How to Hire a General Manager

Why hire a general manager?

The need for new staff can affect both your existing team and bottom line. A great general manager can:

• Develop the overall business strategy and set growth goals for the company
• Establish company and departmental budgets and perform expense minimization
• Motivate and encourage employees to deliver their best

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance general manager

There aren’t very many reasons a business would hire a freelance general manager. Because a general manager is often a full-time role, it would cost companies more money to hire a freelancer to perform the job’s responsibilities. Companies replacing one of their general managers might look into hiring a freelancer to fill the role during the recruitment, application, interviewing and training stages. 

Typically, however, companies hire full-time employees in general manager positions. A full-time general manager would build relationships with their team over time and become accustomed to the company’s goals and policies, allowing them to do their jobs more efficiently. 

What are the ranks of general managers?

General managers are in the middle tier of management. Other jobs in the hierarchy include:

• Department managers: There are often multiple department managers in large businesses. They manage specific sections of the store and are usually in charge of scheduling their team members, overseeing the team’s daily work and developing goals to improve the department. 
• Overnight manager: Businesses usually only have overnight managers if they’re open 24 hours daily. The overnight manager is responsible for overseeing the store during the nighttime shift. Some responsibilities may include delegating restocking and cleaning tasks.
• District manager: District managers oversee the operations of multiple general managers and stores. They may be responsible for traveling between the stores under their jurisdiction and assessing them for compliance with corporate policies and federal regulations. 
• Regional manager: Regional managers are in charge of multiple districts. They can be responsible for hiring, improving profits and reducing costs for their region. 

Where to find general managers

To find the right general manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Promote from within. Some employees in your business, especially your department managers, may be suitable to take on the role of general manager. Assess the skills of these candidates and set up meetings with them to determine if they’re interested in the job. 
• Search online for quality candidates. Candidates with general management experience may advertise themselves online.
• Network. Ask other businesses in the area if they have any quality leads on general manager candidates.
• Post help wanted signs. Hanging help wanted flyers can encourage quality candidates to apply. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your general manager job on Indeed to find and attract quality general manager candidates.

What are the ranks of general managers?

General managers are in the middle tier of management. Other jobs in the hierarchy include:

• Department managers: There are often multiple department managers in large businesses. They manage specific sections of the store and are usually in charge of scheduling their team members, overseeing the team’s daily work and developing goals to improve the department. 
• Overnight manager: Businesses usually only have overnight managers if they’re open 24 hours daily. The overnight manager is responsible for overseeing the store during the nighttime shift. Some responsibilities may include delegating restocking and cleaning tasks.
• District manager: District managers oversee the operations of multiple general managers and stores. They may be responsible for traveling between the stores under their jurisdiction and assessing them for compliance with corporate policies and federal regulations. 
• Regional manager: Regional managers are in charge of multiple districts. They can be responsible for hiring, improving profits and reducing costs for their region. 

Writing a general manager job description

A thoughtful description can help find qualified general manager candidates. A general manager job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your general manager job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on general manager jobs, according to Indeed data:

• General manager
• Manager
• Management
• Restaurant manager
• Hotel general manager
• Target
• Restaurant general manager
• Hotel manager
• Hotel management
• Hotel

Interviewing general manager candidates

To hire a suitable general manager, take the time to vet candidates and ask detailed interview questions to understand their knowledge and skills. A general manager will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Their expertise in managing company resources, including teams in a leadership role
• How they’ve contributed to developing business strategies and plans and implementing them to help achieve revenue, profitability and growth targets of the company

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of general manager interview questions for examples (with sample answers).