Technology Project Manager Interview Questions

Do You Have An Internationalproject Team Management Experience

Youare likely to have worked with an international project team if you have beenworking as a project manager for a number of years. The interviewer wants a clear-cutanswer.

Tip #1: Youranswer has to be short. However, a Yes or No answer wont suffice.

Tip #2: Offer abasic overview of the project where you worked with an international team.

Sample Answer

Managingan international team proved a significant challenge for me. I worked with ateam on creating a website. The client required us to provide the functionalityof the site in multiple languages and hence, we had to seek help fromdevelopers based overseas to localize the site.

Themajor hurdle was communication, as the team we were working was on a differentcontinent and in a different time zone. For the duration of the project, Iassigned my subordinate the responsibility of handling correspondence.

Hehad to change his shift timings to accommodate the requirements of the project.The key takeaway for me is that we had to rely on online tools. There, Irealized the importance of documenting each step of the project. I alsoexplained the process to the international team.

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.

Digital Project Manager Interview Goals

In a digital project manager interview, there are a few things that need to established:

• What are their motivations for moving?
• Are they nice and will they fit into the agency/team?
• Are they passionate about digital?
• Have they got the right experience?
• Have they got a good work ethic?
• Are they good digital project manager and good at what they do?

As an interviewer, trying to establish whether or not someones good enough for a digital project manager role, or if youre sitting on the other side of the table, trying to convince someone youre a great digital project management candidate is a tough gig. Its worth doing your homework before you find yourself having a total mind blank, being tongue-tied, or wondering what to say.

Ive previously explored what makes a good project manager the right experience combined with strong character, competence, and chemistry. So as an interviewer, what are the things you should be asking to uncover this, and as an interviewee, what should you be prepared to answer?

Recommended Reading: How To Get Prepared For A Job Interview

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 Is Thelargest Number Of Projects You Have Handled At The Same Time

Theinterviewer wants an idea of the workload you can manage. Keep your answer tothe point, as you only have to provide facts here.

Tip #1: Provide aconcise answer. However, you cannot just say 10 and move on.

Tip #2: Offersome insight into the type of projects you handled.

Sample Answer

Asa project manager for an IT firm, I handled 5 projects at a time. Theexpectation was to deliver an update to each client on a daily basis. Ofcourse, I had to expedite projects with shorter timelines. In my experience,managing 5 projects during an 8-hour workday is feasible.

Ido recall a time during my earlier job where I had to take over the projectload for a manager who quit out of the blue due to personal reasons. Myinvolvement was as a stopgap, and I handled 9 projects for a couple of weeks.Hence, I do have the capacity to increase my workload, as and when required,without hassle.

You May Like: How To Crack Amazon Business Analyst Interview

What Has Changed In The New Pmp Exam Format

The domains for the new PMP Certification exam have been updated to include more diverse skills and approaches.The new PMP Certification exam will focus on three domains:

The new content will also include predictive, agile, and hybrid approaches in the exam.For more detail, please refer to PMP exam updates by PMI.

Do You Think Building A Relationship With Your Project Sponsor Is Important

The aim of this question is to assess the candidate’s interpersonal and communication skills. They should be able to build a strong relationship with their project sponsor, as they are the one that owns the project and provides the resources. What to look for in an answer:

• Understanding of the importance of building a relationship with their project sponsor
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to build strong, professional relationships with colleagues

Example:

“I do think it’s important to build a professional relationship. They are putting a lot into the project, so they deserve to know what’s going on. I try to update my sponsor as much as possible by keeping an open line of communication with them. I usually set weekly meetings to discuss any updates and address concerns they may have.”

You May Like: What Are Interviewers Looking For

Differentiate Between Risk And Issues

Best Project Manager Interview Questions To Ask Candidates

Here are some of the best project manager interview questions that will help you find the best talent for your projects. Theyre also helpful if you want to learn how to prepare for a project manager interview. There are behavioral and scenario-based questions, as well as some icebreakers to start the interview.

Don’t Miss: What Are Some Common Questions Asked In A Job Interview

Technical Project Manager Interview Questions

The technical project manager is responsible for overseeing projects from inception to completion. The technical project manager supervises team members, manages budgets, and ensures that health and safety laws are followed.

