Executive Management

The interviewer would also wish to know about the information processing applications and any relevant software applications that the person applying for the post of manager/managerial candidate would be conversant with.

The knowledge of administrative procedures and operating systems would be reviewed as well. The interviewer would also check how adept you are at reading and interpreting accounting and financial reports.

The interviewer would further question about the budgets as well as the organizational planning tools that you would use.

you should also be questioned about the strategic planning method that he or she would adhere to.

The Executive Management is the highest decision making level in the organization.

In reality, most people have no idea what they will do in 5 years' time. You can answer this question in two ways:

► You want to become an expert in your field and would like to stay in the area: Advance from being a Project Manager to become a Senior Project Manager.

► Or you want to leave your area - moving from a Project Manager position to a senior management position.

► I want to become an expert in the Project Management area

Executive management or management team is generally a team of individuals at the highest level of organizational management who have the day-to-day responsibilities of managing a company or corporation. They hold specific executive powers conferred onto them with and by authority of the board of directors and/or the shareholders. There are most often higher levels of responsibility, such as a board of directors and those who own the company (shareholders), but they focus on managing the senior or executive management instead of the day-to-day activities of the business.

I've delivered many successful projects in the past like Project X, Project Y- which were very complex in nature and provided the expected benefits to companies I've worked for. I've also trained and mentored others in the Project Manager discipline up-grading their capability.

In general - people will hire you for the following reasons

► You do the job well

► You fit into the company culture

► You are passionate about your job

The interviewer wants to know if you think more about short-term or long-term goals.

► As a Project Manager I'm heavily involved in implementing new ideas and projects and see them deployed and realized. I want to use my Project Manager skills and talent in order to work on exciting and challenging projects in order to realize the companies goals.

► I am motivated by the challenge of implementing projects ahead of schedule and by managing teams that achieved their goals.

Provide three or four statements and back them up with examples. Employers normally like to see examples in the area of:

► Great communicator

► Team player / team leader

► Hardworking

► Motivated and determined

► Using consultative approach

► Mentored and coached teams

keep it simple, honest and positive. Good reasons for leaving your job or company can be:

► Career growth

► Your company is restructuring

► Moving or finding a job closer to home

► Looking for new challenge

I'm really interested in working for your company.

I do believe my skill set would fit very well with your job requirements and I'm sure I can help you to be more productive and efficient in your project delivery.

► What accomplishment are you particularly proud of?

► When did you handle conflict with your boss, colleagues, or subordinates, Tell me about it?

► Tell me about a situation that demonstrates your work habits?

► Describe a time when you and your superior were in conflict and how it was resolved?

► Why do you want to hold this position?

► Aside from money, what will you gain from having this job?

► What motivates you to excel?

The employer wants to know how much courage and persuasion you have. Think of a time when you persuaded someone or a group to follow your lead to a successful end. Your experience might have been around a serious business matter, or maybe even a personal interaction that turned into a humorous tale.

Here's your chance to show where your presentation skills lie. If you love speaking before groups, great-tell about some winning presentations you've done. If you're not really comfortable in front of large groups (not all of us are), refer to a time when you delivered a message to either a small group or to an individual, and don't forget to emphasize the positive result of your presentation.

Conflict resolution is a valuable skill. With downsizing, mergers, and problems in corporate management, this could be your winning ticket. Put yourself in the interviewer's shoes to know what interpersonal issues are current stumbling blocks at the company. Then come up with an experience of your own that parallels the company's.

There are two ways to increase profits: decrease spending and increase revenue. This question is designed to find out if you're going to bring new profit-making ideas to the company, especially ones that work. So tell about a time when you either cut costs or drove up revenues.

An effective manager gains buy-in from his staff so that everyone experiences success, both individually and as a group. To respond to this question, you could speak about one of your experiences in morale building, creating incentive programs, or using your fine management style to increase cooperation among your staff.