How to Pass Project Manager Job Interview?
You are a professional and applied to a project management position recently. Employer invited you to the project manager interview. However, you did not attend in a job interview recently or you are nervous about the project manager interview you will attend. As most project managers who have interviewed directly for a project management position know, most generic interview questions lists don’t cut it.
When interviewing for a project manager position, you want to do everything you can to let the interviewer see your team-building and leadership skills. While you should always be prepared for common job interview questions, there are manager-specific questions that you’ll want to make sure you have practiced before hand.
Sure, many offices might ask you to “tell me about yourself” or “what are your greatest strengths,” but there are many more questions specific to project managers that you should expect in your upcoming interview.
I’ve put together some interview tips and questions for you as a project manager or as a employer hiring a project manager.
When interviewing for a project manager position, you want to do everything you can to let the interviewer see your team-building and leadership skills. While you should always be prepared for common job interview questions, there are manager-specific questions that you’ll want to make sure you have practiced before hand.
Sure, many offices might ask you to “tell me about yourself” or “what are your greatest strengths,” but there are many more questions specific to project managers that you should expect in your upcoming interview.
I’ve put together some interview tips and questions for you as a project manager or as a employer hiring a project manager.
- What is one skill a project manager needs to succeed?
Interviewers love asking this because it forces you to choose one among many necessary skills for project managers to possess. This is no one right answer. However, this answer should reflect your greatest strength and how it would benefit the role of project manager.
"Project managers must have a diverse range of abilities, but I would say most importantly they need to be flexible. This can mean being able to quickly adjust to taking on a new direction to better execute a project or to meet a new deadline. Or it could mean being adaptable to work with an array of personality types. In this role, sometimes you will need to react quickly and strategically so being able to adapt to new circumstances is necessary."
- Please describe yourself, your background briefly.
Actually, this is a typical job interview question. You can face this question not only in a project manager interview, but also in any job interview.
Consider this question as a self-promotion opportunity. Because, you will be telling about your background, your education, work experience and projects you have completed. If you are a new graduate, you can tell about your university projects. If you are an experienced professional, job interviewer will look for the keywords in your background that will match with the requirements of the job.
For instance, if you are a 5+ years of professional looking for a project manager position, you should not start from your primary school when answering this project manager interview question. Briefly, describe your place of birth, where you grew up and your university education. These should not be more than two or three sentences. Then, you should highlight the critical points in your background that is relevant with the position you applied for.
For instance, let’s consider that a software analyst working in a software vendor has applied to a project manager position. He has not any project management experience. However, he wants to get this project manager position and the employer invited him to the project manager interview.
- Why are you interested in this role?
Other versions of this question:
Tell me about why you’re interviewing here today.
Why did you apply to this position?
Tell me about yourself.
According to Inc., “Tell me about yourself” and “Tell me about your interest in this position” questions are common for any interview, so they’re both worth preparing for. The interviewer wants to get a quick overview of who you are, and why you might be a good fit for their company.
Consider this question to be a request to walk through your resume. Briefly outline what attracted you to the role that you’re interviewing for, and then follow up with a few details about previous work and what makes you, you.
You don’t need to explain your divorce or why you left your hometown, but your interviewer should come away from this question understanding why you think this job is a good fit for you, what fuels your decision-making, and an overview of you as a candidate.
- How do you approach a newly assigned project?
This allows the interviewer to see your approach to project management and to gauge your organizational skills.
"First, I would specify the objective of the project and the end result we are hoping for. Second, research is conducted to better understand how to reach that end result. Next, a list is made to lay out the steps required among the team. Lastly, based on that list I will delegate out tasks dependent upon the skill set of each team member. In order to achieve maximum results and bring the project to completion, it requires using the strengths of your team to your advantage."
- What don’t you want to work on?
There are always bits of jobs we don’t like, but project managers typically work on the projects that they are assigned. It’s fine to have preferences, but you’re looking for someone who can respond to business needs even if that isn’t their top choice of project.
- What was the biggest or most challenging project you managed?
You have to be prepared for this project manager interview question. Because, your answer to this question will show your limits about your experience. Note that, this question might come with additional questions asking about how many people there were in the team, who you were reporting to, and how many projects in total you were managing at the same time.
Before sitting in your project manager interview session, go through your experience. Choose the most challenging project that you were involved.
- Tell me about a time when your stakeholders didn’t agree on a project. How did you proceed?
Other versions of this question:
Tell me about your ability to “manage up.”
How do you encourage cooperation between your stakeholders?
What soft skills are most important to a project manager?
Monster.com notes that companies are interested in project managers who can inspire cooperation between all parties.
Interviewers asking this question are looking for stories that will prove you have these necessary soft skills for the job. BMake sure to brainstorm stories about your former project management roles in anticipation of this question and use them as a confirmation that you have the mediation skills that these hiring managers are looking for.
