Whats Your Preferred Project Management Methodology
There are almost as many ways to manage a project as there are projects. From traditional methods like waterfall to hybrid methodologies, you want a project manager who understands the many ways to work. And more importantly, can they use the project management methodology that best suits the work at hand?
Whats The Difference Between Corrective And Preventive Actions
Corrective action is taken to remove the cause of an existing defect. For instance, a corrective measure in a case when a project is lagging behind the schedule is to accelerate the remaining work to compensate for the delay.
Preventing action is taken to eliminate the occurrence of potential variance. Lets take the same case of a project lagging behind the schedule. The team figured out that it happened due to a lack of effective management. The preventive action is to provide clear guidance to the team for avoiding any such events in the future.
What Steps Will You Take If You Find That One Of The Project Tasks Requires More Time Than You Anticipated
Accurate time estimates are required to establish realistic deadlines, avoid schedule overruns and minimize delays. However, it is not always so easy to predict the duration of project tasks in advance. Even if you have all the information necessary to get a reliable estimate, you may make a mistake, and your own mind can play tricks on you and incline you towards making a wrong decision. Such an unconscious tendency to make wrong time estimates is known as the planning fallacy, which turns out to be the primary reason why we fail to meet deadlines ever so often.
To avoid the planning fallacy, other experts should be included in the estimating process. Inviting people to participate in project time estimation allows you to consider a variety of challenges and possibilities that you wouldnt be able to find on your own. Also, you need reliable and high-quality data to make correct time estimations.
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Do You Prefer Working On A Single Project Or Multiple Projects At The Same Time
Be open and let the interviewer know whether you prefer working on a single project or multiple projects simultaneously. Remember, there is no right or wrong answer, and it all depends on your preference and managerial style.
Example:I believe I can be more efficient if I work on a single project. But if required, I am willing to take up multiple projects occasionally.”
What Attracted You To The Technical Side Of Project Management
This question provides you with an opportunity to show your comprehension of the technical aspects of project management. Employers typically expect technical project managers to have more knowledge of project management, so this is a great opportunity to showcase your skill and knowledge in technical project management.
Example: âOver the years, I’ve worked on various projects where I earned project management expertise by being exposed to many aspects of project management, such as project planning, time limitations, budgeting, risk management, and time management. My interest in technical project management developed as a result of this experience. I learned that technical project management brings a new set of challenges that I enjoy solving.”
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How Do You Go About Managing The Performance Of Your Team
Its important to show that you have leadership skills when you answer this question. Be thorough about your daily tasks when it comes to managing your teams performancefor example, perhaps you hold weekly strategy discussions and meetings. Youll also want to provide specific examples of how your management style has resulted in positive team performance.
How Do You Motivate People To Stay On Track And Meet Their Deadlines
Project managers are leaders who are responsible for achieving results. But more often than not, they dont have direct authority over the people doing the work to complete the project. In short, theyre not always the formal bosses of the people they rely on to get things done and be successful in their own roles.
So its critical that they have the interpersonal skills to motivate their coworkerssome of whom might be their peers or even senior to themto deliver on time and in line with the expectations and requirements.
You also want to show your stakeholdersand now your interviewersthat youre willing to roll up your sleeves and put in the work yourself. Because that in itself will motivate everyone around you to do the same. Really good project managers, they get in there and they get their hands dirty, Campos says. What I mean by that is they are right there along with their team making sure things are happening.
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How Will You Manage Underperforming Team Members
A PM must keep a close observation of the performance of every team member to get a thorough idea of what is going on in the team.
Ways in which a PM should try to deal with an underperforming team member are:
- Have a direct and informal conversation and take an empathetic approach to understand the underlying cause.
- Offer meaningful help, encouragement, and training to motivate the underperforming team member.
- Analyze if there is a possibility to change the role of that particular team member within the same project after assessing their capabilities.
- Observe if the underperforming resource can be changed with a capable one.
Ultimately, the project manager should strike a balance between the project success and supporting the underperforming team member to raise the bar of their performance.
