To interview for a manager role, choose four to six management competencies the job needs, such as setting direction, hiring and developing people, giving feedback, managing performance, working across teams and making decisions. Ask each candidate for specific past examples and, for a few questions, a realistic scenario. Score the answers on a written scale and check claims with references.
Key takeaways
- Define what the manager must achieve through other people before you write questions.
- Ask about real situations: what the candidate did, what the team did and what changed.
- Include scenario questions to test judgement on situations the candidate has not seen.
- Probe for results through others: team outcomes, development of people, retention of skilled staff.
- Score on a scale, record evidence and check with references from people who reported to the candidate.
What makes a manager role different
Individual contributors are judged by their own output. Managers are judged by what their team delivers, how people develop and how the team works with others. A strong individual contributor may be a weak manager, and the reverse can be true. Questions about technical skill alone will not show management ability. Questions about leadership style in general terms, such as “what kind of manager are you?”, produce well-rehearsed answers. Ask for evidence.
Use a structured approach: the same questions for each candidate, a scoring guide and a debrief. See structured interviews, behavioural interview questions and the interview scorecard.
Step 1: Choose the competencies
| Competency | What it means in practice | Weight for your role (low, medium, high) |
|---|---|---|
| Setting direction | Turns goals into clear priorities and tasks for the team | |
| Hiring and building a team | Defines roles, interviews fairly, onboards well | |
| Developing people | Coaches, delegates, gives growth opportunities | |
| Feedback and performance | Gives clear feedback; handles poor performance fairly and early | |
| Decision making | Gathers evidence, decides, explains reasons | |
| Working across teams | Builds relationships, resolves conflicts, aligns work | |
| Managing resources | Plans budget, time and workload | |
| Change and resilience | Leads the team through uncertainty | |
| Inclusion and fairness | Treats people equally, adjusts for needs, follows the law |
Pick four to six that matter most for this job. Ask your own manager and the team members who will report to the new manager what they need most. Link the competencies to outcomes, for example “the team meets its delivery goals with less rework”. Use the one-page role brief.
Step 2: The question bank
Setting direction and priorities
| Question | Follow-up probes | Strong answer shows |
|---|---|---|
| Tell me about a time you had to set priorities for your team with limited resources. | What did you drop? How did you explain it? | Clear criteria, communication, effect on results |
| Describe a goal you set for your team. How did you check progress? | What changed? What did you do when progress stalled? | Measures, regular reviews, adaptation |
| Tell me about a plan that failed. What did you learn? | What did you change afterwards? | Ownership and learning |
Hiring and building a team
| Question | Follow-up probes | Strong answer shows |
|---|---|---|
| Tell me about the last person you hired. How did you decide? | What criteria? What evidence? What did you do differently from before? | Written criteria, structured process, evidence |
| How have you helped a new team member succeed in the first 90 days? | What support? What was the result? | Plan, regular check-ins, outcomes |
| Describe a time you changed your hiring process. | Why? What was the result? | Learning, fairness, measurement |
Developing people
| Question | Follow-up probes | Strong answer shows |
|---|---|---|
| Tell me about someone you helped grow. What did you do? | What did they do? What happened to their career? | Specific coaching actions, shared credit |
| How do you decide what to delegate? | Give an example where it went well or badly. | Judgement, support, accountability |
| Tell me about a time a team member disagreed with you. What did you do? | Did you change your view? | Listening, openness, clear decision |
Feedback and performance
| Question | Follow-up probes | Strong answer shows |
|---|---|---|
| Tell me about a time you had to give difficult feedback. | How did you prepare? What did the person say? What happened next? | Specific, respectful, follows up |
| Describe a time a team member was not meeting expectations. What did you do? | How early did you act? How did you document it? What was the result? | Early action, clear standards, fair process, support, outcome |
| How do you recognise strong work? | Give an example. | Specific, timely, fair |
Decisions, conflict and working across teams
| Question | Follow-up probes | Strong answer shows |
|---|---|---|
| Tell me about a decision you made with incomplete information. | What did you do to reduce risk? What happened? | Evidence, options, reasons, review |
| Describe a conflict between two teams. What was your role? | What did you do to resolve it? | Facts, listening, agreement, follow-up |
| Tell me about a time you disagreed with your own manager. | How did you raise it? | Respect, evidence, professionalism |
Fairness and inclusion
| Question | Follow-up probes | Strong answer shows |
|---|---|---|
| Tell me about a time you adjusted how you managed to meet a team member’s needs. | What was the need? What did you change? | Flexibility, fairness, legal awareness |
| How do you make sure everyone on your team has an equal chance to contribute? | Give an example. | Concrete practices, not slogans |
| Describe a time you spotted unfair treatment in your team. What did you do? | What was the result? | Courage, process, escalation when needed |
Do not ask about family plans, health, age, religion or other protected traits. See what you can and cannot ask.
Step 3: Scenario questions
Scenarios test judgement. Describe a realistic situation and ask what the candidate would do first, what they would check, and why. Use a made-up case.
| Scenario (fictional) | What to listen for |
|---|---|
| Two senior team members refuse to work together on a key project. The deadline is in three weeks. What do you do in the first week? | Facts first, individual talks, shared goal, clear roles, follow-up, escalation if needed |
| A strong performer repeatedly misses team meetings. Others are starting to complain. What do you do? | Curiosity before judgement, a direct conversation, clear expectations, support, fairness |
| You inherit a team with low morale and high turnover. What do you do in your first 30 days? | Listening, data, quick wins, no blame, a plan with the team |
| Your budget is cut by 10 percent. How do you decide what to change? | Priorities, communication, fairness, impact on people |
Do not expect a perfect answer. Look for structure, questions asked, awareness of people impact and a clear first step. Score on the same scale as the other questions.
