What does it take to be an effective manager?
Your assignment is to interview a manager. You can use the interview questions below as a guide, but you are not restricted to them. The purpose of this interview is to give you a chance to learn about critical managerial skills from those who have to use them as well as an opportunity to practice interview skills.
Please treat the interview as confidential, inform the manager the reason for the interview (class assignment) and provide her/him information regarding who will be reading your report
(instructor/marker). Provide the manager with the instructor’s email/phone contact information, and provide the instructor with the manager’s email/phone contact information.
Keep notes or tape record your interview. These notes will help you write up the assignment for class. Be sure to record both interview methods used (Part one) and the results (Part two). For details on these two components of the assignment, please see the attached rubric.
Sample interview questions:
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Please describe a typical day at work.
What are the most critical problems you face as a manager?
What are the most critical skills needed to be a successful manager in your line of
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 work?
What are the major reasons managers fail in positions such as yours?
What are the outstanding skills or abilities of other effective managers you have known?
If you had to train someone to replace you in your current job, what key abilities would you focus on?
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On a scale of 1 (very rarely) to 7 (constantly), can you rate the extent to which you use the following skills or behaviours during the workday?
Managing personal stress
Managing time
Facilitating group decisionmaking
Recognizing or defining problems
Appraising others’ performance
Managing conflict
Gaining and using power
Delegating
Listening
Interviewing
Team building
Conducting meetings
Making private decisions
Using verbal communication skills
Motivating others
Achieving self-awareness
Orchestrating change
Setting goals
Disciplining others
Empathizing
Solving problems
Negotiating

MGT 3080
Manager Interview Assignment
Student Name:_____________________________ Section: ___
NOTE: Be sure to tell me who you interviewed and provide contact information for verification.
Part One:
Interview Methods
[Analysis marks will be awarded on the basis of the depth of reflection i.e.) evidence of critical thought]
Discuss which techniques (discuss at least 5) that you used in interviewing: e.g.) open/closed questions, funnel method?, structured? Probes? Why did you use these methods and did they work well? What would you do differently/ the same next time?
What did you learn about interviewing that will help you as a manager?
Part Two:
Interview Results
[Analysis marks will be awarded on the basis of the depth of reflection i.e.) evidence of critical thought]
Summarize the results of the interview. What did you learn about the importance of various managerial skills? What are the implications for you as a future manager?
Sub-total
Composition:
Spelling/grammar/organization
Up to 5 marks will be DEDUCTED from your subtotal for composition errors.
[Note: If composition errors impede understanding of content, this may also be reflected in the grading for part 1 and 2.]
TOTAL
/7.5
/7.5
/15
/15