20 Interview Questions for Getting a Project Manager Job

20 Interview Questions for Getting a Project Manager Job

As any project manager will tell you, getting through an interview successfully is both an art and a science as explained at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. This is because there are lots of unknowns. However, by focusing on key areas or competencies and giving the right answers to the questions based on them in the interview, it will help you get selected. We have put together a list of 20 interview questions for getting a project manager job.

How do you define an ideal project?

This is one of the most important project management interview questions as per RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. The interviewer intends to know the type of projects you would like to take up. When answering this question, be honest. Your answer should include multiple points such as whether you like to work as part of a team or alone, the kind of deadlines you prefer, whether you are interested in innovative and creative projects or not, and more.

What are the three key challenges for our industry today, and how can these be tackled effectively?

This question is designed to test your knowledge about the project management industry. When answering this question, you should not only describe three relevant challenges but possible solutions as well. Thinks about the top challenges of the industry in which the organization operates. Your answer will reveal your understanding of the industry, the market, current challenges, and possible solutions.

What is your delegation style?

According to RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, this question is designed to ask about leadership skills. When answering, explain what has been best for you and use examples of how your delegation style has worked well in the past.

What is your strategy for prioritizing the tasks?

If your interviewer asks questions on prioritization, your answer should include how to distinguish between urgency and importance. You can say how you determine what is crucial and leave behind what is unnecessary. This project management interview question is also to test how flexible and adaptable you are while managing a project. Your answer should describe that you know when to say no during the project.

What were the communication challenges on your last project?

As a project manager, you will need to communicate with your team for all projects effectively. What the interviewer wants to see is how you have handled communication challenges in the past. It needs to be evident from your answer that you were able to work with your team effectively despite the challenge.

How do you set goals for your team? And how do you track these goals?

Whether it is deadline goals or overall project goals, setting goals is an important part of being a project manager, as it motivates team members and helps to keep projects on track as articulated at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Be sure to give specific examples that demonstrate how you have set goals for your team in the past and how you have tracked these goals with your answer.

Tell us about the most challenging projects you have managed so far as well as the steps you have taken to tackle the challenge

When asking this question, the interviewer wants to know how you respond to critical challenges and deal with conflicting situations in a project. It would be best if you did not refer to examples where you had to manage tough team members or lack of support from management. Instead, focus on external factors like a situation where the project was unexpectedly called off, or funding was reduced in the middle of an extensive project.

What is your communication style with your team?

If the interviewer asks this, you will want to assure them that you are an effective communicator who motivates others on your team as captured at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Make sure you point out that you understand the significance of being an effective communicator as a project manager.

Describe two areas in your current project, where there is a high level of uncertainty. How do you tackle these uncertainties?

No project goes without a hitch. With this question, the interviewer wants to see how you handle anything that can result in a potential setback. An effective manager should always have a few tricks up their sleeve, and this question gives you a chance to show them off.

Suppose the project has gone off the rails, what steps would you take to get it back on track?

The project manager should be efficient enough to take the necessary steps to resolve the discrepancy between actual progress and planned progress. Your answer to this question may include re-adjusting resource management, finding the real cause of off-tracking, putting in extra effort, and more.

How do you communicate bad news?

You have likely had to deliver bad news in the past as a project manager, and the interviewer wants to see exactly how you go doing so as covered at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. They want to see that you are considerate and upfront with everyone, that you have all of the facts first, and that you have thought about how this news will impact all of your team members and not just the person you are delivering the bad news to directly.

How do control changes to your project?

While some level of change is inevitable, as a project manager, it is important to adapt to those changes quickly. When answering this question, explain to your interviewer how you continue to keep your team on track whenever any project changes pop up.

What was one of the biggest mistakes you have committed in your past projects? How has it impacted your approach to work?

By asking this question, the interviewer intends to check your honesty and whether you take responsibility for mistakes you have made in your past projects as described at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Rather than giving a ‘no’ for the answer, you can mention a couple of mistakes. Make sure you show that you take responsibility for the mistake as it is a way to reveal your maturity level. You can also explain how you had it resolved.

How have you handled disgruntled employees?

The interviewer wants to see that you are a critical thinker and an effective problem solver. Even if you don’t have a specific example to talk about, explain that you always care about your team members and would want to uncover the root of the problem, and find out why, exactly, they are unhappy. While it may be possible to please every disgruntled employee, the interviewer just wants to see that you would make an effort to rectify the situation and be professional about everything.

How do you ensure that your project is always on track?

With this question, the interviewer wants to understand your work process and see that you are detail-oriented. When answering, explain how you check in with your team throughout a project. For example, you may want to point out that you believe effective and regular communication is key to ensuring that a project stays on track.

Can you tell us an example of a failed project? Have you had any such experiences?

As discussed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, it is not wise to say ’no’ to this question. Instead, you can think of an event or phrase in your previous projects where you have experienced failure. This question aims to check your experience in managing risk too, which is why you need to include how you have handled the issue.

What are some examples of times you have kept your promise even when that might have been difficult?

Think about a time when you reluctantly agreed to a challenging request, since as a project manager, you are expected to make things happen. Explain to the interviewer how you managed to juggle your tasks and effectively manage your time to ensure that you would be able to follow through with an ambiguous promise. Interviewers want to hear specific examples that show you were still successful in accommodating additional requests.

What tools do you use as a manager to plan your activities as well as that of your team?

As revealed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, there is an endless list of tools and processes that project managers use to stay organized, from meetings to project management programs and everything in between. Be sure to list as many tools as you can think of that you are familiar with to demonstrate your knowledge of project management software and other tools.

What is your strategy to deal with internal conflicts among the team members?

By asking this question, the interviewer is trying to understand your mediation skills and how impartial you are while resolving conflicts. You can explain why there is a necessity to listen to both parties and understand both perspectives. Your answer should include how you convince both the parties to come to a conclusion that works best for the project at hand and delivers a win-win situation.

How do you ensure you and your team deliver or exceed customer expectations?

The interviewer wants to see how you can succeed as a project manager, especially since meeting (or exceeding) customer expectations when it comes to project delivery is your ultimate goal. It is important not to be vague and give a generalized answer, you will want to give precise examples and details about your process.

As always, there is more on this topic, and so much more, over at the top-rated RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.