18 Manager Interview Questions to Consistently Hire Better Bosses

Hiring a manager is one of the most important decisions a company can make. But according to Gallup, they get it wrong about 60% of the time.

If you're ready to optimize your interview process and find the right manager for the job, it’s time to go beyond the tired “tell me about yourself” approach. This complete list of sample questions will help you find your next team leader.

The best interview questions for management positions

Bad manager hires can cost companies big time – but find the right leader and you'll boost engagement, crush your goals, and stay ahead of the competition.

The difference is all in the interview questions you use. Start with these 18 essential questions.

Background interview questions

Start with the basics. Background questions help you understand where your candidate's been and what they've learned along the way. 

Q: How did you get from the start of your career to your last role? "I started as a software developer, progressed to Team Lead managing 5 developers, and most recently served as IT Manager at TechCorp, overseeing 15 people across three teams. Along the way, I discovered my passion for people management while maintaining my technical expertise."

Q: What's the biggest team you've managed? "I managed 20 people across development, QA, and DevOps teams in three time zones. I implemented clear communication protocols and async standups, resulting in 30% faster project completion."

Q: Describe a time you helped an employee develop new skills. "One of my junior developers wanted to transition into cloud architecture. I created a development plan that included AWS certification training and mentoring sessions with our senior cloud engineer. They've since been promoted to Cloud Solutions Architect."

💡 What to listen for: Concrete examples of scaling leadership and solving coordination challenges.

🚩 Red flags: Vague responses about team size or lack of specific solutions to management challenges.

First-time manager interview questions and answers

Everyone has to start somewhere. These questions help you spot promising team leaders who may not have official management experience yet. Look for candidates who show natural leadership instincts and a clear vision for their transition into management.

Q: What makes you want to transition into management? "Throughout my 8 years as a senior developer, I've found that I get the most satisfaction from mentoring junior developers and coordinating cross-functional projects. I've realized I can make an even bigger impact by focusing full-time on developing talent and achieving team goals."

Q: How would you handle the transition from peer to supervisor? "I would start with individual conversations to understand expectations and concerns. I'd establish clear boundaries and communication channels. I'd also partner with human resources to follow best practices for internal promotions."

Q: What steps would you take in your first 30/60/90 days?

• First 30 days: Learn team strengths and goals, review projects, meet stakeholders.
• 60 days: Improve processes, implement code reviews, begin weekly check-ins.
• 90 days: Create roadmap, develop team plans, establish performance metrics.

💡 What to listen for:

• Genuine interest in developing others
• Recognition of the role's challenges
• Clear plan for managing relationships and boundaries
• Focus on team success over technical work

🚩 Red flags:

• Wanting management solely for status/pay
• Dismissive of relationship dynamics
• Reluctance to give up hands-on work
• Vague plans for the transition

Leadership skills interview questions

Time to dig into the heart of management - leadership ability. These questions reveal how candidates build and guide their teams, handle tough situations, and inspire others to do their best work. Remember, there are no "perfect" answers. You're looking for authentic responses that reveal how manager candidates think and lead.

Q: How do you build rapport with a new team? "I start with individual 1:1s to understand each person's goals and challenges. In my last role, I implemented weekly team lunches and monthly tech sharing sessions, which improved cross-team collaboration within 3 months."

Q: How do you handle underperforming team members? "I identify root causes through open discussion, create specific improvement plans, and provide regular support. Recently, I helped a struggling developer master our new architecture through paired programming and targeted training."

Q: Describe your ideal team. "My ideal IT team combines technical experts across different specialties. I believe in having a mix of senior and junior talent to enable mentorship and knowledge sharing. In my current role, I built a team like that by carefully hiring for both technical abilities and soft skills, resulting in a 30% improvement in project delivery times."

💡 What to listen for: Balance of empathy and accountability, specific improvement strategies.

🚩 Red flags: Avoiding difficult conversations or lacking structured performance management systems.

