What Did You Learn About The Company While Researching This Role
With this question, the interviewer intends to determine if you conducted research about the company before coming for the interview. An effective strategy is to learn about the company by searching for information during the application stage and again before the interview. You can check the company’s social media pages and website.
Reading about the management team or core members is also a great way to research the company. You can focus on the company’s mission, vision, and values during your research. Consider discussing its recent events, product launch, or other recent news to show enthusiasm about the company.
Questions To Turn An Interview Around
What are good questions to ask in an interview that isnt going so well?
If youve been searching for a job for a long time, you may be feeling the effects of job search depression. But, dont let another flopped interview get in your way. Here are five questions you can ask to turn your interview around and why theyre so powerful.
Explain The Concept Of Raid In Project Management
As you know, RAID is a critical tool for any project manager. It stands for Risks, Actions, Issues, and Decisions. To define it, RAID is a tool used by project managers to track risks, actions, issues, and decisions in an organized way. While answering the project management interview question, you should include the definitions of these four concepts as well.
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How Do You Motivate Team Members
Its crucial as a leader to not only ensure your team stays on the right track but also gets motivated about the projects theyre working on. Maybe you give praise for a job well done as a form of motivation. As long as you can demonstrate past examples of how youve motivated team members, theres not a right or wrong answer here.
Generate Reports For Stakeholders
Stakeholders usually ask for broad strokes to make sure the project is going well, but sometimes they want more detail. ProjectManager has one-click reports that can be filtered to show just the information stakeholders or project managers need to keep tabs on the progress of the project.
Teams are a projects most valuable resource. ProjectManager keeps team morale high by giving project managers the tools they need to manage their workload and make sure no one is giving too many tasks while others are idle. ProjectManager also streamlines the timesheet process and has features that manage project resources, so projects can deliver on stakeholder expectations.
One youve gotten through the project manager interview process and a job offer has been made, then its up to you to provide them with the best tools to manage the project. ProjectManager is a cloud-based project management software with real-time dashboards, online Gantt charts and a collaborative platform for your team. Theres no question, this is what your project manager will want. Try our award-winning software for free with this 30-day trial.
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Which Was One Of The Biggest Mistakes You Have Committed In Your Past Projects How Has It Impacted Your Approach To Work
To err is human, they say. It is how you deal with the errors that define your skills. By asking this project management interview question, the interviewer intends to check your honesty and whether you take responsibility of mistakes you have made in your past projects. 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. Also, you can explain how you had resolved it.
Sample Interview Questions For Managerial Positions
- At which point do you find it necessary to bring others into your decision-making process? Why?
- Describe your approach to making decisions and solving problems. Why do you do it this way?
- When you recommend something to management, what approach do you usually use?
- How do you assemble relevant data to make your decisions? How do you know you have enough data?
- How much leeway do you give your employees to make decisions? How do you still maintain control?
Administration Questions
- What areas are within your sphere of responsibility in your current position? How do, you make sure that you know what is happening ?
- How do make sure that your employees are accountable?
- What operating systems do you use to monitor and maintain control of your area of accountability?
- What do you typically do when you hear of a problem in your area? Explain?
- How useful have you found written procedures and guidelines in helping you manage your area?
- Do you feel that the chain of command is important? Why? When do you feel it might inhibit organizational effectiveness?
Writing Skills Questions
- When you have to write letters, how do you usually get started?
- How do you keep track of incoming and outgoing correspondence?
- What do you see as the difference in writing strategy for a report vs. memo vs. a letter?
Financial Questions
Leadership Questions
Evaluating Performance
Employee Relations
Planning Questions
Organizational Relationships
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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:
Tips To Help You Prepare For Your Management Interview
The following tips can be helpful to prepare for your interview:
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Bring copies of your resume to distribute in case there are several people present during your interview
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Practice how you will answer interview questions with your friends or family or in front of a mirror
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If you get nervous, you can help yourself relax by breathing deeply, focusing on your strengths and keeping your practice answers in mind
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You might also think about describing clear examples of your past management positions and how you have developed the skills needed for the job
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What Are Your Strongest Skills While Managing Projects
There is no one skill that makes you a successful project manager in IT, mainly because there are so many different factors that need to be considered during the process of project management. A question like this is looking to understand what skills you think you possess that make you good at keeping you team on track.
