Speaker 1: Hi there, my name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company PassMyInterview.com. And in this tutorial, I'm going to teach you how to pass either a senior management interview or a director interview. And specifically, I'm going to give you 7 sample interview questions with strong answers to all of the questions. So before I give you those, a very warm welcome to this tutorial. That's me there on the right-hand side. My name is Richard McMunn. I am a former fire officer and I've been helping people to pass their interviews for over 20 years now. I love doing it. And in this video, as I say, we're going to focus on how to answer senior management interviews or director interview questions. So the questions and answers are quite in-depth. So you can either take notes or I will tell you at some stage during this interview tutorial where you can download all of the slides and the information. So I'm going to give you unique answers to all of the questions. So please stick around and watch it from beginning to end because I strongly believe it is going to help you to pass your interview. As always, please subscribe to the channel if you haven't done so already by clicking the red button below the video. That way you will not miss out on any of the weekly tutorials that I'm uploading. I think we've got about 108,000 subscribers now, so please do join the community. Also, please, if you like this tutorial, I would very, very much appreciate it if you gave the video a thumbs up. I'd much appreciate that. Thank you very much. Okay. Let's get straight into the tutorial and learn how to pass our senior management or director interview. Here we go. Question number one. So the first kind of question that you will be asked during this type of interview is, okay, tell me about yourself and why you would make a good senior manager or director for our company. Now, for each particular question, I'm going to give you two tips and then I'm going to give you a sample answer based on what I would say, utilizing strong experience and also making sure that you hit all of the assessable competencies. So tip number one for this question. My advice is to focus entirely on your work-related skills, the fact that you are a visionary, which is somebody who looks forward, and also how your main focus is to work towards driving the company forward and achieving the strategic goals of your employer. That's really important. Now, successful senior managers and directors have one thing in common. They are able to motivate and inspire their staff to both believe in and work towards their vision. Okay. Really, really important. So the answer that's coming right now is based on hitting those two tips. Here we go. First and foremost, I have a track record for achieving company goals and objectives, and my sole aim whilst working for you will be to work hard on delivering my targets. Now, I am someone who is extremely passionate about my work, and I understand the only way I will be successful in this role is to put the hours in, work smart, and drive my team towards your goals. I am a strong visionary leader and manager who can motivate and inspire my team to be the best they can be whilst focusing intently on the strategic aims of the organization. I believe if you hire me as your senior manager or director, I believe you will be investing in a reliable, trustworthy, hardworking, and professional leader who is capable of solving difficult problems and also remaining calm under pressure whilst acting as a positive role model and representative for your organization. So that is a solid in-depth response. And as I say, to save you having to write all of these down, I'll tell you at some stage where you can download a copy of all of these and other great questions and answers to help you pass your interview. Okay. So that's question number one. Let's move on to question number two of your senior manager or director interview. What are your values as a company leader? So senior managers and directors are leaders. Really important. Two tips. Here we go. Most organizations who employ senior managers or directors, they have set values. They expect their staff to work towards. So the first piece of advice I can give you is to research the company values of the organization you're being interviewed for. Go on their website, find out what their values are. Now, number two, during your answer to this interview question, detail the most important values that effectively depict a successful senior manager or director. And I'm going to give them to you right now in this answer. Here we go. What are your values as a company leader? I have seven important values that I always adhere to as a company leader. These are that I will always act with honesty and integrity in everything I do. Secondly, if the company leader cannot do this, his or her staff cannot be expected to do the same. The second value is that of leading by example. This is especially important when holding meetings with your managers and your supervisors. The third value I abide by is accountability. As a company leader, I am accountable to you and I will always work hard to achieve the company goals and objectives. Now, the fourth value is continuous development and improvement, not only of myself, but also of my staff. I feel it's important to be open to change and to also inspire your staff to be the best they can be. Now, the fifth value is teamwork, as it's simply not possible to achieve your goals without others. The sixth value is creativeness and being innovative. Whilst I am a creative leader, I want to encourage my staff to be innovative and have the freedom to come up with new ideas that will benefit the organization. Now finally, the seventh value is that of commitment to the customer. Now, without customers, there is no business and they will be core to everything we do if I am your company leader. So you'll notice one thing, there's