40 facilities manager interview questions to ask your candidates

You’ll need a comprehensive interviewing strategy to find the best candidate to maintain buildings, clean equipment, and ensure your facilities are safe for visitors. This can be tricky, but with the right tools, you can streamline how you process candidates and find the most skilled talent. 

Alongside your interview questions, TestGorilla’s role-specific tests and Leadership & People Management test can help you analyze if you have the best candidate for leading facilities personnel, observing facilities conditions, and liaising with vendors. 

Check out this list of 40 facilities manager interview questions to find the most skilled candidate for your facilities manager role.

10 general facilities manager interview questions

Asking general facilities manager interview questions offers ample opportunity to get to know your applicant and their career goals on a deeper level. Ask your applicants some of these 10 general facilities manager questions to understand their overall character and abilities. 

1. When did you first want to become a facilities manager?

2. What about this role interests you?

3. What do you think makes the ideal facilities manager candidate?

4. What motivates you in life?

5. Why do you think we should hire you?

6. What leadership character traits do you think are central to managing a facilities team?

7. How do you measure success?

8. Where do you see your career going in the future?

9. What are your strengths and weaknesses? How do your weaknesses hold you back from managing a facilities team?

10. Why do you think you’d be a good fit for this company?

5 vital general facilities manager questions with sample answers

Here are five general facilities manager interview questions with sample answers you can use to identify the best responses and select the perfect candidate for a facilities manager role.

1. What about this role interests you?

This question enables candidates to discuss their career goals and understanding of the organization. 

For example, applicants might refer to their research into the role and express their interest in your specific company culture or recent advancements. They could also be interested in implementing new technologies into your management and inspection processes or projects. 

If you want to understand candidates’ personalities, why not use a personality or culture test from TestGorilla to see if they would integrate seamlessly into your organization?

Listen out for responses that indicate the candidate has researched your company extensively since these candidates are more likely to be engaged in the role. 

2. Why do you think we should hire you?

This question can receive diverse responses. Candidates may discuss how a facilities management role aligns with their career goals. Other responses might explain how the candidate plans to benefit the business with more streamlined inspection processes that can lead to higher-quality work. 

The best candidates will show an in-depth understanding of the role’s requirements and explain how they embody all of the skills necessary to conduct the position’s duties, such as liaising with suppliers and vendors, conducting inspections, and designing operational budgets. 

3. What do you know about our company?

Similar to the first question, your candidate might use this as an opportunity to show you how much they’ve researched your company. Their responses might refer to your most recent undertaking of another project in an exciting location, such as a new residential service or hospitality environment. 

A candidate might also discuss your values and mission statement to show that they understand how you approach work. An ideal candidate will always try to draw parallels between themselves and your business. 

For example, suppose honesty, curiosity, and dedication are your organization’s core values. In that case, your candidate might show they’ve done their research by providing examples of how they embodied these values in their previous role. 

It’s important to hire candidates whose values match those of your business: A study by Qualtrics found that employees who believe their company’s values, vision, and mission align with their own are more likely to stay with that company.

4. What do you think makes you the ideal facilities manager candidate?

This question enables you to assess the candidate’s understanding of the role.

Your candidate might explain how they have the leadership and people management skills to effectively delegate tasks and assess performance and customer service knowledge. These skills can help them liaise effectively with clients and property owners while working on site. 

You can use TestGorilla’s Customer Service skills test to further assess these skills.

Prioritize candidates who refer to examples of how they used vital facilities manager abilities in a previous role. They might refer to successful inspection projects or a time when they undertook more leadership responsibilities. 

5. What are your strengths and weaknesses? How do your weaknesses hold you back from managing a facilities team?

This question is crucial for getting to know your candidate on a deeper level. All of your applicants will have their own strengths and weaknesses, but the best candidates will speak about both strengths and weaknesses confidently and articulately. 

Some strengths to look out for in a facilities management role are project management skills, resilience, and strategic thinking. Your candidate might give examples of when they displayed these attributes in their previous role. 

On the other hand, around 30% of leaders have at least one “fatal flaw” that has a serious negative impact on their performance.