Pick your strengths and elaborate on how they help you to get things finished on time and within budget. Communication would be an obvious choice, because it is necessary for coordinating and relaying information between your teams, stakeholders and clients. Feel free to add your own if you feel like you can add more value to the answer.
Suppose The Customer Is Not Happy About The Quality Of The Project Outcomes How Do You Handle The Situation What Is Your Way Of Handling An Unhappy Stakeholder
As a project manager, you will be answerable when the customers are unhappy about the project outcomes. While you answer this project management interview question, you should be able to reveal how much you value the customers and that you would accept their authority without being critical. You can say that you will try to make the necessary modifications that the customer is looking for. You can explain the steps you have taken to ensure regular interaction with the customer throughout the project. Also, you can say that you will communicate effectively to make the customer understand that the outcomes are within the scope of the project.
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What Do Interview Questions For Managers Test
Interview questions for managers are used to identify, test and measure candidates management capabilities, experience and knowledge.
Asking interview questions for managers will help you select the candidates with the best people and leadership skills. Management interview questions are created in order to test job candidates abilities to lead, support and motivate their teams.
According to Googles research based on data analysis, there are 8 characteristics of highly effective managers. Great management interview questions will help you assess all of these traits in your job candidates for managerial positions.
Is There Anything I Have Said That Makes You Doubt I Would Be A Great Fit For This Position
Asking this question at the end of an interview can feel terrifying. After all, you are asking whether there is any reason why the hiring manager wouldn’t want to extend you an offer. However, if you have the courage to ask this, you stand to gain a better sense of the next steps in the hiring process and an opportunity to address any reservations that the hiring manager might have about your candidacy while you still have his or her attention.
Having considered some of the questions that can put you in the best light and close the interview on a high note, here is a short list of questions that you should never ask in an interview.
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Questions About The Companys Past And Future
Where has the company come from, and where are they going? What are your future teams next goals to hit? To get a better understanding of your potential role and its context, you can ask about the companys past and future.
How did they become a leader in the industry today? What are their plans to continue leading in the future?
However, make sure you dont ask obvious questions that anyone could have easily figured out with a quick search online, or by reading the companys website. You want to appear informed and thoughtful.
For example, if the companys website clearly states who founded the company and how it began, dont ask this question. It may make it seem like you didnt do your research before the interview.
You can also ask questions about diversity in the workplace and what the company is doing to make it a priority.
How Do You Seek Help Outside Of The Project Team
This project manager interview question gives you information about the leadership and communication skills of your project manager candidate. Some project managers are going to think you want a person who is wholly independent and pulls from an inner reservoir. Fair enough. But more resourceful is the project manager who knows when theyre over their head and asks for help from a mentor or a network of professionals.
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What’s Your Favourite Non
It’s always important to try and understand what kind of person a candidate is, and finding out what they enjoy outside of work is a great way to dig into this.
While it may not impact their work at all, it can help you understand someone’s character. These kind of interview questions help to relax candidates and encourage them to open up and speak about their life.
It’s also pretty interesting to know that you have a budding kitesurfer or a weekend chess aficionado in your team!
What If I Dont Have Any Formal Project Management Experience
Project management is a field where people skills can make or break a candidate. If youâre less familiar with the technical side of project management, emphasize people skills you have like leadership, communication, and organization. Even if youâre not a formal project manager yet, chances are good that youâve done some elements of project management in the past. Go through your experiences and find moments when youâve helped to improve, plan, or execute new processes.
And donât worryâif youâve landed an interview, your interviewer probably already knows that you donât have formal experience but sees potential in you. Convey your enthusiasm for the job and willingness to learn.
