Management Interview Questions & Answers

I initially had a telephone interview which asked some basic questions like when I graduated and what I was doing. I was then asked to arrange a Skype interview for the following week. I have never used Skype so found the second interview a little uncomfortable and I could constantly hear my voice echoed from the feedback on the interviewers side. I didn't really see the point in a Skype interview as opposed to a face to face or extended telephone interview, especially as most of the questions asked I had already previously answered in the first interview. Because of this I got the impression I wasn't being listened to the first time round and thought that dragging out there questions over a two step period was unnecessary and a waste of time. I kept being told to adjust the camera and the signal kept cutting out, it was just a very awkward experience.

I was asked to give an example of a time I gave great customer service so I gave an example of when I helped a blind wheelchair user around a supermarket and into her taxi which is obviously not in the contract of a checkout operator. I took some time describing in detail all the things I helped this customer do but my interviewer just dismissed it as something I should have been doing as part of my job anyway (far from the truth) and not relevant. At this point I decided to end the interview myself.

When they ask you to discuss what you thought about the values of the company make sure you mention the customer service one. When I got asked I got the impression that I did not need to list all 7 values as we were on limited time so I only addressed a few and gave my opinion on why I agreed with them but this again was dismissed by my interviewer who pulled me up on "forgetting about the customer service value" (I wasn't aware there was a quiz?)

Unfortunately I did not make it this far. I have heard good things about the company so I was disappointed my experience wasn't a good one, I guess it all depends on who is interviewing you.

First step was a 45 minute phone interview. This was informal, but did include several competency based questions. These included: 3 things learned about Enterprise during your research, describe yourself, why you want the job etc. Was told at end of phone call that I had progressed onto the next stage, which was the branch interview.

Branch visit was a very beneficial experience. Consisted of an informal interview based on importance of customer service and past sales experience. Around 20 minutes of interview, then over an hour of touring the branch, observing employees operating within the branch, as well as going out on deliveries or pick-ups with other management trainees. This allows yourself to get a good feel for the job and the day-to-day activities that you will be partaking in.

Most difficult question was to give an example of when you've made a management decision that you were not comfortable making?

Make sure to know a lot about the company and what they expect from their employees. Their careers website provide their desired competencies, and it helps to know what they are so you can relate your interview questions to them.

Assessment centre lasted from 9am to 4pm, with a lot of waiting around time. First exercise was a logistics exercise whereby you take the role of an assistant manager and have to plan a day at the branch based on info provided. Next was role plays, whereby you have to sell an upgrade and also deal with an angry customer who has damaged the car.

Following lunch, group exercise where you have to argue your case as to why enterprise should invest in your provided charity. Finally was an interview. No competency based questions were asked, it was basically just to give feedback on the day and describe the job in more detail.

First part of the process was a phone interview where they asked things like tell me about yourself, why do you want to work for the company? Why hotel management etc.
Then invited to assessment centre which included a case study, one on one interview, presentation and group exercise.
One on one interview which was competency based.
Around an hour long with 6 questions such as describe a time when you implemented a new idea.

Describe a time when you improved efficiency. What happened and what was the response?

Be yourself and study up on the company before you go, put in info about them at every opportunity you get, there were many internal candidates when I went so it's important not to be at too great a disadvantage.
All assessors were very approachable so I would suggest having a few questions ready to ask so you look interested.

Case study - given one hour in exam conditions to read through a case study and prepare a 15 min presentation including a SWOT analysis.
One on one interview - one hour long with 6 competency based as.
Presentation - given 20 minutes to read through some info on some technology that they are thinking about investing in and you then present your recommendations.
Group exercise - given information on 3 different strategies to improve sales and must decide as a group the best option.

I think I applied for the position around June 2015. First stage was a telephone interview which lasted about 10 or 15 minutes. It was quite easy and the interviewer asked questions like "what are you doing at the moment?" and "What experience do you have in sales and customer service?" The next stage was a face-to-face interview at their head office based at Heathrow airport.
This lasted around 45 minutes and asked competency-based questions such as "describe a time when you demonstrated leadership/flexibility/excellent customer service etc". He also asked questions about Enterprise to see if you knew much about the company, so do your research on the company history which you can find easily on their website.
The next stage was a branch visit to the branch you applied for. This involved talking to all the employees and getting to know them and what the role is like. My advice is to ask lots of questions and be really friendly and positive. Ask if you can make a call to a customer or go out and pick a customer up with them.
You also have an interview with the branch manager about why you want the job and what qualities you have that are relevant to the role. Again, use the same competency-based examples that you used for the face-to-face interview. Be confident, smile, keep eye contact at all times and give a firm handshake. The final stage was the assessment centre which is described below.

