1. Explain your viewpoint of management?
Management interview questions like this are asked to find out what kind of leader you are. Should you ever get placed in a management role, how will you delegate the workload or teach your co-workers.
I believe the main goal of any management position is to get things done by evenly distributing the workload to the most qualified members of the team. They also make sure that each member of the team has all the resources and training that are necessary to complete the job.
2. Explain your definition of success?
The interviewer is looking for work related examples of how you measure success and when know you have reached accomplishment. Use a work related example and keep your answer short and to the point.
In my opinion and as it relates to the workplace, success is a measurable variable. If you don't measure your accomplishments, success is lost. Success can be tied to everything you do each day.
If I plan to accomplish 3 tasks before the end of the day and I do so, then I have been successful. Success simply means accomplishing what you set out to do within the parameters you specify, whether they be time, money or learning, etc.
3. Explain your definition of failure?
This question is really just the opposite of your definition of success. What does failure mean to you and how do you know you have failed within a given time frame. Keep in mind that failure is just a perspective.
For starters, failure is an event and not a person and you only fail if you quit and I'm not a quitter. I may not complete a project on time or miss an important deadline, but that does not qualify as having failed in my book. If I complete a task, but miss a deadline, I still consider it a success because I finished, but without the desired result.
4. Explain how you manage your time?
Obviously, your answer should reflect that you are a self starter and never put things off. They want to hear that you set goals for your work and how you prioritize them.
I only have so many hours in the day to get my work done and I have found that if I don't create daily, weekly, and monthly goals, it seems like nothing ever gets done. I keep track of all my responsibilities and goals in spreadsheet and review them daily.
I mark down when I am first assigned a task, how long I think it will take, when it needs to be completed and how much time I will need to spend on it each day to complete the job on time. This helps me in so many ways, but mainly it keeps me on track with what is important. It also helps me from getting overbooked and promising more than I can deliver. Now, I can always deliver what I promise and be on-time.
IT management is the discipline whereby all of the information technology resources of a firm are managed in accordance with its needs and priorities. These resources may include tangible investments like computer hardware, software, data, networks and data centre facilities, as well as the staff who are hired to maintain them.
6. What methods have you used to prioritize work assignments?
Focus on your planning and organizational skills. Describe your ability to establish objectives, set priorities, plan proper assignment of tasks, allocate resources effectively, use appropriate organizational tools and follow up on work and task status.
Demonstrate how you communicate information effectively to an individual or group, adjusting your approach according to the situation. Include your ability to see the other person's perspective, to listen properly and establish a constructive relationship.
Show how you have facilitated the development of knowledge and skills, how you adjust your approach according to the individual and provide support where needed. Discuss how you are able to assess the needs of your staff, establish a plan for improvement considering available resources and the individual requirements and gain agreement to this plan.
Key to success as a manager is communication. Prepare for manager interview questions about your communication skills.
9. Describe a time you had to motivate a staff member who was reluctant to undertake an assignment?
show how you determine the appropriate motivation strategies for your staff members by understanding their different needs and perspectives.
Include the communication of goals and visions to your staff, gaining commitment to these, establishing appropriate reward and incentive structures and supporting and leading staff to success.
focus on how you assign tasks and responsibility to the appropriate people, how you clarify exactly what is expected, communicate confidence and ensure adequate resources are available for successful completion of the task. Include follow-up procedures and setting deadlines.
