Job Description:

Operations Managers monitor the work of the different departments within a company,
or of different companies and organizations. They are highly trained, highly qualified
professionals with great and complex responsibilities.
Operations managers design policies, plan human and technical resources, manage
day to day tasks. They are involved in almost all aspect of company operations at once,
but their overall goal is to provide and support the most effective methods of operation.
Operations management: Interview Questions and Answers for Operations Managers
Refer to the following questions with their corresponding suggested answers:
Question: Tell me some of the tasks youve handled daily as an operation
manager.
Answer: The tasks are numerous, so give a few specific examples, for example:
Preparing budgets for programs, arranging facilities and ensuring coordinated
movement from site to site, making inventory control and logistics, being an employees
supervisor, conducting job interviews etc.
Question: What skills do you consider crucial for success in this position?
Answer: Some obvious examples include quick learning/thinking and problem solving
agility, leadership and communication skills.
Describe how you really have a background in these. For example: Youve used your
communication skills and leadership abilities to manage changes and to deal with all
levels of personnel.
You can talk about your job skills for instructing and communicate messages clearly at
all levels of the organization, from sub-contractors to senior management.
Question: How might an operations manager be involved with individual
employees?
Answer: The operations managers scope is broad, but s/he deals with office
regulations, discipline, and small scale conflicts as well.
It is often the operations managers role to allay personal conflicts or grievances by
being attentive and communicating effectively with individual employees.
Question: What experience do you have with presentations?
Answer: Operations managers are required to communicate effectively inside and
outside the organization. They often represent companies in conferences and meetings
because they are highly qualified to present the details of expansion and growth, plans
and prospects, and discuss any current projects.
Question: What do you know about managing budgets?
Answer: Operations managers are typically involved in budget planning. Their goal is to
learn how much has already been spent, how much will be spent, and how to spend the

remaining budget so as to acquire necessary resources within budget limits. Operations

managers may be even involved in financial issues such as loans for the company.
Question 1 Can you tell us about the daily tasks you have handled
(as an operation manager)?
Answer: As you know from experience, an operation manager has a number of
different tasks to deal with on a daily basis. Rather than give generic statements, it is a
good idea to provide specific examples. A few suggestions might include conducting job
interviews, being an employees supervisor, handling inventory control and logistics,
ensuring coordinated movement from site to site, arranging facilities, and preparing
budgets for programs.
Rather than provide a broad overview of tasks, try to give a basic overview with some
specific details. This is going to provide your interviewer with a better understanding of
what your job entailed.
Question 2 What are some skills that you bring to the table (as an
operations manager)? What are your strengths?
Answer: A few of the needed skills in operations management include excellent
communication skills, leadership skills, problem solving ability, and quick
learning/thinking. Rather than spew out key phrases that you think people want to hear,
make these relevant to your experience. One example might be that you managed
changes and communicated said changes to all levels of personnel using your
communication skills and leadership abilities.
You might also be able to highlight the fact that you are able to communicate messages
across all levels of the organization and external parties, whether these include
members of senior management or sub-contractors.
Question 3 How might the operations manager (you) be involved
with individual employees morale?
Answer: Oftentimes this question gauges whether someone understands the position
of operations manager and has a decent understanding of what scope the job entails.
An operations manager has to deal with small scale conflicts, discipline, and office
regulations.
Oftentimes this means effectively communicating with/being attentive to, individual
employees to ensure that personal conflicts or grievances are allayed. Be prepared to
be asked about specific examples where a decision that you made influenced a
situation either positively or negatively.
Question 4 What experience do you have with presentations?

Answer: As an operations manager, it is important that you are able to communicate

effectively. Not just to people inside of the company, but also outside of the organization.
An operations manager may be asked to represent the company in meetings and
conferences. Because these operations managers are qualified to speak about the
details of possible prospects, plans, expansion and growth, and any current projects, it
is important that they are able to speak to a diverse audience.
Question 5 Do you have any knowledge about managing a budget?
Answer: Keep in mind that budget planning is something that operations managers
are typically involved in. The goal here is to learn how much money has been spent
already, how much money is going to be spent in the future, and how the remaining
budget should be spent. This allows them to acquire necessary resources within budget
limits. Even drastic choices, such as loans for the company, might be financial issues
that operations managers are involved in.

