Managerial - Search Committee Questions

Example Questions

• Describe how you exemplify professional behavior in the workplace.
• What is your own philosophy of management?

• Tell us about your planning processes in regard to rolling out a new project.
• Is it more important to be a detail oriented person or a big picture person?
• What was the most challenging personnel issue you’ve had to deal with and how did you handle it?

• Describe a time when you have come across questionable business practices. How did you handle the situation?

• A new policy is to be implemented college-wide. You do not agree with this new policy. How do you discuss this policy with your staff?

• Describe a decision you made which would normally have been made by your supervisor. What was the outcome?

• Discuss and differentiate between remediation, corrective action and discipline.
• Explain, step by step, how you handled an employee who had performance problems.

• Why should employees seek to improve their knowledge and skill base? Tell us about a time when you motivated others to do so.

• What coaching or mentoring experience have you had? What were the results?

• Management requires both good writing and verbal skills for good communication. When it comes to giving information to employees that can be done either way, do you prefer to write a memo or talk to the employee?

• When making a decision to terminate an employee, do you find it easy because of the college’s needs, or difficult because of the employee’s needs?

• Managing requires motivating employees as well as accomplishing tasks. Do you find it more natural to point out what’s wrong so employees can accomplish tasks competently, or to praise employees for their work and then point out what may need correcting?

• What is the largest number of employees you have supervised and what were their job functions?

• Are you best at dealing with details and day-to-day operations, or with concepts, envisioning and future planning? Give an example.