Business continuity managers play an essential role in ensuring that the business stays afloat during a crisis or disruptive event. They are mandated with developing, maintaining and testing a company’s business continuity program.
If you are eyeing a business continuity management post, you should know that companies are looking for the best candidates due to the importance of this role. Organizations need to sail through disruptive events, which can only be possible if they have a good business continuity manager.
To increase your odds of landing the job, we will give you a head start by looking at some commonly asked questions in business continuity management interviews. We hope that you will be better equipped when appearing before the interview panel.
1. Why Are You Interested in This Role?
I am a business continuity manager with over ten years of experience. I have got to witness lots of changes in this field. I, therefore, believe that I am well equipped for this role, and the company can benefit from my expertise. I also love offering my services to companies that deal in household goods, which you fit. It will, therefore, be a pleasure working with you.
2. What Are the Roles of a Business Continuity Manager?
A business continuity manager comes up with, maintains and tests a company’s business continuity program. They oversee and support all business activities aimed at helping the organization manage disruptive events and meet the laid-out requirements when it comes to business continuity planning.
3. What Are the Qualities That a Business Continuity Manager Need to Be Effective?
A business continuity manager needs to be well equipped in business impact and risk analysis since it is the basis of coming up with the business continuity plan. They must also be able to collaborate with other employees and departments. Other qualities include excellent IT skills, project management ability, risk measurement and quality auditing.
4. What Major Challenge Did You Face During Your Last Role? How Did You Manage It?
I joined my last workplace in the midst of a disruptive event. They had fired the former manager for flawed risk analysis, which exposed them to a disruptive event that they had not planned for. I, therefore, had to prove myself and work twice as hard. I collaborated with other departments, revised the business continuity plan, and worked day and night until the company was in the clear. I later won the best employee of the year.
5. Describe Your Daily Routine as a Business Continuity Manager
My day starts early. Once I report to work and plan my day, I hold meetings with different teams, see their progress and then discuss what is to be tackled. I then listen to my voicemails and return some of the late unanswered calls, after which I read my emails and reply to the most pressing. I then supervise the business continuity planners and attend to issues that may have come up with the business continuity plan. I may also meet senior management to brief them on developments or write reports.
6. Briefly Describe Your Experience
This is my tenth year in this profession. I started as a business continuity planner charged with overseeing contingency plan integration and operation. I then moved to the risk assessment department of the same firm and was tasked with analyzing risks and impacts. I have since assumed supervisory roles in the different organizations I have worked in and learnt how to work with people. I became a business manager two years ago.
7. What Kind of Strategies and Mindset Is Required for This Role?
Given the roles that business continuity managers play in ensuring that a company triumphs through a disruptive event, the best strategy is proactivity. A manager also needs to empower those below them to ensure that they give their best and keep the organization afloat. As for the right mindset, a business continuity manager must have a result-oriented and positive attitude.
8. What Is the Biggest Challenge That You Foresee in This Job?
I have done my research on your operations and the business continuity department. I am glad that most of the areas that gave me a hard time in my previous company have been cared for. I cannot, therefore, identify a challenge at the moment. However, I have all it takes to face any challenge that may come my way, given a chance.
9. How Do You Keep Motivated at Work?
My motivation comes from my desire to push myself harder. I love challenges. I am always happy whenever I triumph over a situation that appeared challenging. However, I also give myself time to rest and rejuvenate, especially when I experience burnout.
Lastly, I am a very focused individual who will stop at nothing until I have achieved what I set out to at the beginning of the day. Combined with my hunger for success, this trait gives me the needed motivation to dispense my duties.
10. What Makes You Exceptional from The Other Candidates?
I cannot talk about other candidates, given that I have not interacted with them. However, I believe that my level of expertise puts me forward. I have worked with several industry-leading companies and helped them get back to their feet. I also have extensive people skills that allow me to work with everyone. I am also passionate about assisting businesses to go through disruptive events and can be an excellent addition to your company.
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11. What Do You Understand by Business Continuity Management?
Business continuity management refers to the management and response to risk by companies. It, therefore, ensures that functions critical to meeting the company’s missions continue to operate in the face of any disruption. It also helps organizations back to their feet faster and efficiently after going through a given upheaval.
12. In Your Opinion, How Do You Think Business Continuity Work?
Business continuity works when organizations implement a business continuity management system as described by ISO 22301, an international standard. It is also considered the only credible framework for business continuity management. The company must develop business continuity plans aimed at managing and protecting it against several identified risks.