Step 4: Scoring guide
| Score | Meaning | Example for “gives difficult feedback” |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No evidence or poor | Could not give an example, or described avoiding the conversation |
| 2 | Some evidence, gaps | Gave an example but did not follow up or explain the result |
| 3 | Good evidence | Clear preparation, direct conversation, follow-up, improved result |
| 4 | Strong evidence | All of 3, plus changed a team practice or coached other managers to do the same |
Score each competency separately, and write the evidence. Do not let one strong answer cover weak ones. Compare candidates by competency in the debrief. See how to run a debrief meeting.
Step 5: Check with the right references
For a manager, ask for references from people who reported to them, as well as peers and their own manager. With permission, ask:
- What was it like to work for this person? Give an example of how they helped you or the team.
- How did they handle disagreement, pressure and mistakes?
- How did they give feedback? Was it fair and clear?
- What would you want a new team to know about working with them?
- Would you work for them again, and why?
See how to check references for consent and data rules. Treat reference comments as one signal, and look for patterns.
Red flags and green flags
| Red flag | Green flag |
|---|---|
| Uses “I” for every success and “they” for every failure | Credits the team and owns mistakes |
| Cannot name a person they developed | Names people and what they did |
| Speaks badly of former teams without examples | Describes problems with facts and what they changed |
| Only talks about technical work | Talks about outcomes through others |
| Avoids detail about poor performers | Describes fair, early, documented action |
| Gives general philosophy but no example | Gives specific examples and numbers they can explain |
Use red flags as prompts for follow-up questions, not as proof. A single poor answer is not a verdict. Look at the pattern across questions and sources.
Interviewing a first-time manager
Candidates who have not managed before cannot answer questions about managing people. Ask about the building blocks instead: leading a project, mentoring a colleague, onboarding a new teammate, coordinating work across people, handling a disagreement and giving feedback to peers. Look at potential and willingness to learn. See our upcoming guide on interviewing for potential. Plan support: training, a mentor and regular check-ins in the first six months.
A worked example (fictional)
This example is invented. A company hires a customer support manager. The hiring manager chooses four competencies: setting priorities, developing people, feedback and performance, and working across teams. She writes two questions for each and one scenario. Three interviewers each score on a 1 to 4 scale and write evidence. Candidate A gives a vivid story about reducing response time by redesigning shifts, but cannot name a person they developed. Candidate B describes coaching a junior agent from a low score to a team-leader role, including what feedback she gave and how often. In the debrief, the scores for “developing people” are 2 for A and 4 for B. For “setting priorities”, A scores 4 and B scores 3. The group chooses B because developing people is the top-weighted competency for this role, and plans to give B coaching on priority setting in the first quarter. A reference from B’s former direct report confirms the story.
Structure of a 75-minute manager interview
| Minutes | Part | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Welcome | Agenda, notes, adjustments |
| 5 to 10 | Role context | Team, goals, challenges, reporting line |
| 10 to 55 | Core questions | Six to eight questions on the chosen competencies, with follow-ups |
| 55 to 65 | Scenario | One realistic scenario with discussion |
| 65 to 72 | Candidate questions | Answer honestly, including about the team’s challenges |
| 72 to 75 | Close | Next steps and date |
Be open about the real challenges of the role. A candidate who hears an honest description can judge fit, and a candidate who is misled may leave early. Describe the team size, the current performance, known problems and the support you can give.
What to avoid
- Asking only about technical achievements.
- Accepting stories where the candidate did everything alone.
- Changing the question for each candidate.
- Skipping the scoring because the candidate seems impressive.
- Using the interview to compare with a former manager you liked.
- Allowing a single interviewer to dominate the decision.
A manager hire affects everyone on the team, so the cost of a poor choice is higher than for an individual role. See what a bad hire really costs for a way to estimate that cost. Spend the time to prepare questions, brief interviewers and check references from people who worked under the candidate.
Official sources for this topic: EEOC: prohibited employment policies and practices, Acas: recruitment. These pages are maintained by the authorities and may change, so check them for the current text.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best interview questions for managers?
Questions that ask for specific past examples of setting priorities, developing people, giving feedback, making decisions and working across teams, plus a few scenarios. Score all candidates on the same scale.
How do I assess leadership if the candidate has never managed?
Ask about leading projects, mentoring, onboarding others and giving peer feedback. Look at potential and plan support.
Should I ask about management style?
You can, but ask for an example. Style labels are easy to rehearse.
How many questions should I ask?
Six to ten core questions in a 60 to 75 minute interview, plus follow-ups. Cover your chosen competencies.
Can I ask a manager candidate about their family plans?
No. Keep to job-related topics. Do not ask about family, health, age or other protected traits.
Related guides
- Hiring guides for hiring managers
- Behavioural interview questions with a scoring guide
- Structured interviews: what they are and how to run one
- Interview scorecard template with a worked example
- All hiring guides for employers
This is general information, not legal advice.