Operations Manager Skills Interview
Author:
Alycia Damp, PhD IRHRAn Operations Manager interview assessing key skills required for success. We've also included a few motivation and values questions to help you make the best decisions about your candidates.
Focus area:
Question
1
Why are you interested in making a career move to our company as Operations Manager? How do you see this opportunity within the context of your career?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate exhibits fit and motivation to join the company
Explore tips
- Is seeking an opportunity to grow by applying and developing multiple skills
- Wants to make a defined impact on others and the organization’s success
- Is motivated to add value to the company's culture and work environment
- Is passionate when discussing how this connects with their strengths/interests
- Exhibits awareness of the role expectations and the organizational context
Question
2
Communication skills are really important to this role. When it comes to that skill set, what aspect are you best at, and can you share an example of how you've done this in a previous role?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to understand their strengths and how communication is critical to success
Explore tips
- Clearly highlights their specific strengths in communicating
- Shares key communication tactics (e.g. active listening, tailoring to audience)
- Uses evidence from past experience to justify their strengths
- Tailors response with examples relevant to the position and organization
Question
3
In your current/previous role, how have you made sure that communication is efficient between different business units/departments/teams?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to build efficient information flow and promote transparency within the business
Explore tips
- Explains why effective communication is essential to the business success
- Discusses communication risks and the importance of preventing silos
- Explains how they developed or maintained open channels of communication
- Highlights different mediums/tools that enhance communication successfully
- Mentions communication requires collaboration (not just the task of one person)
Question
4
Imagine you are in a situation that requires you to influence people that do not report to you (e.g. more senior colleague/senior leadership). How would you gain credibility and support for your goals?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to gain support from others to execute their ideas and achieve goals
Explore tips
- Strategically communicates goals using evidence to support their claims
- Acknowledges the goals of others and importance for building common ground
- Is confident advocating for their ideas/goals to those more senior to them
- Solicits feedback from stakeholders to show a collaborative attitude
- Discusses communicating and justifying the roadmap (goals, priorities, etc.)
Question
5
Imagine you are introducing the team to a new [insert process/tool/system], but some team members are resistant to the change. What would you do?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to gain support when implementing change management initiatives
Explore tips
- Discusses the main principles and challenges associated with managing change
- Identifies and understands the root cause of others’ reluctance to change
- Clearly communicates the reason for change and promotes transparency
- Justifies change with evidence and emphasizes advantages to individual employees
- Communicates collective benefits of the change for the team and business
Question
6
Tell me about a recent situation where you were faced with multiple high-priority projects with tight deadlines. How did you prioritize them? How did you organize your own/your team's responsibilities?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to prioritize and align projects with business goals
Explore tips
- Considers urgency and importance when prioritizing tasks
- Differentiates between most and least critical tasks based on business goals
- Breaks down tasks for efficiency and delegates as appropriate
- Demonstrates a structured approach and uses metrics to track progress/success
- Communicates progress/updates to all relevant stakeholders in a timely manner
Question
7
Imagine senior leadership informs you they are going to double the size of the company over the next twelve months. As Operations Manager, how would you plan for this expansion and what would you do to ensure it was a success?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to design and execute strategies to manage growth/expansion effectively
Explore tips
- Develops a scope of work to identify process that need to be developed/improved
- Collaborates with other teams to coordinate timing of hires, onboarding, etc
- Ensures expansion plans align with available budget/resources
- Discusses how proposed strategies will be effective and efficient for growth
- Discusses risks associated with expansion and suggests ways to mitigate them
Question
8
Talk me through the best experiences you've had working with teams from different departments. Why were these such positive experiences?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to understand interdependencies between departments
Explore tips
- Communicates frequently and openly with members from other teams
- Understands each role's professional strengths and weaknesses
- Explains how they aligned on solutions when solving problems
- Discusses how all teams must must be aligned on company needs and goals
- Understands how their work impacts the goals of other teams
Question
9
Do you prefer work environments that are highly collaborative and require a lot of engagement with others or ones that are quiet and largely independent? Why?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to thrive in environments that require high collaboration
Explore tips
- Prefers engaging and collaborating with others but can perform in both environments
- Justifies their preference using specific examples from past experience
- Explains how they have been successful in collaborative environments in the past
- Explains how their preferences align with the role/your organization
Question
10
Imagine you identify an process in our business that would benefit from an improvement to make it more effective or efficient. Describe what you would do to plan and execute it.
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to develop and execute strategic plans to improve the business
Explore tips
- Analyzes the context to develop scope for the project
- Conducts cost/benefit analysis to identify feasibility and potential ROI
- Identifies all stakeholders who will be affected and engages them effectively
- Exhibits structured thinking and proposes a structured approach for execution
- Draws from past experience to justify claims and highlight best practices
Question
11
Tell me about a business/HR change you managed that you are most proud of. How did you measure the success of the change?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to design and implement strategic improvements for business success
Explore tips
- Describes the business context and the change that was implemented
- Explains their specific role/involvement in managing the change
- Describes the data and metrics used to measure progress and success
- Shares evidence to justify the impact the change on business efficiency
- Elaborates on lessons learned and key takeaways
Question
12
Imagine you are assigned a new project, but you have limited knowledge and no relevant former experience. How would you get started, and what would you do mitigate any potential risks associated with your lack of expertise?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to take initiative, learn quickly, and adapt in the face of uncertainty
Explore tips
- Proposes a specific method for setting goals and achieving them
- Identifies risk and builds plan around ambiguous elements
- Proposes methods for learning about/researching topics relevant to the project
- Solicits advice from knowledgeable, experienced people in the field
- Views the project as a learning/professional development opportunity
Question
13
Tell me about a time you went above and beyond to solve a problem for your organization that wasn't necessarily part of your role.
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to eagerly take on work outside their scope to benefit the business
Explore tips
- Exhibits flexibility and a willingness to take on extra commitments
- Is eager to provide support to others
- Describes the actions they took and how they helped solve the problem
- Explains the impact their actions had on others/the business
- Views organizational success as a collective effort
Question
14
Based on your past work history and professional experience, in what type of work environment were you the happiest and most productive?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate shares preferences for organizational culture and workstyle aligned with your company
Explore tips
- Discusses attributes that align with your organization
- References different organizational factors (people, place, work, etc.)
- Highlights the values that shaped the environment/culture
- Shares a story from past experience to support their claims
- Justifies why it made them happy and productive
Question
15
What is one thing you wish I had asked you in our conversation today?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate displays self-awareness of unique strengths and value-add
Explore tips
- Gives a response that is relevant to the role in question
- Justifies their suggestion by explaining their value-add
- Exhibits strengths that were not previously covered
- Further demonstrates their value-add and competitiveness as a candidate
