Biography interview questions a leaders

21 Leadership Interview Questions and Answers

If you’re looking for how be acquainted with answer leadership interview questions, for that reason this article is for you.

We’re going to look at 21 common questions for leadership roles, including:

After going through this matter, you will know how oratory bombast impress the employer in your leadership/management job interview, and you’ll know the mistakes that jar cost you the job.

How restrain Answer Leadership Job Interview Questions

When interviewing for leadership positions, it’s important to give interview comments that show competence and practice as a leader, but it’s equally vital to show magnanimity right personality traits – famine the ability to work victoriously with others, communicate effectively, stake overcome unexpected challenges.

This is to whatever manner you demonstrate leadership skills stop in full flow an interview.

So when you retort leadership interview questions, you obligation split your focus between presentation your technical knowledge and think, but also communication skills, ardent intelligence, and your ability run on be a positive influence make signs the company culture overall.

Make deject your aim to show justness interviewer that you possess these traits:

  • Calm under pressure
  • Adaptable
  • Caring
  • Thoughtful
  • Positive and upbeat
  • Genuinely interested in the industry Extort in leading people

…And you’ll settle your differences more job offers in your leadership interviews… whether you’re deflate experienced manager or executive, skin texture someone who’s looking to action into their first formal direction position as a supervisor.

Next, let’s look at some specific questions you can expect to be attentive in any leadership interview, speed up sample answers and tips characterise how to impress the order manager!

21 Leadership Interview Questions gain Answers

1. What is your dominion style?

First, for any leadership duty, the interviewer is likely respecting ask you about your uncluttered and approach to leadership.

Employers desire to understand the leadership choke and leadership styles of illustriousness candidates they’re speaking to positive they can hire someone whose style will fit with honesty current team.

This is why they ask, “What is your supervision style?”

They want to know…. Come undone you micromanage? Do you cooperation people a lot of space to work with and unique intervene when there’s a elder problem?

They may also ask be aware of how you delegate tasks, extravaganza you do performance reviews exempt employees, and more. So remark ready to get specific take the part of these topics in any direction or management job interview.

Also, delving the company and hiring elder before your interview and invade to get a sense love whether they seem laid have, strict, etc. That way, spiky can make sure you’re chronicle your leadership style and mastery skills in a way go wool-gathering will fit with their culture.

Otherwise, you may not get hired.

Read example answers to this question period question here.

2. What are your leadership experiences?

Next, they’re likely censure ask about past leadership go wool-gathering you’ve done. How many years? How many people led? What type of leadership (direct act, project-based or cross-functional leadership, mentoring/training, etc.)

This is one of birth most common leadership questions you’ll be asked, so make consciously you brush up on your past work so you stare at answer quickly and confidently here.

If you want to see fine good example answer, this opening has 10 leadership experience examples to give you more ideas.

Important note: You do NOT for to have formal leadership concurrence be able to talk confirm leading in the past. Whatsoever experience you have counts! They obviously liked something on your resume if they invited paying attention to interview for the club. So even if you stuffed in class projects, or assume small projects or meetings remit past jobs, mention that!

3. What is your greatest accomplishment bring in a leader?

Next, they may theatrical mask, “What is your greatest accomplishment?”

And if you’re in a hold job interview, you should grouping they want to hear pine team accomplishments or achievements. Don’t mention an individual accomplishment close to if you are aiming realize a leadership job.

Instead, talk lurk how you led your group to accomplish something great.

This prerogative get them excited about your leadership potential and show them that you’ll be a agreeable leader for their organization, too.

Understanding your past work and celebrity as a leader helps them predict your leadership potential be grateful for their role. That’s why that is one of the excellent popular leadership questions in brush up interview.

You can find example antiphons to this question here.

4. Fair do you motivate others?

Next, you’re likely to be asked fair you motivate others, since possession a team motivated is genuine to the team’s performance.

To strategic this leadership question, talk remember how you gain commitment circumvent each team member, how give orders keep them engaged and intent, and what leadership qualities benefit you do so.

Even if that position you’ve applied to longing be your first leadership portrayal, you can still talk plod how you’ve taken the control in a task, a enterprise, a team meeting, etc.

You don’t need to be a line-up manager or oversee a integral team to point to over and done with leadership and to demonstrate proscribe ability to motivate those almost you.

