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What are the most impactful scenario-based questions to ask in a job interview?

Posted 27/08/2024 by Vicki Mann

You can read this in 4 minutes.

Scenario-based questions, also known as situational interview questions, are designed to assess how a candidate would handle real-life challenges they may face on the job. These questions are particularly useful for evaluating problem-solving abilities, decision-making, interpersonal skills, and the ability to work under pressure. These questions can be part of a  Situational Judgement Test that can be extremely useful when analysing a candidate's potential, as they can be specific to your company/industry. Here are some impactful scenario-based questions to ask in a job interview:

Conflict Resolution

• This question assesses the candidate's ability to navigate workplace conflicts and maintain professional relationships.

Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking

• This question evaluates the candidate’s resourcefulness, ability to work under pressure, and prioritisation skills.

Handling Ambiguity

• This question tests the candidate's ability to handle uncertainty and take initiative.

Leadership and Decision-Making

• This question assesses leadership, conflict resolution, and the ability to balance team dynamics with project goals.

Adaptability and Learning

• This question reveals the candidate's capacity to adapt to new challenges and their learning agility.

Customer or Client Handling

• This question evaluates the candidate's customer service skills, problem-solving, and ability to manage relationships.

Ethical Decision-Making

• This question examines the candidate's integrity, ethical standards, and willingness to handle difficult situations.

Project Management and Prioritisation

• This question tests the candidate’s ability to prioritise tasks, manage time effectively, and communicate needs or concerns.

Handling Failure

• This question reveals how the candidate deals with setbacks and their ability to learn from mistakes.

Innovation and Creativity

• This   question evaluates the candidate’s creativity, innovation, and ability to think outside the box.

Team Collaboration

• This question assesses teamwork, communication, and the candidate’s ability to motivate others.

Dealing with Change

• This question gauges the candidate's adaptability, resilience, and positive approach to change.

These questions are designed to go beyond what’s on the CV and assess how a candidate thinks, reacts, and behaves in different situations, providing deeper insights into their potential fit for the role and organisation. Some Organisations may choose to incorporate some of these questions on a video interview, or in a bespoke skills assessment so that they are ensuring their time is spent on the quality candidate pool.

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17 Maintenance Technician Interview Questions and Example Answers

Why worry when you can Coast?

Finding the right maintenance technician isn’t just about filling a position — it’s about assembling a dependable team of professionals that will serve as the backbone of your company’s success. But how can you identify the candidate with the best technical skills who will ensure your organization runs smoothly? It all starts with asking the right job interview questions. 

We spoke with industry expert Eliot Vancil, CEO of Fuel Logic LLC , to help us compile a list of interview questions for assessing a candidate’s skills, experience and approach to maintenance, while also providing example answers for those entering the interview process. 

What Managers Look for in Maintenance Technician Job Candidates

When looking for the ultimate maintenance tech candidate, hiring managers should seek out individuals who not only possess strong technical expertise but also demonstrate creative problem-solving skills and dedication to excellence in their work. In a demanding role where unexpected challenges and urgent deadlines are common, those who remain calm, adaptable and solution-focused will naturally stand out. 

Vancil underscores the value of qualities such as reliability, collaboration and accountability in candidates. He seeks out technicians who are enthusiastic about their craft and eager to learn from others, embrace new maintenance techniques and integrate emerging maintenance technologies into their work. Ultimately, managers should choose candidates who not only deliver exceptional maintenance and repair services but also push the boundaries of innovation in the industry. 

Here’s our comprehensive guide to the best maintenance technician interview questions, tips and insights to help managers looking for a qualified maintenance worker. Additionally, we include several sample answers to help those candidates preparing for that next big interview.

Technical Knowledge and Experience Questions

1. What experience do you have with repair and maintenance ? What types of equipment and machinery have you worked with in the past?

2. Can you summarize the training you’ve completed and any maintenance-related certifications you’ve earned? 

3. Can you provide details on how and where you acquired your maintenance skills? Which methods of learning and teaching have you found most effective?

4. How do you adapt and continue to develop your skills as the maintenance industry evolves and new technologies emerge? Further, how do you integrate new technologies into your maintenance technician role? 

• Proactive attitude: Candidates should demonstrate initiative to learn new maintenance techniques rather than waiting to be trained.
• Growth mindset: Technicians should be eager to enhance their skills and continuously improve. 
• Sample answer : “Keeping up with the latest maintenance trends is key to excelling as a technician. I stay informed by reading industry blogs and trade publications, and I attend workshops and webinars when I can. I make it a priority to apply these new ideas and practices to my work, such that I can develop my expertise.”

5. Do you have any previous experience working with a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) ? 

Troubleshooting and Critical Thinking Questions

6. Can you share a particularly challenging maintenance or repair task you’ve handled? How did you approach the problem? 

• Problem-solving abilities: Candidates should demonstrate initiative, resourcefulness and creativity in their problem-solving.
• Learning: If faced with an unfamiliar issue, did they seek out resources or other team members for solutions?
• Sample answer: “The most complex repair task I’ve worked on was a hydraulic press that kept losing pressure, which disrupted operations. I started by conducting a full diagnostic, reviewing repair logs and schematics, and consulted with colleagues for additional insights. I then strategically checked each part, starting with the pump and moving onto the valves and seals. I eventually discovered a small crack in a line, repaired it and recommended preventive maintenance strategies like adding a pressure sensor to prevent future issues and downtime.”

7. Suppose you encounter an unexpected equipment breakdown you’re unfamiliar with. Can you walk me through the steps you would take in diagnosing and resolving the issue? 

• Safety protocols first : Candidates should prioritize workplace safety by assessing the equipment, rather than immediately trying to solve the maintenance issue.
• Logical troubleshooting : Don’t just swap parts; technicians should gather information and test their theories first.
• Resourcefulness: If manuals or instructions fall short, do candidates explore other options like consulting colleagues or sourcing from industry experts? 
• Sample answer: “First, I’d ensure the facility’s safety by locking and tagging out the equipment and notifying my colleagues that it’s off-limits. Then, I’d gather more information on the issue, such as error codes, unusual sounds and any maintenance work recently completed on the equipment. I would then review manuals or online resources. If those didn’t help, I would collaborate with a colleague or contact the equipment manufacturer. I believe that prioritizing quality and safety is more important than rushing the repair.”

8. Describe a situation where you had to complete a repair under a tight deadline. How did you manage the pressure, and what was the outcome?

9. How would you prioritize repairs if multiple pieces of equipment were to face malfunctions at once?

• Triage mindset: Technicians should prioritize tasks based on importance, not ease.
• Communication skills: Would they keep their managers and colleagues informed about the issue and seek support if needed?
• Time management skills : Can the technician manage their time effectively to ensure they complete critical repairs promptly while also keeping other tasks on track?
• Sample answer: “I’d start by assessing the urgency of each repair task, prioritizing  emergency maintenance tasks that impact safety regulations or critical production. For example, I would address a leak near electrical panels before fixing a conveyor belt that stops moving. Throughout this process, I would provide regular updates on the progress and status of equipment with my boss and delegate simpler fixes to my team so that we can get key assets back up and running as soon as possible.”

10. When tasked with repairing valuable equipment on a limited budget, how do you determine the best course of action? 

Behavioral Interview Questions

11. What motivates you to excel in a job that often involves repetitive tasks and long hours?

• Routine maintenance standards: While routine maintenance schedules can be repetitive, the technician needs to be able to maintain high standards with every task, understanding the importance of consistency.
• Teamwork:  Candidates need to have a “no task is too big or too small” mindset, understanding that they’re part of a team and working to help the greater good.
• Sample answer: “In a job with repetitive tasks and long hours, what motivates me is the satisfaction of knowing that every detail I attend to contributes to the smooth operation of the entire facility. I find pride in maintaining high standards, and I stay engaged by setting personal benchmarks for efficiency and accuracy. I enjoy finding ways to improve processes, no matter how small, and I appreciate the consistency that comes with routine tasks. Moreover, I’m driven by the understanding that my work directly impacts the safety and productivity of the team. Staying focused on the bigger picture helps me remain motivated and committed, even during the more monotonous aspects of the job.”

12. How do you ensure accountability and quality in your work when completing work orders independently?

• Self-driven: An adept technician should be diligent and avoid shortcuts, even without supervision. 
• Organization: Do they keep thorough records of their work, even if not required?
• Willingness to ask for help: Are they proactive in seeking assistance when needed?
• Sample answer: “Even if no one looks over my work, I act like they will. I keep detailed notes in case the issue arises again, and if I’m unsure about something, I ask for help rather than risk making a mistake.”

13. How do you prioritize deferred maintenance tasks? What factors influence your decision-making? 

14. How do you handle after-hours emergency maintenance calls? 

Out-of-the-Box Questions

15. If you were a tool, which one would you be and why?

• Creativity: Not just “a hammer ’cause I’m tough,” but a wrench because it can be used for many things.
• Team player: It’s great if they connect it to working together, like how a voltmeter needs other people to work.
• Sample answer: “I’d be a multi-tool. It can be used for several tasks, just like I can do many different things. You are the only one who can make it better, though. Like maintenance itself, it takes skill and care. It’s also small and easy to carry, which is how I try to be for my team.”

16. If you could work on any project in the world, what would it be and why?

17. If you could have any superpower to improve your maintenance work, what would it be, and how would it help you?

Let Coast Help Guide Your Maintenance Strategy

Now that you’ve assembled a reliable team of technicians, check out how Coast’s CMMS can help you manage your maintenance strategy and ultimately enhance your organization’s operational efficiency.

Kaia is a content marketing specialist at Coast. She is completing her undergraduate degree in Digital Media and Culture at King’s College London. When she’s not working, she can be found flipping through racks at the thrift store, planning her next dinner party or lazing by a river somewhere in Northern California.

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How to Prep for an Accountant Interview: 9 Tips from Business Leaders

• Early Career

To help you ace your entry or mid-level accountant job interview, we asked industry experts and hiring leaders for their top advice. From discussing handling errors effectively to demonstrating a passion for the profession, here are the nine specific tips these professionals shared to help you prepare. 

Discuss Handling Errors Effectively

Showcase proficiency with accounting software, highlight process improvement experience, provide real-world impact of numbers, research the organization thoroughly, showcase critical thinking skills, prepare for an excel-based interview, ask insightful questions, demonstrate passion for the profession.

Be ready to talk about how you handle errors. Mistakes happen in every industry, whether it’s human errors or issues caused by software or data-related problems. In accounting, these errors can be particularly stressful due to their impact on finances, which can be very sensitive both to individuals and companies.

However, you should be ready to talk about how you handle such situations during your interview, as questions about overcoming obstacles or failures are quite common. The best tactic is to prepare a story about how you successfully addressed an error. If your professional experience is limited, you can go back to a time when something went wrong on a student project or even while managing your personal or family finances. 

To structure your response effectively, use the STAR method, adapting it to the specific question. This framework can be very helpful in describing how you handle difficult situations while focusing on positive outcomes and showcasing your problem-solving abilities and proactive attitude.

Maja Kowalska , Career Expert & Community Manager, Zety

Over the years, I’ve found that preparing entry- to mid-level candidates for job interviews involves a few key strategies. One tip I would give to a job seeker preparing for an entry- or mid-level accountant job interview is to thoroughly review and be ready to discuss their experience with accounting software and other industry-standard tools. Employers often seek candidates who are proficient with software like QuickBooks, Excel, SAP, Salesforce, or Oracle.

Showcasing your experience with these tools can set you apart from other candidates. Additionally, prepare examples of how you’ve used these tools in past roles or projects to solve problems. This approach will allow you to demonstrate your technical skills and your ability to apply your knowledge in real-world situations.

TK Morgan , Founder and Visionary, Tuesday At 1030

Interviewees should emphasize their experience in developing or refining accounting processes. For example, they can mention how they identified a recurring issue with delayed payments or missed deadlines and took the initiative to find a solution. They can explain how they implemented a new system or adjusted existing procedures to solve the problem. 

The interviewee should also try to use specific metrics to illustrate the impact of the changes they implemented. This approach showcases their ability to address inefficiencies and problem-solving skills, which are highly valuable in an accounting role.

Daniel Kroytor , Founder and Director, Tailored Pay

My ability to connect those numbers to real-world business outcomes set me apart. In one interview, I shared how I streamlined a small business’s expense-tracking system, which led to a 20% reduction in unnecessary costs. I didn’t just talk about the numbers; I showed how those numbers impacted the business’s bottom line. That’s what made me stand out.

Employers want to see that you’re not just crunching numbers—you’re using them to drive decisions and add value. So, when you walk into that interview, be ready to share specific examples of how your analytical skills have made a tangible difference.

Christopher Pappas , Founder, eLearning Industry Inc

I’ve consulted on hundreds of hires. What makes any accounting candidate stand out? First of all, they’re prepared for the interview. They’ve found out everything you can about the organization and the position.

The best-prepared applicant I ever encountered went far beyond checking out the company’s website and online articles about the company, and actually called a number of employees who held the type of position she was applying for as well as several of their managers. So she was able to show her understanding of the specific issues these employees faced and the ways the company wanted to deal with those issues.

Barry Maher , Principal, Barry Maher &  Associates

I value a candidate’s ability to think critically. Taking a moment to process a question, even if it feels uncomfortable, demonstrates strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail. It shows me that the candidate is focused on providing an accurate and thoughtful response rather than rushing to give an answer.

Kimberley Tyler-Smith, VP of Strategy and Growth, Resume Worded

Be prepared for an Excel-based interview section. A large part of an accountant’s job, especially an entry- or mid-level accountant job, involves utilizing Excel. Throughout your prior job experience and schooling, you’ve probably become pretty accustomed to Microsoft Office as a whole, but for this interview, you should brush up on higher-level Excel shortcuts and formulas in case you have to show off your Excel knowledge.

Rubens Basso , Chief Technology Officer, FieldRoutes

At the end of your interview, you will most likely be given the opportunity to ask questions. I believe this is your opportunity to express your interest in the position and the firm. Prepare a few intelligent questions that demonstrate you’re considering the job from a strategic standpoint.

For example, you could inquire about the company’s financial risk-management strategy, how they address changes in accounting legislation, or what issues the accounting staff is currently facing. Another useful question may be regarding prospects for professional development inside the company, demonstrating your desire to advance with the organization. Inquiring about the technologies and systems currently in use can also help you determine how your experience corresponds with their requirements.

Thoughtful questions can help you stand out by expressing your enthusiasm to contribute meaningfully to the organization and your readiness to face the role’s responsibilities.

Timothy Allen , Director, Oberheiden P.C.

As someone who regularly recruits for accounting roles at all levels, I’d advise the job seeker to demonstrate passion for the profession. Explain that you believe the interviewing company is an ideal place for you to grow your career in the field you love.

Really “show up” for your interview by coming prepared and polished to show how much you care about landing that specific role. And be sure to share your desire for continuous learning and demonstrate the knowledge you’ve already gained. Such sincere enthusiasm will propel you to the top of the short-list and improve your chances of securing the job.

Susan Snipes , Head of People, Remote People

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Best 30 Project Manager Interview Questions and Answers (2024)

Simplify project management. Plan and collaborate across teams and work styles for total visibility and greater productivity with ProjectManager.

Finding the right project manager, who has the skill sets, experience and proper corporate cultural fit for your organization is not as easy as just posting a job listing. You need to meet the potential candidate and figure out if they’re suited for the job. That’s where having the right project manager interview questions comes in.

Project management interview questions will guide your decision-making process. Hire a leader with the project management and communication skills that’ll lead your projects to success by using these project manager interview questions.

Related: Free Project Management Templates and Spreadsheets for Excel

Types of Project Manager Interview Questions

There are two main types of project management interview questions, behavioral and scenario-based questions. These two approaches help interviewers get as much information as possible from project managers.

Scenario-Based Project Manager Interview Questions

The purpose of scenario-based interview questions is to ask project manager candidates how they’d respond to hypothetical project management scenarios. Here, you can understand the thinking process of your project managers and look into their problem-solving skills, leadership style, knowledge of project management methods and tools, etc.

Behavioral Project Manager Interview Questions

This type of interview question asks for events that happened in the past. The purpose of these project manager interview questions is to get an idea of how the project manager has acted in the past, and how he or she applied applicable project management skills and knowledge to solve real-life problems.

The 30 project management interview questions below include these two types of questions. We hope they help you prepare for your PM interview.

Types of Project Manager Interviews

Most employers typically conduct several rounds of interviews to look at project managers through different lenses. This is done to get a better understanding of the technical capabilities of project managers, their past performance and their decision-making under different scenarios.

Here’s some expert advice from Devin Deen, certified scrum master and project manager expert. In the video below he explains some the main types of project manager interviews that you’ll need to go through to get a project management role .

Top Project Manager Interview Questions and Answers

Here are some of the most common project manager interview questions that will help you find the best talent for your projects. They’re also helpful if you want to learn how to prepare for a project manager interview. There are different types of PM interview questions as well as some icebreakers to start the interview.

1. Tell me about yourself

This is a typical question for an interview and is a great way to break the ice and conversate. But you can get important information about the candidate’s past experiences, skills and education. You can also get a feel of how well this individual will adapt to the project manager role at your organization. A good way to do this is to ask the candidate to tell you a little about his or her past, present and future project management job expectations.

How to answer: Be honest in answering this and every question, but keep it brief. You can share relevant information about your upbringing. For example, was one of your parents a project manager? What in your upbringing shows you have the leadership or communication skills to manage a team and handle the pressure of a project ? If you have project management certification or prior positions that make you the ideal candidate, make sure to bring that up.

2. What’s your background, personally and professionally?

It’s important to get a snapshot of the applicant to bring their project manager resume into sharper focus. Knowing a bit about their life story unveils their soft skills and how they might respond to issues at work, and whether they’ll fit into the corporate culture.

How to answer: If you haven’t brought up your profession and educational background in the previous question, now’s the time to do so. It’s also good to bring up a personal anecdote that illustrates your leadership qualities. The same goes for their project management experience. Staying at a single job for a long time can be either bad or good for project managers, but you won’t know until you put their choice into context.

3. What’s your ideal project?

The ideal project is the one that you’re hiring for, of course! But on a serious note, try to get them to answer honestly. It’ll let you know what sort of projects they prefer to work on which gives a better feel for what kind of project management methodology excites them. This can help you place the project manager with the right project, or help them adapt to the project team you’re hiring them to manage.

How to answer: Be specific in answering this question. It’s best if you can relate a past project you worked on and why it checked all the boxes for you. If, for example, you’re applying to a construction company, then you’ll want to share a previous construction project that excited you, perhaps because of the length and complexity of the project. The more specific and passionate you are in your answer, the better you can show your enthusiasm for the work.

4. Have you worked in this industry before?

Does the candidate have project management experience in your industry? That’s important because they might excel at the project management methods your company uses or may have the right risk management skills to manage your projects. If they don’t, it’s not a deal breaker as much of project management is the same from industry to industry.

How to answer: If you’ve worked as a project manager, share that experience, such as how the prevalent projects panned out. But if you haven’t held a project manager position in the past yet and have strong project management skills or certifications that relate to the industry of your potential new employer, that can make up for a lack of direct experience. Whether you do or don’t have experience, be confident as it shows you’re an authentic person who’s comfortable in the position.

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5. What are some key challenges for our industry and how would you overcome them?

The interviewer is testing your knowledge about the project management industry. You must be not only well-versed in methodologies, techniques and tools used to manage projects, but in the larger picture.

How to answer: Use personal experience and effective solutions that you used. But also think about the organization that you’re interviewing with and the challenges they’re facing in the industry. This will show your understanding of the industry, the market, current challenges and possible solutions that relate specifically to the position you’re applying for.

6. Have you managed remote teams?

Not all projects are executed under one roof and remote teams are common. With more dynamic project management tools and a global workforce to choose from, many project managers might never meet the members of their team, at least in person, but they’ll be able to work together using project management software. Then there are the necessary resources that’ll be outsourced, which involves a different resource management technique than when working with employees. Knowing how they’ve managed people and resources can help you get an overview of their leadership skills and be a crucial point in your decision to hire or not to hire.

How to answer: This has become one of the most popular project manager interview questions as most companies now have an online workforce. Again, honesty is key. Lying will only cause future troubles. If you’ve managed a remote team, talk about the challenges of leading a group of people who you never met face-to-face. How’d you build a cohesive team from a distributed group? How did you track progress, foster collaboration, etc.? If you haven’t managed a remote team, explain how you would or what team management experience you have and how it’d translate to a situation where the team was not working together under one roof.

7. How did your last project end?

This question is about discovering any lessons they learned from that project. Everything about project management is a learning experience, and each project offers lessons from which a good project manager grows.

How to answer: Don’t be vague. Answer the question with a specific example. Provide a quick overview of the project’s goals, deliverables , constraints and risks. Show how you dealt with those project issues and brought the project to a successful conclusion. If the project failed, explain why, but don’t lay blame on others. You’re the project manager and the buck stops with you.

8. How do you prioritize tasks on a project?

Task management is important. There’s going to be more work in a day than can be accomplished, so any good project manager is going to have to determine what is crucial and what could be left undone if necessary. It’ll prove interesting and informative to see how the candidate makes these time management and task management decisions.

How to answer: If you can tether your answer to a real-life situation that’s best. Some project manager interview questions like this one don’t require abstract answers, but rather one that comes from the applicant’s experience. Explain how you review all the tasks for a particular project and then the decision-making process in prioritizing. For example, do you use the critical path method or some other technique? That will reveal a lot to the interviewer.

9. How do you foster team collaboration?

This behavioral question is a great way to gauge the candidate’s basic leadership and team management knowledge as well as their ability to use modern work management software and team collaboration apps. Project managers need to use tools to communicate with their team members whether they’re traditional, remote or hybrid teams.

How to answer: This question can be answered in two ways. You’ll want to give examples of how you facilitated collaboration with a team in the past by leading them through team-building exercises. But that just sets the stage for good collaboration. Next, you’ll want to talk about the project management software or other tools you used to connect teams so they could quickly and easily share files, comment on tasks, etc.

10. What was a challenging project, and how did you manage it?

This behavioral question takes the conversation from theoretical to practical. You can see how the project manager responded to real-life problems to help determine how they’d manage projects at your organization. This question also provides a sense of the person’s project management experience, such as how they lead teams and deal with conflicts. By asking about a challenging project, you can see how they apply their hard and soft skills when pushed to their limits and beyond.

How to answer: It’s a bit of a broken record, but the advice is important enough to repeat; be honest. Choose a real project that has challenged you. Set it up by explaining what those challenges were and explain how you addressed and resolved challenges. It’s a bit of a balancing act as you want to make the project’s challenges real, but you also want to show how you dealt with them. Don’t take all the credit, though. Make sure to give credit to your team.

11. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made on a project?

Everyone makes mistakes; character is defined by how you deal with them. This project management interview question allows you to first gauge the candidate’s honesty.

How to answer: This is another tricky question. If you say that you’ve never made a mistake, you can rest assured that the interviewer won’t believe you’re truthful and your resume will go into the circular file. However, when you share a mistake you’ve made, interviewers will note that you take responsibility for your actions, which reveals your level of maturity. Bonus points if you can show how that mistake was rectified by you and your team.

Interview Questions for Project Managers About Team Management

Projects are a team effort, so any project management interview will likely include questions about how you manage teams. Make sure you highlight team management skills such as leadership, communication skills, conflict resolution and interpersonal skills. The main purpose of these project management interview questions is that interviewers want to understand how well you can work with others, including project teams and stakeholders.

12. How do you ensure that your team is staying up to date with new tools and techniques?

Project managers can’t be complacent. They need to constantly stay updated on the industry and how it works, new technologies and tools can make the difference between a project that succeeds or fails. Through their project manager interview questions, interviewers must assess the applicant’s ability to implement new tools and techniques to manage projects.

13. What’s your leadership style?

Talking about managing a project will inevitably lead to a discussion of leadership style . There are many ways to lead, and all have their pluses and minuses. Depending on the project, a project manager might have to pick and choose how they lead, ranging from a top-down approach to servant leadership. See how well-versed they are in leadership techniques and how they apply them to project management.

14. What’s your communication style?

This is another classic project management interview question that directly stems from asking about managing projects and leadership. A project manager is nothing if he has poor communication skills. They need to be able to speak to team members, stakeholders, vendors, etc. Each group needs a slightly different approach. Stakeholders want the broad strokes of the project management plan, while team members need more detail. If a project manager can’t clearly communicate, the project is doomed before it has begun.

Being a good communicator is only the start. Project management software helps you better target communication with your team and stakeholders. ProjectManager has project management tools like Gantt charts , kanban boards and project calendars to clearly communicate your project plan. Our online software allows you and your team to collaborate in real time. If someone has a question, they can tag another person on the team to get them into the conversation. Our email and in-app notifications make sure you’re never late for a meeting or an important stakeholder presentation. Try our tool for free today.

15. What are your career goals for the future?

The interviewer is looking for several things when asking this question. They want to know if your career ambitions fit with what the organization can offer in terms of advancement. They’re also curious if you’re just using this position as a stepping stone to land a better gig elsewhere. Honesty is the best policy when answering this question; don’t lie but you don’t have to be overly specific, either.

16. How do you set goals for your team and how do you track those goals?

Project managers set goals for their teams. It’s a critical part of keeping them motivated and keeping to the schedule, which is why this is a common project manager interview question. But goals without a means to measure them are useless.

17. How do you seek help outside of the project team?

This project manager interview question gives you information about the leadership and communication skills of your project manager candidate. Some project managers are going to think you want a person who’s wholly independent and pulls from an inner reservoir. But more resourceful is the project manager who knows when they’re over their head and asks for help from a mentor or a network of professionals.

18. How do you gain agreement with teams?

Where there are people, there are conflicts, and even the best projects have problems. Good teams collaborate and trust one another. If there’s a problem between two or more project team members, it must be resolved quickly. But this can also apply to stakeholders, vendors, etc. A project manager is a bit of a psychologist who must know how to resolve conflicts quickly.

19. Do you delegate?

The last thing you want is a project manager who carries everything on their shoulders. But this is a bit of a trick question or at least one that has an implicit question embedded in it. What you really want to know is not whether they delegate, but how they delegate work to their team members . This is a great way to weed out the micromanagers.

That doesn’t mean a project manager is absent from the process. Project management software has features to keep them aware of what their team is doing but not in the way. For example, ProjectManager has a board view that visualizes the workflow. The kanban allows managers to oversee their team as they work and make sure things are moving forward. Even better, if a potential block is spotted in the production, the manager can reallocate resources to keep the work moving forward.

20. How do you manage team members that aren’t working to their full potential?

Sometimes, no matter how much due diligence you put into assembling a skilled and experienced project team , someone underperforms or creates conflicts. While the project is rolling, you don’t have time to stop and tweak your team. Rather, the project manager must use problem-solving techniques and communication skills to deal with the problem. This comes up with even the best project team, so any capable project manager would know how to nip underperformance in the bud.

Interview Questions for Project Managers About Work Experience

Work experience is always important in any type of interview, and that’s true for project management interviews. Employers make these project manager interview questions because they need to make sure you have the necessary hands-on experience that’s required to be a good fit for their type of projects and that you have the capabilities to excel in their industry.

21. What steps do you take for efficient risk planning?

Managing risk is important, whether those risks are positive or negative to the project’s outcome. Projects rarely go as planned. This project manager interview question is to see if you understand how to identify and resolve risks while maintaining the project schedule and keeping to the budget.

22. How do you deal when you’re overwhelmed or underperforming?

It’s easy to forget that project managers are people, too. They’re hired to perform project management processes and lead a project to success, but they can suffer the same setbacks as anyone on the team throughout the project life cycle. The difference between a good and a great project manager is the ability to monitor oneself and respond proactively to any drop-offs in performance.

23. How do you work with customers, sponsors and stakeholders?

Even project managers have to answer to someone. Responding to executives, project sponsors and stakeholders requires a different approach than the one they’d use with teams and vendors. Part of their duties includes managing stakeholders who hold a position of authority over the project manager. That takes a subtle touch.

24. If the project isn’t adhering to schedule, how do you get it back on track?

Knowing that a project isn’t keeping to its schedule is only as important as being able to get the project back on track. Once a project manager is aware of the discrepancy between the actual project schedule and the schedule baseline estimated in the project plan, they need to take action, such as project crashing or fast-tracking. Any project manager worth hiring will be able to answer this with practical specifics. On these types of questions, it’s best to answer with the STAR method.

25. Do you have budget management experience?

It helps to drill down into specific aspects of the project management experience of your candidates. Naturally, if the candidate has specific skills, they’ll be briefly sketched in the resume. But here’s your opportunity to get a deeper sense of where they stand in terms of their experience with project management processes such as budget management. Project managers are known as planners. They create a project schedule and lead teams to success. But there’s often money involved, so they should know how to handle a project budget.

26. How do you know the project is off track?

Every project hits a snag along the way, but not every project manager is aware of that delay until the project budget or project schedule is affected. The ability to monitor and track the progress of a project and tell immediately when it’s not meeting the benchmarks you set in the project planning phase is perhaps the most important duty of a project manager. It’s also important to see if the project manager candidates have experience implementing a risk management plan to mitigate risks and keep projects on budget and schedule. ProjectManager has project dashboards to help project managers spot issues before they become serious problems.

27. What project management software do you prefer?

A project manager needs project management tools to plan , monitor and report on the project. There are many, from simple to complex. This question reveals first how up-to-date the candidate is regarding software and project management tools. Additionally, it provides a picture of what tools and processes they use to manage a project.

Most project managers heavily rely on Gantt charts when it comes to project planning and scheduling. ProjectManager has award-winning online Gantt charts that allow project managers to plan every phase of their projects. Managers can create dependencies, add milestones, assign tasks, manage workload and more—all from one screen. Any project manager you hire would appreciate the power of our planning tools.

28. What’s your preferred project management methodology?

There are almost as many ways to manage a project as there are projects. From traditional methods like waterfall to hybrid methodologies, you want a project manager who understands the many ways to work. And more importantly, can they use the project management methodology that best suits the work at hand?

Out-of-the-Box Project Manager Interview Questions

Lastly, employers will often ask out-of-the-box questions to relieve the tension of the interview and be able to get a better idea of what the candidate’s personality is like.

29. How tall are the pyramids in Egypt?

Talk about not being prepared. Who’s going into a job interview with this information in their head? You don’t want an accurate answer to this question, but you do want to see how the project manager deals critically and seriously with the question. Because during the project, they’ll be sidelined with unexpected challenges and questions.

30. What’s something you don’t want us to know?

Ouch. Yes, you need to go there and make the candidate uncomfortable. It’s not that you want to learn some secret or catch them in an unethical act. Less important than the content of their answer is the way they deal with the question. You’ll get a better picture of the person instead of the persona they’re presenting. It also shows their communication skills while under pressure. It might seem cruel, but it’ll help you get to the heart of the person that you’re going to trust with the management of your project.

Tips for Preparing for a Project Manager Interview

One tip for preparing for your project manager interview is to get familiar with the above questions to give you a sense of confidence when in the interview. This will go a long way. People want to hire people that they can trust.

Other than that, you should do your homework. Research the organization you’re interviewing at and know their history and what they do. Also, study the job description and make sure you understand what will be expected of you.

If you know who the hiring manager is, you can also do a bit of research on them. You don’t want to come across as a stalker, but it could help you feel more comfortable having a bit of background on the person.

Finally, practice. Ask a friend you trust to be honest with you and ask them to act as the interviewer. They can ask the questions above. It’ll help you get comfortable answering them. Take constructive feedback from your friends and hone your answers and mannerisms to be the best applicant.

How ProjectManager Helps Project Managers

If you’re a project manager or are looking for one, then you have projects to execute. Projects need more than a good project manager to lead them, they need project management tools, too. ProjectManager is online project management software that helps project managers plan, monitor and report on the project, while team members collaborate on tasks online. It’s ideal for the whole organization.

Dashboards to Track Your Projects

Monitoring a project is the only way to make sure your team is aligned with the project plan. Online Gantt charts measure the progress of each task, but project managers want a bird’s-eye view. ProjectManager has a real-time dashboard that tracks six project metrics to help project managers monitor the overall progress of the project. The dashboard also helps project managers keep their stakeholders in the loop.

Generate Reports for Stakeholders

Teams are a project’s most valuable resource. ProjectManager keeps team morale high by giving project managers the tools they need to manage their workload and make sure no one is given too many tasks while others are idle. ProjectManager also streamlines project timesheets and has features that manage project resources, so projects can deliver on stakeholder expectations.

Once you’ve gotten through the project manager interview process and a job offer has been made, then it’s up to you to provide them with the best tools to manage the project. ProjectManager is online project management software with real-time dashboards, online Gantt charts and a collaborative platform for your team. There’s no question, this is what your project manager will want. Try our award-winning software for free with this 30-day trial.

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20 project manager interview questions and answers

Landing a project management interview is a big accomplishment. But you’ll only get a chance at the job if you prepare for the interview properly. In this article, we cover some of the most common project manager interview questions and answers so you can ace this interview and get hired.

Take a deep breath—we’re here to help. If you have an interview for a project manager position coming up, this post is for you.

What does a project manager do?

Before we dive into common project manager interview questions, let’s take a look at what a project manager actually does. 

The title project manager has changed significantly over the years. Initially, project manager roles were highly specialized technical positions, and project managers themselves were certified in complicated, complex project management tools. Luckily, modern project management tools have made project management accessible to a broader variety of roles—and now, more often than not, a project manager is less focused on the technical element and more focused on aligning stakeholders, driving clarity, and hitting project goals. 

The definition of project management varies between companies, departments, and positions. For example, at Asana, we believe that if you’re managing projects, you’re a project manager, regardless of your job title. 

To get a sense of what your interviewer expects from you as a project manager, study the job description closely to understand the main responsibility of the position you applied for. Is it people management, cost management, risk management, program management , or something entirely different?

If you know what exactly this project manager job will entail, you can use this information to better prepare for the interview. This will also help you figure out which of the questions and answers below are going to be the most helpful for your interview prep.

1. Tell me about yourself.

While it’s technically not a question, more often than not, this is going to be the first thing an interviewer wants you to talk about. Think of your answer as your elevator pitch—this is your chance to briefly summarize who you are, why you’re here, and what makes you the best candidate.

What the question means: For the interviewer, it’s a great way to ease into a conversation, give the candidate a chance to settle in, and give a first impression. The interviewer wants to find out who you are as a person and why you’ve applied. 

How to answer: Briefly explain your last project or current position. Then name a few project planning skills you’ve learned in your previous job and how they’ve prepared you for this position. Stay positive, be truthful, and let your passion shine through. 

What not to say: Don’t just restate your resume. The interviewer has that right in front of them. Tell them something they don’t know and can’t find out from your resume alone. Also, keep it professional and read the room—not every interviewer cares about your new puppy (unfortunately).

2. Do you have experience working from home and managing a remote team?

Since working from home has become the norm for many companies, it’s possible that you’ll have to manage a fully remote team either now or in the future. Project manager positions are often team leads or project leads, so your interviewer may want to learn more about your experience in this area.

What the question means: Virtual managers face more challenges than managers who share the same office space as their teammates. The interviewer wants to find out if you have previous experience managing virtual teams .  

How to answer: If you have experience managing a remote team, that’s great! Talk about some of the challenges you’ve faced not being in person and how you overcame them. If you don’t have a ton of relevant experience, talk about how you can use project management tools and team bonding exercises to connect, communicate, and collaborate with remote teams.

What not to say: Don’t downplay the challenge of keeping virtual team members motivated and engaged. Your interviewer needs to know that you take team morale seriously and understand what it takes to connect with your team in a remote world.

3. How do you keep your team motivated?

If your project team doesn’t feel motivated, they’ll struggle to complete their high impact work. This can cause project delays and lack of quality in your deliverables. As a project manager, one of your responsibilities is knowing how to keep your team motivated and moving towards the project objective .

What the question means: The interviewer wants to find out what your tactics are for keeping a team engaged and motivated. 

How to answer: You can start by describing the work environment you hope to build for your team. Besides a place where teammates feel valued, seen, and understood, it’s also important to set transparent goals and expectations for your team. Explain how setting realistic project milestones doesn’t just keep the project on track but also fosters effective teamwork.

What not to say: Don’t talk about monetary rewards like raises or promotions. Teams that complete their work for extrinsic motivation only aren’t going to feel as fulfilled as teams that feel intrinsic motivation to perform well.