- When a project didn't go well, what happened?
This may sound like a trick question, but be honest with your answer. However, be sure to avoid bad mouthing others or admitting to something that is a fundamental basic of project management. Also, focus more on how you fixed the situation versus what went wrong.
"In my previous role, I managed a team with a new employee. My team and I made the mistake of assuming the new employee would know how to seamlessly work around our existing process. After some time, I realized he was slightly confused. I called the team together in order to explain how we work and his specific role on this project. Also, I described how I envisioned each aspect coming together to form a cohesive and successful outcome."
- If you had to rate project management as a career, from 1-10 how would you rate it?
This will show you how they value their career and whether they see themselves progressing in a PM role. Ask them why they chose that rating.
- Do you have budget management experience?
Budget management is a crucial aspect of project management. Therefore, this question is very important in a project manager interview, if the candidate will be managing a budget if he is selected for the position. Depending on the roles and responsibilities of the project manager in a company, budget management might not be required from project manager. Especially, in vendors, budget management is required while it might not be required from project managers working in service providers.
If you are applying for a project manager position that requires budget management, this project manager interview question will be an elective one.
- Have you ever experienced project failure? What happened?
Other versions of this question:
Tell me about a time you failed.
Share a challenging situation that you experienced while working on a project. How did you deal with it? What did you learn?
Can you think of a time where you learned from your mistakes? What happened?
It’s happened to the best of us: A project went too far out of scope, or became too expensive, or was behind on delivery, and it ultimately failed. The situation is always unsettling, but even more so when inquired about in an interview.
The fortunate truth is that your interviewer is less interested in the actual failure than they are about learning how you deal with stressful situations. Set up the story with what happened. Be as brief as possible and try to pick a story from something that happened a long time ago. Then, detail what you did in the situation.
As Lily Zhang writes for The Muse: “Do not try to cover up the fact that things didn’t all go as planned. It’s impossible to do well in an interview if the interviewer doesn’t believe what you’re saying, so don’t try to sugar coat things.”
Be as straight as possible when explaining the situation and what you did. Then, give the interviewer what they’re really looking for—what you learned from the failure. Demonstrate how you’ve grown as a person and learned to handle similar challenges better.
- How do you ensure your team stays on track to meet project deadlines?
The interviewer wants to know that you can manage your team effectively. Also, they want to make sure you not only get projects completed, but in a timely manner.
"I think it all comes down to communication and accountability. The team should have some sort of idea what the others are working on. This way each person knows they have to hold their weight and have others relying on them. Setting expectations and creating tentative schedules of when tasks will be completed helps to instill this among the team. We are responsible for separate aspects, however as a whole we must work together to finish a project within the designated deadline. Also, I'm adamant about check-ins to make sure everyone is making progress and to offer assistance, if necessary. I truly follow the philosophy that the team is only as strong as its weakest member."
- What’s the most important thing for a project manager to do?
It will show you their priorities and whether they have actually thought about what a project manager does. It will also demonstrate whether they are a good cultural fit for your team. If you have a strong focus on process and they think the most important thing is to be flexible and adapt processes as you go, then you probably won’t get on.
- What projects do you not want to work on?
Other versions of this question:
What kinds of projects interest you the most? Why?
Do you work better with introverted or extroverted people?
Tell us about a project that was not enjoyable to you.
Everyone wants to believe they can handle every project, but the reality is that most project managers are best suited for a narrow project management role.
If you tell your future employer that you love working on everything, that communicates that:
You might not know what you’re talking about OR
You’re unwilling to communicate weaknesses.
Neither of these traits reflects well on you.
Instead, be honest. Are you more of a software development person? Do you do well with creative media campaigns? Would you rather lie down and die than work on a construction project? Let your interviewer know; both they and your future self will thank you for it.
- You are the project manager and want to do option A. Everyone else on your team wants to do option B. What do you do?
Tension within a team is usually created due to differences in opinion. Explain to the interviewer how you would handle such a situation, while keeping the best interest of the project in mind.
"I always believe in my team and clearly there was a reason they all preferred option B. I would ask their reasoning behind the preference. Given their explanation if I felt as if the project would be more successful using option B, I would definitely be on board. I don't take those types of things personally. At the end of the day, it's about what will create the best possible results for the given project."
- What do you spend the most time doing each day?
This gives you an indication of how they do their job. Someone who spends all day at the PC may suit your environment, or you might be looking for a project manager who gets out and visits clients most days of the week. Remember that they might be prepared to do something other than what they do now, so if you hear something that doesn’t fit with the post you are recruiting for, don’t rule them out before exploring this further.
- Are you familiar with project management software?
Other versions of this question:
Which project management tools have you worked with? Do you have a preference for a particular software?