When interviewing technical project managers, the ideal candidate should have excellent organizational skills. Be wary of candidates with poor problem-solving skills.

• Completely free trial, no card required.
• Reach over 250 million candidates.

Reason : Project Management Professionals Demonstrate Better Project Performance

Not all project managers are PMP certified. Consequently, project managers who lack the credential perform less efficiently than their certified peers. The standards for the rigorous PMP exam are higher than other pmp certifications, testing professionals on five project management processes: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling, and closing, providing the Project manager with a detailed, standardized, actionable set of project management best practices.

Further, in order to qualify for the PMP exam, aspirants must have an in-depth understanding of nine knowledge areas of project management, including project scope management, integration management, human resource management, time management, cost management, quality management, and procurement management.

You May Like: When Should I Send Thank You Email After Interview

Why Do You Feel You Are The Most Suited For This Role

Strengths! More education and skills you have, more you are suited for different roles. Interviewer wants to know about your strengths and wants to see your confidence. Try to be honest and dont become over-confident. Simply, try to give reasons that why you are or you can be beneficial and important for the firm.

I am not saying that Im the perfect in the world but, I have prepared myself to such extent where I can understand the challenges and issues of the firm and behave accordingly. Handling the entire project is not an easy thing to do and it is also important that entire organization performance rely upon you. Your bosses and owners look towards you. So it is a thing of responsibility. So to meet that, I have managed to get all those skills that any owner usually looks for it. Furthermore, my education and past experience also support me for this position.

Personal It Project Manager Interview Questions And Answers

1. Describe yourself in a few words.

The interviewer is only really interested in hearing what might be relevant to the job. Restrict yourself to a few words about your qualifications, a few remarks about previous jobs and a comment about your plans for the future.

2. Describe a milestone.

A milestone is a stage in the project where a significant objective has been achieved. They are a measure of progress. Here you should give an example or two of stressful work situations you have encountered in the past. Describe why they were stressful and how you overcame them. You could also include a word about how you personally deal with stress.

3. What was your greatest success as a project manager?

Describe the project or aspect of a project that you consider was the most successful and explain your reasons. If you can tie this back to examples of activities/requirements given in the job description then that could score bonus points.

4. What was your biggest failure as a project manager?

Do not be afraid to mention a failure. You should, however, give your answer a positive spin â describe the cause of the failure, but stress what you learned from it and how it has made you a better manager.

5. What do you think are your greatest strengths?

Describe what you believe are your key strengths and give examples of how you used these strengths in previous projects.

6. What are your weaknesses?

7. Why should we hire you?

Recommended Reading: What Question I Should Ask In Interview

What Criteria Are You Using To Find Your Next Job

Good because: It will show you whats important to them at work: green credentials, career progression, work/life balance, working for a big brand etc. It will also tell you if they are actively job hunting or whether they saw your ad and couldnt resist .

Bad response: Salary, expense policy and the chance to travel abroad.

What Are Some Of The Most Challenging Aspects Of Your Job

The interviewer is trying to gauge the level of difficulty the software project manager faces on a daily basis. This is important because it helps the interviewer understand how the software project manager copes with difficult situations and whether they are able to find creative solutions to problems.

Example: There are many challenging aspects of my job as a software project manager. One of the most challenging aspects is dealing with project deadlines. I have to ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget. This can be a challenge if there are unforeseen delays or problems with the project. Another challenge is dealing with team members who are not meeting their deadlines. I have to motivate them and help them to stay on track.

Also Check: How To Email References After Interview

What Experience Do You Have Managing Remote Or Distributed Teams

This question reflects the growing importance of working with remote or distributed teams in the age of COVID-19. See if the candidate is aware of the issues that arise when a team never meets in person. Do they mention details such as the effect a geographically distributed team has on scheduling meeting times?

Interviewer tips

Get candidates to describe the challenges of working with remote or distributed teams and how it differs from working with an on-site team. Their answer to this question will show if they have had to manage such a team and if they are sensitive to what’s required.

An example of a good candidate answer

I worked with remote and distributed teams on several projects prior to the pandemic. Since COVID-19’s inception, all my projects have been remote. There are pluses and minuses with a remote team. When you have the entire team on site, getting input is quicker and resolving issues is faster and easier. It’s also easier to instill a sense of teamwork and move everyone toward a common goal. On the other hand, remote and hybrid work lets people set their schedules and operate in an environment that’s more conducive to their workstyles. Remote teams are often more productive because there are fewer interruptions.