The most difficult question I was asked was "tell me a time when you have been in charge and have had to discipline someone. What did you do?"

Do a lot of research into the company about their history and their values. Be passionate about the position and embrace all the challenges. There were a few things that I didn't do so well at the assessment day but they still offered me the position because of my positive character and likeability factor. So be positive, always smile and ask lots of questions at each stage to show your interest in the position.

I arrived and met the other candidates in the waiting room (there were 9 of us) so got to talk and get to know them. Then we were taken into a meeting room where we were told about the day and did a few icebreaker exercises. Nothing too challenging.
First task was the sales and customer service role plays. The sales role play: I had to try and get the customer to upgrade their choice of car and close the deal there and then. Customer service role play: There was an angry customer who hadn't re-filled the petrol in the car he rented and I had to try and get him to pay for the fuel.
The next task was a morning meeting where you have 20 minutes to read some fictitious information about sales targets and prepare a meeting to two employees. You are the manager and you have to motivate your team and inspire them to work hard and be the best they can be at customer service and sales. One of the employees will be really difficult and look dis-interested. They will do things like play on their mobile phone or put their feet on the desk so you have to 'discipline' them in the best way you think that will motivate them to want to work hard. Give all your energy to this task and be super positive and happy. This was my favourite task of the day as you can completely express yourself.
The next task was a group discussion where each of you had an initiative and had to try and convince the rest of the group that money should be invested into it. You have a budget as a team so can only select 3 or 4 initiatives so it is important to be vocal and don't sit back and remain in the background. You have 20 mins to come to a decision. Make sure you don't loose track of time.
Lastly you have a final interview with one of the area managers who have been assessing you all day. They ask you some final questions about yourself, why you want the job, want you think you can bring to Enterprise, and some other things about competencies again. To be honest, at this stage the interview isn't that hard because you have already come so far and know about the company and its values so you are unlikely to go blank. They are really good at responding to you. I found out if I was offered the job the next day.

I was one of the first candidates to experience the new interview process.

I originally applied in January, but my application was deferred until May because I don't finish my course until September. However, they have start dates throughout the year and they suit it to what is best for you.

I applied through graduate-jobs.com and then a recuiter rung me shortly after. I had my telephone interview in May, which was more of an informal chat explaining what I did my degree in and what work experience I had. Then I was invited to video interview.

The video interview is a new process they've introduced and it's quite strange. I had never done a video interview before, so I found it quite daunting, especially because there is no one else at the other end of the video. You have 45 seconds thinking time, then the video will automatically start recording and you have 60 seconds to answer the question. There are only 6 questions and it's all over quite quickly.

I was then invited to the assessment centre in London. There was a tour, brief introductions, then a presentation about FDM. After that we had a Venn Diagram/Set Notation test (1 hour) and an IT aptitude test (1 hour). We had a break for lunch, then came back to do the maths test (1/2 hour) and then had the three 5 min interviews. They ask you 4 questions in each interview, such as "Why do you want to work for FDM?", "Why did you choose your degree?", "What is the best way to learn?" and "What are the most important issues the IT industry is currently facing?"

They will get back to you via email within 48 hours. I found out I was successful the next morning :)

What are your thoughts on organisational change?
Would you sacrifice quality to meet a deadline?

Make sure you prepare, learn statistics about the company and learn about their core values, their clients and their culture.

They're all really friendly, so it's not daunting.

The three 5 minute interviews went so quickly. But make sure you give examples and expand on your answers because they don't prompt you to. So don't just give yes and no answers!

Venn diagram and Set Notation Test for 1 hour - they give you a booklet to help. They basically want to see that you can follow instructions and to see if you looked at the YouTube video links they give you in the Assessment Centre Guide.

IT Aptitude Test for 1 hour - this was not as bad as I was expecting. There were some IT questions that I had to guess, but as it's positively marked, you can't lose marks for answering a question incorrectly, so it wasn't too bad. It's a combination of logical reasoning, IT and business questions. There was a weird one where you had to guess what the word "sleepily" meant in a language they made up. But other than that, they were relatively straight forward.

