How Would You Deal With A Difficult Stakeholder
This situational question aims to get clarity into your people skills, a crucial part of being a successful project manager.
How to answer: Communication and negotiation are likely to be an important part of your answer here. Knowing your teamâs needs, capacity, and the projectâs available resources might also influence your answer.
For more ideas on preparing answers this question, see the video below, a preview of the .
Whats Your Ideal Project
The ideal project is the one that youre hiring for of course! But seriously, try to get them to answer honestly. It will let you know what sort of projects they prefer to work on. In doing so youll get a better feel for what kind of project management methodology excites them and maybe even what they excel at. This can help you place the project manager with the right project, or help them adapt to the project team youre hiring them to manage.
Sample Questions: Practical Approaches
- What was your most successful product as product manager?
- What are the identifiable differences between a project manager and a product manager?
- What are the most exciting technology trends and why are they important?
When faced with questions about their experience with platforms and applications, Coburn said, product managers need to demonstrate their approach to scoping the features of an application or solution while considering the costs .
Also, be prepared for questions that help to uncover both their understanding of the complexity behind product integration and also how they approached a roadblock, he added.
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Can You Tell Me About A Time You Failed As A Product Manager How Did You Handle It
This is one of the most common job interview questions for almost any position. It is always a challenge for job-seekers because you want to show humility and take responsibility without emphasizing your failures. After all, you want to encourage the company to hire you. It is best to choose an example that is a one-time mistake rather than something that may point to an ongoing challenge, such as carelessness or lack of commitment.
Here, the interviewer is asking for an example related to product management. One possible answer could be tied to your educational experience, as almost everyone makes mistakes while learning: During my product management studies, I worked on a project which implemented what I thought was a bold, innovative value proposition, but I quickly realized that I had gotten ahead of myself and included messaging that was simply not sustainable based on the projects constraints. This experience helped me learn a valuable lesson in planning and foresight, and I feel that my abilities in this regard have improved exponentially as a result.
You may also use an example in which you thought user research could be completed quicker than it was or a time when you were excited by great initial results but were later let down over the longer term. In all cases, you can point to how you fixed the problem and learned to move forward, avoiding these problems in any future projects. Keep your answer concise, which will allow the interview to proceed.
Describe The Team Forming Process You Follow In Project Management
A project manager should possess knowledge about the various stages that a team goes through during the project hence, this is one of the common questions asked in interviews and exams on project management. Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning comprises the five development stages in team formation. While you answer this project management interview question, you should describe each of these steps with clarity of thought.
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Question #: What Is Your Strategy For Onboarding Yourself To A New Product
How to answer: A product manager is expected to know everything about a product, such as how clients use it, the business model, and the roadmap for further development. Outline who you plan to talk with to learn about the product and its users, how those conversations will happen, and what you hope to learn. This is a good opportunity to show your enthusiasm for the future of the product and its possibilities and any research you have already done.
Whats The Companys Biggest Challenge
A PM candidate should ask what my biggest challenge is, said Heather Eason, CEO of Select Power Systems. Then, they can respond with how they would help me solve it.
When in an interview, candidates should make sure to ask questions that will uncover some of the companys weaker areas, said Cindy Visendaz, a recruiting manager at Addison Group. Other related questions might be, What keeps you up at night? What issues will cause the most pain if not handled properly?
Knowing the answers to these questions will give candidates a better sense of the challenges they might be faced with on a day-to-day basis, and then from there, can help them determine whether or not these are issues they feel comfortable tackling as a new employee, Visendaz said.
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How Do You Ensure You And Your Team Deliver Or Exceed Customer Expectations
In a nutshell, the interviewer wants to see how, in detail, youre able to succeed as a project manager. After all, meeting customer expectations when it comes to project delivery is your ultimate goal. Its important not to be vague and give a generalized answer youll want to give precise examples and details about your process.
What Are Your Technical Skills As A Product Manager
In general, product management interviews will not focus on the technical questions characteristic of software development or engineering interviews. Unless you are specifically interviewing as a technical product manager, AI product manager, or other highly skilled tech position, you are unlikely to be given overly technical questions, especially in early interview rounds.
