How To Ask The Management Styles Interview Question

Why asking about your management style is a poor interview question This is not your ordinary career site. I help the corporate worker who toils away in the company cubicle make career transitions. You want to do your job well, following all the rules -- . The career transitions where I can help you center on three critical career areas: How to land a job, succeed in a job, and build employment security. Top 10 Posts on Categories Asking about a manager’s management style is necessary to determine if you are okay with the job or, if you are a manager, your management style fits in with the company. But if you ask “Describe your management style” in an interview, you will fail to discern the real management approach. Seriously, how many managers will tell you, after asking for their management style, that they micromanage the daylight out of the team, scream at them when they make a mistake and think that career development is something only loony people do? Not many. Instead, you’ll get that great “work with the team” and “open door policy” crap you hear on Corporate Speak all the time. And you end up hiring an unknown management style or working for someone where you really don’t know the management style. Even though you asked. Then you pay for not asking the right questions. You can’t ask a general question and get a specific answer. Instead, you need to figure out some specific questions that you can ask that will reveal a manager’s style. You need to develop them along the lines of what managers are expected to do in the company (if you are interviewing a manager) or how you like to be managed (if you are interviewing to work for a manager). Without the specifics, you’ll never get to the real management approach to employees and company problems that will help you know what you are getting from a candidate or hiring manager. Instead of asking the general question about management style, place the manager in specific situations and then ask how this person would handle it. Situations like: Much tougher to give you one of those “communicate with the team” kinds of answers, isn’t it? Knowing the management style of the manager you are interviewing or the manager you would work for is very important as it matches up your best way of managing with the person you are interviewing. But you can’t ask the general question; you must ask questions that put the manager in a position to describe the actions the manager would take to resolve the situation you present. Figure out the situations that will reveal the management style you need. Then ask about how the manager would handle the situation. […] why the face-to-face interview is all about fit, not qualifications. Can the manager work with you or are your styles incompatible? Will you work […] Reply […] and start your own business. Take time to find what types of people you like to work with. The type of management that brings out the best in […] Reply Interviews are stressful situations, though, so even though this may seem simple, people don't think if it. Instead, they are more concerned about answering questions instead of great questions to ask the interviewer. It's a good flip â€" but you have to know how you liked being managed so you can construct good situations for you. Reply Sometimes it’s really hard to answer such management style because in reality we have different style in managing our own office. It’s a case to case basis, and it depends on the people you have. You can be strict if it needs arises, same as do for lax if on a certain situations. Answering such is hard, that’s why when employer asks regarding this, applicants alike are groping for their answers because really there’s no right answer for the questio Reply But you would prefer to operate one way versus another. Sure, you can micromanage â€" but is that what you prefer to do with a team? Yes, you can be strict with a team, but is that what you prefer? Asking a management style question is only one part of figuring out how a manager operates. Asking straight away what management style is in use doesn’t aid your cause too much because it is too theoretical and doesn’t bring out what actions the manager uses in situations â€" “How do you approach an employee whose performance is sliding?” Much better because the manager has to show actions. It's such a simple concept, I can't believe I didn't think of this myself! I'm guilty of asking “what's your management style?” We're all familiar with the behavioral interview question format and turning it around just makes sense. Excellent! Reply This is not your ordinary career site. I help the corporate worker who toils away in the company cubicle make career transitions. You want to do your job well, following all the rules â€" . 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