Which Project Management Method Do You Prefer
The interviewer asks this question to check your technical expertise and even your ability to adapt. Explain the methods you have used.
Example:”I have primarily used Agile for my previous projects. Agile helps me create shorter delivery cycles and makes it easy for the client to check at each stage of development, offering constructive feedback. I have also studied the Lean method of project management in my free time and tried to include some of it into my project management style.”
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Project Manager Interview Questions And Sample Answers
Project managers are often the unsung heroes of every company. They relentlessly work in the background, negotiate with stakeholders, collect feedback, and empower their teams to do their best work.
Part people person, part analytical thinker, a good project manager combines strategic analysis with strong organizational and interpersonal skills to make work happen within the set timeframes and budgets.
Experienced project managers receive great compensation, often north of six figures per year. According to Glassdoor, project managers earn a median $83,694 salary in the US, plus $10-$12K extra in various perks. Senior IT project managers, employed by tech firms, often earn way more above $150K in base salary plus stocks and perks.
The best part? The demand for PMs is growing fast. By 2027, the industry will add extra 22 million jobs globally. So if you are looking to change careers or advance further up on your career path, the timing cant be better.
Refresh your PM resume and start preparing for a project management interview!
What Is The Pmi Audit Process
The submission of your application indicates your agreement to comply with the terms of the audit process. In case your application is selected for the audit, you will be notified by email prior to payment of the certification fee. Please submit the following documents during the audit:
You have 90 days to submit the requested documentation. Once you provide all the necessary documentation required for the audit process, It will take 5-7 business days for the audit process to be completed.
You can send your completed audit forms either by regular postal mail or by express courier service to the address mentioned below. Make sure to send all the audit documents in one envelope as sending those documents separately can lead to a delay in the audit review process.
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Situational And Domain Knowledge Questions
With some candidates, it is advisable to cut the chase and instead of postulating how specific answers indicate what they may do, directly ask them what they plan to do in specific commonly occurring situations.These questions should be tweaked to fit the scenarios a project manager in your company would commonly face or be about a particular quality youre looking for.
For example,
1. The client is being difficult and is not happy with the end result of your project. How do you deal with this?Here, the right answer must cover a through approach that suggests repeated and careful communication with the stakeholders and clients, strong SLAs and then, keeping in mind the old adage The customer is always right, a strategy to appease and maintain a long-lasting relationship with the customer, without burning both ends of candle.
2. What are the key challenges in the industry today, and how can you deal with them?This is one of my favorite questions. Direct and to the point. The candidate usually has an answer prepared for this question which gives you an insight into their strategy coming into this interview, their level of preparedness along with domain knowledge.
3. What do you do when a project is off-track?Any candidate worth hiring should be able to answer this question since it is a fairly common scenario. The answer should include an action plan which goes something like this: Asses, Identify, Communicate, Train for recovery, Reallocate, Execute, and Reassess.
Whats The Difference Between Project Monitoring And Controlling
Monitoring entails identifying discrepancies between actual project results and the project baseline, whereas Controlling entails identifying repair options for deviations and recommending corrective actions.
Both project monitoring and control are used to keep projects on track and carried out from start to finish. These procedures must be planned as part of the project management strategy for the project life cycle to go well.
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Project Manager Behavioral Interview Questions And Answers
Since project managers need to have strong interpersonal skills, be ready to answer a set of behavioral interview questions.
Here are some common ones.
1. Youre Facing a Budget Overrun. What Types of Escalation Paths Would You Use?
Budgeting is always a sensitive matter. Everyone wants to keep the costs low and the outputs high, but thats rarely the case. Focus your answer on explaining how you usually escalate money matters to other stakeholders.
Sample answer:
When pressed with a budget-related bottleneck, I first document the issue and break down the root cause, plus resulting risks. Then I make a short memo with several budgeting scenarios and implications for the project and escalate it over to the finance team and key project sponsors. Oftentimes, we settle the matter during a follow-up meeting.