a common theme here with these answers. They're really in-depth and they need to be for a senior manager or director interview. Next question. What qualities and attributes make a good leader? Okay. What qualities and attributes make a good leader? Two tips. Number one, organizational leaders have to demonstrate a unique set of skills and attributes. More notably, these include an ability to plan. You have to organize. You have to take responsibility for company results. You have to be organizationally aware. You have to have strategic vision. You have to lead by example. And also, you have to act at all times as a positive role model for the company. So within your answer to this question, demonstrate your understanding of how important the role is and also how this correlates with the objectives of the organization that you are being interviewed by. So here's my sample response. What qualities and attributes make a good leader? I fully understand the qualities and attributes required to be both a good leader and also one that is successful. Now perhaps the most important attribute is understanding the impact your actions and your performance within the role will have on overall company performance. If you are not capable of leading by example and also acting as a positive role model, I don't believe you can succeed. More notably, you have to take responsibility for everything that happens within the company. You have to be a great communicator because what you say and what you write can have a massive impact on your staff and also on external stakeholders. You also have to inspire, motivate and lead your team towards the company objectives and hold people accountable for their own actions. I also feel one of the most important qualities is being able to visualize your goals and then work intensely to achieve them. You have to recognize the qualities in your staff and give them the opportunity to thrive within their role and also finally, be adaptable to change at all times. Now the only way a company such as yours can continue to grow, develop and be a leader within its industry is to continually learn and adapt to the ever-changing environment in which it operates. These are great answers. I hope you think that really strong answers to help you pass your interview. Let's move on to another one. How would you build a positive relationship with your staff or team? How would you build a positive relationship with your staff or team? And the reason why this question will be asked is they want to see how you're going to use your staff because you need the team around you to achieve your goals. You're not going to be able to do it on your own. So two tips. Number one, the key to building a positive and lasting relationship with your staff is based on three things, standards, recognition and consistency. And I'll explain what I mean by those in a second. Number two, during your answer to this question, make sure you tell the panel you have a tried and tested method for building positive relationships from the get-go. So during your answer, make sure you tell the panel you have a tried and tested method for building positive relationships. And here's how to answer this question. How would you build positive relationships with your staff or team? Here we go. There are three specific areas I will focus on if I'm successful in this role, which will ensure I build and maintain long-lasting positive relations with my staff. These are standards, recognition and consistency. Now in respect of standards, it is important you set the bar high. When you start and show your team, you will only accept the highest standards possible. This is effectively leading by example. The second area, recognition, is all about giving your staff the opportunity to thrive in their role. And when they do achieve something of significance, you recognize it and you reward them. If staff feel valued and recognized, they will work effectively for you. Finally, it is absolutely vital within this type of senior manager role that you are consistent at all times. All staff must be treated consistently and fairly. I believe if you do those three things, you will be able to build positive relationships with your staff and you will empower them to achieve great things for you, the organization. That's another solid response. We're making really good progress. Next question. Are you a risk taker? Really tough question for any kind of manager or director role. Are you a risk taker? Two tips. Now, to be successful, you have to take risks. However, the risk has to be weighed up against the possible outcomes. Now whilst you should say you are a risk taker, in my opinion, it is important to explain on what level you would take risks and more importantly, the risk assessment process you would go through when making your decision. Now when answering this question, my advice is to utilize the following risk assessment process that will ensure you come across as responsible, calculated and intelligent whilst assessing the risk in any kind of situation. So here we go. Are you a risk taker? The short answer is yes, I am a risk taker. However, before I take any type of risk, I will conduct a thorough risk assessment to ensure I am not putting the organization under undue stress or taking a risk that could have potentially extreme and negative consequences for you, my employer. Now before taking risks, I would utilize a risk assessment process that weighed up the risks versus the benefits. The possibility of things going wrong. If things did go wrong, what would be the connotations for the organization and also how I could use strategies and techniques to minimize the risk as much as possible. Again, once I have gathered all of the facts available and utilized my risk management process, I would make a decision that was in the best interest of you, the organization. Now I believe taking risks is an important part of managing an