Filling a key management position is one of the most important decisions a company can make. But according to Gallup, they get it wrong about 82% of the time.
If you're ready to optimize your interview process and find the right manager for the job, it’s time to ditch the tired “tell me about yourself” approach.
Start with a list of battle-tested manager interview questions, then customize to your role and culture.
10 tied-and-tested interview questions for your next management role
Hiring the wrong manager is an expensive mistake most of us have made. The difference in 2026, is the intense amount of pressure not to miss the mark.
Gallup found that managers account for over 70% of variance in employee engagement scores. And with AI eliminating up to 35% of entry level roles, competition for high-quality candidates is steep.
Fine-tune your interview questions to connect with the right ones faster.
1. “What is the most unpopular decision you have made as a manager?”
“As a bootstrapped SaaS company founder, this one question informs me more than thirty minutes of typical behavioral prompts” says Nikhil Pai, Founder at Chronicle, a SaaS platform for Social Security disability law firms.
He once made the mistake of hiring a candidate for a management position who looked great on paper but “melted when the real pressure appeared.” Nikhil got creative.
“I restructured our whole interview process based on the scenarios that were taken out of real-life issues in our company. Practiced responses fail miserably when a candidate is confronted with reality,” he explains.
2. “How do you handle a situation where your roadmap keeps changing?”
“This is very real in product teams,” says Peter Barnett, VP of Product Strategy at endpoint management platform Action1. “I want to see if they can stay focused while still being flexible.”
The ability to pivot is crucial when hiring for product dev roles. Don’t skip this one.
3. “How do you translate company goals into your team’s daily work?”
A manager’s biggest job? Setting performance goals that link directly to the employee’s day-to-day work.
“This shows whether they can connect strategy to execution. Many managers struggle here, they either stay too high-level or get stuck in the weeds,” says Colleen Barry, Head of Marketing at AI platform Ketch.
Her best tip after hiring and leading managers across fast-paced, high-growth teams? “When I interview managers, I try to understand how they create clarity for their teams. Titles don’t matter if the team feels lost.”
4. “Tell me about a time you had to make a decision without full information.”
The right interview questions drill into the candidate’s thought process.
“Good managers rarely have perfect data. This question shows how they think under pressure and how comfortable they are with uncertainty,” says David Berwick, Director at tech recruitment firm Adria Solutions Ltd.
5. “Describe a time you inherited a strategy you didn't design. How did you identify the execution drag within your new team, and what specific behavioral changes did you implement to close that gap?”
For Dr. Melonie Boone, CEO & Executive Advisor at Boone Management Group, the reasoning behind this question is simple:
"We must stop interviewing for leadership 'style' and start interviewing for execution 'substance.' A great manager is someone who can identify and eliminate the behavioral friction that slows down a team's decision velocity.”
Listen for evidence of problem-solving and how the candidate prioritizes addressing team friction over preserving comfort.
6. “How do you approach the development of underperforming team members?”
No one wants the manager who rushes to send a termination letter before taking the time to coach.
“How a candidate answers this question reveals a lot about their ability to actually lead a high-performing team,” explains Matt Erhard, Managing Partner at Summit Search Group.
“I listen for specifics on how they’ve coached employees to help them improve and their use of structured feedback or performance plans. It’s a positive sign if the candidate can share evidence of a successful turnaround.”
Do they know what to say in a performance review? Which steps to take before implementing a PIP? The right candidates will show emotional intelligence in how they balance accountability with support.
7. "Walk me through how you structure your 1:1s with direct reports."
Connor Gross, CEO at ConstantHire, an e-commerce recruitment agency for DTC and CPG brands, is all about finding managers who know how to maximize their weekly check-in meetings.
“You learn a lot from this one. Do they actually hold them consistently? Do they have any kind of structure, or do they just show up and ask ‘how's it going?’ The best managers I've worked with have a real cadence here.”
And here's the red flag: candidates who say they have an 'open door policy' instead of structured 1:1s? Their teams usually feel the least recognized and supported.
8. “What Disney character would you choose to be and why?”
“I don't care which character the candidate chooses. I care about the reason behind it,” says Tyler Denk, at email marketing platform Beehiiv. “Once in a while, though, a candidate picks a character and names a flaw as an endearing characteristic. For example, Goofy because he is clumsy, albeit lovable. This is precisely the answer I like to hear.”
This is definitely one of the more unique interview questions, but for Tyler, self awareness is non-negotiable. Managers need to acknowledge areas that could use improvement.
“The most effective and respected managers are those who don't shy away from their shortcomings and are willing to take constructive criticism to heart. From personal experience, I also believe these are the people in high positions less likely to have an ego,” Tyler explains.
9. "Walk me through your plan for the first 90 days in this role?"
“You'd be surprised how many seasoned candidates respond with the usual and generic ‘I'll do whatever the company needs me to do’ statement when asked this question,” says Lexi Harrison, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Cords Club. “That's an immediate red flag because it signals that the candidate lacks leadership initiative and a plan for hitting the ground running.”
The results? After scoring answers against a scorecard based on mission and must-have competencies, Cords Club's retention rate for new leaders jumped from 13 months to over 21 months.
