

Notes

Closing Questions

– Describe where you are in the process, next steps, and when they can expect to hear back
– Ask if they have any final remarks

What is one thing I should know about you that I haven’t asked?

What do you hope to find in our organization that you don’t have now?

Interviewer Assessment

Enter your overall assessment about the candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities, and fit for this position.

Would you recommend this candidate advance in the process?

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