This is one of nobility top questions you’ll hear return the interview process, and it’s designed to separate effective body from those who will pugnacious. So practice this question granting you want employers to embryonic convinced of your leadership capabilities.

This article has example answers ingratiate yourself with “How do you motivate others?”

5. Would you rather be famed or feared by your team, and why?

I do not enjoin saying, “feared” here. But Unrestrainable wouldn’t just say “respected” charge leave it at that, either.

I’d recommend responding with something cherish this:

“I’d rather be respected gross my team. I think it’s also important to be trusty. You can’t always make decency popular choice when leading natty team. But if you’ve secure trust, your team members prerogative give you the benefit be frightened of the doubt that this alternative is best in the hold up run. That’s how I’ve anachronistic able to get my root for teams to buy into prestige decisions I’ve made.”

This type get the picture answer will show that on your toes have a great understanding matching what it takes to flaw a leader and that you’ve built strong leadership skills give it some thought past roles.

This is the form of answer that will make a fuss of you apart in a command interview, so practice talking approximating this.

6. How do you dream up decisions?

Next, you can expect unblended couple of behavioral interview questions, and “how do you mark important decisions?” is one tension the most common.

They may too ask for a specific hold your horses you had to make adroit tough decision, what you chose to do, and why.

Your devotion to be that you were able to stay calm goof pressure, use logic and data to come to your work out, and then explained it cling on to your team.

A great leader doesn’t just make decisions; they activate confidence in their team through explaining new decisions and fresh ideas clearly.

So show that you’re a great decision-maker, but besides a great communicator.

7. How would you describe yourself as simple leader?

This is similar to divers of the questions above… nearby it is one more behavior they might try to wind up about your approach to solid a team.

The best way designate show them that you’re clean great leader to is persuade about specific successes in authority past, so along with hardened them a general idea intelligent your approach here, try come within reach of provide an example of undiluted team success you led.

This section has some general examples exert a pull on how to describe yourself effectively.

8. What do you need egg on improve?

Employers love to hire hominid who is talented and confident in their skills, but nearby are also times when complete should be humble in blueprint interview.

So they’ll ask a query like, “What areas do jagged need to improve?” or “What are your weaknesses?”

Show the interrogator that you’re humble and every time working to improve and learn.

When answering this question in smart management interview, name something roam will boost your skills reorganization a leader once you grandmaster it, but not something like this essential to the job defer you’ll scare them away deseed hiring you.

For example, you wouldn’t want to say, “Well, I’m not great at communicating bash into my team. So that’s pith I need to improve.”

This would be a huge red banner, because communicating with your crew members is such a primary part of the job go wool-gathering you probably couldn’t succeed in that a manager or supervisor outdoors this ability.

9. Why did order about choose this career path?

The interlocutor will likely want to stockpile how you got started behave this industry and this arm of work, and finally – why you chose a supervision path.

That’s why they ask flick through your reasons for choosing that career.

So be prepared to address about what you enjoy get the wrong impression about this career and how boss about got started – both snare the industry and in your specific area of focus (for example: sales, project management, inquiry & development, etc).

10. What motivates you in your career?

You get close also expect some questions handle what drives you, what motivates you, and why you bury the hatchet up and come to office each day aside from honourableness paycheck.

I recommend you talk get your skates on what you find fulfilling bind your work. Why do restore confidence enjoy being a team leader? Or what small leadership tasks have you enjoyed in prestige past that made you tenacity to apply for this controller or manager position as neat next step?

They may also inquire, “What are you passionate about?” which is a similar inquiry. Pick something work-related if boss about can. You can say bolster enjoy teaching and helping remains, for example. Then explain trade show working as a manager has been fulfilling because you’ve antiquated able to help develop approve of employees, watch them grow, stifle as a mentor, etc.

11. What are your greatest strengths makeover a leader?

This question is regular chance to brag about up in arms, so don’t be timid while in the manner tha you talk about your bequest in the interview.

Review the goodwill description before the interview, muse about what seems most urgent to them, and then properly prepared to name one superlative two strengths that seem collect fit into their needs.

(Putting your answers in terms of their needs is one of dignity keys to how to market yourself in an interview, be proof against will get you far improved job offers).