However, it’s important to recognize that all candidates have some weaknesses. The best facility management candidates will be confident when discussing their weaknesses and have strategies to help them overcome these difficulties. 

Common weaknesses include low confidence, imposter syndrome, or a lack of critical skills like time management and prioritization. 

10 skills-based facilities manager interview questions

It’s important to ask your candidate skills-based questions to understand if they have the decision-making, strategy, and people-management skills for a role that requires intensive inspection and task delegation. 

In addition to giving candidates our role-specific tests, ask them some of these skills-based facilities manager interview questions to better understand their skill set.

1. What are the most important skills for a facilities manager to have?

2. What skills do you think make you a good leader?

3. How do you approach complex problems and ensure you solve them promptly?

4. What skills do you need to operate facilities management software?

5. Explain your decision-making process for choosing suppliers and vendors for cleaning, landscaping, and catering staff. 

6. How do you solve issues with staff conflict, such as scheduling conflicts?

7. What process do you follow if you notice a hazard on site?

8. What skills are the most important for creating a budget for a facilities project?

9. How important is effective communication in a facilities management role?

10. Walk us through your health and safety process. 

5 vital skills-based facilities manager interview questions with sample responses

Use some of these five skills-based questions with sample responses to find the perfect answer to your questions.

1. What skills do you think make you a good leader?

Leadership and people management are a central part of a facilities management role. Given that 77% of businesses report struggling to find solid leadership, it’s critical to ensure your candidates have leadership skills.

In addition to handling inspections, budgeting, liaising with suppliers, and reporting, facilities managers need to delegate tasks and assess progress among their team of contractors, such as cleaners, landscapers, and maintenance staff. 

Your candidate should list skills like project management, delivering feedback processes, and interpersonal skills. Some of the best candidates will also provide an overview of their leadership style, explaining why it’s effective and how their skills support their leadership approach. 

2. How do you solve issues with staff conflict, such as scheduling conflicts?

Part of a facilities manager’s job is to use their problem-solving skills to resolve conflict and ensure a harmonious working culture. A common problem in such industries is conflicting shift patterns and disagreements among team members who wish to swap shifts. 

Recruiters like you should look out for answers that provide a clear strategy for resolving conflict. If you want to test your candidate’s problem-solving skills to see if they can approach complex issues like this, use a Problem Solving skills test from TestGorilla.

3. How important is effective communication in a facilities management role?

A candidate should be able to confidently explain that effective communication is vital for a well-functioning team. Your applicant might describe specific scenarios in which communication is important, such as reiterating health and safety practices when working on site with hazardous materials and chemicals. 

They might also explain that communication improves productivity. If they already have leadership experience, they may give examples of when good communication increased productivity and engagement in their previous role. 

4. Explain your decision-making process for choosing suppliers and vendors for cleaning, landscaping, and catering staff.

Your candidate will need strong decision-making skills to secure the best prices for suppliers, vendors, and contractors. 

They should be able to describe an in-depth process that involves a thorough research and comparison strategy to find prices that reduce your company’s operational costs. 

Applicants should also know how to conduct a strong vetting process to ensure that the staff they choose are all licensed, safe to work with, and trustworthy. 

Look out for candidates who explain the benefits of a structured process. This shows they may have strong business management skills.

It’s not easy to find leaders who can make decisions like this effectively: Only 20% of respondents to a McKinsey & Company survey believed their organizations excelled at decision-making.

If you want to be sure of your candidate’s decision-making skills, get them to complete TestGorilla’s Business Judgment test. 

5. What skills do you think are the most important for creating a budget for a facilities project?

An important part of a facilities manager’s role is creating a supply budget and contracting for specific projects. Candidates might explain that a strong understanding of financial management and resource delegation is necessary. 

Take note of candidates who explain the importance of creating a budget that fits within the company’s financial goals and profit margins. Watch out for candidates who don’t account for this when designing budgets since they may be more reckless with your money and could lead to a profit loss. 

10 experience and background facilities manager interview questions 

Your facilities manager will need the right skills and academic background to progress to a mid-level management position. Use some of these 10 experience and background facilities manager interview questions to assess how their background has supported their career progression to date. 

