What Are The Interview Questions For Project Manager

How Do You Resolve Team Conflicts Or Stakeholder Disagreements

Conflicts and disagreements are a way of life for project managers, and they must resolve them quickly, while instilling a sense of trust and respect. This question can help you understand your candidate’s ability to impartially mediate conflicts and resolve them without lingering resentments. The question will also provide a sense of the candidate’s communication skills, which are essential to addressing conflicts and disagreements. This question offers a good opportunity to understand the candidate’s personality and ability to work effectively with other people.

Interviewer tips

Encourage candidates to share experiences of how they resolved conflicts. Get them to be specific, so you understand the context in which the conflict occurred, how it was resolved and the outcome. Watch for candidates who give vague answers or don’t have good examples. It might indicate that they choose not to deal with these issues or don’t have skills or experience with conflict resolution.

An example of a good candidate answer

I can’t think of any project I’ve managed in which I didn’t have to address some type of conflict, disagreement or miscommunication. Conflicts are part of the job and each is unique. During one project, for example, the front-end team was upset with the back-end team over changes that were undermining their UI work. I set up a meeting with people from both teams where we discussed the concerns.

The Top 7 Project Management Interview Questions And Answers

Kat Boogaard

You have an interview scheduled for a project management role youre super pumped about. While youre excited to be moving onto the next step in hopefully landing the job of your dreams, you also have those inevitable pre-interview jitters.

What should you wear? What if you get lost on the way to the office? Andperhaps the most nerve-wracking question of allwhat the heck are they going to ask you?

Of course, you should prepare for those inevitable, standard interview questionsyou know, the ones like, Whats your biggest weakness? and Why do you want this job?

But, you also know that there will be plenty of questions related specifically to the position, such as your relevant skills and experience. The thought of answering those in a way that impresses your interviewer? Well, that makes your stomach drop to your shoes and your heart start racing.

Hey, theres no need to start huffing and puffing into a paper bag quite yet. Weve pulled together seven common project manager interview questionsas well as some quality answersthat you can use to prepare for your upcoming project management interview. Youve got this!

Ace the interview

Craft your responses with our handy worksheet.

Do You Think Integrity Is An Essential Quality Of A Project Manager

Of course, you have to say yes. Go on to describe why it is so. Any company wants an employee who shares the values and principles of the company. If you are in a responsible position such as a project manager, you are expected to show the way for others to follow. Earning the respect of your team members and the trust of your bosses can only happen when you are ethically upright.

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What Is The Most Common Reason Projects Fail

Hiring managers want to avoid failure. That means hiring a program manager that understands what can cause it, allowing them to sidestep it to the best of their ability.

EXAMPLE ANSWER:

If I had to pick a single reason, Id have to say poor communication. When the lines of communication breakdown, the resulting situation invites failure. For example, team members may not be on the same page, causing one group to prioritize one aspect while others concentrate in a different direction. Details about changes might not be properly shared, slowing progress and potentially requiring some to redo work simply because they werent informed that they needed to take a new direction. All of this elevates costs and lengthens the timeline, increasing the odds of failure. But, with solid communication, much of this can be avoided.

More Program Manager Interview Questions

Here are 27 more program manager interview questions the hiring manager may ask during your meeting:

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Have You Worked On A Project That Didn’t Meet The Set Deadline Or Budget What Happened

The aim of this question is to assess the candidate’s experience and ability to stick to deadlines and budgets. What to look for in an answer:

• Strong conflict resolution skills
• Experience as a project manager
• Ability to adhere to deadlines and budgets

Example:

“The last project I worked on, the client wanted to add a new feature to a structure we had already started building. It would extend our deadline by at least two weeks and our budget by $5,000. I informed the client of these changes and they were happy to accept them, so we went ahead.”

Suppose The Project Has Gone Off The Rails What Steps Would You Take To Get It Back On Track

Once you realize a project is not going as per the pre-planned time, budget, scope, or goals, the next top priority is 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 project management interview question may include re-adjusting resource management, finding the real cause of off-tracking, putting in extra effort, and more.

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Name The 3 Types Matrices Used To Manage Risk In A Project Using Information Taken From Pmbok If You Have 5 Projects Running Concurrently Describe A Single Matrix That Would Easily Show How Each Of Those Projects Were Doing

Why is an Agile Project Manager interview based on the PMBOK? That’s a really, really bad sign. 🙂Less

For the second question, I’d probably use either a cost/schedule variance chart… since you can’t assume the same budget or schedule for any of the projects, variance against plan would likely be the best way to go.Less

For both of these questions, I told them if there was a single correct answer, I didn’t know it…but I walked them through how I would handle each question.Less

How Long After Delivery Do You Typically Wait To Revisit Projects And Why

The answer to this project management interview question gives you insight into the candidates business skills. Some project managers will revisit the project days or weeks after completion, others wait months or a year, and some never do. There is no right answer, but there is one wrong one. A project management candidate who never revisits a project is a poor choice.

