First-Time Manager Interview Tips & Questions
First-Time Manager Interview Tips & Questions
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Unlike interviews for higher-level roles that focus on past achievements, first-
time manager interviews are all about potential — your leadership, decision-
making, and management skills.
Contents
FAQ
Stepping into your first managerial role can be a bit daunting, I get it. And the
interview process? It will surely add to those jitters.
The real challenge lies in preparing for first-time manager interviews. It’s not just
about running through the typical interview questions or flexing your technical
know-how. It’s all about revealing your inner leader.
This guide will help you do just that. Inside, you’ll find:
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([Link] will guide you through all the questions you can
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When you’re vying for that first-time managerial gig, your interviewer is much
more interested in your potential than your past.
In other words — questions to first-time managers focus more on what would you
do?, rather than what did you do?
With the basics established, let’s take a look at some of the most common
questions first-time managers get asked. And if you’re here just to see a list of
questions, it’s right below.
In the following sections, I’ll break each question down and give you some top-
notch sample answers.
If you want to read about all kinds of leadership-related questions (not just for first-
time managers), check this guide out: Behavioral Interview Questions About
Leadership Skills ([Link]
interviews/leadership-interview-questions/)
How to answer:
Focus on the big picture. Suggest that a manager’s job involves creating a
vision, setting goals, and promoting an environment that brings out the best in
the team.
Keep your answer relevant to the job. Talk about your vision of a
managerial role in the specific team you’d be leading. Refer to the
requirements and responsibilities listed in the job description.
Highlight interpersonal skills. Mention the need for strong relationships,
successful conflict resolution, and e!ective feedback delivery.
Mention leadership. Stress the role of a manager as a chief motivator and
example-setter for the team, driving towards shared goals.
Sample answer
I believe the most critical role of a manager is to be a bridge between top
management and the team. This involves communicating directions, setting
clear expectations, and facilitating an environment that furthers both
individual and company goals. It also means guiding the team, resolving
conflicts, and nurturing a high-performance culture rooted in feedback and
continuous learning.
:
Question: What management style do you
prefer?
How to answer:
Remember that you’re not required to choose only one style or method.
You can showcase your versatility as a manager by explaining how you would
adapt your management style based on the task, team, and circumstances.
Detail di!erent situations where you’d use di!erent managing styles. For
example, a coaching style for team development, and a democratic style for
decision-making requiring team input.
Tie your answer to the company values. It’s important to adapt your
management style to the needs of the organization you’d be joining. Highlight
your focus on creating the right environment for your team members to thrive
and deliver.
Use past experiences. It might be the first time you’re stepping into a
managerial role, but you can still draw upon experiences where you’ve
managed projects or teams to illustrate your points.
Sample answer
I prefer a transformational management style, as it encourages employees
to exceed established expectations through innovation and creativity. My
focus is to inspire and motivate people, promoting a culture that values
self-improvement and autonomy, while providing support and guidance
when required. In other words, I think the key is to equip the team with
business context and any tools they need to succeed — and then simply
remove roadblocks.
:
Question: Describe how you handle conflict
resolution.
How to answer:
Describe your general approach towards conflict resolution. Show that
you understand the importance of addressing issues promptly before they
escalate.
Tell a story that illustrates your conflict-resolution skills. Base your
answer on concrete evidence, not just general strategies.
Highlight the results of your conflict management e!orts. Explain how
your actions benefited the team and the organization.
Sample answer
I believe in addressing conflicts transparently but tactfully. My approach is
to first understand the perspectives of all parties involved, creating a safe
space for open communication.
How to answer:
Explain how you would communicate with the team member. For
instance, your first step could be to have a private and frank conversation with
them to understand any underlying issues that could be a!ecting their
performance.
Discuss what you would do to help the team member improve their
performance. Mention steps such as training to help them meet their job
requirements more e!ectively.
Remember to talk about monitoring the progress. Outline how you’d
monitor their progress, as well as what you would do if the team member
:
would continue to underperform.
Based on this understanding, I would work with the team member to form
a customized performance improvement plan, potentially including
additional training or workload management strategies.
How to answer:
Set the scene. Start by providing context for the example — the team you
were working with, the task at hand, and any particular challenges the team
was facing.
Share your approach. Detail your strategy for motivation, whether it was goal
setting, rallying the team around a shared vision, reminding about an
incentive, or any other methods.
:
Highlight the results. Talk about the positive outcomes from your initiative —
an increase in morale, productivity, or overall team success.
I took the initiative to brighten our spirits. I coordinated with our leadership
to surprise the team with a lunch, allowing everyone to relax and recharge.
Furthermore, I used it as an opportunity for all of us to share some time-
management strategies to improve our workflow. The surprise lunch was a
hit, and everyone seemed re-energized afterward. Additionally, applying the
time management strategies made our tasks significantly easier to handle
for the remainder of the week. As a result, we managed to execute all
events flawlessly, and the team was noticeably more engaged.
How to answer:
Initiate a conversation. Emphasize your willingness to engage in a private,
open discussion with the employee to understand their perspective and
struggles.
Highlight fairness. Talk about treating every team member fairly and
consistently.
:
Develop a plan. Discuss devising a mutual plan with specific, measurable
actions that the employee can take to improve their behavior.
I decided to ask my colleague what was going on, then learned about her
commuting challenges. Understanding her situation better, I brainstormed
some solutions that could accommodate her needs while keeping the
operations smooth. I brought this matter and a proposed solution of an
adaptive work schedule to our manager’s attention, advocating for my
coworker’s situation, so we could jointly address the issue. With the
manager’s support, we successfully implemented the new work schedule. It
accommodated my colleague’s commuting issues, ensured the clinic
maintained optimal patient care, and reinstated the harmony of our team.
