To prepare well for your project manager job interview, you should read a lot of ideas and know what you might be asked during the interview.
Here are some nice sample questions.
Are you good at delegating tasks?
Yes, when necessary. An important part of delegating tasks is actually that I, as a project manager, have a good understanding of who it is best to delegate them to. If I choose the wrong person, the results will be disastrous. My tactic is to research thoroughly and ask the same questions to different people in the company, then make a decision about who the person is. I also note the resistance to the delegation of new responsibilities, therefore the delegation of new tasks must be consistent with the person’s employment and salary. I have previously studied with the Eichars what the person desires and what it is possible to give him, how he accepts new responsibilities, and other ideas. Reference: “Project Manager Job Interview Questions”, https://www.vbprojects.org/project-manager-job-interview-questions/
Are you able to work collaboratively with different teams?
I believe this is at the heart of the project management role. I can work with diverse teams in diverse configurations and my experience has proven it. I have been a natural leader in many situations without officially holding the position. The key to working with diverse teams is good listening, the balance between following the established team approach and the changes I want to introduce. Single-handedly winning over key people. I always treat employees with respect and as equals. The best wars are with the foregone victories that people learn about too late. Therefore, before officially working with a certain team, I would try to get to know the people in it informally and establish an acceptable relationship.
How will you help a team refocus on another project without losing it?
It’s a good question, as some teams stick to their projects and the moment the project is finished, they leave. I believe that the approach, in this case, should be both from the outside and from the inside. My first move would be to register the nodal member of the team and give them a task related to the other project that is temporary and has a start and an end. During his work, I will talk to him about the task, and I will ask him for his opinion. I will try to make the task pleasant and easy to complete. Then I’ll let him return to the team, to his old duties, and give him time to spread the word about the new project. I will do a similar thing with another team member in conjunction with the first one. Usually, if I win two employees, I can already announce that we are moving on to another project. I will try to explain the project well in a series of meetings, introduce people and assure them that everything remains the same except the nature of the project.
When is a project finished for you?
When the lessons of its failures are corrected in the new projects. It is difficult to name the end of a project, although there is documentation that should record it. The real end of the projects is measured by the conclusions of the failures, and otherwise, purely formally, the end is represented by the reports and their analyzes that are communicated to all involved.
More project management interview questions
- “Sample interview questions for a project manager job“, https://60yearsnato.info/sample-interview-questions-for-a-project-manager-job/
- “Project Manager Job Interview Questions“, https://newia.info/project-manager-job-interview-questions/
- “Questions and answers for a job interview for a project manager“, https://agileprogramming.org/questions-and-answers-for-a-job-interview-for-a-project-manager/
- “Common Project Manager Interview Questions and Answers“, https://pm.mba/posts/project-manager-interview-questions/
- “Project Manager Interview Questions and How to Answer“, https://medfd.org/project-manager-interview-questions-and-how-to-answer/
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What is your tactic in conditions of a tight budget and a short lead time?
Divide and Rule. We prepare a budget and a time frame for the fragmented tasks. I use scrum as a process ie. small finished pieces for small chunks of time in one small team. Regular meetings and updates, very good planning of risks and upcoming stages of product development. Reducing meetings to a minimum time – no more than 20 minutes and a minimum number. Most meetings should not be group meetings – often the days turn into reports to the manager and no one cares to listen to the other. This should be skipped.
What will the scope of your project include?
First of all, it will include the idea/concept of the project and the expected result, then it will include the tasks/life cycle/ to be performed according to the client’s requirements. In it, I will also include costs, resources, expected quality, times and deadlines for each of the stages, what is out of scope, and the change request plan.
How will you avoid Scope Creep in the project?
The only way to protect against Scope Creep is to write a change management plan that clearly outlines the steps for requesting the change and the forms through which they are requested.
Tell us about the last project you worked on.
The last project I worked on was extremely interesting and useful for me. The main goal of the project was to launch a new and innovative product on the market, and for its realization, I worked in a team with about 70 specialists. What I learned from working on this project is that we should always have a plan “B” and formal contracts with the subcontractors. Of course, the challenge we faced made us even more ambitious and motivated, and the project was completed on time and, above all, without additional costs. I can confidently say that working on this project is one of the most successful I have ever worked on and I am proud of the result.
How do you deal with difficult stakeholders to work with?
Mostly with communication, negotiation, and providing facts. Depending on the stakeholder we are working with, I will find it difficult to find an individual approach – if it is from the client side, we will discuss ways of communication and make a plan to follow, and we will discuss again the scope of the project and how we can minimize the tension between the teams; if the hard-to-work stakeholder is part of our team, I will seek assistance from the HR department or their line manager. If necessary, we will organize new internal meetings to discuss the already prepared communication plan, the scope of the project, and anything else that will make our joint work more pleasant.
What do you think is the most important thing a project manager does?
I believe that the most important task of a project manager is to maintain smooth communication between senior management, the client, and the teams, ie. all stakeholders in the project. In this way, the questions are reduced, everyone is aware of what is happening on the project and the efforts are directed only towards the implementation of the project.
Which project variables are subject to monitoring and control?
These are time, cost, quality, scope, risk, and personnel.