4. What is your leadership style of choice?

There are several different leadership styles out there and while some may be more popular than others, there is no right or wrong leadership style. In fact, your team members may benefit from different leadership styles depending on their unique personalities, the projects they’re currently working on, and the challenges they’re facing. 

What the question means: While the terms leadership and management are often used interchangeably, not every manager is a leader and not every leader is a manager. If the interviewer asks this question, they’re probably looking for someone who can be both—so it’s important that you know what your leadership style is. 

How to answer: Be sure that you know what different leadership styles entail. Know the risks and benefits of your leadership style so you can confidently answer follow-up questions about your specific leadership skills, like:

As a democratic leader , how do you ensure that your team still trusts you when you make a decision without their input?

How do you approach conflict resolution as an affiliative leader?

As a transformational leader, how do you combat pressure your team may feel because of your constant involvement?

What is your communication style as a transactional leader ?

As a laissez-faire or delegative leader, how do you keep your team on track?

What not to say: Don’t wiggle your way out of the question by simply saying your leadership style depends on the situation. If that’s true and your leadership style is in fact situational , talk more about how you adapt your style and give examples of when you’d apply a supporting, coaching, delegating, or directing style.

5. How do you communicate bad news with your team?

Part of your job description as a project manager will be to deliver news to your team—good and bad. Whether you’re managing people or projects, at some point, you’ll likely have to relay bad news to your team.

The way you handle sticky situations, like communicating that you’re not hitting a project’s goals or are losing funding for an exciting initiative, will be a reflection of how qualified you are to be a manager.

What the question means: The interviewer likely wants to find out if you have both the integrity and communication skills to deliver bad news to your team without causing misunderstandings or issues.

How to answer: Acknowledge that the challenge of communicating bad news is that you have to balance representing and understanding both the emotional response of your team and the decision of higher-level executives. Explain that the best way to effectively communicate bad news is to prepare yourself. 

Once you’ve prepared and practiced how you’ll deliver your message, you’ll do your best to use direct language when communicating the news to avoid misunderstandings. It’s also important that you set aside time for questions from your team and establish next steps so they feel prepared for what’s to come.

What not to say: Don’t try to answer this question with a positive spin. Bad news is bad news and there’s no reason to sell it as something it’s not. Instead, be realistic and ensure that you show the interviewer that you understand the potential risks and severity of a scenario like this.

6. How do you prioritize tasks?

As a project manager, your workday can change in an instant. New tasks, change requests, or a confused stakeholder who needs clarification right away can throw off your entire schedule. It’s important that you know how to prioritize work if you want to excel in this position.

What the question means: The interviewer is looking for a very direct and detailed answer on how you prioritize tasks. 

How to answer: Explain your go-to time management method . Perhaps you use the Eisenhower Matrix to find out which tasks need to be done right away or can be scheduled for later, delegated to someone else, or deleted altogether. 

Maybe you prefer to eat the frog and get your biggest and most complex task done first thing in the morning. Whatever your preferred method of task prioritization is, quickly explain what it is and give a specific example of how you’d apply it—or better yet, how you’ve applied it in the past.

What not to say: Don’t just say you go with the flow. A skilled manager will use tools and techniques to prioritize tasks by importance and urgency, so make sure to share your go-to approach with your interviewer.

7. How do you define an ideal project?

The answer to this is not “one that goes according to plan.” This question intends to find out more about what type of projects you prefer to work on.

What the question means: The interviewer wants to know what type of projects you feel most comfortable and confident working on. This is not going to be a guarantee that you’ll get the kind of project you describe but it’s going to give the interviewer a better sense of your skill set.

How to answer: The best way to answer this question is to be honest. Tell the interviewer what kinds of projects excite you the most. Perhaps you prefer projects that are super collaborative and innovative. Maybe you do your best work when a project is streamlined and there aren’t too many moving parts at the same time. Or you may do really well managing multiple small projects that run simultaneously. Whatever it is that you feel the most passionate about—tell the interviewer. And, if you can, give an example of a specific project you’ve done in the past that was really rewarding for you.

What not to say: Don’t lie and say you can handle any type of project. Even if that’s true, really dig into the type that excites you the most so your answer is more genuine.

8. How do you handle changes to a project?

Projects rarely go according to plan, which is why your position is so important. As the project manager, you’ll be in charge of adjusting the schedule, communicating changes, and adopting them accordingly. 

What the question means: The interviewer wants to know what kind of problem-solving strategies you’re familiar with. Depending on the level of your position, they may also want to know how familiar you are with change management processes .

How to answer: Showcase your ability to adapt to unexpected or uncomfortable situations when answering this question. Convince the interviewer that you’re quick on your feet and have successfully handled project changes before.

What not to say: Don’t be vague. If you’re struggling to explain how you handle changes to a project, give a real-life example instead. This will also show the interviewer that you’ve successfully managed a situation like this before.

9. What project management methods have you used in the past?

There are many different project management methodologies and chances are you’ve used or experienced more than one before. Whether you’re familiar with Agile work environments, the waterfall model, or running teams on Scrum —this is the time to showcase your knowledge.

What the question means: The interviewer wants to find out whether the project management methods you use fit the organization's style.

How to answer: Talk about the project management methodology you’re most familiar with and give an example of how you’ve used it. For example, you could talk about your experience with Scrum teams or talk about projects that you managed using Kanban boards . Explain why you used the given methodology and how it worked for your team and project.

What not to say: Don’t just toss around buzzwords. Make sure that you know what Agile means if you’re going to talk about applying this methodology. Interviewers notice whether or not you understand a methodology so it’s best to be prepared for follow-up questions.

10. What project management tools do you have experience with?

There is an array of project management software available and chances are, you’ve used your fair share of them. There really is no right or wrong answer to this question but you can get a few extra points if you personalize your answer.

What the question means: The interviewer wants to gain a sense of how many and what types of project management tools you’re familiar with.

How to answer: Truthfully answer what project management tools and software you’ve used in the past. If possible, find out what tools the company you’re interviewing for uses. You may find information on their website, on a review site, or get this kind of insight from an employee via LinkedIn. With this information on hand, you can tailor your answer to the tool the company uses and let the interviewer know that you’ve used it or something similar in the past.

What not to say: Don’t judge any project management tools. You may have a favorite (Asana, right?) or even a tool that gives you a headache just thinking about it, but now is not the time to pass judgment. Simply list the tools you have experience with and explain your skill level, if applicable.

11. Do you have experience with cost or budget management?

While not every project management position requires cost management knowledge, it’s a very common interview question for human resources, accounting, or finance management positions. So let’s take a look at the best way to answer it. 

What the question means: The interviewer is curious whether you’ve had to manage costs before and is likely looking for an example.

How to answer: If you don’t have experience managing budgets, be honest about it and let the interviewer know how you’re planning to build this skill. If you have budget or cost management experience, talk about the budget you’ve managed, what you were in charge of, and how you allocated additional resources when necessary.

What not to say: Don’t make up budgets you’ve never managed or talk about how you manage your personal budget if you don’t have professional experience. Being fiscally responsible is not the same as knowing how to manage a project budget. So be honest about your experience and skill level.

12. What motivates you to give your best to a project?

This is an excellent opportunity to talk about a project that went really well and explain why it was one of your best projects to date. Chances are, you were passionate, inspired your team, and led the project to success because you felt so motivated. 

What the question means: Motivation looks different to everyone. The interviewer wants to find out what keeps you motivated to get a better understanding of your personality.

How to answer: Think about what motivates you when you’re working. Is it a great team that loves to collaborate? Do you love showing up for work to solve problems? Do you get excited about learning new things and widening your skillset? Whatever satisfies and excites you to do your best in a project, share it with your interviewer and give an example if you can.

What not to say: Don’t say “money.” It’s obvious that money is a factor in why you’re motivated to show up for work every day but the interviewer is asking this question to find out what other factors drive you.

13. Tell me about a challenge you’ve faced and how you handled it.

As a project manager, you’ll encounter plenty of challenging projects. Share a challenge that turned into a successful project or a great learning experience with your interviewer to prove that you can handle roadblocks or setbacks.

What the question means: The interviewer wants to learn more about your problem-solving skills and how you approach challenges. They’re looking for a specific example.

How to answer: The best way to answer this question is to apply the STAR method. This method allows you to break down a situation into four categories: 

Situation : Start with the situation you were in. For example, explain that your project team suddenly got smaller because two people were out sick for an extended period of time.

Task : Explain how you wanted to resolve the situation. For example, your goal was to ensure that you could still deliver the project on time.

Action : Describe the actions you took to reach your goal. For example, you first tried to get help from another team. When that didn’t work out, you had to outsource some of the simpler tasks to a freelancer to give your team the bandwidth for their work.

Result : Finish with the outcome of the situation. For example, hiring a freelancer allowed your team to focus on the important tasks and complete the project without delays. Plus, you ended up hiring that freelancer for your next project because they did such an amazing job supporting your team.

What not to say: Don’t talk about a personal challenge. The interviewer wants to know how you handle challenges like lack of resources, negative feedback, or project delays. Whether you have prior experience as a project manager or not, we’ve all faced difficult times at work before, so talk about a situation where you showed how well you can handle a challenge.

14. Why are you looking to leave your current job?

Obviously, there’s a reason you’re doing this job interview. And the interviewer is curious what you’re hoping to find here that you’re lacking at your current job.

What the question means: The interviewer wants to find out one of two things (or both): How do you speak of your former/current employer and what motivated you to apply for this position?

How to answer: Instead of looking back at your old or current employer, talk about what excites you most about this new opportunity. Are you excited about the possibility of relocating? Are you looking forward to gaining new skills or taking on more responsibilities? Perhaps you’re looking to improve your work-life balance and feel like this new company is the perfect place to do so. Let your excitement for the new role shine through—that will set you apart from other candidates.

What not to say: Don’t bash your former employer. No matter how dreadful your current or past job is or was, it’s important to look forward and stay positive in your interview.

15. Name three tactics you’ve used to develop and maintain great customer relationships.

Depending on your field, you may have to deal with customers or clients on a regular basis. If you’re skilled at creating and maintaining solid relationships, you’re going to be a great asset to your company.

What the question means: Happy clients or customers are important—the interviewer wants to know if you have more than one card up your sleeve when it comes to fostering meaningful professional relationships.

How to answer: Think about your past customer relationships and what they valued. Did they appreciate your quick and positive communication? Did you make them feel like they were your only client or customer? Did you consistently exceed their expectations? Were you able to understand their goals and speak their language? All of these are tactics proven to build and maintain strong business relationships. 

What not to say: Don’t brag about how great you are with clients or customers. Humility is one of the many tactics that help maintain positive professional relationships so make sure you’re staying humble in your interview to prove you’re capable of this.  

16. How do you inspire underperforming team members?

A successful project manager must be able to motivate their team, and this question probes both your communication and management styles.

What the question means: The interviewer is seeking insight into your leadership skills, specifically how you identify, address, and turn around instances of underperformance within your team. They're interested in your ability to inspire and motivate, rather than just manage.

How to answer: Begin by emphasizing the importance of understanding each team member's strengths, weaknesses, and personal motivators. Share a past experience where you identified the root cause of an underperforming team member, such as a lack of clarity, insufficient training, or personal challenges. Explain the steps you took to address the issue, which might include setting clearer goals, providing additional support or resources, or adjusting project roles to better align with team members' strengths.

Highlight the positive outcome of your actions, such as improved performance, increased team morale, or the successful completion of a project. It's crucial to convey empathy, adaptability, and a commitment to developing your team's potential.

What not to say: Avoid suggesting that underperformance is solely the team member's fault or implying that punitive measures are your go-to strategy.

17. How do you handle changes to a project’s scope, especially in the middle of a project?

This question explores a project manager's adaptability, strategic planning skills, and decision-making process—all of which are critical for managing the inevitable changes that occur during the project life cycle.

What the question means: The interviewer is looking to understand your process for managing scope creep and your ability to maintain project objectives, timelines, and budgets in the face of change. They're interested in your stakeholder management skills, decision-making process, and how you communicate changes.

How to answer: Start by acknowledging that changes to a project's scope are common and can sometimes lead to better project outcomes. Describe your initial step of evaluating the impact of the requested change on the project's timeline, budget, and resources. Emphasize the importance of good communication with stakeholders to understand the reasons behind the change and to set realistic expectations.

Share a past experience where you successfully managed a scope change by conducting a thorough impact analysis, obtaining necessary approvals, and adjusting project plans accordingly. Highlight how you kept the team informed and motivated, managed stakeholder expectations, and ensured the project remained on track. Stress the importance of flexibility, but also of having robust change management processes in place to assess and integrate changes efficiently.

What not to say: Avoid suggesting that you resist all changes to project scope or that you accommodate changes without assessing their impact and obtaining the necessary approvals.

18. Can you describe your experience with Agile project management?

This question targets a project manager's familiarity and proficiency with Agile methodologies, which are vital for managing projects in dynamic and fast-paced environments.

What the question means: The interviewer is gauging your understanding of Agile principles, practices, and frameworks (such as Scrum, Kanban, etc.) and how you've applied them in real-world projects. They're interested in your ability to adapt, collaborate, and deliver value quickly and efficiently.

How to answer: Briefly explain your understanding of Agile project management and its importance in fostering collaboration, flexibility, and customer satisfaction. Then, share past experiences in which you successfully managed projects by applying Agile practices. Discuss how you facilitated sprint planning, guided daily stand-ups, and conducted reviews to ensure continuous improvement and stakeholder engagement. Highlight any challenges you faced, such as resistance to change or team alignment issues, and explain how you overcame them.

It's also beneficial to mention any certifications or training you've completed in Agile project management. This demonstrates your commitment to professional development and your proactive approach to managing projects.

What not to say: Avoid giving the impression that you are unfamiliar with Agile methodologies or that you prefer not to use them, especially if the organization you're interviewing with follows Agile practices.

19. Can you briefly tell us about the last project you worked on?

This question offers a window into your recent project management experiences, showcasing your project planning skills, challenges you've overcome, and ability to deliver results.

What the question means: The interviewer is seeking a snapshot of your project management style, including how you handle project schedules, dependencies, and metrics to ensure success. They're interested in your ability to lead, adapt, and apply lessons learned to future projects.

How to answer: Begin with a brief overview of the project, including its objectives, scope, and team dynamics. Highlight your specific responsibilities, such as planning, execution, stakeholder management, and any particular methodologies or tools you used (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Gantt charts, etc.). Discuss a key challenge you faced and how you addressed it, demonstrating your problem-solving skills and resilience.

Conclude with the project's outcome, emphasizing any successes or achievements, and reflect on a valuable lesson learned or how the experience has prepared you for future projects. This approach shows your competence, leadership, and ability to reflect on and grow from your experiences.

What not to say: Avoid giving a vague or overly general response that doesn't provide insight into your capabilities or the specifics of the project. Also, steer clear of placing blame on others for any difficulties encountered during the project.

20. What is your experience with stakeholder management, and how do you balance conflicting priorities and demands?

A successful project manager must be able to communicate with stakeholders while balancing conflicting priorities. This project management interview question gauges your capacity to resolve conflicts and prioritize effectively.

What the question means: The interviewer is seeking insight into your ability to engage with various stakeholders, each with their own interests and expectations, and how you navigate the complexities of competing demands and priorities that are a reality in most projects. They want to know if you can maintain a strategic perspective while ensuring stakeholder satisfaction and project alignment with business goals.

How to answer: Begin by summarizing your approach to stakeholder management, emphasizing good communication, transparency, and relationship building. Provide specific examples of how you've identified and engaged stakeholders in past projects. Then, transition into discussing your methods for prioritizing demands, such as using a decision-making framework, leveraging project management tools, or applying negotiation and conflict resolution skills.

Highlight a past experience where you successfully balanced conflicting priorities, detailing the outcome and what you learned from the experience. It's essential to convey that your approach is systematic, adaptable, and tailored to the unique needs of each project. 

What not to say: Avoid suggesting that you prioritize tasks solely based on intuition or without a clear, consistent methodology.

Tips for acing project management interview questions

Knowing what to say is important, but a job interview is about much more than just saying the right things. You’ll want to leave a great impression and make sure that your personality stands out from the rest of the candidate pool (especially in person or via Zoom). Here are our favorite tips to leave hiring managers and recruiters with a great impression.

Understand PM terminology. You should familiarize yourself with common project management terms . That way, when they come up during the interview, you don’t have to ask what they mean first and potentially risk your chances of getting the job.

Practice clarity and confidence. Besides rehearsing answers to common interview questions, work on delivering your answers with confidence and clarity. This includes practicing your body language to make sure it conveys confidence.

Ask for clarification when needed . If a question is unclear or you're unsure of what's being asked, don't hesitate to ask for clarification. It's better to get more information than to answer incorrectly due to a misunderstanding. This also demonstrates your communication skills and attention to detail.

Prepare with real-world examples . Equip yourself with past experiences that demonstrate your project management skills and accomplishments. Tailor these stories to the job description and the skills it requires, showing how your background makes you the perfect fit for the role.

Go get that project manager job!

Now that you know what to say (and what not to say) during your job interview, we’re sure you’re going to nail it. 

And if you land the job, make sure you utilize tools that make your life easier, like Asana’s project management software that’s designed to minimize app switching. That way, you and your new team can keep everything from messages to timelines in one place and focus on what’s really important.

Related resources

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8 steps to write an effective project status report

Provider onboarding software: Simplify your hiring process

Inventory management software: How to control your stock

Critical Thinking Interview Questions: 15 Interview Questions to Identify Top Candidates

Critical thinking goes beyond technical expertise and is essential in a wide range of professions. It’s a skill that enables employees to analyze information, solve problems, and make informed decisions. You can gauge critical thinking using assessment tests, practical problem solving, or through crafting interview questions highlighting critical thinking abilities.

In this blog, we’ll be going through questions you can ask your candidates to figure out if they have the critical thinking skills you require for your open position. But first, let’s talk about why critical thinking skills are so important.  

Why Are Critical Thinking Skills Necessary?

Critical thinkers are especially necessary positions that require problem solving skills, juggling various priorities, and analyzing data. Although many jobs and industries require a certain level of critical thinking ability, these skills are essential for some job roles and industries, including:

• K-12 : The best teachers are creative problem solvers. Between classroom management and learning fatigue, critical thinking skills help teachers find the best way to connect with their students.
• Leadership Positions : Effective leaders must make strategic decisions, often in ambiguous situations. Critical thinking is crucial in leadership roles.
• Creative Fields : In industries such as design, advertising, and content creation, the ability to think critically allows individuals to come up with innovative and unique solutions and ways to attract prospective customers.
• Healthcare : Medical professionals must critically assess patient conditions, interpret test results, and make decisions that can have a significant impact on a patient’s well-being.
• Technology : IT professionals, software developers, and data analysts rely on critical thinking to troubleshoot, create algorithms, and analyze data.