1. What qualifications are integral to a facilities management role?

2. How would you say your academic background has supported your career thus far?

3. How much experience do you have with recordkeeping?

4. Have you ever handled issues regarding legal compliance?

5. How have you previously ensured that your team complies with regulatory requirements like OSHA in your industry?

6. Do you have any experience handling hazardous materials like chemicals? If so, how have you done this in a safe way?

7. Explain what makes your hiring process effective.

8. Have you ever fired someone?

9. What lessons did you learn from your last role?

10. Do you have any experience implementing smart working devices?

5 vital experience and background facilities manager interview questions with sample responses

Here are five important experience and background facilities manager interview questions with some sample responses you can use to analyze candidates’ answers. 

1. How would you say your academic background has supported your career so far?

Although facilities managers don’t necessarily require specific academic qualifications, they might find that their high school experience or any professional certifications have helped them develop useful skills that improve their inspection and people management processes.

Some candidates might have qualifications related to technology, like mechanical engineering. They may mention that these qualifications enabled them to develop essential equipment maintenance skills they use to repair HVAC systems in a building. 

The ideal applicant should be able to explain how their education makes them more competitive and provides them with expert knowledge that can help them complete their duties to a higher standard.

If your applicant doesn’t have a degree or certification, why not ask them what subject they wish they could study if they went back to school?

2. How have you previously ensured that your team complies with regulatory requirements like OSHA in your industry?

Regulatory requirements are essential to keeping labor workers safe. Particularly, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations ensure employers take responsibility for a safe workplace. Your candidate should be fully aware of the importance of these regulations and how to enforce them on site.

Candidates might describe the inspection process they’ve followed and outline the criteria they look for when assessing compliance. See if your applicant explains what they do if they notice a health and safety violation. A detailed answer shows your candidate can think quickly on their feet and avoid costly violations.

3. Have you ever fired someone?

Since a facilities manager is typically responsible for procuring contractors for roles like landscaping and housekeeping, they’ll also need to be comfortable firing someone if the situation calls for it. 

Your candidate might be able to provide an example from their previous role in which they fired someone and explain how they approached the situation with level-headedness, dignity, and compassion. Watch out for applicants who approach firing with hostility since they might not be able to keep their heads under pressure. 

4. What lessons did you learn from your last role?

Your candidate’s previous role could have taught them valuable lessons in task management, client relations, and even leadership, so it’s important to assess how their previous experience has benefited their career. 

They should be able to pinpoint at least a few valuable lessons, such as the importance of positive workplace interaction, communication, or honesty. 

Your applicant shouldn’t use this as an opportunity to start speaking ill of their previous employer and should be able to reflect positively on their experience.

5. Explain what makes your hiring process effective.

Facilities managers might also be responsible for screening candidates. Therefore, they’ll need to be confident in identifying beneficial skills, assessing character, and deciding whether a candidate fits within your workplace culture.

Some of the best responses will explain that an effective hiring process is about establishing a positive relationship with the candidate and using the right questions to learn as much as possible about them. 

The best candidates will offer a unique take on the hiring process and special techniques that they believe to be effective, such as leveraging social media and virtual networking tools to connect with candidates. 

10 technical facilities manager interview questions 

In-depth, technical, and scenario-based questions help you to assess how your applicant responds to time-critical situations and your candidate’s confidence level using technology and digital tools to their advantage.

Ask your applicant some of these 10 technical facilities manager interview questions to learn more. 

1. What sustainability practices have you implemented into your facilities management process?

2. If your supervisor approaches you and asks you to find methods of reducing the costs of supplies, how would you handle this?

3. Explain your previous productivity indicators and how they impacted your team’s performance.

4. What data analysis tools do you consider to be the most effective?

5. How do you think technology is impacting the facilities management industry?

6. What is the best method to handle significant hazards and potential injuries?

7. What is your confidence level when using data management platforms?

8. Do you use any technology to help you arrange shift patterns?

9. What digital tools could our organization implement to improve performance?

10. How would you respond if a team member approached you to flag a potential safety hazard that their colleague introduced?

5 vital technical facilities manager interview questions

Assess these five technical facilities manager interview questions with some sample answers to see if your applicant can respond to tough scenarios and integrate technology into their facility management process.