13. As a Business Continuity Manager, Why Is It Important for You to Ensure That Your Company Certifies to ISO 22301?
ISO 22301 helps prove to potential and existing customers that your company has an effective Business continuity system and will continue its service delivery even amid disruptive incidents. It is also an accredited certification that dictates regular reviews and internal audits to ensure that your Business Continuity Management System functions optimally.
It offers assurance to the board and stakeholders since it helps obtain an unbiased opinion on whether the business continuity management program is effective. Lastly, it is the best approach to business continuity.
14. Can You Please Differentiate Disaster Recovery from Business Continuity Management?
Disaster recovery is the process of helping a business revert to normalcy, whereas business continuity management ensures that the organization continues to operate while recovering from a disruptive event. It is worth noting that disaster recovery takes place within a business continuity management system. It, therefore, reveals the difficulties involved in recovering given operations, services, applications or functions.
15. While Working on a Business Continuity Management System, What Do You Consider The Most Important Part?
I believe that adequately identifying the business’s risks is the most critical part of any business recovery management system. Planning for events that may not likely occur can prove to be a total waste of time and resources. Also, failing to identify a threat that later happens is fatal since you cannot know how well to manage it.
16. Could You Please Tell Us Some of The Disruptions That an Organization May Face?
There are several disruptive events that a business may face. These are usually influenced by its geographical and physical location, the services offered and the country or civil stability. These may be hurricanes or storms, civil unrest or even power outages. Some events may also affect an organisation’s IT infrastructures, such as software glitches, equipment malfunction, hacking, and changeovers.
17. How Would Your Former Colleagues Describe You?
My former colleagues would describe me as an open, cheerful and hardworking person. Having been a supervisor, they will tell you that I was strict on deadlines but also understanding in certain circumstances. Lastly, they would describe me as a team player and a highly motivated individual in the workplace.
18. How Do You Show Confidence in a Person’s Ability to Do a Job When It Comes To Delegation of Duties?
I usually take job delegation seriously. I only delegate tasks after assessing the skills of every individual. I then hold a meeting with the said individuals to inform them of what is expected in their commissioned jobs and believe they are up to the task.
I then hold a general meeting to inform other employees on the task delegation. I also ensure that the employees have the right resources needed for specific tasks and follow up on them.
19. What Are Some of The People That You Do Not Fancy Working With?
I understand that we cannot all be equal, and being a people’s person, I usually know how to interact and work with diverse personalities. I believe in giving everyone equal chances. However, I do not work well with disloyal people to the organization or occasionally break the law for whatever reason. Apart from these two categories, I can work with anyone.
20. How Can You Inspire Others to Be Better If Given This Role?
The first step in inspiring others to be better is by understanding their goals, objectives and aspirations. I will then give them a vision that aligns with what they want and believe in. I also believe in the power of pep talks and presentations aimed at helping them become better. Here, I will encourage them not to give up on the things closer to their hearts.
21. How Do You Keep Yourself Updated in This Field?
Times are changing fast, and therefore one needs to update themselves on the changes in their respective fields. To do this, I rely on online sources and journals. I am also part of a network of business continuity professionals. We hold regular meetings, which have proved to be helpful. I also attend workshops and seminars on business continuity management which furnishes me with any information that I may have missed.
22. How Do You Ensure That Every Member of Your Team Is Motivated and Involved?
I believe that there are three essential things that every manager should do to keep employees involved and motivated towards achieving the business goals. First, there should be mutual respect between both parties. I, therefore, ensure that my employees feel respected. Second, there should be recognition. I, therefore, ensure that employees’ efforts are recognized, and lastly, I give them a sense of accomplishment.
23. What Are Some of The General Things That You Believe We Can Improve On?
I first have to acknowledge that your management and all the stakeholders have done an excellent job. However, I feel that more time would be saved and teamwork encouraged if the company moved from the closed office layout to an open design.
24. How Do You Define Success?
There is no exact definition of success, as this may vary from person to person. Personally, success is getting to achieve my goals and having a balance in life. I will consider myself to be successful if my role inspires those around me and better the company. I also believe in career progression and would consider myself successful if I make something out of my career.
25. What Is Your Management Style?
I believe in a management style where everyone’s voice is heard. My management style entails the inclusion of other people’s positive opinions when coming up with decisions. However, I also believe in a strict management style, especially when it comes to deadlines.
Conclusion
This article sums up some of the questions that you should expect in business continuity manager interviews. Ensure that you are articulate and confident enough when answering them.