Now, let’s dive into a list of interview questions that can help you evaluate a candidate’s critical thinking abilities.  

Interview Questions to Assess Critical Thinking:

Note: Feel free to mix and match these questions based on the specific role and the level of critical thinking required. Also–to expand on questions like these, you can use tools like AI Question Assist . interviewstream’s Ethical AI tool helps you come up with position and industry-based questions using community knowledge from a large language

• Tell me about a situation where you faced a complex problem at work? How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?
• How do you typically approach a new project or task? What steps do you take to understand the problem and develop a plan?
• Give an example of a situation where you had to think on your feet and adapt to unexpected challenges.
• Describe a project where you had to evaluate multiple options before making a decision. How did you assess the pros and cons?
• Provide an instance where you identified a problem in your current or previous role that others might have overlooked? What did you do about it?
• What methods do you use to gather and evaluate information when solving complex issues?
• Tell me about a situation where you had to analyze data to make a decision. What tools or methodologies did you use?
• Describe a project where you had to anticipate potential obstacles and develop contingency plans. How did your proactive thinking benefit the project?
• Provide an example of a time when you identified a solution that significantly improved a process or operation at your company?
• Describe a situation where you had to explain a complex concept or solution to someone who had little to no knowledge of the subject. How did you ensure effective communication?
• How do you prioritize tasks and allocate your time when dealing with multiple projects or assignments?
• Explain your process for identifying the root cause of a problem. Can you provide an example from your experience?
• Describe a project where you had to innovate and think outside the box to overcome a challenge or reach a goal?
• Tell me about a time when you had to analyze financial data or budgets to make recommendations or decisions for your department or company.
• How do you approach a project that requires you to think long-term and consider the potential future implications of your decisions?

How to Use Critical Thinking Interview Questions in your Interviewing Process

The ability to think critically and solve complex problems is relevant across a wide range of job roles and industries. You can use the questions above to assess the critical thinking abilities of your candidates. And you can assess those skills even better if you ask these questions in an in-person or video interview .

Especially if you are using these questions in screening interviews , video screening is an effective way to see the candidate process critical thinking questions in real time. For more information on interview questions, we wrote an article on the best interview questions to ask for team players , or you can fill out this form to chat with us today about how interviewstream can help you ask the right questions, every time.

About The Author

Caroline Chessia is the Marketing Operations Specialist at interviewstream. She loves color-coordinated graphs, hiking in the mountains, and every dog she meets—especially the Golden Retrievers.

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Project Manager Interview Questions (14 Specific Questions + Answers)

Are you preparing for a project manager job interview?

Here are some of the most common interview questions you’ll likely encounter. I got these insights from an HR manager of a software development company, but these project manager interview questions and answers apply to any industry.

1) What is your experience in managing and leading cross-functional teams?

Start by giving a concise overview of your relevant experience, focusing on roles where you managed or worked with cross-functional teams.

Highlight specific instances where you led or were a part of cross-functional teams.

Describe the scope of these projects, the various functions involved (like marketing, finance, IT, operations, etc.), and the size of the teams.

Sample answer:

“In my previous roles, particularly in the tech industry, I have extensive experience leading cross-functional teams, often comprising members from development, marketing, and customer support departments. For instance, in my most recent project, I led a team of 20 to develop and launch a new software product. This required careful coordination among diverse groups to ensure alignment with both technical and business objectives. My approach emphasizes open communication, regular cross-departmental meetings, and using collaborative tools like Jira and Slack. One significant challenge was aligning differing priorities between the development and marketing teams. I facilitated a series of workshops to establish a shared vision and understanding, which led to a more cohesive team effort and a successful product launch. The project not only met its deadlines but also exceeded expected sales targets in its first quarter. I believe this experience, particularly my skills in fostering collaboration and alignment among various functions, would be highly beneficial in the project manager role at your company, especially emphasized cross-functional teamwork.”

This response demonstrates your experience in managing cross-functional teams, your strategic approach to leadership, and how your skills apply to the role you’re pursuing.

2) How did you first become interested in project management, and what drew you to this career path?

When answering this question, it’s important to share a personal and engaging narrative that highlights your passion and commitment to the field.

“My interest in project management began early in my career when I was involved in coordinating a small team for a marketing campaign. I was drawn to the challenge of organizing diverse tasks and aligning them toward a common goal. The satisfaction of seeing a plan come together effectively and efficiently resonated with me. Over the years, I pursued further education and certifications like PMP to deepen my understanding and skills. A pivotal moment was leading a complex product launch project, which was a tremendous learning experience and a major success. It reinforced my passion for this field – the dynamic environment, the need for creative problem-solving, and the impact of effective leadership on project outcomes. This passion is what brings me here today. I'm excited about the opportunity to bring my experience and enthusiasm to your team, tackling new challenges and contributing to your organization’s success.”

This response effectively narrates your journey into project management, showcasing your passion, growth, and relevance to the role you are applying for.

3) How are projects tracked, evaluated, and reported on at the portfolio level?

Explain how projects within the portfolio are evaluated and describe how you report on project status and portfolio health to stakeholders.

Don’t forget to describe the tools and methods you use for tracking projects at the portfolio level. This might include project management software (like MS Project, Jira, or Asana), dashboards, or customized spreadsheets.

“In my experience, effective portfolio management is key to ensuring that all projects align with the organization’s strategic goals. I typically use project management software like Jira, complemented by customized dashboards, to track project progress, resource allocation, and budget status across the portfolio. For evaluation, I rely on techniques like Earned Value Management to assess each project’s performance against its objectives and overall portfolio health. Reporting involves regular updates to stakeholders, where I provide an overview of project statuses, highlighting any areas needing attention or action. For instance, in my previous role, I managed a portfolio of IT projects, and through effective tracking and evaluation, I was able to reallocate resources from underperforming projects to those with strategic importance, enhancing overall portfolio ROI. Continuous improvement is a critical aspect of my approach, where I analyze portfolio performance to identify and implement improvements in our project management practices.”

This response demonstrates your comprehensive understanding of portfolio management, your ability to use various tools and methods for tracking and evaluation, and your experience in making data-driven decisions.

4) Have you ever managed a remote team, and what strategies did you use to ensure effective communication and collaboration?

When answering this question, honesty is key. 

If you’ve managed a remote team, talk about the challenges of leading a group of people who you never met face-to-face. Discuss how you built a cohesive team and how you tracked progress and fostered collaboration.

If you haven’t managed a remote team, explain how you would or what team management experience you have and how it’d translate to a situation where the team was not working together under one roof.

Sample answer if you’ve managed a remote team:

“In my previous role, I successfully managed a remote team of 15 members working on a software development project. To ensure effective communication, we used a combination of Slack for day-to-day interactions and Zoom for weekly team meetings and ad-hoc discussions. I established a routine of daily stand-ups and regular one-on-ones to stay updated on individual progress and address any concerns promptly. For collaboration, we relied heavily on Jira for project management and Google Drive for document sharing. It was crucial to set clear expectations right from the start regarding deliverables, timelines, and communication protocols. Regular check-ins and transparent feedback mechanisms helped us maintain project momentum. One particular success was when we encountered a major technical roadblock; through a series of focused virtual brainstorming sessions, the team collaboratively devised a solution. This experience reinforced my belief in the importance of adaptability and ongoing improvement in remote team management practices.”

This response showcases your experience in managing remote teams, highlights the strategies you used for communication and collaboration, and reflects your adaptability and problem-solving skills.

Sample answer if you haven’t managed a remote team:

“While I haven't had the direct experience of managing a remote team, I have worked on projects where team members were located in different offices or regions. In these situations, I've effectively used tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom to facilitate communication and collaboration. I understand that managing a remote team requires a keen focus on clear communication, regular engagement, and ensuring everyone is aligned with the project's goals. If given the opportunity, I would implement regular virtual check-ins and use project management tools like Asana to keep track of tasks and deadlines. I’m adaptable and quick to learn new technologies and methodologies, and I’m eager to expand my skills in this area. My experience in leading diverse project teams and my strong communication skills would be beneficial in managing a remote team effectively.”

This response demonstrates your understanding of remote team management essentials, your readiness to adapt to new working environments, and your ability to leverage existing skills in a new context.

5) How do you ensure that you keep all stakeholders up-to-date throughout the project lifecycle?

Start by explaining how you identify key stakeholders for each project and understand their specific information needs and preferences. This shows your proactive approach to stakeholder management.

Explain how you schedule regular updates and meetings, such as weekly emails, monthly reports, or steering committee meetings, to keep stakeholders informed.

“In my approach to keeping stakeholders updated throughout the project lifecycle, I start by identifying all key stakeholders and understanding their specific needs. Based on this, I developed a tailored communication plan, which details how and when updates will be shared. I utilize a mix of tools for communication, including regular email updates, project dashboards in Microsoft Project, and collaborative discussions on platforms like Slack. For example, in my last project, I implemented weekly summary emails and bi-weekly stakeholder meetings to keep everyone informed and engaged. I ensure that the communication is transparent, especially when addressing project challenges, and I continuously adapt the communication strategy based on the project's progress and feedback from stakeholders. Finally, I believe in closing the project with a comprehensive review, involving stakeholders to discuss successes, areas for improvement, and key takeaways for future projects.”

This response shows your strategic and thoughtful approach to stakeholder communication, your adaptability, and your commitment to transparency and continuous improvement.

6) What is your approach to risk management, and how do you identify and mitigate potential risks?

When answering this question, describe how you identify risks and how you develop risk response plans. This includes strategies like avoiding, mitigating, transferring, or accepting risks. Share how you create specific action plans for high-priority risks.

“My approach to risk management involves a systematic process, starting with risk identification. I conduct thorough brainstorming sessions with the team and consult with stakeholders to uncover potential risks. For analysis, I use risk matrices to assess the impact and likelihood of each risk, prioritizing them accordingly. Then, I develop risk response plans, tailoring strategies like mitigation or transfer based on the nature of the risk. For instance, in a recent project, we identified a potential supply chain disruption as a high-risk factor and developed contingency plans with our vendors. I ensure that the project team and stakeholders are actively involved in this process, fostering a collaborative approach to risk management. Regular monitoring and updates to the risk register are key, as is effective communication of risk statuses. I believe in continuously learning from each project, using these insights to refine our risk management strategies in future endeavors.”

This response demonstrates your comprehensive and proactive approach to risk management, emphasizing your ability to identify, analyze, and mitigate risks effectively.

7) What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a project manager, and how have you overcome them?

When answering this question, it's important to demonstrate your problem-solving skills, resilience, and ability to learn from difficult situations.

“One of the biggest challenges I faced was managing a project with extremely tight deadlines coupled with resource shortages. The project was critical for the company, and failure to deliver on time could have resulted in significant revenue loss. To address this, I initiated a thorough review of our project plan, identifying tasks that could be fast-tracked or done in parallel. I also negotiated with other department heads to temporarily reallocate resources. Effective communication was key; I ensured that the team and stakeholders were regularly updated on our progress and any changes. Despite the pressures, we successfully delivered the project on time, which significantly boosted client satisfaction and team morale. This experience taught me the importance of flexibility, proactive planning, and clear communication under pressure. I believe these skills are particularly relevant to the project manager role at your company, especially given the complex and dynamic nature of the projects you handle.”

This response showcases your ability to handle difficult situations, your strategic thinking, and your capability to learn and grow from challenges, all critical qualities for a project manager.

8) What motivates you to pursue excellence in your work, even in the face of setbacks?

Begin by discussing what fundamentally drives you in your work. Talk about your strategies for staying motivated and focused, even when things don’t go as planned.

Then, Explain how pursuing excellence aligns with bigger-picture goals, like the success of the project, client satisfaction, professional growth, or the impact on the organization.

“My motivation to pursue excellence, even in the face of setbacks, is primarily driven by my passion for delivering impactful results and my commitment to continuous learning and improvement. In my experience, setbacks are growth opportunities. For instance, in a previous project, we faced significant scope changes that threatened our timeline. This challenge pushed me to innovate and think critically, leading to a more efficient project approach. What keeps me focused is setting clear goals and reminding myself of the bigger picture – the success of the project and its impact on the organization and the client. Collaborating with a team, sharing our challenges, and working through them together is also a great motivator for me. Each project, with its unique challenges, contributes to my professional growth, enhancing my ability to lead and deliver under various circumstances. This mindset of turning challenges into opportunities and continuously striving for improvement aligns with the values of your organization, and I am excited about the opportunity to bring this approach to your team.”

This response effectively communicates your intrinsic motivation, your resilience in the face of challenges, and how these qualities make you a strong candidate for the project manager role.

9) Describe a challenging project or situation you've faced in your career, and how you overcame it

Choose a project or situation that was genuinely challenging and relevant to the role you're applying for. It should highlight your skills and abilities as a project manager.

“In my previous role, I was tasked with managing a software development project that was critically behind schedule. The challenge was to bring it back on track without further inflating costs. The situation required a thorough reassessment of the project scope and resources. I initiated a series of meetings with the project team and stakeholders to identify areas where we could optimize our efforts. We reallocated some of our resources to critical tasks and renegotiated deadlines for less urgent features. I also implemented more frequent check-ins to closely monitor progress. Through these efforts, we were able to deliver the project within a revised but acceptable timeline, meeting the key requirements of our client. This experience taught me valuable lessons in flexibility, stakeholder communication, and crisis management. It highlighted the importance of being adaptable and maintaining open lines of communication with all team members and stakeholders. I believe these skills are directly applicable to the Project Manager role at your company, especially given the complex and dynamic nature of your projects.”

This response clearly outlines a challenging situation, your approach to resolving it, and the positive outcomes, showcasing your capabilities as a project manager.

10) How do you manage team members that aren’t working to their full potential?

When answering this question, it's important to demonstrate your leadership skills, empathy, and your ability to motivate and support your team.

“In managing team members who aren’t working to their full potential, I first seek to understand the root cause through open and empathetic communication. For instance, in a previous project, I noticed a team member's performance was declining. After a one-on-one discussion, it became clear that they were unclear about certain aspects of their role. We clarified their responsibilities and set specific, achievable goals. I also provided additional training resources and scheduled regular check-ins to offer support and monitor progress. This approach not only helped improve their performance but also boosted their confidence and engagement in the project. I believe in empowering team members by providing the necessary support while maintaining clear expectations and accountability. This not only helps in addressing individual performance issues but also contributes to a positive and productive team environment.”

This response shows your ability to handle underperformance with empathy and effectiveness, emphasizing your skills in communication, support, and maintaining team morale.

11) How do you deal when you’re overwhelmed or underperforming?

Begin by acknowledging that feeling overwhelmed or underperforming can happen to anyone, including experienced project managers. This shows self-awareness and honesty.

Discuss the specific strategies you use when feeling overwhelmed and explain how you address your own underperformance. Highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and practicing self-care, as these are essential for long-term performance and well-being.

“I recognize that feeling overwhelmed or underperforming is a part of any challenging role, including project management. I’ve learned to identify early signs, such as difficulty focusing or meeting deadlines. My first step is to reassess my workload and priorities, breaking down tasks into more manageable parts and delegating where appropriate. I also find that clear communication with my team and supervisors about challenges and seeking their input can be incredibly helpful. In terms of underperformance, I take a proactive approach to identifying areas for improvement, whether it’s through seeking feedback or engaging in relevant training. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is also crucial for me, as it helps to recharge and maintain long-term productivity. I believe in turning challenging moments into opportunities for growth and learning, which in turn enhances my capabilities as a project manager. This approach not only helps me manage my workload effectively but also aligns with the resilience and adaptability needed in the dynamic environment of your company.”

This response demonstrates your self-awareness, proactive approach to managing stress and workload, and commitment to continuous improvement, all of which are valuable qualities in a project manager.

12) Do you have budget management experience?

When answering this question, it's important to clearly articulate your experience and skills in managing project budgets. Honesty is key since there’s no point in lying.

Sample answer if you have budget management experience:

“Yes, I have extensive experience in managing budgets for various projects. In my previous role as a project manager for a construction company, I was responsible for overseeing project budgets ranging from $500,000 to $5 million. My duties included preparing detailed budget forecasts, allocating funds across different project phases, and tracking expenditures against the budget. I frequently used Microsoft Project and Excel for budget planning and monitoring. For instance, on a recent project, we faced unforeseen costs due to delayed supplies. I worked closely with the procurement team to renegotiate terms with suppliers and restructured the project timeline to stay within budget, ultimately delivering the project with a 2% cost saving. This experience sharpened my skills in adaptive budget management and effective cost control. I’m committed to continually enhancing my budget management abilities, and I’m confident in my capacity to manage project finances effectively in line with your company's financial objectives.”

This response demonstrates your experience and capabilities in managing budgets, providing concrete examples and highlighting your strategic approach to budget challenges.

Sample answer if you don’t have budget management experience:

“While I haven’t had direct experience in managing project budgets, I have been closely involved in financial tracking and resource allocation in my previous projects. I understand the critical role that budget management plays in project success, ensuring that resources are used efficiently and objectives are met within financial constraints. I have strong analytical skills and attention to detail, which I believe are essential for effective budget management. In my last role, I was responsible for monitoring project expenditures and reporting financial data to the project manager, which gave me insight into budget considerations. I am proactive in expanding my knowledge and skills; I am currently completing an online course in project finance management. With my strong foundational skills and eagerness to learn, I am confident in my ability to quickly adapt to and effectively manage budget responsibilities in your projects.”

This response honestly addresses the lack of direct experience while highlighting relevant skills and a strong commitment to learning and growth, showing your potential as a capable candidate for the role.

13) How do you know the project is off track?

Start by stating that regular monitoring and evaluation of project progress against the plan are crucial. Then, discuss the specific signs you look for that indicate a project might be off track.