2. Did You Ever Face an Unrealistic Project Timeline? How Did You Handle the Matter?
Similar to budgets, time also runs short on various projects. The problem is that temporary stalls can lead to major bottlenecks and idle time in block units. Likewise, unfeasible timelines often result in a rushed job and subsequent costly reworks,
You should demonstrate in your response that you are capable of breaking the hard news to stakeholders and negotiating better timelines.
Sample answer:
3. How Do You Establish Good Rapport with Team Members?
Sample answer:
Even More Behavioral Project Management Interview Questions to Practice!
Become A Project Manager
Speak to a Learning Advisor to learn more about how our bootcamps and courses can help you become a Project Manager.
Employers may ask you a range of questions at your Project Manager interview. The questions will vary depending on the role and job description, but they will likely be a mix of technical and behavioral interview questions.
The questions will assess your project management knowledge and expertise. Equally as important, the employers will be seeing how well you would fit in with the company.
Employers are eager to find Project Managers who can lead and work well with a team. During the interview, candidates should emphasize their skills and strengths, backed with facts and figures. Employers may also ask a Project Manager candidate interview questions regarding past challenges or failures.
If youre asked to elaborate on unsuccessful projects, focus on what you learned and how you adapted. Employers want to test your problem-solving skills and make sure youll be the right fit for their team.
Project Manager Interview Tips
- Emphasize skills and strengths, backed by facts and figures
- Focus on how you learned from past challenges and failures
- Showcase problem-solving skills
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Whats Your Leadership Style
Talking about managing a project will inevitably lead to a discussion of leadership style. There are many ways to lead, and all have their pluses and minuses. Depending on the project, a project manager might have to pick and choose how they lead, ranging from a top-down approach to servant leadership. See how well-versed they are on leadership techniques and how they apply them to project management.
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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Q22 Is There A Way To Prioritize Tasks On A Project How Will You Do It
It is essential to prioritize. There will be more extended hours in a day than can be completed, but any successful project manager will have to decide what is essential, and if possible, what should be left unfinished. Seeing how the candidate takes those choices will prove to be insightful and helpful.
Q26 Work From Home Has Become The New Normal In The Post
Project managers in the modern world frequently pick their employees from a multinational workforce and are required to control projects centrally. You should have the experience and expertise to collaborate with the team members remotely. It requires a particular methodology in management. Your answer to this interview question regarding the project managers role should specifically explain the approach you can use to handle people and resources in a remote area.
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Project Manager Interview Questions On Goal Focus
Being focused on goals is essential for project managers. You need a clear focus to succeed. It is important for candidates to demonstrate the ability to align resources to achieve key objectives, to plan and identify ways to improve and achieve greater efficiency and to monitor and fine-tune execution with agility, hard work, perseverance, and good judgment. Key questions asked in this area are:
Do You Prefer The Fast
Both fast-tracking and crashing are techniques that project managers use to shorten the project duration without compromising the quality and scope.
Example:”It depends on the available resources. If the client is willing to bear extra cost, I would choose the crashing methodology by adding resources to the project. If multiple tasks can be performed in parallel, then I prefer fast-tracking.”
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Common Behavioral Project Manager Interview Questions
For behavioral questions, a Hiring Manager is looking for concrete examples of how you handled issues in the past. This will help them determine how you might handle future situations.
Make sure to answer these Project Manager interview questions with specific examples. Include the situation, the action you took, and the results in your response.
The STAR method will be useful in answering these interview questions as well.
Some common project management job interview questions with behavioral themes include:
Question: Please tell us about a project you managed that did not meet the deadline or budget.
Answer: No one is perfect, and as long as you have a good explanation for why a past project wasnt delivered on time or on budget and you can illustrate how you learned from your mistake this answer should show that a candidate has the ability to grow as a PM.
One way to answer this question without necessarily admitting a mistake of your own would be to think back to a situation when a client might have wanted to add a new feature sometime over the life of the project that would increase the cost or time to complete the project.
Q38 How Will You Deal With The Bottlenecks During Your Project
A bottleneck is an area in the project where the work is held up and causing the delay. Similar to what we experience at construction sites on highways where the car has to slow down and wait for the vehicle in front of them to move first.
To deal with the bottlenecks in the project, we can follow the following steps:
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