General Manager Job Description

A General Manager often oversees branch managers and their staff, as well as the employees in their head office.

What does a General Manager do?
A General Manager often oversees branch managers and their staff, as well as the employees in their head office. They are ultimately responsible for the well-being of the company’s financial growth and stability in terms of making a loss or profit.

General Manager Duties
The list of duties can be exhaustive but generally these key functions will apply:

Managing the performance of each employee.
Sustaining current market position and growing market share.
Creating business plans to support the company’s financial objectives.
Supporting sales teams and key account managers in retention of existing clients.
Defining long-term strategic goals and developing clear plans to implement them.
Improving internal processes and ensuring employees work as a cohesive unit.
Anticipate client needs and develop solutions to meet those needs.

General Manager Skills
As a General Manager you will need to have most or all of these skills:

Excellent verbal and written communication.
Solid presentation skills and ability to explain complex processes to an audience.
Expert in financial management and persistent business will to succeed.
Planning and managing the company’s performance.
Manage operations and processes within budget.
Ability to enforce and maintain high standards, even under pressure.
General and senior management skills.

General Manager CV Must-Haves
“General Manager” can sometimes be an all-encompassing job title. Focus your CV’s content to appeal to the company that’s hiring you. Give examples of your proven ability to:

Build and lead successful teams.
Achieve targets in a dynamic and competitive business environment.
Successfully manage a diverse group of employees.
Be a strong team leader and tapping into the best your teams have to offer.
Build and nurture trust with teams, customers and suppliers.

General Manager Interview Questions
Again, the job title General Manager can mean very different things to different companies. Here’s a selection of high-level questions you might have to answer in your next interview. Good luck!

What challenges are you looking for in this role?
What would you change should you become our new General Manager?
How do you deal with stressful situations?
What is the most difficult situation you have had to face and how did you deal with it?
Your feelings about working over-time, long hours and/or weekends where needed?
What’s the most negative experience you’ve had with an employee?

General Manager Qualifications
Qualifications will vary from company to industry to job level. Below a couple of examples of qualifications needed for this role.

A Degree in Operations Management or,
Post-Graduate qualification in Business Administration or,
Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Business Management.

General Manager Salaries
Below are the most recent General Manager salary levels based on actual salary offerings on the CareerJunction website (30 000+ jobs monthly) for the latest measurable period (October 2015 to February 2016).