Facilities Manager interview questions and answers
These Facilities Manager interview questions will help you look for important qualifications and skills of candidates.
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Facilities Manager Interview Questions
The responsibility of having a safe and well-cared for workspace falls on the shoulders of your Facilities Manager. They oversee the day-to-day use of space while striving to reduce operational costs.
Education ranges from high school diplomas to bachelor’s degrees, depending on the position. Experience in the industry, as well as in a managerial role, is a more common requirement. Certification is available for facilities managers, so you can use it to screen resumes depending on the responsibility of the position you’re hiring for.
Facilities managers may face all kinds of situations while looking after the premises. Behavioral or situational questions are the best way to find out their initiative, critical thinking and dependability. Try to also discover their knowledge of standard procedures (e.g. choosing facilities services providers) and all compliance requirements. Since they’ll be managing personnel, ask to discover their leadership and communication abilities.
Operational and Situational questions
- If I asked you to find ways to save energy, what would you think of?
- Imagine you have hired a contractor for a renovation and you perceive that they aren’t using adequate protection equipment. What do you do?
- If I told you we’re going to hold an event for customers and vendors in a few days, what steps would you take to prepare the premises?
Role-specific questions
- How often did you inspect premises at your previous job?
- Name some areas where a facilities manager is responsible for legal compliance
- What’s your experience with Business Continuity Planning?
- What records is a facilities manager obliged to keep?
- How do you think COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) regulations affect our business?
- What criteria/process do you use to choose service providers for [cleaning/landscaping/catering/etc.]?
- How do you feel about taking up some manual labor when necessary?
- What software have you used as a facilities manager?
Behavioral questions
- Tell me about a time you found it hard to coordinate everyone for a maintenance project. How did you resolve this?
- Describe the biggest challenge you have faced when trying to reduce operational costs
- Recall a time your department’s budget was almost exceeded. What did you do?
- Was there a time you found diversity among your subordinates a problem? How did you turn it around?
- Recall a time you spotted a potential hazard on the premises. What measures did you take to correct it?