“What are some good ways to get people to do their jobs?”
Employers can learn more about candidates at interviews by asking them detailed questions. For people who want to be managers or supervisors, the interviewer may ask about the candidate’s ideas for getting employees to reach their goals and help the company as a whole do well. If you want to be a manager or leader at a company, it can help to know the most common questions you might be asked during an interview. This will make you feel more sure of yourself and help you answer clearly.”What are some good ways to get people to do their jobs?”
In this article, we’ll talk about why employers ask about ways to motivate employees and give you some sample answers to help you get ready for your own interview.
Why employers want to know how you get your employees to do their jobs
Employers often ask interview questions about a candidate’s personality, work ethic, way of dealing with stress, and background to find out more about them. When you go in for an interview for a management or leadership position at a new company, the hiring manager may ask how you motivate the people you work with or have worked with in the past. A manager’s job is to measure and evaluate employees’ progress to make sure they are working toward company goals. Employers may ask this question in different ways to find out how well you can get other people to do well.
Most of the time, managers and other leaders are in charge of how well their staff does their jobs. This means that the quality of the work done by employees is a direct measure of how well a manager can keep people motivated and things in order. This kind of question can also come up in interviews for supervisor jobs, since supervisors have many of the same duties as managers, but on a smaller scale. No matter how important the job is, interviewers often ask general candidates this kind of question. Employers often want to know what you can do to make the company happier and more productive.
How to answer the interview question, “What are some good ways to get people to work?”
Here are some ways to prepare for this question in a job interview:
1. Consider past motivation techniques
When thinking about how to answer this kind of question, think about times when you were able to get people to do something. Find out what these techniques were and how they motivated your employees to meet their productivity goals. Try to think of how you could use this method to motivate people at the job you’re interviewing for by relating it to how they work and what their goals are.
2. Find new ways to get people to do what you want them to.
Another way to get ready for questions about how to motivate people is to read up on good ways to manage staff. People in charge of a group can motivate their workers in a number of ways, such as by giving them incentives, rewarding them when they reach certain goals, or giving them group challenges. Read about these different approaches and decide which one is best for the job you’re applying for.
3. Provide an example
The next step to getting ready for this question is to make sure that your answer includes a short, relevant example of how you motivate people. Think about the times you’ve motivated your coworkers, and pick one where the end result was good for the company. For example, if you gave your employees a half day off if they all met their quota, this could be a good way to motivate them to do well.
4. Tell how these ways of getting inspired get you going.
Lastly, explain how you use your methods to get yourself to do your own work. This can show the interviewer that you really believe in the ways you get people to work hard because they worked for you and your staff. Explain in detail how these ways of getting motivated helped you succeed and how you could use them to help motivate people at the company you’re applying to.
How can you get people to do their jobs well?
Here are some examples of how to answer interview questions about how to get people to do things:
Example 1: A school’s principal
“I’ve been the principal of an elementary school for five years, and I’ve tried a lot of different ways to get my staff to work harder. I found that the best way to get people to do something was to use team challenges and rewards. During my second year as principal, the school board set up a contest for everyone in the county to lose weight in four months. The staff at the school where the most weight was lost would each get a $500 gift card.
After four months, the 35 teachers at my school had lost a total of 402 pounds, or about 11 pounds per teacher on average. We won the county competition, and each member of our staff got a gift card they could use for anything they wanted. I was very proud of my staff, so I used this method to get them to meet their goals in the future, but with smaller rewards like free snacks and discounts at local restaurants.”
Example 2: A customer service manager
“As a manager of customer service, I think it’s important to find ways to get your staff to work hard and reach their goals. I also think it’s important to show employees how important they are to the company as a whole. Because of this, I mostly motivate my staff with rewards and compliments. I’ve had a lot of success with these methods in the past, especially at customer service jobs where quotas are a direct way to measure work ethic and efficiency.
At my current job, I thank my staff for their hard work by sending out a weekly newsletter in which I name the top three employees of the week and tell them how proud I am of them. These three people each get a $10 gift card to a local coffee shop, and if someone is in the top three every week for a month, I give them a paid Friday off. I thought this was a great way to get my employees to go above and beyond their work goals. It also helped my employees get to know each other better because they made plans to go to the coffee shop together on the weekends.”
Example 3: Sales director
“I think there are a lot of ways to get your sales staff going. I think that one of the best ways to keep my employees motivated is to give them regular feedback that is tailored to them. I do this by spending at least 20 minutes a month with each member of my department to talk about their progress and experience as a whole. This is the time when my staff can talk to management about any questions, concerns, or ideas they may have. This makes it easier for my staff to talk to me and tell me what they think, in my opinion.
I thought our regular one-on-one meetings were very helpful for one employee in particular. She wasn’t very motivated at work because she was shy and didn’t get along with her coworkers. During our meetings, she told us that at her old job, friendships between coworkers were discouraged because they were a distraction. She didn’t want to hang out with her coworkers because of this. When you told her it was okay to get close to her coworkers, she felt more comfortable talking to them, and as a result, her sales went up.”
Example 4: The marketing director
“In marketing, a lot of what works depends on how well coworkers work together and share their knowledge to make campaigns and projects that are both unique and successful. As a coordinator, it’s important to make a place where people feel comfortable doing their jobs and inspired to go above and beyond their goals. I do this by giving each employee a monthly goal sheet on which they write down a specific goal they want to reach by the end of the month. They explain why this goal is important to them and how reaching it will help the company.
At the end of the month, I give everyone their goal sheets back and have them fill out a follow-up sheet that shows how close they were to reaching their monthly goal. I sometimes give their monthly accomplishments a theme. I might ask them to set a goal related to creativity or leadership, for example, so that they can learn about different important parts of marketing as they do their job. As a marketing coordinator, it’s my job to get my team to come up with new ways to do their jobs and be productive.”
Example 5: Art director
“I’ve been an art director at a design house for three years, and I’ve had to come up with many ways to get my staff to work harder. I think the best way to lead is to work hard myself and show my employees how to do the same. As an art director, it’s important to show other creative directors how to do their jobs. I want to show them how much work, dedication, and skill this job takes, as well as the skills they will need to be successful in this field.
I try to set a good example by, among other things, working hard and being nice to my coworkers. I think it’s important to show people who are just starting out in design how important it is to build a good reputation and work well with others. I also want them to learn how important it is to keep your creative spirit alive by drawing, painting, designing, building, or just coming up with new ideas for projects and campaigns on a regular basis. My goal is for my staff to look up to me as a trustworthy, level-headed, hard-working person who inspires them to do the same.”
