1. Tell us what don't you want to work on?
There are always bits of jobs we don't like, but project managers typically work on the projects that they are assigned. It's fine to have preferences, but you're looking for someone who can respond to business needs even if that isn't their top choice of project.
2. Please tell me what criteria are you using to find your next job?
It will show you what's 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 couldn't resist (either is fine).
3. Explain me what are your career and project goals for the next six months?
A Project Manager has to deal with uncertainty. It is important that they can identify and prioritize risks and take appropriate action in ambiguous situations. It is equally important to manage others' concerns in changing environments. To assess competency in this area, it is best to ask scenario-based questions.
4. Tell us what is your current salary and compensation package?
Be honest when you are responding to this question. Note that, human resources departments of companies are very well aware of industry salary benchmarks. Therefore, they will be able to estimate your salary and compensation package.
If you say a salary that is too much above the benchmark, you can even lose the job opportunity. Because, there will be a limit of what the company can pay for this position.
5. Explain me do you have budget management experience?
Budget management is a crucial aspect of project management. Therefore, this question is very important in a project manager interview, if the candidate will be managing a budget if he is selected for the position. Depending on the roles and responsibilities of the project manager in a company, budget management might not be required from project manager. Especially, in vendors, budget management is required while it might not be required from project managers working in service providers.
6. Tell me how do you deal with underperforming project team members?
If you are an experienced professional, you might have worked with a demotivated or underperforming colleague. The critical point for the project manager is, he or she has to motivate all project resources to produce the most out of their capacity. Project manager must motivate underperforming resources in a project.
7. Tell me how do you communicate bad news?
Project Managers are responsible for understanding the need of the customer and responding in a timely, efficient manner in ways that meet customer expectations. They are also responsible for establishing and maintaining effective relationships and gaining the trust and respect of customers. Here are a couple of questions I usually ask to gauge the candidate's customer orientation.
8. Please explain how do you work with sponsors? How do you manage up?
Managing up means working well with people more senior than you. Project managers do this all the time, so it's good to find out how they make those relationships work.
9. Tell me are you trained in supply-chain management?
Not all project managers are created equal. If you need someone with supply-chain management experience, ask candidates directly. Those that don't have this experience may be interested in acquiring it, but you can't afford to hire someone who doesn't have it and doesn't want it if you need it.
Sometimes, it pays to be direct.
10. Tell us do you have outsource personnel or supplier management experience?
Managing outsource personnel or supplier is a different project management skill. If you are applying to a company that works with outsource personnel or suppliers, this project manager interview question will be an elective one.
If you have a project management experience in a vendor, most probably, you will have outsource and supplier management experience as well.
