New Manager Mock Interview
Practice 40 New Manager interview questions covering leadership transition, team dynamics, and first-time management challenges.
Question 15 of 40
As a new manager, what decision do you think will be the hardest for you to make?
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Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
Managers face many challenging decisions throughout their day. Some examples of decisions you will need to make include changes to workflow, hiring and termination decisions, promotions, and making budget cuts. Discuss which decisions you believe will be the most challenging for you to approach as a new manager.
Be sure to focus on how you will overcome this challenge. You should acknowledge that there will be challenges in your first management position while showing confidence that you will become more comfortable as you gain more experience.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"As a new manager, I believe the hardest decision for me to make will be when it comes time to consider layoffs or terminations. I understand that your organization did lay off a significant number of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. I empathize with the decision-makers who had to make those decisions. If I needed to release someone from their position, I would consult the human resources manager to ensure I approach the situation correctly to protect the company and respect the employee through the difficult transition. As I become more experienced in my role as a manager, I am confident that I will learn and grow in this area. Although terminations and layoffs will never be easy, I will develop a system that makes them more comfortable for everyone involved."
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Jaymie
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Anonymous Answer
The decision I think will be the hardest for me to make will be firing or letting someone go. As someone who loves to teach and empower others, I can empathize with the difficulty in telling someone they no longer have a role at the gardens, and receiving that information. I have been in a situation where I have had to deliver this news, and it was a difficult conversation. Not something I relish doing, It is difficult for everyone involved.
The first thing I would do is to throughly review the employees file, reasonings for termination and speak with HR (manager) on the best way to approach the conversation by being respectful and protecting the company.
I would ensure that I choose an appropriate time for the conversation. I would write a script with keywords to follow to ensure that the communication is clear and respectful, and be sure to provide some positive feedback at the same time. Tricky, but again why I would practice ahead of time.
I know that the more experienced in my role I become, the more confident I will be in this area of management, learning and growing these communication skills, and I will eventually create a process that works for everyone.
Go home and eat ice cream.
Jaymie's Feedback
This is a tough situation for every leader, so this is a great example to share! You walk the interviewer through your process of handling the challenge and demonstrate that you do not take difficult decisions like this lightly. Excellent job!
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