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30+ Incident Manager Interview Questions

Incident management is an IT operations process where team members analyze, resolve, and prevent issues that could disrupt services, keeping businesses running and customers happy. The role demands lots of technical expertise, leadership skills, and the ability to perform under tighter deadlines. (In some cases, every minute a system or operation is down could be the loss of lots of business.)

In the grand scheme of IT operations, incident managers help minimize downtime, improve IT system stability, and enhance overall IT service delivery, contributing to increased productivity, cost savings, and user satisfaction.

We know how important it is to find good incident managers for your team. A good interview process with good questions is a crucial step to hiring good candidates. So before we get into incident manager interview questions, let’s get into some skills they ought to have.

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What Skills Should an Incident Manager Have?

Incident managers are technically skilled strategic thinkers who can anticipate challenges and implement effective solutions. They also need communication and teamwork skills to execute time-sensitive resolutions while keeping stakeholders informed.

An incident manager’s responsibilities can include:

  • Coordinating and directing all facets of an incident, from evaluation to resolution
  • Reducing downtime and improving IT system stability by identifying and addressing potential issues before they escalate
  • Managing communication with stakeholders during incidents
  • Implementing preventive measures to minimize the likelihood of future incidents
  • Optimizing resource allocation and contributing to overall IT cost savings

Incident managers typically have a background in computer science, IT, or a related field, with experience in IT service management. Certifications in ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) or other service management frameworks can be beneficial.

To be successful, an ideal candidate should possess:

  • Robust leadership and decision-making skills
  • Excellent communication skills for coordinating with IT teams and stakeholders
  • Proficiency in incident response and IT service management
  • Ability to handle high-pressure situations and make swift, judicious decisions
  • Team collaboration skills

Top Incident Manager Interview Questions

These incident manager interview questions will help you assess a candidate’s skills and experience but also get a sense of their leadership abilities, how well they work under pressure, and how well they function within a team.

Here are 30 questions to ask candidates.

Incident Manager Interview Questions About Incident Handling

  1. How would you describe the role of an incident manager?
  2. What part of your past work experience most prepared you to take on the responsibilities of an incident manager?
  3. How do you prioritize different IT incidents?
  4. How do you approach root cause analysis to identify the underlying cause of IT incidents?
  5. Can you describe a complex IT incident that you successfully managed and resolved? What were the challenges, and how did you overcome them?
  6. What methodologies and tools do you use to track and manage IT incidents?
  7. How do you communicate incident updates to stakeholders, especially during major incidents?
  8. What strategies do you employ to prevent recurring incidents?

Incident Manager Interview Questions About Technical Skills and Experience

  1. Tell me about your experience handling software security vulnerabilities, failures, and breaches.
  2. Walk me through conducting a penetration test.
  3. What are effective techniques do you use to prevent internal software attacks?
  4. Describe your experience with ITIL frameworks in incident management. How have you applied these in your previous roles?
  5. Walk me through your experience implementing preventative measures to reduce the frequency and severity of IT incidents.
  6. What procedure do you follow to investigate the source of malware?
  7. How do you stay current with IT service management and incident handling latest trends and best practices?

Related: Key IT Interview Questions to Ask Candidates


Incident Manager Interview Questions About Communication and Leadership

  1. If we interviewed your past colleagues or managers, how would they describe your work ethic?
  2. How do you communicate clearly and effectively with your team during a high-pressure incident?
  3. What process do you use to allocate tasks to your incident management team members?
  4. Can you give an example of a time when you had to handle a stressful or demanding situation under pressure? How did you remain calm and focused?
  5. Describe a situation where you successfully led a team through a challenging incident. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?
  6. How do you handle disagreements or conflicts within your incident management team?
  7. Can you give an example of how you have mentored or developed team members in incident management skills?

Incident Manager Interview Questions About Adaptability and Problem-Solving

  1. What are the most important strengths to succeed in an incident management position?
  2. How do you approach problem-solving and decision-making in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities?
  3. If a large-scale incident occurred in the company, what would be your first step?
  4. Tell me about a time your team could not address a pending situation due to a lack of resources. What did you do?
  5. How do you handle the stress that comes with a high-pressure position?
  6. How do you adapt your incident management strategies to evolving IT environments and technologies?
  7. Can you share an example of a time when you had to quickly learn a new technology or tool to resolve an incident? How did you approach this learning process?
  8. Describe a situation where you had to think outside the box to resolve an IT incident. What was the challenge, and how did you fix it?

Hire an Incident Manager

An effective incident manager enhances IT operations by resolving incidents and implementing preventative measures. Finding a candidate with the necessary blend of technical expertise, leadership skills, and strategic thinking can be challenging.

But Insight Global makes hiring easy. Our customized hiring process and commitment to people-first recruiting mean you have access to a vast network of qualified DevOps and broader IT professionals.

Questions? Call us toll-free: 855-485-8853