Resources
Post a Job
 Special offer 

Jumpstart your hiring with a £100 credit to sponsor your first job.*

Sponsored Jobs posted directly on Indeed are 65% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs**
  • Visibility for hard-to-fill roles through branding and urgently hiring
  • Instantly source candidates through matching to expedite your hiring
  • Access skilled candidates to cut down on mismatched hires
*The £100 Sponsored Job credit offer is only available for new accounts in the UK that post a job and expires one year after account creation. Upon expiration of the credit, users are charged based on Sponsored Job budget. Terms, conditions and quality standards apply **Indeed data, United Kingdom, Q2 2024

Quality Manager Interview Questions

Edited by Indeed Employer Content Team
Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Quality Manager interview questions and answers.

  1. What makes you the best quality manager for this position? See answer
  2. What skills do you think are important for quality managers? See answer
  3. As a quality manager, do you think our company can apply Six Sigma principles? See answer
  4. How do you manage your time when you have several quality-related tasks to complete? See answer
  5. Do you have experience conducting internal quality audits? See answer
  6. Briefly explain your management style as a quality manager. See answer
  7. How do you stay up-to-date with quality standards and techniques? See answer
  8. How important is documenting quality control procedures to you? See answer
  9. What is your greatest achievement as a quality manager? See answer
  10. How do you delegate tasks to other quality professionals on your team? See answer
  11. Why do you want to work in this company as a quality manager? See answer
  12. What is your greatest strength as a quality manager? See answer
  13. As a quality manager, how do you deal with your mistakes? See answer
  14. What do you think is the relationship between a company’s quality department and customer service department?
  15. Imagine the executive board disagreed with your recommendations to improve a product or service’s quality. What would you do?
Show more questions Show fewer questions

Ready to get started?

Post a job

Ready to get started?

Post a job
Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

15 Quality Manager Interview Questions and Answers

What makes you the best quality manager for this position?

The goal of this question is to determine whether a candidate has the qualifications to succeed as your company's quality manager. What to look for in an answer:

  • Relevant work experience as a quality manager
  • Quality management training, certifications, and education
  • Drive to ensure quality standards across departments in your company

Example:

"My skill set uniquely qualifies me for this job. I started my career as a quality inspector at Hills Company Inc., and later became the quality manager for six years. I'm a natural leader with excellent communication and technological skills. Recently, I completed my Six Sigma Black Belt Certification, and I'm looking for exciting challenging opportunities to take on. I'd love to join your company and apply my well-developed skills, education, and training as your quality manager."

What skills do you think are important for quality managers?

This question helps you determine whether a candidate understands the requirements of your quality manager position. What to look for in an answer:

  • Understanding of legal standards
  • Leadership, analytical, organisational, and communication skills
  • Desire to apply skills for a quality manager

Example:

"I think every quality manager must know how to motivate and lead people to achieve quality targets. Communication and organisational skills are also key. Like other professionals in the field, every quality manager must know how to spot issues quickly and understand quality control procedures. I'm confident in my ability to use these skills to ensure your company meets all quality standards."

As a quality manager, do you think our company can apply Six Sigma principles?

Six Sigma is a method that provides tools for an organisation to improve its business processes. Although it focuses on manufacturing outputs, it is useful for managing product and service quality. This question finds out whether a candidate is familiar with Six Sigma principles. What to look for in an answer:

  • Understanding of what businesses your organisation conducts
  • Clear definition of Six Sigma and its principles
  • Explanation on for why it may be achievable in your organisation

Example:

"Six Sigma means ensuring only 3.4 out of a million parts are defective. At the moment, I don't think this concept is achievable for your business, considering the side effect of one defective drug. I believe you can ensure quality standards by improving your quality control methods instead."

How do you manage your time when you have several quality-related tasks to complete?

Quality managers often need to complete several important tasks every day. This question assesses whether a candidate can thrive in a fast-paced environment. What to look for in an answer:

  • Excellent time management and organisational skills
  • Example to show how they handle multiple quality-related tasks
  • Ability to multitask and prioritise duties

Example:

"I always keep a list of activities I need to complete each day. I order these tasks based on their due dates and prioritise urgent tasks over important duties. I also make sure I keep my teammates informed of which tasks they need to work on and their deadlines. In my six-year career, this strategy has helped me complete my duties and responsibilities ahead of time."

What do you think is the relationship between a company's quality department and customer service department?

Quality managers monitor and evaluate every stage in a company's production process to ensure it meets quality standards. This question finds out whether a candidate understands how both departments collabourate to ensure quality products and services. What to look for in an answer:

  • Understanding of the value of customer feedback
  • Drive to ensure customers receive quality products and services
  • Experience collabourating with a customer service department

Example:

"Any organisation's customer service and quality departments must work together to meet customer needs. Customers provide feedback about products and services to the customer service department. The quality department relies on this information to make changes to its quality control procedures. At my last job, we only found that our mugs were slippery when the customer service department started receiving complaints. I used this information to improve our mug testing procedures."

Do you have experience conducting internal quality audits?

Quality managers need to conduct frequent audits to ensure products and services satisfy legal requirements and a company's expectations. The goal of this question is to learn more about a candidate's work experience. What to look for in an answer:

  • Understanding of quality audit importance
  • Knowledge of legal standards
  • Experience conducting quality audits

Example:

"In preparation for an external quality audit, I conducted an internal audit at my last quality manager position. I examined the products and services of all departments and provided insights for department heads. I believe regular quality audits are important for every organisation."

