1. What is Project Business plan and budget?
With these many questions, the interviewer will also like to know whether you created the project business plan and were kept in the loop about the financial aspects of the project. The interviewer would also like to know whether you were the one who monitors the budget/incomes of the project, like - costs, income, gross profit and net profit etc.
2. Explain Project's prioritization methodologies?
As a project manager, you would have prioritization methods that would be instrumental in solving any problem that your company or institute faced.
3. Do you have any idea Project management tools?
One common question is about the various project management tools that you have worked with. One frequently used project management tool is MS Project.
One another simple question asked is whether you have managed a team directly or indirectly. The interviewer will also be interested to know how you have managed any project that is multidisciplinary, like matrix management or even cross country management.
5. Tell me have you ever faced any disagreements in your previous job? How did you solve it out?
A project manager has to take into consideration several disagreements. They can be between employees, between the superior and the employees, or even the client and the employees.
If you reply that you have never had any disagreements, the interviewer will wonder whether you were really a project manager for your skills or simply because you are a people pleaser.
Make sure that you come up with at least one incident where employees and superiors had differences in thought and you were instrumental in changing the scenario.
Since a project manager can be responsible for the supply chain management and procurement, you would also be asked questions about the same - in a bid to know whether you have handled these tasks.
7. What are some of the projects that you handled in the previous job as Project Officer?
As an experienced professional, you are bound to have a portfolio, and this is the right time to share such a portfolio with the interviewer. Make sure that the portfolio you share is authentic as your previous portfolio will decide whether the interviewer will be interested in you or not.
8. Explain SOW & Action Items?
While the interviewer is at it, they may also be interested in finding out about your projects and your contribution to those projects.
Therefore, they may be asked questions about documentations such as: the SOW (scope of work) that your project had, Site Surveys Provisional Acceptance as well as the action items and tasks that were conducted.
9. How to improve project management processes?
Good because: Not everyone has the chance to work on business critical, exciting projects that make for a great CV, but everyone has the chance to offer some suggestions for improvements (even if they aren't taken up). Look for someone who has ideas and who isn't afraid to put them forward.
Bad response: "It's all pretty rubbish there but I haven't bothered to do anything about it as there's no point."
10. Explain Project's status information - Transparency?
With the advent of the corporate culture, transparency is the moot point in any company.
Therefore, you might also be asked about the information that you passed on to the executives and other key management members of your company about the project.
11. What was the most difficult ethical decision you've had to make on a project?
Good because: It can demonstrate their awareness of PMI Code of Ethics and even if they aren't aware of that, their general approach to work. You can also use it to open up an interesting discussion and allow you to judge how they will fit into your business culture.
Bad response: "I awarded a contract to my cousin once, even though he was the most expensive. I did get a good holiday out of the kickback though."
12. Explain Cross-company management, matrix management?
A project manager has to liaise with other departments in the company, like the procurement, the R&D, as well as the Logistics department. Other than that, the project manager may also have to interact with customers and company's parters. Sometimes, the project manager may also be responsible for the invoicing and financial issues of his projects. Do you have that project management experience?
13. How to work with sponsors? How do you manage up?
Good because: 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.
Bad response: "I prefer not to get my sponsor involved. They're typically a figurehead, so I don't bother them."
14. Explain Subcontractors, vendors and suppliers?
Another question that is commonly asked, due to the ever increasing boundaries of the business, is whether you have ever outsourcing works to subcontractors or with firms located in a country other than yours.
The interviewer would also be interested in knowing whether you were responsible for selecting the vendors and suppliers for your project.
15. What's the most important thing for a project manager to do?
Good because: It will show you their priorities and whether they have actually thought about what a project manager does. It will also demonstrate whether they are a good cultural fit for your team. If you have a strong focus on process and they think the most important thing is to be flexible and adapt processes as you go, then you probably won't get on.
Bad response: "Well, it's mainly admin, isn't it?"
16. Explain Project's risk factors?
Every project manager is aware of the risk factors of any project. As a project manager, how did you monitor these risks during the project life cycle?
17. What don't you want to work on?
Good because: 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.
Bad response: "I like to choose the projects I work on, and I only really want to do the digital media ones. That's OK, isn't it?"
18. Did the salary we offer attract you to this project management job?
The interviewer could be asking you this question for a number of reasons.
Obviously, the salary is an important factor to your interest in this job, but it should not be the overriding reason for your interest. A good answer to this question is, The salary was very attractive, but the job itself is what was most attractive to me.
19. Do you know Business management tools?
Other than that, the questions may also contain information about which business management tools, like SAP, ERP, BANN, etc have you worked with.
20. Tell us what you know about our company?
Follow these three easy research tips before your next job interview:
1) Visit the company website; look in the about us section and careers sections
2) Visit the company's LinkedIn page (note, you must have a LinkedIn account its free to sign up) to view information about the company
3) Google a keyword search phrase like press releases followed by the company name; you'll find the most recent news stories shared by the company
Remember, just because you have done your homework, it does not mean you need to share ALL of it during the interview! Reciting every fact you've learned is almost as much of a turn off as not knowing anything at all! At a minimum, you should include the following in your answer:
1. What type of product or service the company sells
2. How long the company has been in business
3. What the company culture is like OR what the company mission statement is, and how the culture and/or mission relate to your values or personality
21. Tell me have you ever had disappointments?
No job is without its disappointments. The disappointments can be anything, from an employee who left for personal reasons or the project that you did not bag because of the financials involved.