“In my experience, the key to knowing when a project is off track is consistent and vigilant monitoring of its key parameters. I regularly review project KPIs, milestones, and budget reports. Signs like missed deadlines, budget overruns, or feedback from team members often serve as early indicators of potential issues. I use project management tools like Asana for real-time progress tracking and maintain regular communication with my team and stakeholders to stay informed about any challenges they are facing. For instance, in a recent project, I noticed a pattern of slipping deadlines and upon investigation, found that the scope was gradually creeping beyond the initial plan. We conducted a review meeting, redefined the scope, and reallocated resources to bring the project back on track. This proactive approach, combined with a clear understanding of project goals and constant vigilance, helps me ensure projects stay aligned with their objectives. Learning from each project’s challenges is also a crucial aspect of my methodology, enabling continuous improvement in project management processes.”

This response demonstrates your active approach to monitoring project progress, your ability to recognize and address issues promptly, and your commitment to project success and continuous learning.

14) What was your most successful project?

This question is a great opportunity to highlight your strengths, skills, and achievements. Clearly state the successful outcomes of the project.

This could be completing the project on time and within budget, exceeding project goals, achieving high client satisfaction, or the project's impact on the company.

“My most successful project was leading the development and launch of a new software product within a tight 12-month timeframe. As the project manager, I was responsible for coordinating a team of 25, including developers, designers, and marketers, and managing a budget of $1.5 million. One of the main challenges was integrating feedback from key clients into the development process without derailing our timeline. We addressed this by adopting an agile methodology, allowing for flexibility and continuous improvement throughout the project lifecycle. The project was delivered on time and 10% under budget, which was a significant achievement considering the complex scope and client involvement. The software received excellent feedback for its innovation and user experience, leading to a 20% increase in company revenue. The success of this project was largely due to effective team collaboration, clear communication, and proactive risk management. It honed my skills in agile project management and stakeholder communication and taught me valuable lessons in flexibility and adaptability. I believe these experiences and skills are directly applicable to the Project Manager role at your company, especially given the emphasis on delivering high-quality solutions in dynamic environments.”

This response effectively demonstrates your project management skills, ability to overcome challenges, and the positive outcomes of your leadership, making a strong case for your capabilities as a project manager.

What to dress for a project manager job interview to get hired

During a project manager job interview, you can expect a range of questions and possibly practical assessments aimed at evaluating your skills, experience, and fit for the role.

Here's what you typically might encounter:

1. Questions About Leadership and Team Management: Expect questions about your leadership style, how you motivate teams, handle conflicts, and manage diverse or remote teams.

2. Questions on Budget and Resource Management: You might be asked about your experience and strategies in managing project budgets, resources, and timelines.

3. Questions on Communication and Stakeholder Management: You may encounter questions on how you communicate with and manage the expectations of different stakeholders, including clients, team members, and senior management.

4. Case Studies or Practical Exercises: Some interviews may include practical exercises like analyzing a case study, developing a project plan, or even a role-play scenario.

According to an HR manager at a software development company, demonstrating your expertise in project management, your ability to work well with a team, and your fit with the company culture will be key to a successful interview.

What to expect from a project manager job interview

In a project manager job interview, the interviewer is typically looking for several key qualities and competencies that are crucial for effective project management. Understanding these can help you better prepare and tailor your responses. Here's what interviewers usually look for:

1. Leadership and Team Management: The ability to inspire, lead, and manage a team. They want to see that you can delegate tasks effectively, motivate team members, and maintain a productive team environment.

2. Organizational and Planning Skills: The ability to organize resources, plan projects, and manage time effectively. Interviewers assess your skills in creating and executing project plans, meeting deadlines, and prioritizing tasks.

Skills in managing budgets, allocating resources efficiently, and cost control are often assessed, especially for projects with significant financial implications.

3. Adaptability and Flexibility: Projects often face unexpected changes and challenges. Your capacity to adapt to changing situations and be flexible in your approach is a key trait that interviewers look for.

4. Technical Expertise: Depending on the project or industry, technical expertise might be important. This includes the understanding of specific methodologies (like Agile, Scrum, Waterfall), tools (like MS Project, Jira), and domain-specific knowledge.

Understand the interviewer’s point of view

To make a good impression, understand and prepare examples that demonstrate these skills and traits. They can greatly increase your chances of success in a project manager job interview. Good luck!

Related posts:

• Team Leader Interview Questions (16 Questions + Answers)
• Strength-Based Interview Questions (21 Questions + Answers)
• NHS Interview Questions (17 Questions + Answers)
• Teaching Assistant Interview Questions (18 Questions + Answers)
• Chick-fil-A Interview Questions (15 Questions + Answers)

Reference this article:

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Home / Project Management / 18 Project Manager Interview Questions & Answers [2024 Updated]

18 Project Manager Interview Questions & Answers [2024 Updated]

You are a professional and just applied to a project management position. The employer invites you to the project manager interview. However, you have not attended a job interview recently or you are nervous about the upcoming project manager interview. You need good project manager interview questions and answers to help you prepare.

Do not worry. You are at the right place.

Below are 18 PM Common Interview questions and we will guide you on how to answer them one by one  with example answers. If you wish to assess yourself in a real-like PM interview session, check out our Project Manager Mock Interview solution as well.

18 Project Manager Interview Questions & Answers

We will go over the following questions and provide sample answers for each one.

• Please describe yourself, and your background briefly.
• What was the biggest or most challenging project you managed?
• Do you have budget management experience?
• Have you ever failed in a project? Do you have any experience in handling failures?
• How do you monitor projects to see if it is going on track?
• Can you tell me an example of how you communicated a failure to your team, manager, and customer?
• How do you motivate your project team?
• Do you have outsourcing personnel or supplier management experience?
• Do you have international project team management experience?
• How do you deal with gold plating in your project?
• You managed the project work as per requirements. However, the customer is not happy with the result and does not accept the project. How would you convince the customer?
• How do you deal with underperforming project team members?
• How do you resolve conflicts in your projects?
• What are the three words that describe you best?
• Why should we hire you?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• What is your current salary and compensation package?
• What is your salary expectation?

100% Free PM Interview Pack

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- PM Interview Questions and Answers PDF - Sample PM Mock Interview Assessment Report - Karen's PM Interview Journey - She got a PM Job!

We have gathered the eighteen project manager interview questions and answers that you will probably be asked during your job interview. Is that it? No, we also provide guidance on how you should answer these project manager interview questions.

Let’s go over the questions one by one and see how to answer each of them.

Project Manager Interview Questions & Answer #1: Please describe yourself, and your background briefly.

Actually, this is a typical project manager job interview question. You will see this question not only in a project manager interview but also in any job interview.

Consider this PM interview question as a self-promotion opportunity. Because, you will be speaking about your background, your education, work experience, and projects you have completed. If you are a new graduate, discuss your recent university projects. If you are an experienced professional, the job interviewer will look for the keywords in your background that will match the requirements of the job.

For instance, if you are a mid-professional (5+ years) looking for a project manager position, you should not start from your recent college experience when answering these project manager interview questions unless you recently completed your graduate degree (Masters or Doctorate). Briefly, describe your place of birth, where you grew up, and your university education. These should not be more than two or three sentences. Then, you should highlight the critical points in your background that are relevant to the position you applied for.

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For instance, let’s consider a software analyst working at a software company has applied for a project manager position. He does not have any project management experience. However, he wants to get this project manager position and the employer invited him to the project manager interview.

How should this person answer this Project Manager Interview question?

The sample answer for these kinds of project manager interview questions can be as below.

I was born in 1991 in New Jersey. I grew up in New Jersey and went to high school there. I have completed my university education at Georgia Institute of Technology in the field of computer science. After I graduated from university in 2013, I obtained a software analyst position at Accenture in Plano, Texas.  I have worked eight projects so far and the most significant project was a shopping cart customization project on the Walmart website. The Project took eight months to complete but it improved the shopping experience for Walmart customers shopping online. There were four software analysts on the project and I worked as the lead analyst and supervised the other three analysts . We were part of a project team that had a total of 21 members. As a result of my contributions to this successful project, I earned a job promotion.

This will not take more than two minutes to answer in the project manager interview session. As highlighted, the project manager candidate gives the critical points in his background that can qualify him for the project manager position. He highlights his position as the lead analyst on a project. This shows that he has good analytical and people management skills, which is crucial for a project manager position. He also adds that he got a promotion, which shows that his current employer appreciates and treasures him.

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Project Manager Interview Questions #2: What was the biggest or most challenging project you managed?

You have to be prepared for this type of project manager interview question. Because your answer to this question will show your skills and/or experience limitations. Note that, this question might come with follow up questions such as how many people were in the team, who you reported to on the project, and how many total projects you managed at the same time. Did you use a project plan? A project plan is like a business plan and your ability to design, build, manage, and communicate project plans is essential to your success as a project manager and ultimately in your career. Check out Master of Project Academy’s exclusive “ Sandbox ,” membership which includes example project management plans that accompany case studies and a template for developing project plans.

Before sitting in your project manager interview session, go through your experience. Choose the most challenging project that you were involved in.

The following can be a good answer to this type of project manager interview question:

The most challenging project I was involved was the Golden Gate Bridge Construction Program. I managed the project responsible for constructing  the towers that will carry the bridge. There were three architects, six civil engineers and 47 construction workers on my team. In total, I managed 56 project team members during this project. The most challenging part of the project was meeting the deadlines as other projects were dependent on the critical path of my project. Any delay in my project caused financial costs on the rest of the project. For instance, a one-day delay in my project caused 200 hundred construction workers to wait for our work to be completed. And the cost of a one-day delay was around $80,000. This was a high pressure, stretch assignment with visibility by company executive management that I managed successfully by minimizing project delays while ensuring the utmost quality of work by my team members.

The first highlighted part in this answer shows the size of the project team that this project manager has managed. The second highlighted part stresses the challenge of the project financially. Try to provide numbers, budgets, and statistics. This will make your answers stronger.

PM Interview Question #3: 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 as it can determine a candidate immediate potential value to the company. Depending on the roles and responsibilities of the project manager in a company, budget management might not be required by the project manager. For instance, project management positions in vendor companies may require budget management experience while service companies may not require project managers to have budget experience.

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If you are applying for a project manager position that requires budget management experience, reflect on projects you have completed that required you to be cost sensitive.

Assuming that you have budget management experience, here is how you can answer this interview question:

I have managed a diverse group of project budgets. Recently, I managed a $35 million dollar project budget. I was in charge of approving expenses and procurements in my projects. I corresponded directly with vendors during the procurement process and managed the reporting to the company finance department . When additional funding was needed, I organize meetings with the project sponsor to provide the reasons for additional funding. I was responsible for finding additional funding for the project when needed .

The first highlighted part of this answer shows that the candidate has a good level of budget management experience. The second highlighted part makes the answer even stronger. Also, the candidate notes that they were also responsible for convincing executive management for additional funding when needed.

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Project Manager Interview Questions #4: Have you ever failed in a project? Do you have experience handling failures?

Success and failures, these are inevitable facts of life and your professional career as well. It would not be wise to answer, “No, I never failed in a project”. This will not be received positively in your evaluation.

Actually, this project manager interview question assesses your risk management experience. Therefore, think of an event, meeting, activity, or a moment in a project where you had trouble. Then, answer this question accordingly.

The following can be a good sample answer to this question:

When I managed a telecommunication project, my team deployed a new software package, and afterwards, subscribers of the telecom operator could not make calls from a specific region. This was a huge problem. We performed post deployment checks and everything was green . The next morning, I woke up to missed phone calls from my customer. He was very angry as 87 subscribers reported that they could not originate a call from their phone. I reassured the customer that my project team and I, would arrive on site in one hour to investigate and fix the problem. We were in the office in 45 minutes but as we investigated the problem we could not diagnose the root cause. To say the the customer was not happy was an  understatement; he was livid. All reported incidents were occurring in Louisville, Kentucky. Initially, we thought this was a local problem affecting only a part of the subscribers. We identified and contacted three subscribers who reported the problem and asked them to re-initiate a call. Concurrently, our software and test engineers logged their failing calls. After analysis, they found that a customized routing for Louisville was not updated by the customer during previous deployments . We updated the routing and the problem was resolved. It was the longest six hours of my life.

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If you look at the answer, the first part lists the steps the candidate took as the project manager by completing post-deployment tests to identify any failures. The second part highlights the severity of the issue.  The last part highlights how the candidate resolved the setback.

Project Manager Interview Questions #5: How do you monitor and determine a project’s progress?

This project manager interview question is about project management methodologies and project management processes. It will assess your monitoring and controlling skills and your familiarity with project management tools. The primary responsibility of the project manager is to complete a project scope on time and within budget in the agreed-to quality levels. To do this, a project manager must use his or her skills and key project management tools.

The following can be a good sample answer for this project manager interview question.

After I completed the initial project planning, I take a baseline. I use this baseline to compare the progress of the project and actual values against the baseline. Each week or in every two weeks, I forecast the duration and cost of remaining project activities with my team to determine whether the negotiated deadline and budget will be met. I use Microsoft Excel to keep track of issues with an issues log. I assign an open issue to a project resource or any external resource in the project issue log. I set a deadline for the issue and I follow the issue until it is resolved. I use Microsoft Project for creating a project plan. However, I have used Jira project management software tracking tool as well. When I am using Microsoft Project, I compare the actual values of the tasks with the baseline values. This helps me to see whether a task is on track, behind schedule or ahead of schedule. When I am using Jira, I create my own dashboards for late tasks or open tasks. I report these tasks to the assignees each week or more frequently if they are urgent.

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This answer shows the technical knowledge of the project manager candidate. Because he uses “baseline” and “issue log” terms. The answer also provides solid samples on how to monitor and control a project like taking baseline and comparing actual values against the baseline.

PM Interview Question #6: Can you tell me an example of how you communicated a failure to your team, manager, and customer?

This project manager interview question is a behavioral question that will assess your risk management and communication management experience together. Bear in your mind that, failures, emergencies, or critical points about a project must be communicated face to face. If face-to-face communication is not possible, then, you should choose a teleconference meeting or phone call.

We were working on an online learning portal project of an oil company. Deadline of the project was Feb 15, 2020. Although we completed our development tasks and internal tasks on time, the customer could not complete their acceptance test on time. The customer executive management wanted the project delivered on time. However, since the executive management’s staff could not complete their acceptance tests, delivery was risky. First, I called my manager. I wish we could have spoken face-to-face but she was on a business trip at that time. I told her the situation. She agreed with me to speak about the risk of the situation with the customer. Then, I organized a meeting with the project team. I told the team that they performed well and met all the deadlines and objectives. However, the customer could not complete their acceptance tests on time. Therefore, we will be postponing the project launch for one month. This made some of the project team members upset because we worked hard to complete the project on time but the project was postponed because of the customer-sourced delay. Finally, I organized a meeting with executive management of the customer . During the meeting, I discussed with the project sponsor and executive managers of the customer that customer acceptance tests were not complete yet. In addition, if we launch the project, we might face critical problems in the live environment and this could cause dissatisfaction and loss of credibility with users . At the end of the meeting, executive managers agreed to wait till their team could complete the customer acceptance tests.

This answer shows that the project manager approaches the failure of communication systematically. First, he reports to his manager. If his manager did not accept the situation or if they proposed alternative ways with the project team and customer, he could have changed the approach to the team and customer respectively.

After getting the approval of the manager, he speaks with the team first and then communicates to the customer respectively.

Project Manager Job Interview Questions #7: How do you motivate the project team?

Project team motivation is crucial for the success of a project. If a project team is not motivated, it will be impossible to reach project objectives. Further, your team could reach the project objectives, but the project results are suboptimal quality.

This project manager interview question shows your leadership skills and for the interviewer, it is critical to get insights into the people management skills of the candidate.

The following is a sample answer to this question.

After I create the project baseline, I mark the milestones of the project. Then, I send this project plan to all project team members. Whenever we successfully reach a milestone, I organize an event to celebrate. This can be a cookout, a weekend trip or a dinner depending on the project budget or amount of the allowance provided by the company for these type of celebrations. Additionally, I try to celebrate the birthday of each project team member. I organize a 30 minutes break for celebration and invite all project team members to this break. Moreover, if a project team member over performed during the project, I send a special email to his manager to recognize his efforts . I know that these kinds of emails will be important for the line managers of the project team members when they are completing the annual performance evaluation of the employees. My appreciations will encourage opportunities for promotion or bonuses for the project team member.

This answer shows that the project manager candidate not only leads celebration activities such as milestones and birthday celebrations. She can also speak or contact the functional managers of the project team members to recognize project resources for promotion or better annual performance evaluation.

PM Job Interview Question #8: Do you have outsourcing personnel or supplier management experience?

Managing outsourced personnel or suppliers is a different project management skill. If you are applying to a company that works with outsourced 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.

Let us first define what outsourcing is. Outsourced personnel are hired or acquired by a company for a limited time or for a specific project. For instance, assume that you are installing a database for a utility service provider as the scope of your project. You need a database administrator for this work. However, your company does not have a full-time database administrator. You have to hire or outsource the database administrator for a limited time to work on your project.

Suppliers can be providers of material, equipment, tools, etc. for  your project. In your project, if you need database servers, and if these servers will be provided by a 3 rd party company, this company will be the supplier of your project.

After defining outsourcing and supplier management, let’s go through a sample answer for this project manager interview question:

I worked on a billing system project for a telecom operator. This project required installation of an Ericsson SDP product . Our company did not have a SDP product expert so  we had to outsource two SDP product experts for three months to work on our project. I managed the communication with Ericsson to outsource these two consultants and planned their start and end dates in the project. Further, the scope of the project called for us to install 24 servers of the SDP product in three different locations across the UK. So  we negotiated with a server installation company, Servus, to provide personnel to install the 24 SDP servers .   I managed the personnel from Ericsson and Servus, for the phase of the project in which we planned and executed the installation of the SDP product for the telecom operation.  Once the installation was complete, the consultants from Ericsson and Servus returned to their respective companies.

This answer demonstrates the outsourcing and supplier management experience of the project manager interview candidate.

Project Management Interview  #9: Do you have international project team management experience?

If the company you applied to is a multinational company, international project team management experience will be a critical evaluation factor. It might even include managing remote teams. If you don’t have this experience, be honest in your response.

If you have this type of experience, the interviewer may ask follow-on questions such as how you handled the experience and whether you had to navigate cultural differences.

The following can be a good answer to this project manager interview question.

I managed a team of 15 project team members from five different nations on a natural gas implementation project in Brazil. Members of the team included natural gas engineers, environmental engineers and civil engineers. Five members were from Brazil, three members were from UK, three members were from Spain, two members were from India and two members were from Qatar. It was a great experience to learn from different cultures when working with them. It was the first time I worked with project resources from a Muslim country, Qatar. While most of the project team members were having Monday syndrome, engineers from Qatar were performing better than other project team members on Mondays! After some time, I asked these engineers why they are more willing to work on Mondays. I learned that, their official weekends are on Friday and Saturday. Therefore, Sunday is their first weekday. Therefore, they performed better on Mondays since it is their 2 nd day of the work week. It was fascinating to see this and it made our overall team perform better.

The project manager candidate answers the question with numbers from a real project he managed. He also provides interesting benefits from having a diverse, international project team.

Project Manager Interview Questions #10: How do you deal with gold plating in your project?

This project manager interview question assesses your technical knowledge and scope management skills. Gold plating is a technical term in project management. Gold plating is delivering more than what is required in the scope. Gold plating is when the project team performs an extra activity and delivers extra work not within the scope of the project.

A good project manager must prevent gold plating in a project as it can cause delays and extra costs.

The following is a good answer to this project manager interview question.

When I assign a task to a project team member, I clearly define the KPIs, requirements and scope of the task. Then, I work closely with the technical leaders to monitor whether gold plating is occurring on the project. We worked on a website development project for a large US e-commerce company. The customer requirement stipulated the homepage to load in less than three seconds across US. The developer of the homepage was a very skilled resource. Although she completed the homepage development before the deadline of the task and with a load time less than three seconds, she wanted to spend more time lowering the homepage load time even further. The project technical lead noticed this during a weekly meeting and notified me about the situation. The developer was an extremely skilled and motivated resource and I wanted to speak with her but not discourage her motivation. We met over a coffee break and first, I noted and conveyed my appreciation to her for her willing to go above and beyond what was asked of her. Then, I asked her understanding of gold plating and decided after hearing her response, to explain the need and implications of gold plating during a project. I expressed to her the priority is to finish and deliver the project scope first as I needed her and the other team members to be move the next tasks . I noted if deliver the website project with missing web pages we will be noncompliant with our project delivery. However, if we deliver a homepage with a load time less than three seconds, then we will have achieve the objective. Therefore, we need to deliver what is required first before diving into optimizations. She understood, finalized her task, and then requested her next task.

This answer shows the candidate’s knowledge about gold plating. The candidate also gives an example of gold plating by one of his team members in the project and how he resolved the issue.

PM Interview Question #11: You managed the project work as per requirements. However, the customer is not happy with the result and does not accept the product. How would you convince the customer?

This situation is very common and tough to deal with in project management. Although you delivered the project scope as agreed with the customer at the beginning of the project, the customer may not accept the product at the end of the project.

This project manager interview question assesses your persuasion and communication skills.

This interview question requires you to demonstrate your understanding of project scope and how your end product aligned with the customer’s intention. When a customer doesn’t accept a product, typically they may feel that the end product doesn’t meet the intended purpose. It is important to re-establish trust with the customer and assure the customer that you want to resolve his or her concerns with the delivered product.

At the end of my website development project, the customer was not happy with the delivered results and   did not accept the project. Our initial scope was delivering an ecommerce shopping website with five different pages: 1-Homepage 2-Login/Signup Page 3-Category Page 4-Product Page 5-Profile Page We have delivered this project scope at the end of the project. After the customer acceptance tests, they agreed that the features of these pages meet their initial requirements. However, the customer felt their competitor had a referral program that boosts their sales. The customer wants the same referral program feature as well. I organized a meeting with the project sponsor and customer testing team. I asked my manager to join the meeting as well. During that meeting, I step through the agreed-to project scope and showed how our deliverables meet the scope. I explain diplomatically that the customer referral program was not in the requirements list, agreed-to project scope and binding contract. The Project sponsor stated this is a critical requirement and they need it before launching the website. At this point, I explained that we can deliver this as a change request in one month.  The customer did not want to pay any additional cost for this feature. After some discussions, my manager proposed a revised cost for this additional feature. The customer accepted the proposal and we resolved this conflict. After delivering the customer referral program feature one month later, the customer was happy with the final product.

The project manager candidate must approach the question on conflict with calmness and clear logic. After convincing the customer that the new requirement was not in the project scope, he proposes that they can deliver this feature in one month as a change request. Therefore, he demonstrates his ability to propose options to resolve the customer concern with clear results.

Project Manager Interview Questions #12: How do you deal with underperforming project team members?

If you are an experienced professional, you might have worked with an underperforming colleague. A colleague who doesn’t contribute to the team causes low morale, project productivity challenges, and  can contribute to employee turnover.  The project manager has to motivate all project resources to produce their best and address team members who underperform.

This project manager interview question assesses your people management skills. This question will show how you motivate your underperforming resources.

When I see an underperforming resource, first, I observe the person to determine if this is a one-time issue or an ongoing problem. Everyone has different and diverse productivity levels. If it appears the project team member is underperforming for a couple of weeks, I invite her to a coffee break. First, I ask her how does she feel about the project, and whether she is happy to work on the project. Then, I ask her whether there is anything frustrating about the project, work or company. If there is a problem with the project, work or company, I will try to determine the root cause and then resolve the issue that is causing the teammate to underperform. In some cases, underperformance can stem from challenges in the team members’s personal life. If the team member discloses this, I do my best to support her in anyway I can. A software developer in my banking project was performing very well. All of a sudden, I noticed a drop in his performance. After a week passed, I talked to him. I thought he was demotivated because of recently issued promotions and bonus announcements in the company. However, I learned that he just broke up with his long time girlfriend. Since this was a personal issue, I tried my best to identify ways to support him. I organized a couple of team lunches to create a welcoming atmosphere that might help his mood. After two or three weeks, he was performing well again.

The project manager candidate describes how they approach an underperforming project team member step by step. Then, the candidate provides an example from a project, which demonstrates strong experience to this interview question.

PM Interview Question #13: How do you resolve conflicts in your projects?

Conflicts are inevitable in a project. A good project manager must be able to resolve conflicts without hampering the motivation and relationships in the project team. By its nature, conflicts are inevitable. However, with good communication skills and conflict resolution skills, you can resolve the conflicts in a win-win situation.

This project manager interview question assesses your conflict resolution and communication management skills.

The following can be a good answer to this question.

I have experienced conflicts on projects I have led over the years . The first thing to look when a conflict arises is to identify the source of conflict . Conflicts can occur between two project team members, between the team member and his lead, between two stakeholders etc. After knowing the source of conflict, I look at alternative solutions to resolve the conflict . The best option to resolve a conflict is identify solutions to satisfy all parties. Of course, I try to find a win-win situation first. If this is not possible, then, I try to analyze the pros and cons of different alternatives to resolve the conflict. I try to analyze and demonstrate the pros and cons of each resolution because an approach rooted in logic, numbers, figures, and statistics is the best way to convince parties of conflict to accept a solution that benefits them. After showing the alternative solutions, I guide people to rethink the conflict to reach a consensus. If this is not possible, I try to solve the conflict by vote. For instance, if the cause of the conflict is how to solve a technical issue in a software project, I show the options to the project team and expect the software developers to vote for the best option to resolve the conflict.

The project manager candidate tries to solve the conflict for a win-win situation. Then, the candidate demonstrates different alternatives in a logical manner. If you can describe a solution logically and with concrete factors such as statistics, numbers, figures, etc. you will eliminate most of the arguments. Then, the candidate uses voting to reach a conclusion in the conflict. In this way, the project manager ensures that the majority will decide the solution rather than dictating the solution to the team.

Project Manager Interview Question #14: What are the three words that describe you best?

This is actually a cliché interview question generally asked by human resources personnel. This shows hints about your personality and how your colleagues think about you in the work environment.

When answering this project manager interview question, try to remember your positive attitudes and what your colleagues say about your work behavior.

The following can be a good sample answer to this interview question.

The best three words that would describe me are disciplined, results-driven and analytical thinker. My colleagues call me The German. I am not German but they say that my work ethic is very well disciplined as I record every detail of my projects and have a very systematic method to project problems. When I work on a project or task, I always keep in mind this question: “What is the expected result?” Sometimes, if you forget what you are trying to achieve, you can deviate from your targets. Therefore, keeping in mind the expected results helps me to focus on what needs to be done during the project. I try to rationalize status, progress and alternative solutions to a problem. I do this by approaching a problem analytically. For instance, I create dashboards that track issues, wait time, issue assignee etc in a project to monitor how well the project team is resolving issues. Similarly, I record the number of codes each developer produces a day to forecast remaining activities in the project.

The project manager candidate answers the three words that best describe him. Then, he gives examples and justifications for each word.

PM Job Interview Question #15: Why should we hire you?

This question is not just for a project manager interview. Most human resources personnel ask this question to evaluate a candidate during job interviews.

There can be hundreds of other applicants that you have to surpass to get a project manager job. Your background, skills, and resume should be impressive and match the requirements of the job description.  However, you have to be unique when providing an answer to this question. The interviewer must say, “Wow, he is the right person for the job.”

For the best answer to this project manager interview question, search for recent news on the company before the interview. A recent financial report, investment, or research and development announcement  from the company can be useful in answering this question.

The following can be a good answer to this interview question:

When I got email notification that Apple is looking for a project manager, I was very excited. Because, Apple is my dream company that I would love to work for. I went through the position details and saw that it required 5+ years of IT project management experience with a special focus on screen touch sensors. I have more than seven years of project management experience in software development projects. I worked for Elo for three years and managed their inductive LED screen development project . I heard in recent news that Apple is planning to remove the “home” button from the iPhone and move the features of the “home” button to the screen. My software project management experience at a LED screen company will be very beneficial for similar projects at Apple and the company will teach me the best way to deliver high quality products.

The project manager candidate highlights how he saw the position vacancy and why he applied. Then, he clarifies why his experience fulfills the the position requirements. He also adds that while he will be providing benefits to the company, he will also learn a lot from Apple as well.

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Project Manager Interview Question #16: Where do you see yourself in five years?

A typical human resources interview question! This interview question assesses whether you have a career plan and if it fits with the position.

For a project manager interview, you have to draw a career plan that fits a project management path.

The following can be a good answer to this interview question.

I have over nine years of experience including the last four with direct direct project leader experience. I want to advance my career as a project manager for the next three years. Then, I would like to evaluate management-level opportunities, such as a program manager, that will allow me to grow at the company. I have PMP certification . I am planning to take the ITIL foundation certification exam to improve my IT service management skills and PSM-1 certification to improve my agile project management skills. I am certain that project management experience in this company will add tremendous value to my professional background.

The project manager candidate highlights his desire to continue as a project manager for the next three years. This is critical for an employer because each employer expects a candidate to stay in the position for at least two years. Then, the project manager candidate adds that he is planning to get relevant professional certifications to improve his project management skills.

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PM Job Interview Question #17: What is your current salary and compensation package?

This can be difficult question. Note that, human resources departments are very well aware of industry salary benchmarks. Therefore, if you don’t want to disclose your salary, state your salary expectations as noted in the next interview question. This will provide an opening to negotiate your salary and overall compensation .

If you say a salary that is too high above the benchmark, you may not receive the job offer  as there will be a limit to what the company can pay for this position.

Project Management Interview Question #18: What is your salary expectation?

This is one of the last questions that you will be asked in your project manager interview session. There is not a single right answer to this question. However, the common practice is, to aim to increase your salary by at least 20% in your next job.

Prior to the interview, research typical salary ranges for this position at the company using glass door, indeed or any other salary information website. Then, during the interview, briefly, explain your expectations for your desired salary and overall compensation.

We have tried to gather all questions that you will be probably be asked in your project manager interview session. We have also provided sample answers to each interview question. Note that, these are our recommendations, and depending on the industry and the position you applied for, answers to these project manager interview questions can vary.

Before going to your interview, go through your resume and prepare your own good examples from your project management experience for these questions.

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In this program, you send us your resume and details of the position you applied for. Then, our expert project manager interviewer prepares customized questions for you. You come together with the interviewer at the time you will select from the available slots of our project manager interviewer. During the project manager mock interview session, the interviewer will ask you realistic questions that you will be most likely asked in your real interview. Then, the interviewer will be preparing a detailed assessment report about your project manager’s mock interview performance. In this report, you will see your strengths, improvement areas, and how well your background and skills match the position that you applied for.

You can see a sample assessment report .

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Wonderful ! nicely explained. Thanks it as higly informative.

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7 Project Manager Interview Questions and How to Answer Them (With Examples!)

Project managers keep things running at almost any type of organization, whether it’s a small nonprofit, a growing startup, or a giant corporation. If you’ve just landed an interview for a project management role, congratulations! Whatever company you’re interviewing with, they obviously need some help, and you’re one step closer to proving you’re the one for the job.

SEARCH OPEN JOBS ON THE MUSE! See who’s hiring here , and you can even filter your search by benefits, company size, remote opportunities, and more. Then, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll deliver advice on landing the job right to you.

You might’ve started by preparing to answer common interview questions , but if you want an extra boost over the competition, there are some specific questions you’re likely to get as a project manager candidate that you should be prepared for.

Here’s what you can expect in a project management interview.

What Are Interviewers Looking for in Project Managers?

Project managers work across industries and in so many contexts that each role is a little different from the next. Make sure you look closely at the specific requirements and responsibilities in the job description for the role you’re interviewing for. At the same time, there are some more universal qualities interviewers are looking for, including:

• Strategy and organization: Project managers always “have to keep the larger strategy in mind,” says Heather Yurovsky , a Muse career coach and founder of Shatter & Shine . Your ability to see the big picture is crucial, but so is your ability to keep track of the details and make sure nothing falls through the cracks. The best project managers are highly organized without losing sight of the ultimate goal.
• Leadership, collaboration, and relationship management: As a project manager, you’re charged with managing processes and keeping things moving forward as you work with various stakeholders within your company and sometimes outside of it. But you’re not necessarily anyone’s boss. So you have to be able to take a leadership role without a formal leadership title and develop and manage relationships to motivate people to get things done even when they don’t report to you. “The project managers, the really good ones, were really awesome with people. They connected on a different level. There wasn’t weird tension; it was really a collaboration,” says Muse career coach Alina Campos , who has also worked as a project manager, directed a team of project managers, and recruited project managers.
• Empathy: You’ll never build the kind of rapport it takes to get things done without empathy for all the different people you’re working with on different teams. That means “understanding how to speak their language, understanding how long it really does take for something to get done,” Yurovsky says. It also means understanding people’s different perspectives, harnessing their expertise to make the project better, and accommodating their workload and priorities.
• Communication: So much of your job as a project manager revolves around receiving and relaying information. You’re the one getting updates from every direction and deciding if, what, and how to share those with other stakeholders. You have to be able to talk to technical teams about the nitty gritty but also translate it into lay terms when you communicate with non-technical teams and clients. You also need to be able to clearly convey goals and expectations and calmly resolve any issues that come up.
• Technical know-how: Depending on the specific company and role, you might need to have experience with particular project management software, such as Asana, Jira, or Monday. But in some cases, interviewers will also be looking for at least a basic fluency with certain programming concepts or any other technical knowledge you’ll need to communicate smoothly. Erica Jensen, a recruiter at the digital product agency Viget who regularly hires project managers, says PMs there don’t have to be developers themselves, but must be able to translate for clients what the developers are doing.

Sometimes an interviewer will ask you directly about these skills and qualities, but you should also be prepared to demonstrate them throughout your interview. Here are some common questions you’re likely to get in a project management interview—plus advice on how to showcase your strengths in your answers and examples of what that might sound like in practice.

1. What Types of Projects Have You Worked On?

An interview is a chance for a recruiter, hiring manager, or other potential colleagues to get to know you better. Even though they’ve probably looked at your resume, they might still ask you this question, which sounds basic but is a great chance to sell yourself and your skills for the job at hand.

The interviewer will want to understand the size, scope, and complexity of projects you’ve handled in the past to get a sense of what you could do for them in the future. What industry were you in? What types of clients were involved? Did you personally interact with external stakeholders? How many people or teams were involved internally? How big was the budget?

How to Answer

Like most other interview questions, you’ll want to tailor your answer here to the role you’re interviewing for. Look at the job description and do some additional research to try to understand what kinds of projects you’d be working on in this position and make sure you touch on similar work you’ve done in the past.

“Take your current experience and make it relevant to what you’d be doing there,” Campos says. For instance, if you know you’d be working closely with software developers or interfacing with clients in person or over the phone, and you have experience doing the same in previous roles, be sure to highlight that in the examples you give.

Your response might sound like this:

“In my role as a project manager for ABC Architects, I frequently work simultaneously on multiple long-term design projects for commercial buildings with seven- and eight-figure budgets. I’m not only in constant contact with the internal team of architects, but also coordinating ongoing communication with clients and ensuring that everyone is on the same page in terms of timeline and expectations. In my previous project management role for a small design firm, I worked very closely with the creative team. So I’m acutely familiar with the pressures that come with big-budget projects and the nuances of interfacing with both clients and designers—and I’d be excited to put that experience to good use working with Design Your Space’s enterprise clients.”

2. Can You Walk Me Through a Specific Project You Worked on, What Your Role Was, Who the Stakeholders Were, and What Problem You Were Solving?

While you may have already given an overview of the kinds of projects you’ve worked on, an interviewer might also call on you to talk through one example in detail.

“By asking this, we’re hoping to get a better sense of how a candidate approaches managing a project and how clearly they can communicate an idea,” Jensen says.

Considering how important it is for a project manager to be able to communicate clearly and succinctly with various parties, it’s crucial that you be able to give a coherent explanation of a project in an interview.

So make sure you articulate the underlying purpose and goal of the project. And think about what context an interviewer might need and what their level of technical or industry knowledge is so that you can adjust your explanation accordingly.

“Be specific. I think a lot of candidates worry they’re getting in the weeds, but without context, an interviewer isn’t going to understand the full project,” Jensen says.

So you might say:

“Last year, I worked on an app rollout for a Harry Potter trivia game—which, side note, I was absolutely thrilled about because those were some of my favorite books growing up. Our goal was to appeal to a broad audience—from adults like me who fell in love with the series when it first came out to kids and teens just discovering it now.