However, your interviewer may still want to gauge your technical knowledge specifically in terms of software and methodologies, and in your overall ability to communicate with engineers in product development. Companies like Google prefer product managers with strong coding skills, so prepare some information on the technologies and languages of which you have strong knowledge. If your interviewer is not from the tech team, be ready to speak about your technical skills in a more easily understandable way. For example, Throughout my studies and past professional experience, I have gleaned a variety of valuable technical skills ranging from data analysis utilizing SQL, to fluency in several coding languages including . I feel that these skills enhance my abilities as a product manager, complementing the jobs necessary skill set very well.
If you are applying in a specialized area like AI or machine learning, you should be ready to explain the key concepts involved in this technology and your expertise in this area.
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Sample Questions: Solving Challenges And The Big Picture
- What was one of your more challenging problems to solve when integrating a new application or solution?
- How do you determine if a company should build, partner with, or buy an application or solution?
- What is the Gartner Magic Quadrant, and why is it important for many software vendors?
Organizations expect product managers to effectively overcome roadblocks and challenges come prepared with stories of how you solved crises and issues at your previous organizations. In addition, product managers should come to the interview with knowledge of the organizations industry, technology, and applications if youre hired, youll be expected to hit the ground running.
Many hiring managers and recruiters prefer candidates with certifications that prove their management abilities, such as PMP or ITIL. Thats not required in all jobs, but candidates must show up with a narrative that demonstrates their effectiveness at managing teams and making critical decisions about strategy.
Many companies are in industries with stringent regulations, so keep an eye on those. Product managers should be able to explain the impact of GDPR, or other similar regulations, on todays products and services, Coburn said.
What Is The Rescheduling/cancellation Policy For Cbt Exams
You can reschedule or cancel the exam at any time until two calendar days before your scheduled exam appointment. However, because of limited seating capacity at the test centers, cancellations and rescheduling the exam will lead to a fee.
Please read the following policy carefully.
Within 30 days of your appointment
If you reschedule or cancel your exam within 30 days of your scheduled appointment, you will be charged a fee of US $70. This fee helps to ensure greater seating availability at test centers since candidates who wait until the last minute to reschedule or cancel their exams are reserving seats that could be used by others. The fee will be charged when you go online to reschedule or cancel your exam within the 30-day period. The $70 charge will appear on your credit card as a charge from the test vendor. The 30-day period does not include the day of the exam appointment. For example, if you scheduled your exam for May 5th, you must reschedule or cancel the exam on or before April 4th to avoid the fee. For emergency situations in which you are unable to change your exam appointment before 30 days of your exam appointment, the Extenuating Circumstance Policy may apply. The details of Extenuating Circumstances are given below. PMI will evaluate these situations on a case-by-case basis to determine if a refund of the rescheduling fee is appropriate.
Within 2 days of your appointment
Extenuating Circumstances
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How Will You Gain And Keep The Support Of Your Project Sponsors
Building and maintaining support for your project is absolutely imperative, and losing that support is essentially a kiss of death. If your sponsors aren’t able to see the definitive purpose of your work, their support will rapidly dry up — along with any hope of completing the project.
Project managers are responsible for managing these upwards relationships, ensuring that sponsors understand the value of the project as it progresses. Seek out a project manager who exhibits strong negotiation skills and has a history of building strong relationships with her colleagues.
How Do You Prioritize Tasks In A Project
Knowing what to prioritize is key to a project. Thereâs a chance youâll receive a question asking what you decide to prioritize, and why. You might also be asked how you would juggle working on multiple projects at once.
How to answer: Tie your answer back to the interest of the project. Your answer might include some combination of deadlines, stakeholder needs, or determining tasks that make up a critical path. You can pull from some examples in the past, or work your way through some hypothetical situations.
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Questions About The Team
Strategies & Examples For Background Questions
The purpose of background questions is to make the candidate feel comfortable while also providing them with the chance to introduce themselves and talk about their background, qualifications, and why they are interested in the particular role.
These questions should be easy to answer, as the interviewer is asking the candidate things that they already know.
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Describe Your Communication Style
A project manager must be an effective communicator to be successful. There are always challenges when speaking to stakeholders, vendors, customers, and team members.
Each type of team member needs to be communicated with a little differently.
A good project manager will know how to strike the right balance between different team members and smooth over any issues that pop up.
A project manager without good communication skills is probably one to avoid.