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Have You Ever Promoted An Employee Why
This question can help the interviewer evaluate what kind of reward system you might implement to retain and promote quality employees. Your answer might be an example of how you promoted a teammate to an assistant manager, for instance.
Example:”In my prior role, I worked with a teammate who continuously exceeded my expectations as well as company standards. I could just tell they were dedicated to their work and highly motivated to succeed as well as help our business thrive. I ended up promoting this employee to assistant manager for these reasons.”
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.
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What Do Your Most Successful Employees Do Differently Compared To Others
Asking about the most successful employees has two benefits.
First, itll help you learn more about what it takesto succeed at this company. But itll also show your potential employer that you:
- Are open-minded
- Have the drive to succeed
- Think outside the box
Its not an obvious question that anyone would think about, which is what makes it such a good one.
Have You Ever Had To Terminate An Employee
Firing an employee is not always an easy decision to make, and the interviewer likely knows this. Your answer can allow the interviewer to gauge how your professionalism and interpersonal skills can help you in a situation like this.
If you have past experience with terminating an employee, you can use that example in your answer. Similarly, you can also describe how you would approach this situation if you have never had to fire someone.
Example:”I’ve been fortunate enough that I haven’t had to make that tough decision in my career yet. However, if I had to consider an employee termination, it would only come as a last resort after other disciplinary methods like probationary evaluations, performance reviews and implementing improvement plans.”
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What Was A Challenging Project And How Did You Manage It
This behavioral question takes the conversation from the theoretical to the practical. You can see how the project managers responded to real-life problems, which helps you determine how they would manage projects at your organization. This question also provides a sense of the persons project management experience, such as how they lead teams and deal with conflicts. By asking about a challenging project, you can see how they apply their hard and soft skills when pushed to their limits and beyond.
If We Asked Your Direct Reports About You What Would They Say
This manager interview question focuses on understanding your relationship with the team.
How you interact with them speaks a lot about your leadership style and allows the recruiters to identify your suitability to their company culture.
To answer, speak with self-awareness, and talk about how you interact with your team to share feedback and appreciate them.
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How Can You Make Sure You Communicate With Your Team Effectively
Because managing a team can rely heavily on effective communication, interviewers ask this question as a way to assess your skills in this area. You might answer with examples of how you implemented weekly updates, team meetings or monthly conferences.
Example:”In my past role, I used an online messaging platform that enabled quick communication between myself and my team. I made mandatory weekly project updates so I could know what my team was accomplishing each week. I also conducted monthly team meetings to go over only the most pertinent information related to what we were working on for that time frame.”
How Is The Feedback Process Structured
Asking this question in an interview has been critical for me as a candidate. Performance feedback is how humans get better. Excellence and mastery have always been important to me, and I am aware that they are impossible without knowing how and when to ask for regular feedback. Does this company limit its feedback cycle to the annual reviews? Does the hiring manager make it a priority to deliver just-in-time acknowledgment and suggestions for improvement?
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How Do You Establish Priorities For Yourself And The People You Supervise
Sometimes there are a number of projects taking place at once. Hiring managers know that without clearly agreed-upon priorities, a workforce can become split and frustrated, waiting for key pieces of work in order to be able to complete their own tasks and meet deadlines. So how have youor how would youensure that members of your team know how to organize their day and what to work on first?
For this question, you can share a story about a time you needed to establish priorities for yourself at a past job. How did you decide which tasks to attend to first? If youve led a team or been a project manager, what criteria have you used to determine priorities for the team and how did you communicate them? Make sure the story is representative of your leadership style: For example, do you tend to let each worker figure it out on their own or with each other first and come to you with questions or do you step in from the get-go? Does it depend on the employee or situation?
And you can add specifics: What software or tech do you use for project management and when do you need to reinforce priorities outside of it? Are there daily meetings? How are those run? Have you ever coached an employee on how to manage their time or prioritize their own workload?