How do you like to document your project progression?
Do you have an IT background? Can you code?
Project management software is currently a massive part of the project management industry. Interviewers don’t just want to know that you’ve used formal project management frameworks such as Lean, Kanban, and Agile, but that you can apply these skills to project management software.
Try to figure out what project management software the company uses before interviewing. Detail what project management software you’ve used in the past, and explain how that skill set can translate over to their system.
- When was the last time you didn’t delegate and what happened?
This will help you work out if they are happy to be honest and tell you about a time that something went wrong. This shows their capacity to learn from mistakes and how they deal with information overload. Delegating work packages is key to project work and you’ll want to hire someone who understands that.
Interviewers love asking this because it forces you to choose one among many necessary skills for project managers to possess. This is no one right answer. However, this answer should reflect your greatest strength and how it would benefit the role of project manager.
"Project managers must have a diverse range of abilities, but I would say most importantly they need to be flexible. This can mean being able to quickly adjust to taking on a new direction to better execute a project or to meet a new deadline. Or it could mean being adaptable to work with an array of personality types. In this role, sometimes you will need to react quickly and strategically so being able to adapt to new circumstances is necessary."
- Please describe yourself, your background briefly.
Actually, this is a typical job interview question. You can face this question not only in a project manager interview, but also in any job interview.
Consider this question as a self-promotion opportunity. Because, you will be telling about your background, your education, work experience and projects you have completed. If you are a new graduate, you can tell about your university projects. If you are an experienced professional, job interviewer will look for the keywords in your background that will match with the requirements of the job.
For instance, if you are a 5+ years of professional looking for a project manager position, you should not start from your primary school when answering this project manager interview question. Briefly, describe your place of birth, where you grew up and your university education. These should not be more than two or three sentences. Then, you should highlight the critical points in your background that is relevant with the position you applied for.
For instance, let’s consider that a software analyst working in a software vendor has applied to a project manager position. He has not any project management experience. However, he wants to get this project manager position and the employer invited him to the project manager interview.
Other versions of this question:
Tell me about why you’re interviewing here today.
Why did you apply to this position?
Tell me about yourself.
According to Inc., “Tell me about yourself” and “Tell me about your interest in this position” questions are common for any interview, so they’re both worth preparing for. The interviewer wants to get a quick overview of who you are, and why you might be a good fit for their company.
Consider this question to be a request to walk through your resume. Briefly outline what attracted you to the role that you’re interviewing for, and then follow up with a few details about previous work and what makes you, you.
You don’t need to explain your divorce or why you left your hometown, but your interviewer should come away from this question understanding why you think this job is a good fit for you, what fuels your decision-making, and an overview of you as a candidate.
- How do you approach a newly assigned project?
This allows the interviewer to see your approach to project management and to gauge your organizational skills.
"First, I would specify the objective of the project and the end result we are hoping for. Second, research is conducted to better understand how to reach that end result. Next, a list is made to lay out the steps required among the team. Lastly, based on that list I will delegate out tasks dependent upon the skill set of each team member. In order to achieve maximum results and bring the project to completion, it requires using the strengths of your team to your advantage."
- What don’t you want to work on?
There are always bits of jobs we don’t like, but project managers typically work on the projects that they are assigned. It’s fine to have preferences, but you’re looking for someone who can respond to business needs even if that isn’t their top choice of project.
- What was the biggest or most challenging project you managed?
You have to be prepared for this project manager interview question. Because, your answer to this question will show your limits about your experience. Note that, this question might come with additional questions asking about how many people there were in the team, who you were reporting to, and how many projects in total you were managing at the same time.
Before sitting in your project manager interview session, go through your experience. Choose the most challenging project that you were involved.
- Tell me about a time when your stakeholders didn’t agree on a project. How did you proceed?
Other versions of this question:
Tell me about your ability to “manage up.”
How do you encourage cooperation between your stakeholders?
What soft skills are most important to a project manager?
Monster.com notes that companies are interested in project managers who can inspire cooperation between all parties.
Interviewers asking this question are looking for stories that will prove you have these necessary soft skills for the job. BMake sure to brainstorm stories about your former project management roles in anticipation of this question and use them as a confirmation that you have the mediation skills that these hiring managers are looking for.
- When a project didn't go well, what happened?
This may sound like a trick question, but be honest with your answer. However, be sure to avoid bad mouthing others or admitting to something that is a fundamental basic of project management. Also, focus more on how you fixed the situation versus what went wrong.
"In my previous role, I managed a team with a new employee. My team and I made the mistake of assuming the new employee would know how to seamlessly work around our existing process. After some time, I realized he was slightly confused. I called the team together in order to explain how we work and his specific role on this project. Also, I described how I envisioned each aspect coming together to form a cohesive and successful outcome."