Maths Test for 1/2 hour - I was most nervous about this because if you fail this test you have to retake the whole assessment centre. However, they give you links to BBC Bitesize to help. You need to know Pythagoras' Theorem, long division, long multiplication, simultaneous equations, square roots, cube roots and basic arithmetic. But it's honestly a lot easier than I expected and it's only GCSE level.

The first stage of the Honda Graduate Programme is to send your CV and cover letter. This should be tailored to the programme. The first things they ask you are to name two traits about yourself that you believe would make you a good candidate for the role.

Once you pass the initial stages (there was no online testing)you will receive a telephone interview. This lasted about 30 minutes. It was not a typical phone interview asking about your skills - it was more about explaining what the role would entail and what you would put into the role. They make it clear from the start that this is not really a Learning and Development programme, but is a real job from the first day. It is hard to mess up the telephone stage. They will invite you to an initial assessment centre. The new Head Office is in Bracknell, Berkshire where they will carry out interviews - this is also where you would work if successful. This consisted of 8 candidates and two assessors. You were first asked to do a short five minute presentation. Then, you would be presented with a case study and asked to resolve issues as a group. The key things to look out for are listening to others, remembering people's names, having intuitive ideas and ensuring that you answer the question given.

The next stage of the first assessment centre is a number of computer-based exercises. You will have to compose an email to a customer, use excel to analyse data and prioritise business scenarios and explain your answers.

If successful at this half day assessment centre, you will be invited back to a final assessment centre which will involve senior management. You will have to present to them and be interviewed more formally. This assessment centre is much more serious than the first one and is all day as opposed to half a day. This will be approximately 6 weeks after the first one.

I was asked if I fully understood the structure of the organisation, which I didn't as the organisation has so many different elements. It is crucial to carry out thorough research into this. Everything else was reasonably standard.

The emails I received from the company were riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. They spent far too long responding between different parts of the process - by the time they got back to me I had already been offered a different job.
The role seemed to be very hands on, whereas I would personally prefer a more integrative process where you learn along the way.
One tip is not to just apply if you are interested in cars because you need to have intuitive business accumin in order to do well in the exercises. You can do well if you come from any academic background, as long as you have taken part in a variety of extra curricular activities and demonstrated your ability to lead teams.

We started with an individual pre-prepared presentation about a proud achievement. This lasted five minutes. We then were given a case-study about the organisation and were asked to resolve issues, which we were given half an hour to discuss and formulate a solution.
We then carried out computer-based exercises for two hours which involved prioritising tasks, organising data on excel and creating charts, and writing an email to a customer. We also had to make a powerpoint presentation in which we would analyse a particular scenario with a client and the potential risks to the company if the issue was not resolved. This tests your awareness.

My initial interview was with a recruitment staff, who asked me what I know about the company, give example of my strengths and weaknesses and why I will like to work for the company. The next stage was a face to face interview, a little bit informal, but was more of a ice-breaking stage, getting the manager to see if I have what it takes to work for the company. The third stage of the process, was meeting with another manager who based his questions mostly on my work experience, trying to identify what skills I have and where I can apply it within the company. The final stage of the interview was with the sales director, whose questions where mainly based upon my personality, work experience and general view of the business, trying to identify how I would perform in such role, given my skills set.

What frustrates you most in life?

Read about the company, be honest and show the employer why you think Hilti is the best company to work, Always use the STAR technique when asked a scenario question, do not be shy to let your personality come across, all through the process.

I was asked to give an example of a perfect sale, where the customer has an objection to the price of the product.

After filling in a straight forward application form online, I was called by a women from the recruitment team and had a 15-20 minute phone interview which was not too testing.

This basically was a chance for me to give example of previous experience which I could relate back to this job role. So I was asked questions about my CV such as 'Why did you chose your degree?' and other customer service based questions. This was not difficult and I was also told about the application process and what it would entail.

After the phone interview I received an email inviting me to a face to face interview which would last about 30-40 mins and would be full of competency based questions - most of these were customer service based, sales related, team work related etc. I was also asked if i had any questions for her (so definitely ask some). The whole process is well explained and once I had arrived home I had already been asked to attend a branch visit. This is the next step and lasted for 2 hours.

