1. What Is Your Typical Sourcing Strategy?
Employers want to know details about your experience conducting strategic sourcing activities. This provides an opportunity for you to explain how organization's divide their spending into categories that relate to supplier markets and how categories are then further divided by business or function. This helps to identify the best supplier. Once you fully understand the categories, you can assess the supplier market by preparing a survey to evaluate supplier capabilities. Then, you can build a strategy, request proposals or bids, and select and negotiate a contract. Finally, communicate with your new suppliers. Your ability to explain this clearly can get you the job.
2. How do you handle disgruntled employees?
Project Managers are responsible for understanding the need of the customer, and responding in a timely, efficient manner to 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.
3. Tell me what do you think are the key strengths of a business analyst?
Since business analysis is an evolving and multifaceted profession, hiring managers want to know that you are aware of the necessary skills for success. You probably have your own list, but make sure to highlight both technical and nontechnical attributes you can bring to the job.
The job description should provide clues as to what types of skills the employer is looking for on both fronts - especially technical requirements. Learning what you can about the company culture prior to the interview can also provide insight on interpersonal abilities that will likely be valued.
4. Tell me what projects do you not want to work on?
Everyone wants to believe that they can handle every project, but the reality is that most project managers are best suited for a narrow project management role. If you tell your future employer that you love working on everything, that communicates that a) you might not know what you're talking about or b) you're unwilling to communicate weaknesses. Neither of these traits reflect well on you.
Instead, be honest. Are you more of a software development person? Do you do well with creative media campaigns? Would you rather lie down and die than work on a construction project? Let your interviewer know; both they and your future self will thank you for it.
5. Tell us what methods will you use to deliver results?
The best way to answer this question is by sharing with the interviewer project management techniques and methods you've successfully employed on past projects. This will allow you to support your answer using your own personal experience. It's wise to show the interviewer that you don't necessarily use a one-size-fits-all approach to project management by sharing a few examples of projects you've managed which required a different approach. You want show the interviewer that you're familiar with proven project management methodologies, but that you're flexible and will adapt your approach to the demands of a particular project.
Interviewers want to see that as a project manager you take the time and initiative to understand the unique aspects, demands, risks and requirements of each project, and that you don't apply the same "cookie cutter" framework to every problem.
6. Explain about a risk you took in a job?
Tell how you used your relationships within the organization to gain support or shift the thinking. It could be a new idea for training, product development or sales. Show how you presented it then how you worked around those that found it negative. Explain how you have used this experience to further improve.
7. Tell Us Do You Belong to Any Professional Organizations?
Being a good strategic sourcing manager involves monitoring inventory levels and negotiating with vendors and business partners. Networking with other business professionals demonstrates an interest in a broad perspective and continuous improvement. If you have a credential from the American Purchasing Society, the Association for Operations Management and the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, mention it in response to this question. Some companies may be interested in the Project Management Professional credential from the Project Management Institute.
8. Tell me why aren't you looking for a job in your area of expertise?
You've done some soul searching, weren't completely fulfilled or your talents weren't being utilized enough in the current industry and realized this was the right path for you. I've had clients say that to employers and they were impressed they had taken the time to really find their direction and that they had such focus. Another reason could be they want to add to their skill set.
9. Where have you worked before as Vendor Managed Inventory Coordinator?
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.
10. What didn't work in your last position?
Be honest here but you don't need to lay it all out either, for example if you and your boss didn't get along. Don't bash your former employer. It could be the culture, it could be there was little room for career progression, you didn't agree with the vision of the company say what it is, then move quickly to focusing on what you want instead.
11. What Experience Do You Have As Vendor Managed Inventory Coordinator?
To do this role, a candidate typically must have experience in dealing with complex requirements that align to strategic level business objectives. Describe how you have effectively handled relationships with executives, managed projects and conducted marketing and financial analysis. You should emphasize your sourcing and negotiation skills. Because success in this type of role tends to require a collaborative approach, you might also describe teams you have managed. Expand upon the details of your resume and don't gloss over the challenges.
12. Explain how much money do you make?
As in any negotiation the person who says the number first is at a disadvantage. You can try and say you are interested in the job and you are sure salary is fair and commensurate with industry levels. If pushed you say you are looking for a "total compensation package in the range of ___to____". In some companies they will insist on a W2 form so don't lie about current salary.
