Top 15 Project Management Interview Questions

Facing an interview could be an interesting experience. Each one has a new learning. I have been on interview boards for over a decade now and some interviews have definitely left an indelible impression on my mind, for reasons good or bad. If you are preparing for a PM interview, here are some basic tips for every one :

Firstly, be sure of the reason why you want to make this move
Do your homework about the company where you going for the interview, its profile and the job opening for which you are getting interviewed
Go through your resume and try to make a note of some pointers about what work you have done in your previous organizations
Be confident & honest
Substantiate your answers with data. Giving examples always helps.
Do not beat around the bush, get straight to the point. If you do not know an answer , it is better to be explicit about it
Keep yourself calm
Try to keep an eye contact with the people in the room
Have a positive attitude
Project Managers these days are also evaluated on their technical awareness. A lot of requirements demand Technical Project Managers ( around 25-30% technical knowledge may be required in some cases). So be aware at an high level about the technology you have worked on and the trends

There are no cookie cutter format for project management interviews but I have some questions in mind which I think are important. Each interview is different and is based on your resume. However here are some top 15 generic questions which can help you prepare.

Share your experience in managing projects of different complexities
Walk us through a complex project you have managed from start to finish.
What communication methodology did you use for project communication?
How many stakeholders did you manage for the most complex project and share some best practices that you have used for stakeholder management?
Give an example of how lessons learnt from one project helped you in managing a similar project in the future?
What are some challenges you have faced in managing external vendors?
Give an example of a project that you have seen failing and what were some of the reasons that have caused it?
What are your risk management procedures?
How would you manage risks of a project where you are not familiar with the technology?
What project management methodologies are you familiar with?
What project management software have you used?
How did you select the critical path for your project?
How to manage a conflict within the team without impacting the team morale
Give and example where you have gone over and beyond your normal responsibilities to increase customer satisfaction
What are 3 tips you will share with a Project Manager whom you are mentoring

Interviewers these days also visit your social media profile to get some more information about you, so you will need to clean that up before your appear for the interview. Try to maneuver the conversation to your strength. If you are well versed with the subject and have a good hands on experience, then, you have no reasons to worry. You will not get a second chance, use the opportunity in hand and win it over.

I recently came across a very interesting book, which is for Product/ Program Managers preparing for interviewing in technology companies. You can view this book available @ Amazon through the link below: