Conducting research on the employer for whom you will eventually (hopefully) work is of great importance.
When you know what type of organization you are working for, it becomes easy for you to ace an interview, as you can gauge what kind of a person they are looking for.
Reviewing common interview questions for the facilities manager position, and preparing answers accordingly will provide you with a tool to ace the interview which otherwise, can become quite a problem.
On the day of the interview, make sure that you arrive well before time, are in a relaxed mood, and are ready to roll. Some questions (and possible answers) that you can prepare for when appearing for a facilities manager interview are provided below:
Facilities Manager Interview Questions and Answers
1. Why do organizations need a facilities manager?
On the surface, it may seem that an organization is doing well without the contribution of a facilities manager. In actuality, a facilities manager can streamline a lot of systems within the organization, making business processes smoother and easier to handle.
2. What skill set do you offer in the role of a facilities manager?
I am a well-organized individual, who knows exactly how to develop, implement and manage quality programs that support the sustainability and continuous improvement in the management and operations of assigned buildings. In addition to this, I am well-versed in managing established company benchmarks, such as customer satisfaction and utility consumption.
3. How do you feel about working in a challenging environment?
I like working in an environment that offers much in terms of challenges. Without them, work can become mundane, and I cannot work in a stagnant environment.
4. What is the biggest challenge that you have had to face in your career?
I was once assigned a building that was literally in tatters, but the owner still wanted it to be operational for his workers. After much convincing through reports and physical inspections, I was able to persuade him that the building was uninhabitable until a thorough renovation could be performed on it. I believe that this was the biggest challenge that I have come across because if I hadn’t been able to convince him, it meant harming the people who would eventually work there.
5. Tell us of a time when you accomplished something in the role of a facilities manager.
I managed to reduce the cost of maintenance work by hiring and training a maintenance team from within the custodial staff. This resulted in the company saving $8000 annually – money that they spent in outsourcing maintenance work.
6. What are your 5-year plans?
I am aiming to hold the position of facilities director within the next 5 years, working diligently towards understanding the processes and challenges that this work offers.