Briefly explain your management style as a quality manager.

Managing other employees is a vital aspect of a quality manager's job. This question helps you understand what method a candidate uses to manage others. What to look for in an answer:

  • Suitability for your organisation's culture
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • Ability to motivate others

Example:

"I'm a collabourative manager who works closely with my teammates. I believe helping my team members fulfil their professional and personal goals is a great way to motivate them. In my experience, this management style boosts employee loyalty and productivity."

How do you stay up-to-date with quality standards and techniques?

This question helps you determine what steps a candidate takes to keep up with changes in quality standards or quality control developments. What to look for in an answer:

  • Knowledge of quality standards in your industry
  • Positive attitude to learning
  • Strategies to stay informed and keep skills relevant

Example:

"In my spare time, I like reading and take courses in quality management. I also enjoy networking with more experienced quality managers in various industries and engaging with their social media posts. As a member of the Quality Control Council, I receive regular updates about quality control techniques, strategies, and procedures."

How important is documenting quality control procedures to you?

Documenting procedures, results, and standards ensures accountability. Having these records also help quality managers make future improvements and prepare quality reports. The goal of this question is to find out how seriously a candidate takes documentation of quality procedures and results. What to look for in an answer:

  • Understanding of documentation importance
  • Effective strategies to keep records of procedure and results
  • Excellent organisational skills

Example:

"I think it's important for every organisation to document its quality procedures and results. There were many departments at my last job, and remembering every quality recommendation I made was challenging for me. I found it easier to document them and prepare reports for department heads and the upper management team."

What is your greatest achievement as a quality manager?

This question helps you find out more about a quality manager's background. It offers a candidate an opportunity to sell themselves as the best quality manager for the job. What to look for in an answer:

  • Relevant work experience as a quality manager
  • Ability to apply skills for quality managers
  • Results from quality management activities performed

Example:

"Three years ago, I worked as the quality manager of a manufacturing company. The company had low customer satisfaction rates because its laptops malfunctioned after a few months of use. I devised a quality control process that improved customer satisfaction by 67%. I'd love to use my skill set to help your company achieve similar results."

How do you delegate tasks to other quality professionals on your team?

Quality managers often need to delegate tasks to other quality professionals, especially during peak business periods. The purpose of this question is to learn a candidate's approach to delegation. What to look for in an answer:

  • Critical-thinking and decision-making skills
  • Example to show how they delegate tasks
  • Understanding of the importance of delegating tasks

Example:

"Delegating tasks to other quality professionals helps me meet strict deadlines. I also see it as an opportunity to foster personal development. Before delegating tasks, I assess the skill sets and experience of my teammates. Then I provide the right instructions. After my team member completes the task, I check their work and provide feedback."

Why do you want to work in this company as a quality manager?

This question tells you why a candidate is interested in working with you. Pay attention to their career goals and what motivates them. What to look for in an answer:

  • Self-motivation and enthusiasm for the role
  • What interests a candidate
  • Career goals that align with your organisation's goals

Example:

"While I enjoy working with my current employer, I think your organisation provides more opportunities for me to advance my career. I've followed your company's progress, and I think I'd make a great addition to your team. I believe my skill set and experience in quality management would be valuable to your organisation."

What is your greatest strength as a quality manager?

This question helps you determine how well a quality manager's strength aligns with the position. What to look for in an answer:

  • Leadership, organisational, and communication skills
  • Passion for quality management
  • Honesty and preparedness for the interview

Example:

"My excellent leadership skills are my greatest strength. I've always had a natural ability to manage people and lead them to reach a shared goal. When I was promoted to quality manager, these skills helped me motivate my teammates, especially when they were angry, stressed, or frustrated. I'm eager to join your organisation as a quality manager."

Imagine the executive board disagreed with your recommendations to improve a product or service's quality. What would you do?

This question helps you determine how a candidate handles difficult situations that involve upper management. An excellent quality manager would be professional and respectful in such situations. What to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to remain calm under pressure
  • Excellent conflict-resolution skills
  • Ability to think critically and offer solutions

Example:

"If upper management disagreed with me on how to improve a product or service's quality, I'd first reach out to the team and try to understand their reason. I'd explain why I thought my recommendations would help the company. If the team was still unconvinced, I'd ask for their opinion on how we could approach the situation."

As a quality manager, how do you deal with your mistakes?

This question helps you understand how a candidate handles their mistakes at work. An excellent quality manager would think of ways to correct these mistakes before they become urgent. What to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to own up to errors
  • Politeness, respectfulness, and professionalism
  • Drive to avoid mistakes and pay attention to detail

Example:

"As a quality manager, I understand my duty is to spot mistakes and not make them. If I made a mistake at work, I'd reach out to the concerned stakeholders and apologise for it. Then I'd think of a way to correct the mistake and prevent if from recurring."

Three individuals are sitting at a table with a laptop, a disposable coffee cup, notebooks, and a phone visible. Two are facing each other, while the third’s back is to the camera. The setting appears to be a bright room with large windows.

Ready to get started?

Post a job

Explore Interview Questions by Title

No search results found

    Related articles

    How to conduct a job interview
    Read article
    Best practices for virtual interviews
    Read article
    How to write a candidate rejection email
    Read article