Surprise, surprise! Apart from typical interview questions for newbie managers,
you’ll certainly be asked some other, standard interview questions. Make sure you
come prepared. Here are some of our guides:
How to answer:
Contextualize. Start by outlining the situation — the team, the specific
information you had to convey, and what made it complex.
Talk about strategies. Mention the methods you used to simplify and
present the information, such as visual aids, hands-on demonstrations, or
breaking information down into manageable parts.
Talk about how you engaged your coworkers. This could be by encouraging
questions or conducting discussion sessions.
How to answer:
Explain the circumstances. This could involve a project, an idea, or a plan
that needed someone’s cooperation or approval.
Discuss your strategy. Outline the tactics you used to persuade the
individual or the group. Remember to highlight the importance of
understanding their perspective, laying out your reasoning clearly, and
connecting your proposal to shared goals or values.
Show the outcome. Describe the result of your e!orts. Even if it wasn’t
entirely successful, you can talk about what you learned from the situation.
How to answer:
Begin by detailing the situation and what made the issue challenging. It
could be an unexpected delay, a logistical problem, a team conflict, or any
other significant hurdle.
Discuss the strategy you adopted to solve the issue. This might include
drawing on existing resources, seeking external advice, or innovating a novel
solution.
Describe the outcome of your e!orts and how it impacted your work
or the team.
How to answer:
Talk about how you gather information. Start by discussing how essential it
is for you to collect as much information as possible from reliable sources
before making a decision.
Mention your approach to exploring di!erent scenarios. This includes
weighing pros and cons, and examining potential outcomes of each
alternative.
Remember about other points of view. Talk about the importance of
seeking di!erent perspectives, especially when making decisions that
significantly impact the team or company.
Want more on the topic? We have a separate guide about behavioral problem-
solving questions, specifically. Give it a read: Problem-Solving Interview Questions
and Answers ([Link]
interview-question-problem-solving/)
How to answer:
:
Describe the situation. Start with a specific instance of a time you failed. Be
honest about what happened and why it was considered a failure.
Pick a real failure. Mistakes are an opportunity for you to grow — and this
question is precisely about that growth. Don’t try to disguise an actual win as a
loss. “I failed to pace myself and delivered a project way ahead of schedule but
ended up exhausted” won’t do.
Discuss your reaction. Detail how you handled the situation — what steps
you took immediately after the failure and the emotional impact it had on you.
Focus on learning. Explain what you learned from this experience and how it
helped you grow personally or professionally.
How to answer:
Establish the background of the change. Start by explaining the context of
:
the major change in the company and why it was significant.
Explain how you adapted. For instance, by embracing new practices,
permanently adjusting your plans, or relearning parts of your job.
Discuss your mindset. Highlight the attitude you maintained during the
transition, like staying positive, remaining flexible, or taking the initiative to
learn new processes.
Demonstrate leadership skills. If applicable, describe how you supported
others during the change and fostered a resilient and adaptable team culture.
I did my best to understand the nature of the upcoming changes and how
they would impact our day-to-day. I shared my notes and observations with
my colleagues, trying to clarify anything that might not have been obvious.
And I tried to remind everyone of smaller achievements throughout this
period.
Pro tip: If you’re thinking about going up a step in the corporate ladder and
assuming your first managerial job, don’t hesitate to take advantage of
managerial coaching (in other words: coaching that helps you become a
better coach yourself). Research
([Link] suggests that managerial
:
coaching can greatly facilitate successful transitions into leadership
positions. Actually, another recent study
([Link] implies that lack of formal
management training can greatly hamper your success as a first-time
manager.
That nice downtown view from your first-ever private o#ce. You’re a manager now.
(You might even remove your o#ce door entirely to highlight how it’s “always open
for you folks.”)
How did you get there? Easy. You learned the fool-proof strategy to answering
interview questions for new managers. The one below.
2. Prepare in advance
“Winging it” may work in some scenarios, but not in job interviews. Do your
homework about the company, role, and the team you’d be in charge of. Being
prepared will make you less nervous and more confident.
:
3. Use concrete examples
Everyone loves stories, right? Sharing instances from your past work where you’ve
shown leadership or solved problems can make your point more vivid and
convincing. Plus, it’s evidence you walk the walk. And no, you don’t have to make up
stories about how you lead a team long-term. But any instance of you stepping up
and taking ownership is worth mentioning.
Here’s an example of the STAR method put to practice when answering a typical
question for a first-time manager:
:
STAR Formula (+ Sample Interview Answer)
8. Be confident
Keep your cool, maintain eye contact, and don’t forget to breathe. You’re here
because you’ve earned this opportunity. They invited you in for a reason.
Key Points
First-time manager interview questions often revolve around hypothetical
scenarios, not just real-life situations.
This is precisely what makes those questions di#cult — you need to prove you
have what it takes to assume a leadership role, even if you don’t have concrete
evidence from the past.
When interviewing for your first-ever managerial role, highlight your skills and
subject-matter expertise and, at the same time, make sure you convey your
leadership potential.
Remember — you’re not expected to showcase loads of managerial wins. The
key is to present yourself as someone who can motivate and inspire others.
:
_______________________
1. Tired of interviewing and not landing the job? Discover actionable lessons and
interview practice here ([Link] (Rated with 4.9/5 by
1,000,000 users).
2. Need help with your resume? Use our brand new automated resume feedback
tool: Resume AI ([Link]
3. If you’re expecting your next interview to be held online, see: 20+ Tips to Ace
Any Virtual Interview ([Link]
101/video-interview/).
FAQ
Michael Tomaszewski
([Link]
Michael is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and Career Coach with over 7 years of
experience in the hiring industry. At Big Interview, he makes sure all our articles are
factually correct, actionable, and fun for you to read.
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