Management Executive Interview Preparation Guide

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Executive management or management team is generally a team of individuals at the highest level of organizational management who have the day-to-day responsibilities of managing a company or corporation. They hold specific executive powers conferred onto them with and by authority of the board of directors and/or the shareholders. There are most often higher levels of responsibility, such as a board of directors and those who own the company (shareholders), but they focus on managing the senior or executive management instead of the day-to-day activities of the business.

The Executive Management is the highest decision making level in the organization.

you should also be questioned about the strategic planning method that he or she would adhere to.

The knowledge of administrative procedures and operating systems would be reviewed as well. The interviewer would also check how adept you are at reading and interpreting accounting and financial reports.

The interviewer would further question about the budgets as well as the organizational planning tools that you would use.

The interviewer would also wish to know about the information processing applications and any relevant software applications that the person applying for the post of manager/managerial candidate would be conversant with.

Last, but not least, the manager would also be asked about the human resource management principles that he follows.

► What are the methods you have used to evaluate employee's job performance?

► What is your overall experience in setting budgets?

► Give us some instances in which you brought about some productive change in the company that you worked for. What were the steps that you carried out, and what were the steps that you implemented for others to follow?

► Describe one recent problem that you came across on the job and how you countered it. How did you contribute to overcoming the obstacle and how did you implement steps for others to overcome the obstacle?

► Give us an example of how you successfully encouraged/motivated the staff with the help of incentives or bonuses?

► Tell us about a time when you had to motivate an employee or peer who was reluctant to work?

► Tell us about a time when you had to deliver training to employees and peers?

► Tell us about a short term plan that you developed for the advancement of the company?

► What is the most challenging factor for you as a manager?

You can't tell by looking at a piece of paper what some of the strengths and weaknesses really are…We ask for specific examples of not only what's been successful but what they've done that hasn't gone well or a task they've, quite frankly, failed at and how they learned from that experience and what they'd do different in a new scenario.

Younger employees do not wish to get paid merely for working hard-just the reverse: they will work hard because they enjoy their environment and the challenges associated with their work…. Executives who embrace this new management style are attracting and retaining better employees.

A lot of it is cultural fit and whether they are going to fit well into the organization… The perception is that when (senior leaders) come into the firm, a totally new environment, they know everything. And they could do little things such as send emails in a voicemail culture that tend to negatively snowball over time. Feedback or onboarding is critical. If you don't get that feedback, you will get turnover later on.

► Budget
► Company policy
► Management style
► Conflict management
► Consensus building
► Team development
► Organizational systems
► Supervisory skills
► P&L responsibility
► Goal achievement
► Public relations
► Investor relations

Here's your chance to look good by talking about one of your favorite achievements. While telling your story, keep in mind what tasks you might be asked to perform at the job you're applying for and highlight anything in your story that relates to your next job.

Employers love to hear how you affected the bottom line, since it implies that you'll be able to do the same for them. Tell a story that demonstrates that you understand how success is measured in your line of work, and that you're able to achieve it to the satisfaction of your employer.

Most of us hate to admit that we have problems, but the truth is that we do. It's how we handle problems that shows our real talent. So dig deep and come up with a time when you either took on a problem and solved it, or you were in the middle of a project and a problem came up unexpectedly.

Budget management is a big deal to employers. Before you decide how to answer this question, decide how involved you want to be with the budget on your next job. If you want to manage a budget, talk about a time when you did a terrific job with the money. If you hate dealing with budgets, tell about a time when you worked with someone else on the budget.

There are two ways to increase profits: decrease spending and increase revenue. This question is designed to find out if you're going to bring new profit-making ideas to the company, especially ones that work. So tell about a time when you either cut costs or drove up revenues.

An effective manager gains buy-in from his staff so that everyone experiences success, both individually and as a group. To respond to this question, you could speak about one of your experiences in morale building, creating incentive programs, or using your fine management style to increase cooperation among your staff.

Conflict resolution is a valuable skill. With downsizing, mergers, and problems in corporate management, this could be your winning ticket. Put yourself in the interviewer's shoes to know what interpersonal issues are current stumbling blocks at the company. Then come up with an experience of your own that parallels the company's.

Here's your chance to show where your presentation skills lie. If you love speaking before groups, great-tell about some winning presentations you've done. If you're not really comfortable in front of large groups (not all of us are), refer to a time when you delivered a message to either a small group or to an individual, and don't forget to emphasize the positive result of your presentation.