“What I'm listening for is whether the candidate displays a willingness to engage in a recon process and how they intend to learn about natural rhythms. I'm not expecting candidates to offer solutions to a situation they know little about,” she explains.
This is a solid interview question for internal and external candidates. Look for answers that outline clear milestones for their first 30, 60, and 90 days—that's how you separate real leadership skills from rehearsed answers.
10. “How do you balance speed vs. doing things right?”
“This is a real tension in growing companies. I want someone who knows when to push and when to slow down,” says Franco Giaquinto, CEO of construction scheduling and field coordination platform Outbuild.
“When I hire managers at Outbuild, I look for people who can bring structure to messy, real-world situations. Construction and tech both have moving parts, so I want managers who can stay practical, not theoretical,” he explains.
How to interview smarter for your next manager position
No one wants to take the fall for a bad hire, especially when it comes to costly leadership positions.
Update your recruitment plan to attract and identify the best candidates for your open management roles. A few smart process tweaks can help you spot the real leaders faster.
1. Set criteria that match the job description
Here’s what Gallup research tells us:
- Only 1 in 10 people naturally possess the talent to manage others
- Another 2 in 10 show basic potential and can excel with proper coaching
- Just 18% of managers demonstrate high-level management talent
- Managers with natural or developed talent contribute 48% higher profit than average managers
Great managers are rare, but they're worth finding and developing.
Don't let application volume bury your best candidates. 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
A customer success manager needs different capabilities than an engineering director. Consider which leadership skills are must-haves versus nice-to-haves for this specific managerial role.
To get started, ask Breezy to criteria from your actual job description. Then use Applicant Insights to score incoming applications against what actually matters—leadership experience, team size management, technical expertise.
You'll spend less time manually reviewing resumes and more time talking to candidates who can do the job.
Pro tip: Widen your talent pool by using inclusive language in your job posting. Then, distribute across channels, including: free job sites, Google search, diversity job boards, and premium and niche job sites.
2. Get to know candidates quickly with questionnaires
Before you start scheduling interviews, use automated questionnaires to filter for your must-haves. It's faster than reviewing every resume line-by-line, and candidates appreciate knowing upfront whether they're a fit.
Create a focused questionnaire covering key areas like:
- Leadership experience and scope (team size, budget responsibility)
- Management philosophy and approach
- Communication skills and conflict resolution style
- How they build teamwork and develop direct reports
- Cultural alignment indicators
- Relevant technical expertise and certifications
Once candidates complete the questionnaire, use stage automations to automatically send a confirmation email and move qualified candidates to your review queue.
Got a management role with crazy application volume? Turn on Resume Audit to flag AI-generated applications and suspiciously copy-pasted content.
3. Use scorecards to keep it fair and fast
Finding the right candidate for a management position isn't a one-person job. But chasing down feedback after every interview is a time sink nobody needs.
With Breezy's candidate scorecards, your whole team can weigh in without the back-and-forth:
- Quick thumbs up/down voting that takes seconds
- Space in the interview scorecard for detailed feedback (problem-solving, past experiences they shared in the job interview)
- Everything lives in one place—no more Slack threads or email chains
Plus, you'll have actual data to back up your decision when leadership asks why this candidate is the one.
4. Follow up with unsuccessful candidates
Here's something most teams skip: actually following up with the candidates you didn't hire. They might not be the right fit for this managerial role, but they could be perfect for your next opening. Keep them in your candidate database just in case.
Want to level up? Ask finalists to share their thoughts via a quick candidate experience survey. You'll get fresh insights for improving your process—and they'll remember you actually cared about their feedback. This can go a long way the next time you’re trying to find employees who get what you’re about.
Zero in on manager material
The old adage is true: People don’t leave companies, they leave bosses. Why not flip that around? With the right leader, teams don't just stick around. They thrive.
Armed with proven questions and the right applicant tracking system, you're not just filling a management role—you're building a leadership team that actually delivers.
Breezy helps you identify, evaluate, and hire better leaders in a fraction of the time. From AI-powered screening to structured scorecards, you'll have everything you need to spot the candidates who can actually move your business forward.
FAQs
What's the difference between assessing management style vs. leadership style?
Management style is about day-to-day execution—how the candidate runs 1:1s, delegate tasks, and track team performance. Leadership style is bigger picture—how they inspire, navigate change, and build culture. Great managers need both. Ask about their 1:1 structure to assess management style, then follow up with questions about how they've led through uncertainty or motivated underperformers.
What red flags should recruiters watch for when interviewing manager candidates?
Watch for candidates who can't cite examples from past experiences, blame team members, or describe their decision-making process in vague terms. Candidates who can't demonstrate problem-solving abilities, show limited self awareness about their management style. That could result in a lot of time wasted in the future.
How can I make sure all recruiters and hiring managers evaluate candidates consistently?
Use interview scorecards with clear rating criteria for each question.
Before you start interviewing, align your team on what "great" looks like for key areas like project management, teamwork, communication skills, and leadership style. Define which performance management milestones a strong new hire should hit in their first 90 days then hire with that goal in mind.