Make sure that you provide a quick and factual answer for this question.
22. Would you like to share your biggest weakness?
No one likes to answer this question because it requires a very delicate balance. You simply can't lie and say you don't have one; you can't trick the interviewer by offering up a personal weakness that is really a strength (Sometimes, I work too much and don't maintain a work-life balance.); and you shouldn't be so honest that you throw yourself under the bus (I'm not a morning person so I'm working on getting to the office on time.)
Think of a small flaw like I sometimes get sidetracked by small details, I am occasionally not as patient as I should be with subordinates or co-workers who do not understand my ideas, or I am still somewhat nervous and uncomfortable with my public-speaking skills and would like to give more presentations and talk in front of others or in meetings. Add that you are aware of the problem and you are doing your best to correct it by taking a course of action.
23. What are your greatest achievements in your professional life as Project Officer?
Apart from the portfolio, everyone has some project or aspect of their jobs that they hold close to their heart. This is the time to inform the interviewer about what your favorite project was and why. Of course, you have to make sure that you do not go on a ramble and genuinely discuss some of your favorite projects.
24. Describe a typical work week for project management position?
Interviewers expect a candidate for employment to discuss what they do while they are working in detail. Before you answer, consider the position you are applying for and how your current or past positions relate to it. The more you can connect your past experience with the job opening, the more successful you will be at answering the questions.
It should be obvious that it's not a good idea talk about non-work related activities that you do on company time, but, I've had applicants tell me how they are often late because they have to drive a child to school or like to take a long lunch break to work at the gym.
Keep your answers focused on work and show the interviewer that you're organized ("The first thing I do on Monday morning is check my voicemail and email, then I prioritize my activities for the week.") and efficient.
25. Where have you worked before as Project Officer?
Rarely is an inexperienced person taken in as a project manager. Any project manager would have at least two or three years of experience either as an employee or as a project manager. Therefore, this is one of the basic questions asked. Make sure that you give a brief and concise answer to this question, without going too much into the details. Also, make sure that everything you say as an answer to this question is factual.
26. What creative problem solving techniques do you use?
Good because: It's worth probing the technical skills of candidates. Can they talk knowledgably about fishbone diagrams, De Bono's thinking hats, role play? Branch out to talk about the last project issue they resolved with creative thinking.
Bad response: "I tend to solve problems myself without involving the team."
27. What challenges are you looking for in this project management position?
A typical interview question to determine what you are looking for your in next job, and whether you would be a good fit for the position being hired for, is "What challenges are you looking for in a position?"
The best way to answer questions about the challenges you are seeking is to discuss how you would like to be able to effectively utilize your skills and experience if you were hired for the job.
You can also mention that you are motivated by challenges, have the ability to effectively meet challenges, and have the flexibility and skills necessary to handle a challenging job.
You can continue by describing specific examples of challenges you have met and goals you have achieved in the past.
28. What criteria are you using to find your next job?
Good because: 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).
Bad response: "Salary, expense policy and the chance to travel abroad."
29. What have you learned from mistakes on the project management job?
Candidates without specific examples often do not seem credible. However, the example shared should be fairly inconsequential, unintentional, and a learned lesson should be gleaned from it. Moving ahead without group assistance while assigned to a group project meant to be collaborative is a good example.
30. When was the last time you didn't delegate and what happened?
Good because: This will help you work out if they are happy to be honest and tell you about a time that something went wrong. This shows their capacity to learn from mistakes and how they deal with information overload. Delegating work packages is key to project work and you'll want to hire someone who understands that.
Bad response: "I never delegate-it's easier to do it all myself."
31. Why do you want this project management job?
Again, companies want to hire people who are passionate about the job, so you should have a great answer about why you want the position. (And if you don't? You probably should apply elsewhere.)
First, identify a couple of key factors that make the role a great fit for you (e.g., I love customer support because I love the constant human interaction and the satisfaction that comes from helping someone solve a problem"), then share why you love the company (e.g., I've always been passionate about education, and I think you guys are doing great things, so I want to be a part of it).
32. What do you spend the most time doing each day?
Good because: This gives you an indication of how they do their job. Someone who spends all day at the PC may suit your environment, or you might be looking for a project manager who gets out and visits clients most days of the week. Remember that they might be prepared to do something other than what they do now, so if you hear something that doesn't fit with the post you are recruiting for, don't rule them out before exploring this further.
Bad response: "Facebook."
33. What relevant experience do you have?
Hopefully if you're applying for this position you have bags of related experience, and if that's the case you should mention it all. But if you're switching careers or trying something a little different, your experience may initially not look like it's matching up. That's when you need a little honest creativity to match the experiences required with the ones you have. People skills are people skills after all, you just need to show how customer service skills can apply to internal management positions, and so on.
34. If you had to rate project management as a career, from 1-10 how would you rate it?
Good because: This will show you how they value their career and whether they see themselves progressing in a PM role. Ask them why they chose that rating.
Bad response: "I'd score it a 1 because I'm only doing this to fill in time before I can get a proper job."
35. What are the ways a project time schedule can be compressed?
Crashing and fast tracking are two methods of accelerating a project time schedule. Crashing method tries to optimize the schedule making use of the time floats available while keeping costs under control. Fast tracking is to make selected activities faster by applying additional resources if necessary. It may mean paying team members overtime, paying for the time of a consultant, etc.