1. If your supervisor approaches you and asks you to find methods of reducing the costs of supplies, how would you handle this?

Your candidate should be confident in taking instructions on business management-oriented tasks, such as attempting to reduce supply costs.

A candidate might explain that they would assess the current brands they use to maintain facilities and research whether there are off-brand products they could switch to as a way of reducing costs. 

Additionally, candidates may state that they would use tools like Google Sheets to present pricing to their supervisor so that they could sign off on supply contracts. A great candidate might also say that they would negotiate pricing with suppliers to retain their current contracts for a reduced cost. 

2. Do you use any technology to help you arrange shift patterns?

Facilities manager candidates might have experience using technology, such as online tools, to streamline some of their duties, like arranging shift patterns.

Look for candidates who can reference specific tools like virtual calendars to arrange shifts for their staff. If your candidate doesn’t have experience, they should at least be able to explain the benefits of using online tools in place of manual planning. 

3. What digital tools could our organization implement to improve performance?

Software is vital in effective facilities management. Your candidate should be aware of the best software for arranging tasks and monitoring performance and compliance.

A candidate who has researched your organization’s pain points might suggest tools like performance management systems and live task-tracking apps to increase efficiency and project visibility. 

Candidates might also refer to software like supplier invoicing applications, which could give your company greater control of their outgoings. Alternatively, they may suggest using customer relationship platforms that provide a point of contact for the company’s clients to update and gather feedback on their facility standards. 

Listen for responses that explain exactly how digital tool integration can benefit a business, such as by reducing costs, increasing efficiency, or improving communication and task delegation. 

4. How would you respond if a team member approached you to flag a potential safety hazard that their colleague introduced?

As mentioned, your candidate needs to understand stringent health and safety regulations and know how to make quick decisions. They should explain that they would respond quickly by gathering all the information and conducting an immediate inspection. 

They should then provide a thorough consultation service to educate their colleagues on the best practices for prioritizing health and safety. Watch out for candidates who prioritize discipline over constructive criticism since they might be unable to keep calm under pressure. 

5. What data analysis tools do you consider to be the most effective?

Data analysis tools help facilities managers compile effective reports, so the candidate should describe their experience with data tools and how they help them improve workflows. Ideally, they will provide a list of these tools’ benefits, such as how they enable you to analyze efficiency trends or reduce the time needed to complete tasks. 

Other data analysis tools can track the performance of specific equipment and give management a clearer indication of when they should perform maintenance or repair works. They can also provide a better understanding of client supply cost versus profit. 

Ideally, your candidate should have experience from their previous role using these tools. But if they don’t, question how they think data analysis tools could enable them to do their job better and help your business reach its development goals.

To test your candidate’s data analysis proficiency, why not use a Working with Data skills test from TestGorilla? 

When to use facilities manager interview questions 

You should use facilities manager interview questions after conducting skills testing to gather more in-depth information about your candidate.

Although general interview questions can be useful, specific facilities management interview questions can help you decide if your applicant has the necessary role-specific abilities. Skills like stamina, confidence with technology, and some business management traits show your applicant can run teams and inspect facilities effectively. 

Using interview questions in combination with TestGorilla’s assessments helps you gather as much information as possible and simplify your recruitment. Using a data-driven approach can provide the following benefits: 

• Screen candidates’ facilities management knowledge before you invite them to an interview 

• Compare strengths and weaknesses to find the strongest applicants

• Eliminate unconscious bias from your hiring strategy 

Once you’ve given candidates tests from our library, you can then use some of these facilities management interview questions to nail it home. 

Simplify your recruitment process with facilities manager interview questions and assessments from TestGorilla

You need an effective recruitment strategy to find the best candidates, so trust TestGorilla’s data-driven approach to help you secure the top talent for your facilities manager role. 

Our test library contains all the tests you need to understand your candidate’s knowledge of facilities, technology, and the importance of data and customer service. You can also use them to assess applicants’ leadership and people management skills. 

Revise your recruitment strategy today – request a free 30-minute demo from TestGorilla, and we’ll show you how to change your hiring processes for the better. You can also sign up for a free account to start using pre-employment testing right away.