13. Tell us 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.
14. Explain what types of project do you know like to work on?
I really enjoy projects that present unique challenges. For example, the last project I was involved with required the team I managed to work as a member of a larger team tasked with designing, developing and implementing a system for transporting natural gas through the Sierra Nevadas. My team was in charge of designing the system. A second company was responsible for developing the hardware to support the transporation system. And it was a third company's role to put the physical system together. What I enjoyed most about that project was that it pushed the limits of my organizational and people manage skills and required me to think outside the box in order to avoid conflict and meet all project deadlines.
15. How do you set goals for your team? And how do you track these goals?
As a project manager one has to deal with uncertainties all the time. It is thus important for a project manager to identify and prioritize critical risks and appropriate mitigation actions required in fuzzy environments, and communicate adequately and appropriately. It is equally important to manage others' concerns in changing environments and enable change. To assess competency in this area, it is best to ask scenario based questions.
16. Tell me How Do You Build a Sourcing Strategy?
A good interview question for a strategic sourcing manager often involves strategy building. If you can determine how competitive the supplier marketplace is, how supportive your internal stakeholders are and what you can leverage for better pricing or terms, and if you can explain how to reduce complexity, increase productivity, reduce costs and create improvements, you'll be viewed in a positive light. Cite specific examples of cost reductions you've negotiated as a result of your strategic sourcing.
17. Tell me which business intelligence tools or systems have you worked with?
Cite the specific tools and how you've used them. If you have used a system the company employs, mention your experience to the hiring manager. If you're not familiar with the technology the employer uses, discuss how you plan to get up to speed quickly.
While working with XYZ company I was tasked with managing a construction project that pulled from various departments across the company -- engineering, design, quality assurance, finance, etc. Each of the team members brought to the table a unique set of skills and abilities. However, the same diversity of skills required to complete the project also brought with it a variety of personalities and work styles. Even though each team member was prepped by their department prior to joining the team, I held a special team meeting -- actually more like a team social -- prior to starting the project to provide an opportunity for each team member to get to know one another on a personal level. In fact, we rented a cabin up in Tahoe and spent the weekend just having fun together and interacting in a non-work environment. During the retreat, I arranged a number of team building activities that required each team member to rely on the other team members as they worked toward accomplishing a mutual objective.
19. Tell me why is there a gap in your employment record?
While gaps have been more common during the recession you need to show doing something of value. It could include improving your skills, certifications or connections. Building relationships as a volunteer is a usual answer, but you need to show how you were productive. Play down the vacation, reflection time, etc. If you did consulting work build up the value of what you got out of it. Don't disclose how little you might have been paid.
20. Tell us what are some of the projects that you handled in the previous job?
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.
21. Explain about a time when your stakeholders didn't agree on a project. How did you proceed?
Interviewers asking this question are looking for stories that will prove you have these necessary soft skills for the job. Make sure to brainstorm stories about your former project management roles in anticipation for this question and use them as a confirmation that you have the mediation skills that these hiring managers are looking for.
First of all, I acknowledge the positions regarding the task. I break down the tasks in a Ben Franklin fashion with Pros on one side and Cons on the other. After reviewing both sides, I recommend taking a consensus vote to confirm the pros outweighing the cons.
During the most recent project I managed, I found that one of the designers on the team was secretly sabotaging the project by communicating design flaws we were trying to fix directly to the client. The client respected this designer and his opinion, so I had to come up with a way of resolving the issue without jeopordizing our relationship with the client. I knew I'd be walking a very fine line but I decided the best approach was a direct approach. I called a meeting with both the designer and the client to discuss the design issues we were working on. I explained to the client, while the designer was present, that I had successfully completed many similar projects and the design flaws we were fixing were not out of the ordinary. I also offered to provide the client more regular communications. Recognizing that the design flaws were not what he had thought they were, he said that more frequent communications wouldn't be necessarily and just verified that we'd be completed on time. I assured him we would. Not surprisingly, the designer never felt it necessary to communicate directly with the client after that meeting.
24. Explain have you ever faced any disagreements in your previous job? How did you solve it out?
Project managers must work with team members, managers, and clients who disagree with their directives. It will seem unbelievable or disingenuous to claim you've never disagreed with a colleague during a project. The interviewer might believe you're dishonest or unable to handle disagreement. Provide at least one example where you had to work with people who disagreed with you and explain what you did to compromise or fix a problem.
This question makes the candidate think about the top challenges of the industry in which the potential employer operates. The response from the candidate reveals his understanding of the industry, market, current challenges, and possible solutions. Knowing this is critical for the success of any project manager as they will be tackling those same or similar challenges inside the organization if they get hired. So this question helps the hiring managers assess whether the candidate is the right fit for the role.