What Content Will I Have Access To Once I Redeem The Digital Keys
Once you redeem the digital keys, you will have access to the following materials:
Student Manual: Workbook with instructional content and real-world activitiesSpotlight Videos: Supplemental student materialsProject manager checklist: Online lists for students to ensure adequate coverage of key conceptsCourse files: Course-related files, including activitiesSelf-knowledge check: Pre-class and post-class assessmentsPost-class survey: Course evaluation form
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If The Project Is Not Adhering To Schedule How Do You Get It Back On Track
Knowing that a project is not keeping to its schedule is only as important as being able to get the project back on track. Once a project manager is aware of the discrepancy between the actual project schedule and the schedule baseline estimated in the project plan, they need to take action, such as project crashing or fast-tracking. Any project manager worth hiring will be able to answer this with practical specifics. On these types of questions, its best to answer with the STAR method.
Reason : Globally Acknowledged
Who should become PMP certified? Anyone who wants the freedom to work anywhere in the world. The PMP certification is one of those credentials whose reputation precedes them, recognized and sought-after the world over . Achieving the PMP certification helps professionals demonstrate and showcase their skills and expertise to potential employers across the globe.
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Whats Your Experience With Budget Management
Hiring managers might ask questions specifically about various skills like budget management. Itâs probably not a deal breaker if you have no experience in most casesâthey may just be trying to get a better sense of where you stand.
How to answer: Managing a budget includes cost estimation, deciding how to allocate funds, keeping a record of how money was spent, and planning for unexpected expenses. Itâs great if you can point to some examples in the past. If you donât have much experience, you can share what you know about budget planning, or talk about budgeting experience you have in your personal life, if itâs relevant. Itâs also good to show that youâre able to pick up new skills.
How Would You Improve
This can be a tricky question, but this is where your research and familiarity with the interviewers company will come in handy. While the interviewer is trying to understand your PM thought process, they also want to determine a) your understanding of their companys products, b) what you think of the company, and c) how adept are you at providing feedback to potential product stakeholders .. Praising the strong product elements, while offering some well-thought out suggestions for improvement with associated reasoning, shows the interviewer that you have done your research and are confident in sharing your expertise.
For example, if you were discussing an app, you might say Many aspects of this product are exemplary, such as its intuitive design and ease of use. To further enhance it, Id recommend making sharing functionality more agnostic so as to seamlessly work with a broader range of social media platforms given the potential issues with Meta in Europe and the likely ripple effect that VR will have on emerging social media. This refinement will complement the products countless strengths and position it well for the future.
Remember, this is a chance to market yourself too. Be sure to answer this question in a way that highlights your knowledge and insights, while also reflecting back your alignment with this companys core values.
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How Do You Align The Technical Team With The Product Vision And Overarching Goals Of The Company
Some recruiters might reserve this question for a technical product manager interview. However, most product manager interviewers tend to include this question in their interview process since it is more people management-related as opposed to technical.
With that in mind, the question invites candidates to touch on the strategies they use to unify the technical team with product strategy.
The nature of the question implies that fluid communication and frequent follow-ups will be crucial in this phase.
Candidates should refer to the importance of conducting as many meetings as necessary. In doing so, they must mention how important it is to sensitize the technical team and orient them on the product vision as well as the companys overarching goals.
The best candidates will also speak to the passive and active resistance that the technical team will display either before or during the development phase. You must mention how your meetings will help to reduce any type of resistance. Be sure to indicate that you will conduct ad-hoc meetings as needed in order to resolve specific concerns that one or more team members may have.
Here are some more technical product management-related questions that recruiters can ask:
3. Talk me through how you would write an algorithm to recommend friends to add.
4. Explain how you would write an algorithm to recommend contacts to add.
5. Describe how you would write an algorithm to recommend articles to a user.
Reason : A Great Investment For Your Future
The exam itself falls into about the middle range in terms of cost. While not as expensive as many of the high-tech, very specific exams, it isnt something you are likely to take lightly. At $555 a test , it doesnt seem too expensive.
The passing rate of the PMP exam is estimated to be around 50 60%. Once you consider the pass/fail rate, you may decide that you need formal training. These types, of course, can cost between $1,500 and $2,000not counting the cost of the exam.
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