“There was a product manager I worked with very closely who was more focused on keeping track of the technical development. My main responsibility was on the content side, overseeing the creation of the trivia questions as well as bonus content. I met with our two in-house editors to develop a plan for assigning out the question writing to a group of freelancers split up by book, film, and other sources in the Harry Potter world (like theme parks, J.K. Rowling tweets, and more). We set a timeline together for the initial influx of questions and put a process in place to fact check everything. I also spent a lot of time with my counterpart in product talking through how to create a content repository that the app could pull from and that could be continuously updated, and we documented a system for introducing new content.

We also worked together to coordinate testing: First we had our coworkers who weren’t involved in the project test it out. Then we addressed some bugs and issues. And finally we set up user interviews and repeated the process. We were able to release the initial version of the game on time and it exceeded our first month download goal by 34%. Beyond that, not only did I have a blast learning even more than I already did about Harry Potter with all this trivia, but my nieces and nephews thought it was the coolest thing and have been telling all their friends about it!”

3. Tell Me About a Time When a Project You Were Working on Went Off the Rails or an Unexpected Challenge Came Up—and How You Got It Back on Track.

“If someone tells me everything is all good and rosy, I probably won’t believe them,” Jensen says. “Every project is going to be messy in some way.”

Because problems are commonplace, interviewers want to know how you spot them as early as possible, how you communicate about them internally and externally (if that’s part of your role), how you collaborate with the team to brainstorm possible solutions, and how you decide which route to ultimately take. They also want to be sure you can communicate these decisions clearly and concisely.

“What the employer is looking for is agility, ability to problem solve, conflict management, and stress management,” Campos says. “A lot of the questions are screening for that”—including this one.

When you hear the words “Tell me about a time when…” in an interview, that’s a pretty sure sign you can and should turn to the STAR method to craft your answer. In other words, briefly explain the Situation ; clearly articulate what your Task was; lay out the Action(s) you took; and close with the Result(s) you got in terms of how that project turned out and what you learned from the experience. Pick a scenario that didn’t end in total disaster, but otherwise be honest.

The main thing to remember is, “Don’t act like you solved the whole thing on your own,” Campos says. In your effort to impress, you may want to focus on your role in the scenario, which is fine, but don’t go so far as to imply you were working alone. Project management is inherently collaborative and you’ll make a far better impression if your answers reflect that.

And definitely don’t throw anyone else under the bus. “If something went wrong on a project, it’s not important for us to know who is to blame; interviewers are more interested in hearing about how the problem was solved,” Jensen says. “It’s also not a great look to make your teammates look like they messed up—that suggests to an interviewer that a candidate might not be a team player.”

You could say something like:

“When I was working at Go to College, a nonprofit that aims to help kids in underserved schools become the first in their families to get a four-year degree, we had an amazing opportunity to screen a short film about the organization’s mission at a series of high-profile events with potential donors. I was the project manager for the film and we were in the final stages of the editing process when one of the schools we’d filmed at came back and said that, for various reasons, we couldn’t use the footage shot there.

“I called an emergency meeting with pretty much the entire staff. It was a small organization and everyone was really invested in the opportunity. Plus, this was the kind of situation where the more brains we had the better. We decided on two parallel courses of action. On one side, our program manager for that school would start a conversation there about whether we could remove any obstacles to using the existing footage. At the same time, our marketing team would work on pulling possible alternative footage we had in our archive and brainstorming any other options.

“I created a special Slack channel as a space for real-time updates and decision-making so that no time was wasted during the final stretch. In the end, our social media manager stumbled across an alum of the program who’d been keeping a funny, insightful blog about their college experience and reached out to them about participating in the film. I coordinated logistics to shoot some last-minute footage with them to tie the video together.

“It was definitely a very stressful couple of weeks, but I was so proud of the whole team for coming together to figure it out and I think the video turned out even better than what we’d originally planned. We ended up exceeding our fundraising goal by more than $100,000, and it allowed the nonprofit to expand and serve even more kids the following year.”

4. How Would You Describe Your Communication Style?

You should consider your entire interview—in fact, the whole hiring process, from email correspondence with a recruiter to in-person meetings with your prospective boss and colleagues—an assessment of your communication skills. Your interviewers will be paying attention to how you interact with them to get a sense of how you’d talk to teammates and clients in the role.

“Pay attention to how you’re communicating to anyone in the recruiting process,” Jensen says. “Sending sloppy emails or not responding for a couple of business days might indicate you’re not the most organized or a good communicator and that’s really important for project managers specifically.”

But they may also ask you to explicitly articulate your communication style in order to glean more insight into how you approach this essential element of project management. In part, they want to know you’ve thought about it and developed methods that work for you. They also want to know if your particular communication style is a good fit for the team and company.

There are some wrong answers here. (“I like to yell at people until they’re so scared they do what I’m asking,” would be wrong, for example.) But there’s no one correct answer.

Before your interview, reflect on how you’ve communicated in the past: How do you choose to phrase your updates and requests from colleagues and clients? How do you convey goals and expectations? When do you speak to someone in person versus writing them an email? What have people responded well to in the past? Is there a system or strategy you’ve honed over time that has helped ensure everyone’s on the same page?

Your answer might sound something like this:

“I’m an empathetic communicator but also very clear. I like to ask internal and external stakeholders a lot of questions, especially early on in the process, to ensure that I understand everyone’s perspective and can take it into account throughout. My goal is to make sure people are aligned at all times and know very clearly what’s expected of them and when.

“Once I have a sense of where people are coming from, I can tailor my communication with them to ensure I’m conveying goals, expectations, and updates in a way that jives with their style as well. That might mean sending periodic updates to the full team via email and highlighting action items by employee or team, which I like to do so that people can keep track and refer back to my notes, but also hopping on the phone with a remote employee to go over any odds and ends they may have missed and make sure they feel like an integral part of the team. The common thread, though, is that I always make sure that people understand the ask and remember the ultimate goal. In my experience, everyone can use regular reminders of why we’re doing what we’re doing and how each step relates to the larger goals. So I always tie small asks to the bigger picture. It keeps people motivated!”

5. How Do You Motivate People to Stay on Track and Meet Their Deadlines?

Project managers are leaders who are responsible for achieving results. But more often than not, they don’t have direct authority over the people doing the work to complete the project. In short, they’re not always the formal bosses of the people they rely on to get things done and be successful in their own roles.

So it’s critical that they have the interpersonal skills to motivate their coworkers—some of whom might be their peers or even senior to them—to deliver on time and in line with the expectations and requirements.

You also want to show your stakeholders—and now your interviewers—that you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and put in the work yourself. Because that in itself will motivate everyone around you to do the same. “Really good project managers, they get in there and they get their hands dirty,” Campos says. “What I mean by that is they are right there along with their team making sure things are happening.”

This is another answer that demonstrates your empathy and communication skills—and one where you can turn to the STAR method if you have a relevant story to share from your past experience.

“Give an example that shows you took the time to understand how that person works and also what else is on their plate,” Yurovsky says. Show the interviewer that you took the time to “create the buy-in for them and let them be part of the decision-making process.”

So your answer might be:

“My approach is to get to know the people I’m working with so that I can figure out how to get them excited and motivated about the work. I’ve also found that when people feel like they’re involved in figuring out how the process will go and have a say in deadlines and deliverables, they’ll be more personally invested in making it happen. Also showing your appreciation and gratitude goes a long way!

“I remember one time when I was working at an e-commerce startup and we were looking to launch a new email recommendation system to send existing customers suggestions for new items based on their previous purchases. It was my job to scope out the project, make a plan, set the timeline, and make it happen. There was already a small team of engineers working on the actual recommendation algorithm, but I realized pretty early on that we’d also need a lot of support from our designer, who was already stretched pretty thin working on a dozen different projects at once.

“So one of the first things I did was sit down with the designer to talk through how they envisioned the email product looking, what this process would require of them, and what kind of timeline would be feasible. I was able to take that early feedback into account when setting the overall timetable. Not only did we roll out the first version of email recs on time, but the designer was really grateful I’d come to her first to understand what she needed to be able to design templates she’d be proud of. I also made sure to share with her how happy I was, and our higher ups were, with the fun, sleek, and effective designs she’d come up with. That set the stage for future projects and she became one of my most enthusiastic and productive collaborators.”

6. What Experience Do You Have With Process Development?

You might be walking into a situation where you’ll be called upon to create processes and workflows from scratch—or to overhaul and redesign existing ones that aren’t cutting it. So an interviewer might want to know if you’ve done this before.

How to Answer It

The easiest way to answer here is to approach it as a behavioral question and give a specific example of a time when you planned and implemented a new process (yep, that means turning to the STAR method yet again).

You might say:

“Since my last two roles have been at startups transitioning from their early stages to more stable long-term growth, I’ve often been tasked with creating streamlined, standardized processes where there previously had been scattered ad hoc approaches. For example, in my last role, we were getting a lot of questions from freelancers and contractors about their payments. Plus there was some feedback that they were never sure who to send what info to and when. They’d get frustrated when they received random follow-up requests for more info weeks later that delayed them getting paid. I was involved with the projects these freelancers were working on and was getting wind of their irritation. A couple even stopped taking new projects from us.

“So I reached out to a few freelancers and had short conversations with each of them to make sure I fully understood their pain points. I also set up a meeting with our accounts payable team and some of the folks internally who dealt most frequently with freelancers to understand their needs and limitations and talk through what a streamlined process would look like. With the input from all of those conversations, I was able to suggest a new process where freelancers invoiced once a month on a set date. We came up with a standard invoice template across the company to ensure all the necessary info was available up front and created an automated email that would get sent to the freelancer when their payment went out.

“The accounts payable team ended up being able to cut down the amount of time they spent dealing with freelancer payments almost by half, freelancers were getting paid faster in most cases and always knew what was going on, and we were able to increase our retention and focus on our other goals. In short, it made everyone’s lives easier.

7. What’s Your Proficiency Level With [Name of Software or Tool]?

There’s a whole slew of project management tools and software that companies might rely on nowadays, whether it’s Trello or Basecamp or something else. So your interviewer might want to know which tools you’re familiar with or, more likely, what your experience or proficiency level is with a particular tool they’re already using.

The best case scenario is that you’re a seasoned pro who’s used this exact tool before, in which case you can say so and talk a little bit about what kinds of processes you’ve used it for and how.

If you don’t have experience with whatever software the interviewer is asking you about, don’t panic! In most cases, that’s probably not a disqualifier. What they do want to know, though, is that you have experience with other tools and that you’d be able to pick it up quickly. If you know the purpose of the tool and a bit about its interface, Campos says, you can draw a comparison to your expertise working with another similar tool and credibly predict you’d be able to adjust quickly as a result.

“You can even throw in how you love working with or learning new tools,” Campos says.

“I haven’t used Asana much in the past but I’m confident I could pick it up quickly. I’ve used Trello for a lot of project tracking in my current role and so have a lot of experience using and leveraging calendar and Kanban board views, which Asana has too. I’d also be excited to explore the other functionality it offers, especially the features that allow you to prioritize and view your overall progress on a larger project. I’m actually kind of a nerd when it comes to trying out new productivity tools. I’ve tested probably a dozen to-do list apps—seriously, ask me about the pros and cons! And before I started my current job I’d never used Trello before but I dived right in and found all kinds of shortcuts my colleagues didn’t know about. Within a few months, I was leading refresher trainings across the organization to make sure new and veteran employees were on the same page about how we were all using the tool.”

No matter which questions you get in your interview, make sure you keep in mind the most important skills, qualities, and points you’re trying to convey. Review the info above and reread the job description for the specific role as you prepare. And then tell your interviewer—and show them through how you behave before, during, and after your interview—why you’d be the very best choice.

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Critical-thinking interview questions and answers

Use these sample critical-thinking interview questions to discover how candidates evaluate complex situations and if they can reach logical decisions.

An experienced recruiter and HR professional who has transferred her expertise to insightful content to support others in HR.

10 good critical-thinking interview questions

• Tell me about a time you had to make a decision with incomplete information. What did you do?
• During a live presentation to key stakeholders, you spot a mistake in your manager’s report, but your manager isn’t at the presentation. How do you handle this?
• Describe a time when you had to convince your manager to try a different approach to solve a problem.
• You’re working on a project and you struggle coming to an agreement with your team about your next step. What would you do to make sure you choose the right direction and get your co-workers onboard?
• What’s the best sales approach: increase prices to achieve higher revenues or decrease prices to improve customer satisfaction?
• How do you evaluate the credibility of a source of information?
• Describe a situation where you had to adapt your communication style to effectively convey your message.
• How do you prioritize tasks when faced with multiple urgent deadlines?
• What steps do you take to analyze a complex problem?
• Can you give an example of a time when you had to think on your feet during a crisis?

Here are 10 essential interview questions and sample answers to help identify the best candidates for this role.

1. Tell me about a time you had to make a decision with incomplete information. What did you do?

This question assesses how the candidate makes decisions when they don’t have all the facts.

Sample answer:

“I once had to decide on a vendor with limited information. I prioritized the most critical factors like reliability and cost, and made a provisional choice, subject to change as more information became available.”

2. During a live presentation to key stakeholders, you spot a mistake in your manager’s report, but your manager isn’t at the presentation. How do you handle this?

This question evaluates the candidate’s ability to handle sensitive situations tactfully.

“I would subtly correct the mistake without drawing attention to it, and later discuss it privately with my manager to prevent future errors.”

3. Describe a time when you had to convince your manager to try a different approach to solve a problem.

This question gauges the candidate’s ability to influence others and advocate for better solutions.

“I suggested an alternative workflow to my manager that could save time. I presented data to back up my proposal, and after a trial period, my approach was adopted.”

4. You’re working on a project and you struggle coming to an agreement with your team about your next step. What would you do to make sure you choose the right direction and get your co-workers onboard?

This question assesses the candidate’s collaborative problem-solving skills.

“I would facilitate a team discussion to hear all perspectives. We would weigh the pros and cons of each option and come to a consensus, ensuring everyone feels heard.”

5. What’s the best sales approach: increase prices to achieve higher revenues or decrease prices to improve customer satisfaction?

This question tests the candidate’s ability to think critically about business strategies.

“Both approaches have merits and drawbacks. The best strategy would depend on the company’s goals, market conditions, and customer base.”

6. How do you evaluate the credibility of a source of information?

This question assesses the candidate’s ability to discern reliable information.

“I look at the source’s reputation, the quality of the content, and whether the information is supported by credible references.”

7. Describe a situation where you had to adapt your communication style to effectively convey your message.

This question evaluates the candidate’s flexibility in communication to suit different situations.

“When presenting technical information to non-technical stakeholders, I avoid jargon and use analogies to make the content more relatable.”

8. How do you prioritize tasks when faced with multiple urgent deadlines?

This question assesses the candidate’s time-management and decision-making skills.

“I categorize tasks based on their urgency and importance. I tackle high-priority tasks first and delegate when possible.”

9. What steps do you take to analyze a complex problem?

This question gauges the candidate’s problem-solving methodology.

“I break down the problem into smaller parts, analyze each component, identify root causes, and then develop a step-by-step solution.”

10. Can you give an example of a time when you had to think on your feet during a crisis?

This question tests the candidate’s ability to think critically under pressure.

“During a system outage, I quickly assessed the situation, communicated with the team, and implemented a contingency plan to minimize downtime.”

What does a good critical-thinking candidate look like?

A strong candidate with critical-thinking skills is analytical, adaptable, and able to make well-reasoned decisions. They should also be effective communicators who can collaborate to solve problems.

Why test candidates’ critical-thinking skills

Critical-thinking skills allow people to evaluate situations through reasoning to reach logical decisions. Companies benefit from employees who think critically (as opposed to mechanically performing tasks) because these individuals use an independent mindset to seek ways to improve processes.

Critical thinkers are great assets in all teams and roles. They are:

• Responsible. You can count on them to make tough decisions.
• Consistent. They’re top performers who check their facts before acting.
• Unbiased. They keep their emotions in check to reach sound decisions.
• Creative. They suggest out-of-the-box solutions.

Challenge candidates with complex critical thinking questions to reveal their skills. But, present them with realistic problems related to the job. Brainteasers (e.g. some Google-type questions) are off-putting for candidates who already feel the pressure of the interview process. Questions like “How many haircuts happen in America every year?” are very popular online, but may not reveal much about their skills. Asking something like “How would you explain cloud computing to a 6-year-old?” will more accurately show you a candidate’s way of thinking.

Keep your challenging interview questions as job-related as possible. Sometimes it’s not important to assess whether the answer is right or wrong. Puzzling questions are your opportunity to evaluate how candidates react outside their comfort zone.

These critical-thinking interview question examples will help you identify candidates with high potential for future leadership positions. Combine them with various behavioral interview question types (like problem-solving and competency-based questions) to create complete candidate profiles and make better hiring decisions.

How to assess critical-thinking skills in interviews

• Use hypothetical scenarios and examples from candidates’ past experiences to understand their mindsets. An analytical way of thinking (comparing alternatives and weighing pros and cons) indicates people who make logical judgments.
• When problems arise, employees don’t always have ample time to design a detailed action plan. Opt for candidates who strike a balance between good and fast decision-making.
• Critical thinking requires questioning facts and the status quo. Look for candidates who have implemented new procedures or applied changes to processes in their past positions. These are signs of professionals who actively seek ways to improve how things get done, as opposed to taking the “this is how we always do it” approach.
• Candidates who are intrigued by solving problems are more likely to effectively manage challenges and stressful situations on the job. During your interview process, keep an eye out for candidates who show enthusiasm and don’t easily quit when faced with problems, even if they can’t immediately find solutions.
• They don’t fact-check. If you present candidates with a hypothetical problem and they don’t ask for clarifications, it’s a sign they take information for granted. A critical thinker should always research data for accuracy before relying on it.
• They make assumptions. Beyond taking things for granted, employees who make assumptions tend to jump to rushed and often biased conclusions. Look for candidates who use logical arguments to justify their decisions.
• They don’t answer. If they don’t at least try to solve the problem, they’ll probably keep procrastinating when something goes wrong or push their work onto to someone else. Asking for help when you face a challenge is more than acceptable, but avoiding problems reveals irresponsible employee behavior.
• They give you the obvious answer. Tricky questions are tricky for a reason. Candidates who go with the first answer that comes in mind are more likely to approach challenges superficially and avoid using critical-thinking skills to come up with the best solution.