I went to my local branch and shadowed a worker there... she showed me around the branch and explained what goes on there on a regular day. It was good to see where i could be potentially working and what i would would be doing! After this i had another 20-30 minute interview with the branch manager which was very similar to my first face-to-face interview (similar competency questions). A few hours later i received the call to invite me back to the assessment centre which i now have in a few weeks time!

"Describe a time you had to change your priorities."

Make sure that you have rehearsed some answers to competency questions surrounding team work, customer service and sales.
Show passion towards to company and a willingness to learn within the ranks.
On activities such as the branch visit, get involved with everyone and don't be shy! everyone was so friendly and really interested in me and what i was doing so that made it a lot easier for me!
Ask as many questions as you can and show real interest

Although I have not yet attended the assessment centre I have been told that it will include...group activities, role plays and another one to one interview with the area manager...

This is a whole day process with a 24 hour turn around on the decision.

The first stage of the application process was an online application, which included academic qualifications, employment history and some general questions.
I then was invited to an group interview/ assessment center day. There were approx 12 of us on the day, overlooked by two senior members of Aldi. We had to give a timed, 2 min presentation introducing ourselves to the group. We were then given a problem solving scenario and split into groups to debate the outcome under timed conditions, and then report back our decision and why. We had to give a second 2 min presentation on a topic of interest, followed by paper-based, maths, verbal and logical reasoning tests. It all lasted around 2 hours.
I think the key here is to strike a good balance between being able to lead a team but also still be part of the team/ not be too overbearing.

I received a letter about a month later inviting me for a one-on-one interview with the Regional Director, and to complete an online personality test prior to the interview. This interview was more focused on me as a person: what I could bring to the company; how my degree was relevant; hardest decision I've ever had to make; where do I see myself in 10 years? Etc. I was also asked to complete a 10 min task to chronologically order the stages involved arranging a meeting (I presume to test my organisational/reasoning skills).
I received a letter about a week later offering me the job :)

"How does your degree equip you for working in a discount-retail environment?"

We were told on multiple occasions at the assessment center that the company looks for a very specific 'type' of person; that they know exactly what they are looking for and it's 'very niche'. So it's hard to say really what they're looking for. The best advice I can give is to be confident and approachable, but also remember that a manager is a team player, as well as a team leader, so try not to be overly domineering in group tasks.
Neither the assessment day or the one-on-one interviews were particularly intimidating, everyone was very friendly. So embrace the experience, and just give it your all.

There were about 12 of us at the assessment center, overlooked by two senior members of Aldi.
- We first had to give a 2 min presentation introducing ourselves. This was timed, which was important as here they want to see not only how confident you are in addressing an audience, but also that you are able to sustain the audience for a relative period of time and that you have a fair idea about timings. Also be sure to pay good attention to other people, because the position is all about being able to work well with others (i.e being interested and listening to what they have to say.)
- We were then split into two groups for a problem solving exercise. The scenario was that we had a life raft which could only fit 5 out of the 6 of us, and so our task was to decide who to leave behind. We were each assigned a character whose personality we had to assume. This again was timed. I think the key here was to be able to give a reasoned argument as to your ideas and be subtly persuasive, but not overbearing. (Try to strike a balance between giving your ideas and encouraging others/ listening to their ideas). I was outnumbered, but it was important that I noticed this and compromised with the group.
- We had to give a second 2 min presentation (which we had a minute to prepare for) on something we were passionate about. This again was testing the same skills as the first presentation. Try and talk about something that someone else is not likely to talk about- perhaps a hobby, a sport etc as it will keep people engaged. But stick to something you know plenty about, because this will help your confidence. I'd advise using the minute to plan, to focus on a structure to what you're going to say, so that the presentation is clear.
- There were then three short, paper-based, tests we had to complete. A maths, verbal reasoning and a logical reasoning test. Each was about 10-15 questions and timed at approx 5 mins each. These were fairly basic, but you can't use a calculator so brush up on basic maths (i.e. fractions/percentages/ratios/basic multiplication etc)
- Finally we were given the opportunity to ask any questions. Try to go prepared with 3/4 questions, just in case someone else beats you to it. Be careful to do your research; don't ask things which you could find the answer to yourself on google. But do try and ask something, as this gets you noticed and shows your enthusiasm for the company.