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If The Customer Is Not Happy With The Result And Does Not Accept The Product What Would You As A Project Manager Do

Keeping customers happy is important for companies. Hence, your answer should showcase that you value customers as well. You can start by explaining that during the course of the project you regularly interact with the customers so that they are on the same page as the project team. Despite this, if the customers are unhappy with the result, say that you will try to clearly understand what modifications they want and try to incorporate them. In case the changes cannot be made, you will try to convince and explain to the customer that the project fits in with the agreed scope.

How Do You Combat Scope Creep

Budget management and time management skills are crucial elements of a project manager’s job. Scope creep refers to any factors that might cause you to miss deadlines or exceed budgets. From your answer, interviewers should gain a sense of how you carefully manage staff, resources, and other factors to ensure your projects stay on track. Provide a real example in your answer of a major project you steered that had both large scope and some challenges that you couldn’t possibly have anticipated .

Go into detail about how you divided the project up into smaller parts that you could complete in advance and how you responded on the fly to client feedback that threatened to take the project over budget. Projects do need to change and adapt constantly due to client needs, market conditions, and other factors, so this example should prove your ability to use time management and superior communication to adapt to these issues and present finished projects in the agreed-upon amount of time.

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How Has Your Educational Background Or Experience Prepared You For This Role

The aim of this question is to assess the candidate’s educational background and experience to determine if they have the correct credentials. What to look for in an answer:

• Relevant degree or diploma for your industry
• Experience in a similar role
• Project management certification

Example:

“I took a three-year project management program at the University of Toronto. This taught me the foundations of project management. I then attended Northeastern University for a year and a half and got a master’s of science in project management. As I don’t have any work experience as a project manager yet, I feel as though my education has helped prepare me for the job by giving me the necessary knowledge.”

What Is The Need For A Project Manager To Be Certified

Well, according to a survey conducted by the Project Management Institute, it came out that more than $122 million is being wasted by organizations for every $1 billion investment. Such a huge amount of loss takes place due to the inferior performance of the project. This is the reason why nowadays every organization demands a certified Project Manager. So, it is recommended for an aspiring Project Manager to achieve a well-recognized certification that is accepted all over the world.

Further, the demand for certification has expanded to such an extent that presently every organization is asking for certification even for the entry-level Project Managers position.

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Whats Your Proficiency Level With

Theres a whole slew of project management tools and software that companies might rely on nowadays, whether its Trello or Basecamp or something else. So your interviewer might want to know which tools youre familiar with or, more likely, what your experience or proficiency level is with a particular tool theyre already using.

How Do You Deal With Team Conflict

Team conflicts can affect project success. Interviewers ask this question to evaluate your conflict-resolution skills and how you ensure good collaborative work environments.

Example: “As a delegative project manager, I encourage teammates to work things out first. I feel this is a good way to foster healthy relationships and improve communication skills. However, I’m also aware that I may need to intervene in some situations. For example, a team member often came later for her shift at my last job. This caused disputes between her and other team members who had to cover for her. I called the persons involved to a private meeting, and we discussed a solution that benefited everyone.”

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Describe Your Experience In This Industry

Familiarize yourself as much as you can with the companyâs industry before the interview. Learn what the top issues are by reading news articles and listening to podcasts, or reaching out to project managers in similar roles and asking about their experiences.

How to answer: Come prepared to talk about any experience youâve had in the industry. Academic or professional background is great. If you donât have these, you can talk about what youâve learned about the industry, and why you want to work in it. Mention any skills or knowledge that are transferable as well.

Describe How You Deliver And Present Results

Different project managers have different styles.

Do they like to present everything personally? Do they involve the project team? How is credit for a job well done shared and how is blame for a mishandled project assigned? Does their management approach match your workplace? Do they use the presentation of results as a way to motivate or punish project team members? How they handle project delivery can be a window into a lot of candidate attributes.

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What Would Be Your Leadership Style When It Comes To Leading The Team During Execution

A project managers role involves being a leader. The responsibility of the planning, procurement, and execution of the project necessitates guiding the team members, showing them the right direction, and motivating them. Leadership helps in project management to develop team spirit and support the team in case of adversity.

There are different leadership styles for a project manager are:

• Democratic
• Liaises Faire

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.

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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

Why Do You Want To Work With This Company

You need to go prepared for this interview question. If their working style suits yours, you can discuss it. If the job you are applying for is the next logical step for your current job, tell them that. Or, even something like you being attracted to their work culture or vision, can be a good response. Better yet, you can say how the job and the company align with your personal growth. This shows that you are looking for a long-term collaboration with the company.

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What Are The Roles Of A Proposal Manager

When your interviewer asks you about this question, they want to see whether you know what you are expected to do if you are employed. Talk about the prominent roles that a proposal manager should play.

Sample Answer

To my knowledge, a proposal manager is expected to

• Facilitate discussions to bid or not to bid
• Collaborate with the capture management team
• Identify client priorities and win themes
• Create and execute a proposal project plan
• Conduct market and competitor research
• Hold kick-off and debrief meetings
• Act as point of contact for prospects
• Gather and send follow-up and clarifying questions to the buyer
• Manage the proposal team
• Ensure proposals and presentations are brand compliant.

Those are the key duties and responsibilities of a proposal manager.

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Additional Program Manager Interview Questions

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