organization. However, foolish and ill-thought decisions based on gut feeling or past experiences are something I would never make. Any risk I take would be based on an assessment of the facts available to both my team and I and the reputation of my employer and the good of the organization would always come first. So that's a great balanced answer. Of course, you need to take risks when the time is right, but you shouldn't make ill-thought and decisions based on gut feeling. You need to gather the facts. That's really important. Next question. How important is company culture to you and what steps would you take to maintain your desired culture? Two tips. Now company culture is an essential part of a productive, happy and professional workforce. There are a number of different elements that can all have a positive impact on creating a strong culture within any organization. Make sure you utilize them in your answer to this interview question. Now my advice is to tell the interview panel you will spend approximately four weeks monitoring and assessing the current culture within their organization before making any necessary changes based on the culture you wish to see within the company. Because the problem is, if you go into an organization that you've not worked for before in that level and you make changes straight away, you might be damaging some things which are already really strong and positive. So my advice, unless there are things specifically they want you to change straight away, I would spend at least a month looking at the organization, having your eyes open, listening with your ears to what people say, asking questions to find out what the culture is like right there at that particular time. And then after four weeks, you'll be better informed to make the changes. So here's my suggested answer to this question. How important is company culture to you and what steps would you take to maintain your desired culture? Now, company culture is really important to me, and I believe it is absolutely vital in assisting senior managers and directors achieve the organization's aims and objectives. If you create a strong and positive culture within your organization, not only will your staff be more productive and happy within their roles, but you will also encourage innovation, invention and inclusiveness. There are many ways to develop a strong culture, and these are openness, engagement with your staff, encouraging innovation, including all team members within the decision-making process, focusing at all times on quality, providing open and honest feedback, recognizing and developing talent, and also a commitment to continuous improvement. If I'm successful today at interview, I will spend approximately four weeks assessing and monitoring the current culture before deciding on and implementing any necessary changes. This approach will allow me to develop and maintain a strong and positive culture so we can all successfully achieve the organizational objectives. Next question. What are your long-term goals and how do you plan to achieve them? You have to be really careful, in my opinion, when answering this question. Two tips. At this level of senior management, you are either at or close to the pinnacle of your career. Therefore, your answer should be based on stability and longevity with the role you're being interviewed for. The interview panel wants someone who's going to drive their organization forward, and understandably, this takes time. If you plan leaving anytime soon, I don't believe you'll get the position. Base your answer entirely on their company and the long-term success for them as an organization. In terms of how you plan to achieve long-term success, my advice is to focus on developing a strong culture and building a really good team around you who are all empowered to striving towards achieving the organizational objectives. Here's my answer to the question. What are your long-term goals and how do you plan to achieve them? Here we go. My long-term goals are to stay with your organization in the position I'm being interviewed for today. For me, this is the pinnacle. And whilst I'm still enthusiastic and driven, I want to focus entirely on achieving your organizational objectives and bringing long-term success to the company. In terms of how I would achieve this, this would be done by building a strong and driven team around me who are all focused intently on the organizational aims and objectives. I would also build a strong culture within the organization that encourages innovation and recognizes hard work and professionalism. I plan to work for you for many years to come, and I would look forward to building a long-lasting strategic vision for the organization that ensures you maintain your position as an industry-leading organization. Okay. Now, if you would like to download these questions and others that are all designed to help you prepare fully for your senior manager or director interview, please click the link below the video or go to my new website, which is called PassMyInterview.com. I'll just quickly go there for you. And you'll be able to… the link will take you direct to the page where you can download these questions. But you will see here on this website, I've got interview questions and answers for absolutely every role you can think of, or you can search for your interview or leave us a message and tell us which role you've got. But if you'd like a copy of these exact ones to save you having to write them down, click the link below the video and you can download them from the website. Thank you very, very much for watching this. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial. Don't forget to subscribe and please do hit the like button if you've enjoyed that. Always encourages me to create more for you. Thank you for watching. And I genuinely wish you all the very best in your pursuit to passing your senior manager or director interview. Thank you.