Management style interview questions

Every manager has their own way of doing things. These questions help you understand your candidate’s leadership style and how they approach the day-to-day challenges of leading a team, from handling mistakes to measuring success.

Q: What's your definition of an effective manager? "An effective manager bridges the gap between team performance and business value. They understand both the technical demands and business impacts of decisions. In my current role, I implemented quarterly roadmap reviews with stakeholders to maintain high standards while ensuring solutions directly support business KPIs."

Q: How did you handle a time when a team member made a mistake? "When a senior developer accidentally pushed untested code to production, I immediately helped roll back the changes to restore service. Rather than blame, we used it as an opportunity to improve our processes by implementing a new peer review system and sharing learnings with the whole team."

Q: What metrics and performance criteria do you track? "I use a three-pronged approach: 1) Technical growth - like expanding skillsets and certifications, 2) Project impact - measuring code quality, deployments, and response times, and 3) Team influence - evaluating peer support through code reviews and knowledge sharing. I recently helped a developer create a growth plan, including AWS certification and leading our API modernization project."

💡 What to listen for:

• Balance of business and technical understanding
• Focus on learning from mistakes
• Proactive process improvements
• Clear communication skills

🚩 Red flags:

• Blame-focused responses
• Lack of concrete examples
• No mention of process improvements
• Ignoring business impact

Behavioral interview questions for managers

Past behavior predicts future performance. Behavioral questions help you understand how candidates have handled real management challenges and what that reveals about their leadership approach.

Q: Describe a situation where you had to mediate between two strong personalities on your team. "Two of my direct reports disagreed strongly on our cloud architecture approach. I scheduled individual meetings to understand their concerns, then facilitated a workshop where both could present their viewpoints. We ultimately created a hybrid solution incorporating the best of both approaches, which improved team dynamics and delivered better results."

Q: Tell me about a time you had to deliver difficult feedback to a high performer. "My top developer was creating friction by criticizing junior team members' code too harshly. I acknowledged their technical excellence but explained how their approach was affecting team morale and productivity. We created a structured code review process, and they became an effective mentor, leading to improved team performance."

Q: Share an example of developing a struggling employee. "A QA engineer was missing deadlines and making frequent errors. Through one-on-ones, I discovered they were overwhelmed by our new automation tools. I paired them with a mentor, created a structured learning plan, and adjusted their workload temporarily. Within three months, they were leading our test automation initiative."

💡 What to listen for:

• Specific examples with clear outcomes
• Balance of empathy and directness
• Focus on solutions over blame
• Evidence of relationship-building skills

🚩 Red flags:

• Avoiding conflict
• Dismissing interpersonal issues
• Lack of follow-through
• One-size-fits-all approaches

Self-awareness interview questions

Great managers need to be as good at managing themselves as they are at managing others. These questions reveal how candidates handle their own workload, make decisions, and maintain their effectiveness under pressure.

Q: How do you prioritize and delegate tasks during busy times? "I use an urgency-importance matrix to categorize tasks, then match them with team members' strengths. Recently, when we had three major releases coinciding, I delegated routine maintenance to senior developers, mentored juniors on smaller features, and focused personally on critical architecture decisions. We delivered all projects on time."

Q: At which point do you bring others into your decision-making process? "I involve others when decisions will significantly impact the team. For instance, before migrating our infrastructure to a new cloud provider, I gathered input from our security team, DevOps engineers, and key stakeholders to ensure we considered all angles and risks."

Q: How do you stay updated with industry trends? "I dedicate 5 hours weekly to professional development, including following key tech blogs, participating in manager forums, and attending monthly leadership workshops. I also run a monthly 'trends and tech' meeting where team members share insights from conferences or courses they've attended."

💡 What to listen for:

• Clear decision-making framework
• Balance between autonomy and collaboration
• Evidence of emotional intelligence
• Commitment to continuous improvement

🚩 Red flags:

• Poor stress management
• Resistance to giving feedback
• Isolation in decision-making
• Lack of professional development

Benefits of hiring the right managers

Rushing to fill a management role can backfire big time. While every hiring manager wants to speed up the hiring process (especially when the team needs leadership yesterday), finding the right person takes time.

