In an interview, it's not difficult to determine whether a candidate is competent in his or her field and understands business processes. But how good a professional is as a manager is harder to find out. Try asking the following questions and critically evaluate the answers you receive.

What successes were achieved in the last place of work?

First, find out what the candidate did in the last organization and what results he or she was able to achieve. It's ideal if the applicant lists specific indicators in his or her answer, such as: "When I became department head, I started changing processes immediately, which helped me increase sales by 10%." If the specialist describes his experience in general terms, then it is worth asking additional questions.

What steps did you take to get such a result?

This question is worth asking, because a manager achieves his results not alone, but together with the team. A good candidate understands the tools of a manager, and in his answer he will accurately list items such as - assigned duties to employees, developed instructions, planned work milestones, and conducted meetings. Check other free essay examples on this topic.

Did your responsibilities change in the course of your work?

If the specialist is really diligent and aims to improve performance, the list of his duties increased over time, so it is worth checking with the job seeker about this. It's good if he started his career path as a rank-and-file employee, and then started taking on more tasks and grew to a manager.

If the candidate, who has worked in one place for several years, has practically not expanded the range of duties or has not participated in new projects, it is worth paying special attention to this. A productive manager usually has a changing task list on a regular basis.

What tasks have you had the most difficulty with?

Managers have many different responsibilities, so it's important to find out what problems the professional has encountered in their work. If the candidate is a professional and is constantly developing, he or she knows his or her weaknesses well and will be able to list them right away. But if you get the answer "I have not had any problems" - this is likely to be either an attempt to make a good impression, or an inability to see their shortcomings.

What duties did you enjoy doing?

This question will also help determine how well the candidate has developed managerial skills. The person might say that he or she particularly enjoyed developing programs or working with documents. Or answer that he or she enjoyed interacting with colleagues/partners, conducting town hall meetings, and motivating employees. And if you are looking for managerial talent, it should be someone who enjoys interacting with people.