Questions you can expect during an Operations Manager Interview

Have you got an interview call from a reputed company for the designation of an operations manager? Once you have received the call, are you worried about what questions the interviewers will ask you? You can expect a range of operations technical interview questions as the job of an operations manager is an important one. It is a vital role across industries, and therefore, companies look for various skills in candidates.

Generic Interview Questions for Operations Managers

From daily business activities to team building – operation managers perform a variety of tasks. So, potential employers will ask you all sorts of mixed questions to test your professional knowledge and additional skills. Here are some general questions that organizations across industries ask operations managers.

1. What skills will you use for solving business problems?

Government agencies, non-profit organizations and businesses hire operations managers to manage their everyday operations. Operations managers also get rid of impediments that stand in the path of the company’s success. Therefore, hiring managers are curious to know about your past experience in the previous company.

This is a standard question, and you should talk about your critical thinking skill to answer it nicely. Speak about your unique problem-solving nature and decisiveness. State the skills you use to solve those problems. If possible, give examples of some situations in which you used your intuition to get rid of operational bottlenecks.

2. How will you measure a project’s success?

As operations managers work with multiple teams, departmental heads and executives, hiring managers often ask these types of questions. Operations managers need to ensure the proper functioning of the company. They use several tools to evaluate each team’s performance, and they are also answerable to their employer. So, you can expect at least one question based on success measuring tools. Try to highlight as many techniques as possible used for accessing performance and explain in brief.

3. How will you balance your personal targets and ensure your team reaches its goals?

Interviewers also ask behavioural and situational questions to be certain that you fit the job role. This is a situational question, and it gives you an opportunity to flaunt your organizational, multi-tasking, and strategic planning capabilities. So, frame the answer to showcase your empathetic skills. Make sure you mention how you always value the team’s success more than achieving personal targets.

4. What strategies do you apply to distribute work among team members?

One of the major duties of operations managers is delegating tasks among the different team members. How should you approach this question to please your interviewer?

Tell them that you spend time analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of every single employee. After that, you identify the tasks that need to be done urgently. Then you distribute the work among team members based on their areas of expertise. This is how you ensure productivity and efficiency from every team member.

5. How do you deal with failures?

It is one of the most common questions that people applying for managerial roles are often asked. How you answer this question will give your interviewer an idea about your leadership style. So, you must refrain from making any negative comments and reflect on failures in a positive light.

State how failures teach important lessons and alter perspectives to answer this question smartly. You can also give an example of how you worked hard to turn around a major setback into a rewarding outcome.

Summing Up

Cracking the operations manager interview will help you join your favourite company. So, once you have got the operations management certification, start practising interview questions at home. It is a prestigious position, and you should prepare well for the interview to go well. In addition to answering the questions satisfactorily, make sure you appear presentable and confident.

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