But the effort is worth it:

• Only 48% of managers feel they've got the know-how to crush it in their current position
• When it comes to mental health, managers have as much influence as spouses (69%) — way more than doctors (51%)
• Half the workforce is quietly checking out, which usually traces back to leadership issues

But here's the good news: When you nail the face-to-face interviews and really dig into candidates' past experiences, great managers can transform your company culture. We're talking:

• 70% better employee wellbeing
• 86% higher satisfaction with workplace relationships
• 93% of employees feeling energized and ready for anything

So what should you look for? It depends on the unique needs of your team. Here's a quick matrix to help you narrow your focus:

⚡Pro tip: Don't just stick to common interview questions. Ask manager candidates to share an example of a time they made a difficult decision. Check their LinkedIn recommendations. See how they show up on social media for their peers and teams. The best candidates won't just tell you about their skills – they'll show you how they've used them.

How to interview candidates for a manager position

No one wants to take the fall for a bad hire, especially when it comes to leadership roles. The following interview tips and strategies will help you upgrade your manager recruitment process and get the best candidates.

1. Create a compelling job description and maximize visibility

Start with a crystal-clear job description that outlines:

• Core responsibilities and KPIs
• Required vs. preferred qualifications
• Team size and structure
• Growth opportunities
• Company culture and values

Fine-tune your job posting with inclusive language that speaks to talent from a range of different backgrounds. Then, strategically distribute your posting across multiple channels:

• Post the open role to Google for maximum visibility
• Leverage top free job sites to expand reach
• Target diversity job boards 

Consider niche job boards for specialized roles

2. Implement smart screening with automated questionnaires

Don't let a flood of applications slow you down. An automated screening questionnaire helps you efficiently identify promising candidates while delivering a professional candidate experience.

Create a focused questionnaire covering key areas like:

• Leadership experience and scope
• Management philosophy and approach
• Conflict resolution style
• Team development strategies
• Cultural alignment indicators
• Relevant technical expertise

Once candidates complete the questionnaire, trigger an automated follow-up email to acknowledge their application and outline the next steps – whether that be phone interview, talent assessment test, or other screening tool.

For high-volume roles, leverage AI assistance thoughtfully. Breezy's Candidate Match Score uses a 0-10 scale to quickly surface candidates who best match your requirements, while still maintaining human oversight.

3. Use team scorecards to keep it fair and collaborative

Hiring managers isn't a one-person job. These leaders will work with everyone from entry-level employees to the C-suite. You need buy-in from across the company.

Breezy's Team Scorecard feature gives you:

• Quick thumbs up/down voting
• Space for detailed thoughts right in the interview scorecard
• All the feedback in one place (no more digging through email chains!)
• Clear consensus on whether someone's the right fit

Instead of chasing people down for feedback or trying to remember who said what in the hallway, you get one easy place to gather insights from the whole hiring team.

Bonus tip: Circle back with unsuccessful job interview candidates

Let's not forget about the candidates who didn't get the job. Once you've found your perfect manager, do your future self (and your employer brand) a favor – reach out to those other promising candidates to share your feedback and thank them for investing their time in your process. ➡️ These examples of unsuccessful interview feedback can help.

Want to really up your hiring game? Ask those candidates who made it to the second and third interview rounds to share their thoughts via a quick candidate experience survey. Their insights are gold for fine-tuning your interview process for next time.

Zeroing in on manager material

In the end, the old adage is true: People don’t leave companies, they leave bosses. But with the right leader, teams don't just stick around – they soar. 

With a powerful applicant tracking system and these carefully crafted management interview questions as your guide, you're ready to find your next leader.

Ready to revolutionize your hiring process? Breezy HR can help you identify, evaluate and hire better leaders in less time. See how with a free 14-day trial.