- If you had to rate project management as a career, from 1-10 how would you rate it?
This will show you how they value their career and whether they see themselves progressing in a PM role. Ask them why they chose that rating.
- Do you have budget management experience?
Budget management is a crucial aspect of project management. Therefore, this question is very important in a project manager interview, if the candidate will be managing a budget if he is selected for the position. Depending on the roles and responsibilities of the project manager in a company, budget management might not be required from project manager. Especially, in vendors, budget management is required while it might not be required from project managers working in service providers.
If you are applying for a project manager position that requires budget management, this project manager interview question will be an elective one.
- Have you ever experienced project failure? What happened?
Other versions of this question:
Tell me about a time you failed.
Share a challenging situation that you experienced while working on a project. How did you deal with it? What did you learn?
Can you think of a time where you learned from your mistakes? What happened?
It’s happened to the best of us: A project went too far out of scope, or became too expensive, or was behind on delivery, and it ultimately failed. The situation is always unsettling, but even more so when inquired about in an interview.
The fortunate truth is that your interviewer is less interested in the actual failure than they are about learning how you deal with stressful situations. Set up the story with what happened. Be as brief as possible and try to pick a story from something that happened a long time ago. Then, detail what you did in the situation.
As Lily Zhang writes for The Muse: “Do not try to cover up the fact that things didn’t all go as planned. It’s impossible to do well in an interview if the interviewer doesn’t believe what you’re saying, so don’t try to sugar coat things.”
Be as straight as possible when explaining the situation and what you did. Then, give the interviewer what they’re really looking for—what you learned from the failure. Demonstrate how you’ve grown as a person and learned to handle similar challenges better.
- How do you ensure your team stays on track to meet project deadlines?
The interviewer wants to know that you can manage your team effectively. Also, they want to make sure you not only get projects completed, but in a timely manner.
"I think it all comes down to communication and accountability. The team should have some sort of idea what the others are working on. This way each person knows they have to hold their weight and have others relying on them. Setting expectations and creating tentative schedules of when tasks will be completed helps to instill this among the team. We are responsible for separate aspects, however as a whole we must work together to finish a project within the designated deadline. Also, I'm adamant about check-ins to make sure everyone is making progress and to offer assistance, if necessary. I truly follow the philosophy that the team is only as strong as its weakest member."
- What’s the most important thing for a project manager to do?
It will show you their priorities and whether they have actually thought about what a project manager does. It will also demonstrate whether they are a good cultural fit for your team. If you have a strong focus on process and they think the most important thing is to be flexible and adapt processes as you go, then you probably won’t get on.
- What projects do you not want to work on?
Other versions of this question:
What kinds of projects interest you the most? Why?
Do you work better with introverted or extroverted people?
Tell us about a project that was not enjoyable to you.
Everyone wants to believe they can handle every project, but the reality is that most project managers are best suited for a narrow project management role.
If you tell your future employer that you love working on everything, that communicates that:
You might not know what you’re talking about OR
You’re unwilling to communicate weaknesses.
Neither of these traits reflects well on you.
Instead, be honest. Are you more of a software development person? Do you do well with creative media campaigns? Would you rather lie down and die than work on a construction project? Let your interviewer know; both they and your future self will thank you for it.
Tension within a team is usually created due to differences in opinion. Explain to the interviewer how you would handle such a situation, while keeping the best interest of the project in mind.
"I always believe in my team and clearly there was a reason they all preferred option B. I would ask their reasoning behind the preference. Given their explanation if I felt as if the project would be more successful using option B, I would definitely be on board. I don't take those types of things personally. At the end of the day, it's about what will create the best possible results for the given project."
- What do you spend the most time doing each day?
This gives you an indication of how they do their job. Someone who spends all day at the PC may suit your environment, or you might be looking for a project manager who gets out and visits clients most days of the week. Remember that they might be prepared to do something other than what they do now, so if you hear something that doesn’t fit with the post you are recruiting for, don’t rule them out before exploring this further.
- Are you familiar with project management software?
Other versions of this question:
Which project management tools have you worked with? Do you have a preference for a particular software?
How do you like to document your project progression?
Do you have an IT background? Can you code?
Project management software is currently a massive part of the project management industry. Interviewers don’t just want to know that you’ve used formal project management frameworks such as Lean, Kanban, and Agile, but that you can apply these skills to project management software.
Try to figure out what project management software the company uses before interviewing. Detail what project management software you’ve used in the past, and explain how that skill set can translate over to their system.
- When was the last time you didn’t delegate and what happened?
This will help you work out if they are happy to be honest and tell you about a time that something went wrong. This shows their capacity to learn from mistakes and how they deal with information overload. Delegating work packages is key to project work and you’ll want to hire someone who understands that.
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