Interview Questions To Ask An Employer At The End Of The Interview

• What is your organisations approach to managing projects? Do you use a specific methodology or tools?
• What Key Performance Indicators do you track?
• Does the team work independently or collaborate?
• At what stage of the project does the project manager get involved?
• How many clients does a project manager receive in your company at one time?
• What is the career path for project managers in this organisation?
• Is there room for growth or advancement if I earn this role?
• What is the biggest challenge faced by the company/industry?
• What are the most likely challenges I will face in this role?

Recommended Reading: How To Prepare For My First Interview

How Do You Set Goals For Your Team And How Do You Track These Goals

Whether its 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. Be sure to give specific examples that demonstrate how youve set goals for your team in the past and how youve tracked these goals. For instance, you might have set a project completion goal for a specific project that required everyone to complete their part by a certain date. Perhaps you regularly checked in with team members to see if any obstacles could stop them from meeting that deadline and if so, you offered possible solutions.

PMP Plus Master’s Program

Tell Meabout The Projects You Have Managed

Theinterviewer wants to learn about the type of projects you have experience ofmanaging, as well as your approach to managing each project.

Tip #1: Avoidrambling on and on about different projects. Stick to the most successful projectyou worked on and demonstrate how you managed it.

Tip #2: Make sureyou highlight your project management approach, but without focusing on it.

Sample Answer

Over the years, I have handled a variety of projects. My initial job was for a software development company, where we mainly focused on creating software and applications for different clients. I was in charge of managing execution of the projects from start to finish.

Ialso have experience of working for a marketing company. There, I tackled avariety of projects, from basic advertising to running entire campaigns onFacebook. The projects comprised of three people to a team of two dozen peopleworking in tandem. Hence, I have sufficient experience of handling projects ofdifferent scopes with different personnel requirements.

Don’t Miss: How To Prepare For An Engineering Interview

Describe A Time You Experienced A Negative Project Outcome And What You Learned From The Experience

Interviewers often ask this question to evaluate your ability to handle failure and make the improvements necessary to prevent something similar from occurring. While it’s unlikely that every project you complete is going to be successful, it’s important that you learn from your mistakes. In answering this question, be honest about a negative outcome you experienced and demonstrate your accountability for the situation by discussing the steps you took to recognize your mistake and learn from it.

Answer:”At the last company I worked for, we had a client who expressed dissatisfaction about the outcome of a marketing project for their brand. They didn’t feel our messaging aligned with what they wanted. I used the opportunity to meet with the team I supervised to establish expectations earlier in the project cycle. I also decided to schedule additional meetings with clients to obtain their input quickly, rather than waiting until after the completion of the project. From this experience, I learned that it’s important to communicate with both my team and the client early in the project lifecycle.

What Are Some Of The Technical Projects That You Have Overseen

This is a fun question to answer, especially if you have some accomplishments that you are proud of. Frame your answer in relation to the problem that you had to solve and then outline the solution, how you found it and how you implemented it. Speak about the results and how it added value to the business.

At this point in the interview you should probably have an idea of what technical abilities the interview panel is looking for in their potential CTO. Try to answer the questions in such a way that you show that you are aware of what they are looking for and that you can relate some of your skills to their current needs.

Recommended Reading: What Should You Say In A Job Interview

How Do You Go About Ensuring That All Team Members Are Aligned With The Project Objectives

As a software project manager, it is important to ensure that all team members are aligned with the project objectives in order to ensure the successful completion of the project. By ensuring that all team members are aware of the objectives and are working towards them, the project is more likely to be successful.

Example: There are a few key things that a project manager can do to ensure that all team members are aligned with the project objectives. First, it is important to clearly communicate the objectives of the project to the team at the beginning of the project. The objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound . Second, the project manager should create a project plan that outlines all of the tasks that need to be completed in order to achieve the project objectives. The project plan should be shared with the team so that everyone is aware of what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. Third, the project manager should hold regular team meetings to check in on progress and address any issues or concerns. Finally, the project manager should provide feedback to individual team members on their performance and how they are contributing to the overall success of the project.