Management scenario questions at interview?

[Cloo]

So in a fortnight I have an interview for a line management position - I have 2 years' experience from 2020-2022 of line management and no training. I was going to get what sounded like a really great training package starting with an intensive two-day workshop and followed by online sessions, but unfortunately that workshop fell at the beginning of April 2020 and they never picked it up again virtually or otherwise.

Anyway, the interview will involve management scenario questions, so I'm keen on tips on what these might be and how to answer from anyone with experience.

NB, this is with BSI so there is a higher chance than many employers that they will do all their shit properly, and that when they say 'comptency based interview' they actually mean it.

 

[freshapple]

I imagine it could be about corporate policies & procedures for various staffing scenarios. Employment law, code of conduct, managing problematic staff, sickness procedure, underperformance etc

 

[Hollis]

Anyway, the interview will involve management scenario questions, so I'm keen on tips on what these might be and how to answer from anyone with experience.

Usual ones:

Explain how you've managed a difficult staff situation, what do you do, what did you learn?
How would you develop/lead a team to improve it's performace
How would you describe your management style
What would previous staff/line manager say about your strengths/weaknesses
How have you liaised effectively with peers in different departments?

There's more... stuff on leadership basically..

Always answer with the STAR technique and give examples... try to make the examples interesting/memorable and not too long winded, focus on what you did (no 'we's)... show your human by saying what was difficult, what you could've done differently etc..

 

[Cloo]

Thanks Hollis that's really useful.

I still have access to my 'work' account and laptop and therefore to LinkedIn training videos and stuff until the end of the month, so I think I will take the opportunity to watch any relevant videos before this interview.

 

[equationgirl]

How do you manage a team?
I emphasise spending the first 90 days observing as much as possible and learning as much as I can about each person and what they respond to. Do some people need more of a free rein to be left alone or do some people like regular check ins every week?

How do you give negative feedback?

How do you recognise someone for doing a good job?

What would you do if someone wasn't responding to feedback around the areas they needed to work on?

 

[RubyToogood]

Some actual recent examples I've been asked:

Tell us about a time you identified a need for training.
If management implemented a decision your team disagreed with, how would you deal with it?

 

[WouldBe]

Anyway, the interview will involve management scenario questions, so I'm keen on tips on what these might be and how to answer from anyone with experience.

Usual advice for problems on here is to "nuke it from orbit". I'm not sure that would go down well.

 

[equationgirl]

I've also been asked how I would feel if I had to report in to someone younger than me - I usually answer in a very matter of fact way that of course it wouldn't be a problem.

 

[Cloo]

Yes, I might have that although looked like most of management were my age/older. I have been dreading that I might be interviewed by lots of people way younger than me, and I might be reaching the stage of being discriminated against as an oldie, but thus far has proved not usually to be the case

 

[equationgirl]

Yes, I might have that although looked like most of management were my age/older. I have been dreading that I might be interviewed by lots of people way younger than me, and I might be reaching the stage of being discriminated against as an oldie, but thus far has proved not usually to be the case

I definitely didn't feel there was an ageism issue until I turned 50.

 

[Plumdaff]

Typical questions in my field would be;

• how do you manage underperformance
• how would you manage an interpersonal dispute between two people you manage
• tell me about a time you disagreed with a colleague
• tell me about a time you received negative feedback
• tell me about a time something went wrong at work
• tell me about a time you managed a change process
• how do you motivate others

Important to have examples, doesn't matter if they come from a different role or field, focus is on transferable skills. People are often scared to admit mistakes and that leads to them giving less in depth and reflective answers to some interview questions. As an interviewer I know you're human, I want to get a sense of how you cope / learn when things go wrong/ mistakes are made - I don't want someone who pretends it never happens.

 

[A380]

Will this be tested in interview? If so:

Always refer to organisational policy and say you would apply it.

If a performance or similar issue find out if there are welfare issues “everything ok at home?”

Any development ( either for performance or good performer wanting to progress) you set should me SMART (Specific Measurable Achievable, Recorded/Relevant/realistic and Time limited-I.e a date for achieving it)

Always make a record of discipline type matters , refer to organisation policy.

Consider protected characteristics in every answer.

OR

if you are joining BSI will it be the civil service ‘ leadership’ battery of online tests? These are about half a dozen scenarios with actors recorded on video then another 15 or so where you just get scripts to read. For each one they give you a course of action (s) and you have to say if that’s really good, good, ok , bad or really bad.

Not to blow my own trumpet, as I know what my level of performance is in terms of leadership and management, when I joined the mainstream civil service, I was really really worried about that test as i knocked it out in about 20 minutes because every scenario was so fucking obvious. So much so that I panicked as I thought I must be missing the point massively and must have failed it seemed so easy. Anyway, I scored top 2%. And whilst I don’t think I’m a shit boss I’m deffo not top 2 %.

If it’s the later test drop me a PM if you would like.

 

[Cloo]

Thanks A380 and Plumdaff . Helpful point about organisational policy and bearing in mind protected characteristics.

I think it might be scenario type things, not sure.

I have noted a few scenarios about thinks like interpersonal conflict/process issues/managing a high performer/giving negative feedback (some of which weren't from when I was managing, but who's to know ) - they're OK, but they are a bit 'me telling people stuff' rather than engaging in a conversation which I'm sure is better practice, but then one of the people in question was someone who genuinely wanted to be told what to do rather than interject his own thoughts - pretty sure he was on autism spectrum (not that all AS people need telling what to do, but this guy did).

There's something from last job where I wasn't actually the manager but may use as an example if they ask about a really challenging situation - involved redundancies and one person who was over 70, in failing health and reliant on work health insurance to pay for cancer treatment, workaholic but also refusing to engage with a change in requirements of the role and basically had to be the person to go, but obviously, protected characteristics and all that. Solution basically involved saying they couldn't keep their job if they wouldn't carry out the task they wouldn't engage with but cutting a deal with support of HR whereby they were made redundant but the business covered their health insurance for as long as needed (which I think was their main reason for trying to hang on in the job). Which I think was 9-12 months before the cancer finally got them

Been watching some videos on YouTube about management and picked up a few tips that might be good to refer to if they come up.