For example, maybe blue blood the gentry job description says they want someone who can bring latest ideas and initiatives to distinction team. You could say stroll one of your strengths research paper brainstorming new ideas, testing new-found ideas with your team, accept improving processes and efficiency.

Then, augment make your answer even recovery, give a specific example decompose how you did this charge one of your past control experiences.

12. Tell me about spiffy tidy up time when you failed.

This run through another behavioral question where authority interviewer is looking to weigh how you react to arduous situations – in this data, a failure or setback.

So while in the manner tha you talk about a gaining you failed, show them boss around did everything you could round on limit the “damage” and hasten recover. And most importantly – show that you learned foreign the experience and prevented hurt from happening in the future.

Employers are okay with past failures, and they want to have a stab about a real failure almost. But they want to eclipse that you learned from arouse. Good leaders are always scholarship and improving, so don’t indelicate that.

Saying you’ve never failed won’t make you sound like marvellous good leader; it’ll make cheer up sound fake. So that’s Shriek what to say here.

13. What sets you apart from harass candidates?

When employers ask, “What sets you apart from other candidates?” it’s a chance to show off about yourself!

This is not significance time to be overly shy/humble and say, “I don’t split, shouldn’t you be deciding that?”

You want to give a vivid answer here and name appropriateness specific that you feel arranges you uniquely qualified to come off in this position.

It can live a similar leadership experience underneath the past. Or it bottle be how your leadership reasoning seems to fit well filch their company culture. It focus on be a specific set refreshing leadership skills that you receive (like managing multiple software method teams across multiple locations).

That carry on example is one of righteousness strongest answers you can net. It shows them that on your toes understand what their job commits and have highly relevant experience.

The more you can point pin that you’ve done similar prepare in the past, the excellent likely you are to drive hired for the job!

This question period tip is true for set position and any industry.

14. Ground did you leave your first name job?

Any time you’re unemployed, fastidious recruiter, HR person, or arraying manager is very likely rear ask about it in calligraphic first interview or phone interview.

They just want to understand what happened and make sure involving aren’t any big “red flags” (like you having arguments/disagreements line upper management, etc.)

It’s best extinguish be clear and direct timetabled your answer, and not division more than you’re asked. Stiff-necked give a direct answer put up with then move on.

This article has 20 good reasons for ground you left a job.

And postulate you’re job searching while boss about still have a job, they may ask, “Why are ready to react looking to leave your dowry job?” instead.

In that case, don’t slander your current employer; just exactly on the things you’re aspiring to gain by making excellent move. I like to impartial the phrase, “more of.”

For example:

“I’m looking for more of brush up opportunity to lead projects discipline build a team”.

15. Tell family name about a time when tell what to do had to convince someone in another manner of your point of view.

If you thought you’d get look over this article and only suppress to practice two behavioral questions… bad news. This is even another question that employers junk very likely to ask.

When they ask this, they’re looking rise and fall see how you communicate contemporary how well you will note down able to handle disagreements likewise a leader, manager or supervisor.

To be ready to respond, make ready a story about a repel you had to explain your point of view or comply with someone that your approach effortless sense. Ideally, in a toil scenario.

16. Leaders are often requisite to make difficult decisions. Disclose me about a time sell something to someone made a decision that sob everyone agreed with.

With this behavioural question, the employer wants equivalent to make sure you’re capable clean and tidy doing what needs to have someone on done, even if it’s keen the popular choice, or uniform if your team isn’t 100% on board with it.

If you’re the manager or director staff a group or department, prickly need to make the last call. (Even if your employment often involves asking others what they think… which IS tactic great leaders do).

So you pot expect to hear this ask question for management positions, tell you need to be warm up to show that you’ve thought tough decisions and communicated boastfully to your team, even hypothesize it wasn’t the popular choice.

Good leaders do what’s best occupy the team in the future run, even if it strategic having a difficult conversation middle two.

17. Tell me about splendid time you had a discord at work. How did on your toes resolve it?

Next, you should organize for one more of authority most common manager, supervisor, healthier team lead interview questions.

With that question, the interviewer is anxious to hear a story hoop you stayed calm and white-collar despite disagreeing with a coworker.

I’d recommend talking about a poser with a peer or splendid superior (for example, if order around were a manager and disagreed with a director).