A retail manager is the administrator of the department assigned, and has many
responsibilities as compared to the other retail stores employees.
Questions that are asked in an interview for retail managerial positions designed to
evaluate several competencies of the candidates such as, professional qualifications,
personality, organizational capabilities, team managements and communication skills.
The article presents some of these questions with tips on responding to these
questions.
Retail Manager
Job Interview Questions and Answers
Tell us a bit about your professional background and educational qualification.
Speak about your professional background. If you have experience in retail sales,
provide dates and other details such as product range, number of customers per day or
hour, size of outlet, etc. If you lack experience in this specific field, try to relate any
experience you do have, even if volunteer, to the retail manager position. Find
commonalities; relate some anecdotes that will show you can perform as a retail
manager. Consult with friends involved in retail establishments for assistance if need be.
What do you feel is the key role of a retail manager?
This question is asked to determine whether you have an understanding of what a retail
managers position is. Use this opportunity to speak about the retail management
business and what you think would be your responsibilities would be. Read up about
the position! Once the interviewer is convinced that you understand the role of a retail
manager, your chances of being hired are good.

Some duties and qualities required of the retail manager are:

Team leadership and team development abilities.

Managing the hiring process: HR activities and employee training.

Workplace scheduling Day to day operations.

Problem solving skills Communications skills.

Sales management.

Product and project management Professional qualities and prioritization.

If you have worked as a retail manager before, what did you like the most in
your job and what did you not like?
It is always good to start and end on a positive note. Make a list of the pros and cons of
your previous job(s). Pick a few facets and add some specific examples. Speak about
the most important first, and end with an upbeat anecdote. In the middle, speak briefly
about a negative aspect. Speak with others in this field to get a better idea of what to
emphasize.
What do you feel are the basic qualities that a retail manager should have?
A general yet brief answer would be vision, planning and follow through. An idea is just
that until it is actualized. A manager needs to do just that manage others, according to
a planned and thought out strategy.
A retail manager is similar to the proprietor of a store and has many responsibilities as
compared to the other employees. If a retail manager is good at planning and has a
vision for the future, he or she can take the company to the next level.
What would you consider your biggest advantage as a retail manager?
Use your personal experience and speak to people in the field enter any store and ask
the manager this question. You will probably pick up some very relevant points. Consult
with a friend if need be to see which of your qualities make you most suited for this
position.
Possible answers could be Leadership ability, sales manager or good communications
skills.

nterviewer: Why do you want to become a manager?

Interviewee1: I have attained a bachelors degree in Management. The course work

gave me the tools to effectively do what has been natural for me in the past
overseeing groups, and getting jobs done with others. With my education and
experience, I can do justice to this job by organizing and delegating the responsibilities.
Interviewee2: I want to be a manager because that is what I have always done. And
done well. I have always led and managed teams since childhood. I was captain of the
school baseball team, I was a team lead in the National Scouts Team and thus, I believe
I have the right mental ability and experience to be a good manager.
If you look at the two answers, you will realize that both the answers are complete to a
certain extent. The first interviewee has stated that he has educational qualification to
be a manager but he has not elaborated. The second interviewee has spoken volumes
about his abilities and prior experience of handling and managing teams but s/he has
not referenced the required educational qualification s. Moreover, neither spoke
regarding how they fit in the job profile. Thus, those answers are inappropriate and
incomplete.
The Best Answer
Interviewee3: I want to be in a managerial position because I have the born/gained
qualities to lead, delegate and coach/direct. I have read the job description and I
understand that you require a manger who can successfully manage a team in retail
space and deliver the targets as well. My professional record, job achievements,
education and qualification prove my abilities as a manager. Additionally, I possess the
required educational qualification, skill sets and prior experience in a similar capacity.
Lastly, I am an extrovert and thus, able to gel well with people be it team members,
existing customers or new customers.
Clearly, interviewee3 has been the most elaborate of all He has stated that he
understands the job involvement and he possesses the educational qualification,
experience and personal traits to handle the position well.
Thus, he has a better chance of winning the job!