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Competency based interview questions for management roles

​By Mansour Baker, SHRM-CP

Posted  01 June 2020

​The competency-based assessment questionnaire has been specially designed to give you a tool to assess your candidates’ management competency and behavioral levels.

​The questionnaire acts to collect responses from candidates to help you gain a better understanding of your candidates’ competency levels, management styles, leadership skills and personalities during the recruitment process. The questionnaire is for assessment of managerial positions and it can be modified to include information and questions most relevant to the requirements of your company and that of the position that you are hiring.  

For each question, prepare one-two paragraphs giving an example for each of the asked question. 

• The Issue
• The Action 
• The Outcome

Exhibit 1

Sample format to collect responses from candidates

​General Skills & Management Competencies Questionnaire

1. What are your strengths - what can you offer that other candidates cannot?
2. What are your limitations and weaknesses? 
3. What is your management style? Describe a situation in which you had a difficult management problem and how did you solve it? Describe some situations in which you have worked under pressure or met deadlines? Give example of an objective in your last job which you failed to meet and why? Would you describe a few situations in which your work was criticized? What have you learned from your mistakes? 
4. As a manager, what do you look for when hiring people? How do you motivate your staff? As a manager had you ever had to fire anyone. If so, what were the circumstances and how did you handle it? 
5. Describe a time when you had to think through major issues and had to rely on what you knew about the business to come up with the best plan, strategy, or solution.  
6. What do you anticipate being the most difficult task in being a manager (i.e. in this case for the position that you are being interviewed for)? 
7. What are the things that are most important to you in a job? Give 2 examples of things that you are not happy with in your present job.
8. Describe what you feel would be an ideal working environment. 
9. Given the opportunity to take on this post, how long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to your new employer?
10. How many direct and indirect employees do you have in your current job and what types of employees are they?
11. How do you evaluate your last employer? 
12. How would your boss and your subordinates describe your leadership and management styles?
13. Why do you think you are the right candidate for the job? Give 3 reasons why you think the company should choose you instead of other candidates.

Behavioral Competencies Questionnaire 

1. How would you describe your personality? 
2. How would you describe your interpersonal, communication and relationship management skills? 
3. How would your boss, subordinates and colleagues describe your personality and your interpersonal, communication and relationship management skills? 
4. Thinking innovatively is an important aspect of this position. Describe a time when you were most effective at encouraging a group (or person) to think creatively.
5. Describe an example of a time when you knew you were right in making a decision that was not endorsed by your boss? What was the incident about and the nature of the disagreement? What did you do to cope with the situation? How did you go about in solving the disagreement and convincing your boss to accept your decision?
6. Describe a time when your work was criticized. What was the nature of the work? Who made the criticism?  What were the reasons behind it? Was the criticism justified?  How did you react to the criticism and to the person who made the criticism? What measures were taken to ensure that the same mistakes would not be repeated? 
7. Describe an example of a time when you suffered a setback or disappointment concerning a project or activity for which you were responsible? What was the project or activity you were involved in? What was the nature of the disappointment or setback? What did you do to cope with the demands of the situation? How did you proceed after the setback?
8. Having good relationships with customers are necessary for the success of this position. Following up with customers helps achieve long-term customer relationships. Describe a time when your persistence in following up produced the most positive result.
9. Describe an example of a time when you must convince senior and line management to co-operate and be part of the team to carry out an initiative directed from corporate office within a specific time-frame. What was the activity about? What were the resistance and why? How did you go about in convincing managers to be part of the team and to carry out assigned tasks to ensure successful implementation of the project?

Management Competencies Questionnaire

1. What are the 3 most important achievements in your career to date? Achievements that have really contributed to the success of the company or have been recognized by the company as successfully achieving business objectives? How did you go about into achieving these objectives? 
2. What important Trends related to your management area do you foresee for the coming years? For example, describe the HR trends for HR positions, marketing and pricing trends for marketing positions and IT trends for IT positions etc.
3. How well do you evaluate your skills and experience relevant to the position you are applying for, experience and skills in the country and region that will convince the hiring company that you are the right person for the job? 
4. Describe your experience in strategic planning and management and in developing business strategies to provide long-term competitive advantage to the company.   
5. Describe your experience working as an advisor to top, senior and line managers on providing advice and solutions to strategic and daily operational issues that are relevant to this position. 
6. Describe your experience in managing change and in developing, designing, and implementing change management programs and processes.
7. Describe your experience in reviewing, creating, and designing different management programs relevant to this position that you are applying for. Precisely specify the different programs and what role you play in each area.
8. Describe your experience in developing, driving, and implementing change communication programs.
9. Describe your experience and style of managing staff.
10. Describe your experience in integrating in business planning.
11. Describe your experience in the management of vendors and external consultants and service providers.

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