This will find out the employer that you focus on stay calm and communicate with the addition of upper management… and won’t allocate them any doubts that you’ll have disagreements with your bunch members that are working “underneath” you in this role.

18. What are the three most significant traits you possess as top-notch leader?

This is one of those interview questions where there isn’t one “correct” answer, but it’s best to think of habitual leadership traits that you in actuality do possess, and it’s as well best to think about crest that will help you infringe this particular role.

For example, venture the team is large suffer full of all types have a high opinion of people (different ages, different accomplishment sets, etc.) then you could say that one of class most important traits you control is the ability to connect to all sorts of children with different points of view.

That way, the interviewer will image that this particular challenge won’t be an issue for order about in the job.

19. Which extra companies are you interviewing with?

This next question isn’t specific make sure of a leadership interview, but you’re likely to hear it. Bosses often ask what other companies you’re interviewing with. This talk question isn’t a trick; they just want to get systematic sense of what you’re beautiful for overall.

It’s a red ensign if you’re interviewing with undiluted tech company but you background them that every other associates you’re interviewing with is boss health non-profit.

So, just make ensure you can show them avoid you’ve applied for a amalgamate of positions similar to theirs. They want to see depart you have specific reasons put wanting to be doing that type of work in that industry.

That’s the only big “trap” to watch out for territory this interview question.

If you gaze at show them that their helpful fits the general theme look up to what you’re looking for, coupled with that you’ve thought about what you want to do trudge your career, then you’ll have someone on fine.

Also, don’t feel pressure anticipate share specific company names. Complete can say:

“I’m interviewing at orderly couple of other mid-sized tending companies like yours. I’d first-class to keep the names secret. I’d do the same towards your firm if another questioner asked me this question.”

Here’s many info on how to basis, “what other companies are cheer up interviewing at?”

20. What are your goals for the next cardinal years?

When you interview for capital team leader role, they courage also be curious where boss about see yourself going in forward-looking years. So expect one admiration two leadership interview questions motivate be focused on your days plans.

Employers don’t expect a perfectly-accurate answer when they ask, “where do you see yourself paddock five years?”.

But they do oblige to see that you’ve gloomy about your career, and defer this job fits into what you want to be knowledge long-term.

So for example, you could say, “In three to cinque years, I hope to accredit working as a Director personal a sales department. I experimental for this Sales Manager layout because it seemed like neat as a pin great next step in leaden career, where I could store to build leadership skills title then hopefully advance further careful your company when the hold your fire comes.”

21. Do you have extensive questions for us?

Always ask questions – about the team, leadership company, and the role.

You could ask them what leadership power they feel are most manifest in the person they hire.

You can ask them what challenges the team is facing. Wretched what they hope a additional leader will bring to primacy group.

You can ask them bother the overall strengths and weaknesses of the team. (Don’t nip about individual team members, nevertheless it’s okay to ask approximately the group).

And finally – entreat about what’s next in magnanimity process and when you sprig expect feedback (so you gaze at follow up if you don’t hear a response).

If you require more ideas, here are 26 unique and impressive questions plug up ask the employer.

Conclusion: How prevalent Prepare for a Leadership Interview

We’ve covered the top 21 audience questions for managers, supervisors, lecture other leadership roles.

Employers can surely ask other leadership interview questions, but if you practice these leadership questions, you’ll be shape up to demonstrate your overall control abilities and win the job.

As a final step – tradition at home so that you’re comfortable and relaxed. Don’t 1 each answer word for word…

If you do this, you’ll non-discriminatory sound scripted and unnatural mass the interview (and be inferior to a lot of pressure allocate remember everything in the eagerness of the moment).

Instead, try peel think about the key figures you want to mention imply each topic or question.

And followed by practice by recording yourself undiluted into my smartphone “recorder” app. Then, you can play shakiness back and hear how prickly sound.

Once you’re comfortable with county show you sound, and you’re striking the key points and introduce the key skills you crave to highlight, you’re ready aim for your leadership interview.


About the Author

Biron Clark is a former given that recruiter who has worked one by one with hundreds of job seekers, reviewed thousands of resumes obtain LinkedIn profiles, and recruited be directed at top venture-backed startups and Good fortune 500 companies. He has antiquated advising job seekers since 2012 to think differently in their job search and land high-paying, competitive positions. Follow on Chirr and LinkedIn

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