Frequently asked questions

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• How to assess soft skills in an interview
• A guide to interview preparation for employers
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10 Common Interview Questions for Project Managers

1. tell me about the last project you worked on., 2. tell me about a time when something went wrong when you were managing a project., 3. how do you prioritize tasks and set timelines for a project, 4. describe a project plan., 5. how would you encourage collaboration when some of the team is in-person, and some of the team is remote how does this change when team members are in very different time zones, 6. what do you do when a project has gone completely off track, 7. how do you handle conflict on the team, 8. how do you motivate your team, 9. how do you deal with (and avoid) scope creep, 10. what do you think the difference between a project manager and a product manager is, how to prepare for project manager interview questions, 10 common project manager interview questions.

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Table of Contents

As you’re preparing for your project manager interview, you may wonder what kinds of questions you’ll encounter outside of the typical “ What is your greatest strength ?” type of interview question. While there’s no way to predict exactly which questions the interviewer will ask, here are 10 common project manager interview questions, along with some tips on how to answer them.

Below are 10 possible project manager interview questions you may encounter. While not every question has a sample answer, each includes an outline of how to craft your response.

In some respects, asking you to describe the last project you worked on is similar to “ Tell me about yourself .” The hiring manager wants to learn more about you as a professional. But when they ask you this project manager interview question, they’re trying to learn more about you as a project manager.

So, talk about the last project you managed, whether that was in a paid position, internship , or even a school project. Your answer should be detailed without rambling. And, when possible, explain what the outcome was.

The most recent project I worked on was overseeing the rollout of the new website. It was every page of the site, including the e-commerce side of things. There were a lot of moving parts, but I made sure everyone stayed on task and hit their due dates, so we were ready to go on launch day. We rolled the new site out on time, and it’s about a half-second faster (which is pretty noticeable!). And the e-commerce side has a new checkout page that’s far easier to navigate than the old one. Since launching, we’ve seen a 25% drop in abandoned carts.

While it would be nice if every project you managed ran perfectly, that’s unlikely to happen. The hiring manager is trying to figure out how you handle the inevitable roadblock, snag, or mistake. The trick is to explain what went wrong without placing blame and discuss how you course-corrected.

I was overseeing the build-out and redesign of a client’s office space. Initially, things went well. I got the permits with ease, and the workers were on time and did their job. Basically, things were rolling along. But as we approached the end of the build-out, there were supply chain issues. While that’s expected, it messed up my timeline. I always build in extra time for the unexpected, but these were pretty significant delays, and it ate up more time than I would have liked. 

I was able to call in a few favors with some suppliers to get what we needed sooner rather than later, and that helped the contractors get enough work done to pass inspection and open the office on time. That said, I did have to explain to the client that not everyone would have new chairs when they moved in, and a few people had to work off folding tables for a few weeks.

Prioritization and time management are highly desired soft skills , no matter the role you’re applying for. But if you’re applying for a project manager role, the interviewer isn’t asking about your general ability with these skills. They’re wondering how you’ll use them as a project manager.

Your answer should have two parts. First, talk about how you measure the urgency or importance of individual tasks. Is one task more vital to the project than another? Does task X have to be completed before anyone can start task Y? You might meet with stakeholders or the people working on the project for their input.

The second part focuses on time management. Once you know the order of the tasks, how do you decide how much time to allot to each one? Do task timelines overlap? How do you know when it’s appropriate to overlap versus using a sprint where the team only focuses on one thing?

This straightforward project manager interview question gets at whether or not you understand the basics of project management .

While the easy (and technically correct) answer is, “The project plan is the plan for the project,” the hiring manager is looking for a bit more information. In general, a project plan includes:

• Goals or objectives
• Milestones or deliverables
• Communication plan (frequency and method)
• Stakeholders

As you answer the question, you’ll want to mention each of these, but you’ll also want to include reasons why these are necessary for a successful project plan. For example, you might say:

A communication plan is essential for success because it outlines who is responsible for relaying what, as well as how they will communicate (Slack, email, or phone call), and how often (the project manager will give status updates every Monday and Thursday).

Collaboration is another crucial skill for success as a project manager. And these days, it’s not uncommon for team members to work remotely and even live all over the world. It’s important to explain how you will ensure everyone on the team is communicating , collaborating, and staying on target, no matter where they are.

For example, when people live on different continents, it’s difficult to find a recurring time for synchronous meetings. So, talk about how you encourage asynchronous communications and set rules around response times.

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This project manager interview question is similar to “ What is your greatest weakness ?” In this case, the hiring manager is assessing how honest you are with yourself about a failure and, more importantly, what you learned from it. Talk about what happened, how you identified where the failure was, and the action you took to remedy the situation:

I was working on a sprint where we were adding a new CTA block to all of the blog posts. It sounds easy enough, but somewhere along the way, the block design spiraled. Suddenly, it needed a new color and font, but no one could decide which colors and fonts were best. We spent three weeks redesigning the block when that wasn’t necessary, lost a lot of time, and were going to miss the deadline for rolling out the new block, which could potentially set back sales.

I met with the team to find out what was happening and learned that what had started as a fix to deal with a code conflict snowballed into something bigger, and the team didn’t realize how much time they had lost. I asked them to dump the other changes and focus on fixing the conflict, then move on. And I learned to adjust my check-ins with that team to make sure something like that never happened again.

Teamwork means working together to achieve a common goal. But the path to getting there isn’t always as smooth as you might like. Conflicts may arise around the best way to achieve the goal. As project manager, it’s your job to rally the team and flex your conflict resolution skills .

Explain how you use your interpersonal skills to overcome differing opinions. For example, you could say that you’ve learned that not everyone has to agree on the exact solution, but once there is a solution that most agree is correct, you’re able to persuade the holdouts to buy into it.

As the project manager, you oversee the project and the people working on it. But, in general, you aren’t a supervisor. Your job is to oversee the day-to-day tasks of the project and make sure people are pulling their weight. And since you don’t manage the people working on the project, you may find that getting people to do their share of the job isn’t as easy as it could be if you were managing the individual contributors.

And that’s what’s at the heart of this project manager interview question. When you aren’t someone’s supervisor, how do you motivate them to get the job done? Do you explain how and why their part is critical to the rest of the project? Talk to them to see if they’re struggling in some way and don’t know how to ask for help? How do you support the individual contributors when they need it most?

The project plan often includes the project scope: what the project is and what you’re delivering. For example, the project scope might say that you’ll design three original buttons for a website, and the stakeholder picks one. The scope might also say that the stakeholder gets a total of two edits on the buttons.

Scope creep happens when the stakeholders start asking for things outside of the original project scope. Using the above example, when you present the three buttons, the stakeholder might ask you to design a fourth button using elements from the first two buttons. They may think that since you’re using elements you already created, it’s not really a fourth button.

You might agree, so you create the fourth button, which could also count as one of the edits, but the new button requires additional edits, and the next thing you know, you’ve created six buttons and edited them a total of 32 times. That’s scope creep!

The hiring manager is trying to figure out how you’ll stop this from happening. How do you say “no” without upsetting the stakeholders?

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You might think this is a trick question, but it isn’t. There is a distinct difference between a project manager and a product manager .

In short, a project manager is responsible for managing the day-to-day tasks of a project. And that project could be anything from constructing a new building to designing a new curriculum. A product manager , however, is responsible for the specifics of a product, usually from its inception to retirement. 

Where people sometimes get confused is that a product manager may project manage certain aspects of the product. For example, if the product is software, the product manager may decide the software needs an upgrade, and they project manage the creation and implementation of that upgrade. A project manager, though, doesn’t come up with new product ideas. They manage the individual tasks that go into creating or updating the product.

Here’s how you might explain the difference in an interview:

A product manager “owns” a product. They might help create it, figure out how to improve it, and keep improving it until the product is retired. While a project manager might have ideas on how to improve a product, it’s not their primary role. A project manager oversees the day-to-day of a project, ensuring everyone is meeting their deadlines and turning in their deliverables. Project managers and product managers often work closely, as the product manager comes up with the ideas and the project manager shepherds that idea along from start to finish.

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Skills you’ll build: Metrics, project planning, critical thinking, problem solving

You may have noticed that many of these project manager interview questions are strikingly similar to behavioral interview questions . And that’s likely because many of the situations a project manager faces require excellent problem-solving skills that you’ll use on the fly. You may have to figure out how to make something happen while getting buy-in from a team that’s in disagreement while also communicating as positively as possible with stakeholders about project progress.

Needless to say, you need a deep skill set of hard and soft skills to be successful as a project manager!

To help you answer these kinds of project manager interview questions, start your interview prep by reviewing which hard and soft skills you possess. Then, think of the times you were project managing and used those skills. Take it a step further, and use the STAR method to come up with different situations when you used your skills to face the project manager challenges you encountered.

Get prepped for more interview questions:

• 10 Common Interview Questions for Product Managers
• Analytical Skills Interview Questions (And Answers)
• 15 Entry-Level Interview Questions
• Interview Questions, Answered: ‘What Are Your Salary Expectations?’
• 10 Common Leadership Interview Questions and Answers
• How to Answer: ‘Why Do You Think You Are Qualified for This Position?’
• How to Answer: ‘What Motivates You?’ in a Job Interview
• How to Answer: ‘What Are Your Reasons for Leaving a Job?’
• How to Answer: ‘Why Are You Applying for This Position?’
• What Are Your Career Goals? How to Answer This Interview Question

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10 project management interview questions and how to answer them

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3 tips for nailing a project manager job interview 

10 project management interview questions, get specific on project manager interview questions.

If you’re a project manager or someone who recruits them, you deeply understand their value. 

While project management methodologies drive efficiency and top-notch deliverables, these systems don’t get far without a skilled person to guide them. 

These managers set goals , delegate tasks , and mentor teams. They’re motivators and strategic planners. And they have a knack for calculating risk and devising routes that avoid obstacles. That’s why it’s so important to ask and answer project management interview questions that reveal these organization and communication skills .

Whether you’re about to apply for a role in this niche or interview a candidate, these are skills worth discussing in project management, or PM, interview questions.

The Project Management Institute (PMI)’s 2023 “Pulse of the Profession” report says that soft, interpersonal skills are some of the most important in the modern workplace. And an interview is a candidate's first opportunity to demonstrate them.

Project managers need to answer tough questions on their feet, show confidence and knowledge, and adapt quickly to turns in the conversation. Here are a few more tips on how any interviewee can ace their meeting:

Practicing your answers to common project manager interview questions is an excellent start, but don’t stop there. According to a report from screening service JDP, the average interviewee spends seven hours alone researching the company .

Research the organization you’re interviewing for and its current initiatives so you can provide tailored responses. Learn project management case studies and use real-world anecdotes to support any answer you give.

On top of your research, set yourself up for success by ironing your outfit the night before, mapping your transit route to an in-person interview, and making sure your video conferencing setup works well if meeting virtually. 

2. Ask questions 

Project managers must be strong problem-solvers and strategizers. As such, they need to know how to ask good questions to learn more about roadblocks or the scope of a project. Demonstrate your curiosity by asking the interviewer questions throughout the process — not just at the end. 

Find out what they admire about the organization or glean more information on the demands of the project manager position. You’ll learn whether the job is a fit and gain an opportunity to demonstrate your active listening skills . During the conversation, maintain eye contact with the interviewer and revisit essential information they shared to show that you retain what you hear. 

3. Know your methods 

Whether or not an interviewer directly asks what your conflict resolution, problem-solving , or risk mitigation methods are, you should demonstrate coherent strategies in your conversation. This is especially relevant for “Tell me about a time” questions that ask you to reflect on past situations.

If describing a conflict you resolved, you should name the approach you used and how it worked. Structure the anecdote so the interviewer understands how you were assertive but willing to negotiate. And if the strategy you used didn’t work, be honest, instead focusing your answer on what you learned from the experience.

Interviews help employers determine whether a candidate has the hard and soft skills for a job and would be a good fit for the company’s culture . And these meetings give candidates a chance to decide if they could succeed in the role. 

With that in mind, interview questions should aim to communicate a company’s values and needs and give candidates a chance to show how they’d support the operation. Hiring managers have to prepare hard-hitting questions, and interviewees must be ready to provide in-depth answers. 

Here are 10 project management questions that should surface in every interview, with guidance on why interviewers should ask them and how candidates can answer. 

1. “Tell me about yourself.”

This open-ended question is an interview staple and a great icebreaker. It allows an interviewee to tell their story and demonstrate their personality. It’s also a notoriously tricky question because candidates have to structure a pointed answer that aligns their motives and strengths to a project manager role. 

Why interviewers should ask this question

This question allows a well-prepared candidate to give you a high-level summary of their skills and professional experience. It might also demonstrate their knowledge of, and interest in, the organization. You’ll quickly infer if the person has researched the company and has the basic skills for the role. Plus, you’ll start learning if the applicant is a cultural fit .

How interviewees should answer

Start by briefly introducing yourself and stating your focus area, like Agile project management , and key career highlights.

Then, describe your professional experience, linking your skills wherever applicable to the role you’re applying to. Round out your answer by looking to the future, providing a few salient points on ways you wish to grow and help the organization do the same. 

It’s also a good idea to take a minute and express your personal interests and hobbies . Hiring managers want to know your work experience, but you’re bringing your whole self to work — so show them who you are.

2. “Describe your last project and how it went.”

This situational prompt allows the interviewee to describe their project management style, the size of past teams, and potential successes. It offers a deeper look at their experience and offers a chance to explain growth points or successful moments of quick thinking under pressure. 

Solid project manager interview questions and answers hone in on details. It’s one thing for a candidate to generalize their skills and experiences, and another for the person to show their abilities in action. This question allows you to assess how well the applicant explains concepts while understanding their ways of working.

How interviewees should answer 

This question lets you show off a bit, so don’t hold back. Head up your answer with a clear description of past project scope, clients, and deliverables, along with any obstacles in your course. 

Then, dive into your process. Explain how you created the timeline, assigned work, or reached milestones. If you’re applying for your first project manager role, you can explain how you helped your old team thrive and learned from past managers.

Regardless, reference challenging and rewarding moments and explain your role in resolving issues and motivating your team . Whenever possible, use metrics to back up your statements. 

3. “Tell me about a time you resolved an issue in a project.”

This interview question for project managers addresses an inevitability: roadblocks. All teams face setbacks, and their leader must know how to shift the project schedule, prioritize tasks , and communicate changes to a client. 

This question is a litmus test. A project manager who struggles to come up with an answer may not have enough experience for the role or isn’t willing to sound vulnerable . But citing and addressing mistakes honestly is essential to any management role — and you want to hire a problem-solver.

If you’re an experienced project manager, you should answer this question using the STAR method . The acronym STAR stands for situation, task, action, and result, bringing structure to the story you’re telling and making it easier for the other person to follow. 

Describe the problem, the actions you took to solve it, and the positive outcome you achieved. That way, you build a narrative from beginning to end, demonstrating both your communication skills and past learning experiences. 

If you’re a new project manager, ask for a common problem your new team might face and propose a solution. You could also reflect on your role in past project roadblocks, regardless of whether you were the manager at the time.

4. “What does teamwork mean to you?”

Project managers are leaders, but they’re also part of a team. They should be experts in identifying members’ strengths, delegating work to the right people, and managing group conflicts. And as team players, they should be accountable and honest — which is what this question aims to discover. 

This behavioral job interview question offers insight into a candidate’s management style and interpersonal skills. You’ll ideally hire someone who can motivate others and foster a healthy work environment , regardless of what their other strengths are. They must also be able to communicate and organize project goals, roles and responsibilities , and timelines. 

Listen for responses that show how your interviewee saw someone struggling and reached out to help, or morphed their communication style to express themselves more clearly to colleagues. This gives you a better idea of how they’ll behave on the job and support their project teams.

Use this question to draw on an anecdote of exceptional teamwork . Describe a time your group hit an obstacle and you supported them through it, or how you made a particularly complex project manageable for the team. 

You could talk about when your team was burnt out due to increasing scope creep, and you navigated a difficult conversation with the client about sticking to the initial deliverables. Or you could discuss how someone quit a job without warning and you adjusted everyone’s schedule to fill the gap while maintaining morale. 

5. “Describe how you prioritize tasks.”

Project management is largely an act of prioritization. Managers sift through a backlog of tasks to determine what the team can do with its current resources. When the team hits a setback, a good project manager jumps to reprioritize tasks and mitigate negative impacts like timeline delays or excessive workloads. 

Project managers support their team, but they also answer to stakeholders. You want to hire someone who knows how to prioritize the critical path but avoid over-tasking those performing the work. The goal of this question is to determine whether the applicant understands this delicate balance. 

This question also gives you a clearer idea of their methodology and project management tools. If they use Agile, they might describe their handle on backlog grooming, sprint planning, and prioritizing feature testing or rework. 

Start by stating your prioritization process before moving into a real-life example. Explain how you respect deadlines and streamline work for your team with accurate effort and time projections.

Perhaps you use story points, a technique for determining the weight of tasks, to decide how much your group can reasonably take on to better manage client expectations. 

Use a recent project to demonstrate your methodology. Describe how you established a task hierarchy, delegated those activities, and input them into a schedule. If you’ve tackled multiple projects simultaneously, describe a past experience balancing work with various teams and dedicating sufficient focus to each piece of the puzzle. 

6. “How do you deal with dissatisfied clients?”

Unhappy clients, stakeholders, or upper managers aren’t necessarily a reflection of unsatisfactory work. Sometimes, they have unrealistic expectations or haven’t expressed their needs clearly enough to receive the deliverables they want. A project manager should be able to detect when their feedback should shift the work and when to de-escalate a complaint. 

Project managers must possess strong negotiation skills and be assertive when a client’s requests imply scope creep. The goal is to hire someone who protects the project, relationships with clients, and their team members at the same time.

This question should show you whether the interviewee can listen carefully to all sides, understand the root cause of the problem, and synthesize what the client wants — while developing a solution in the process. 

Conflicts often arise because of a lack of understanding, and that’s a solvable problem. In your answer to this question, you should highlight your dedication to hearing everyone’s concerns and confirming you understand them before seeking a solution.

Perhaps you reframe clients’ complaints using language like, “I’m hearing that you’re looking for…” The client then has a chance to clarify, and you walk away with salient feedback. 

If you can, scaffold your answer to this interview question with an anecdote or hypothetical scenario.

Tell the story of a time a client was disappointed because they weren’t receiving the deliverables they expected, and you discovered a disconnect on project scope. You could describe how you met with them, determined more explicit deliverables, and negotiated what you could in the time left on the project. 

7. What is your leadership style? 

Project managers head up a team, so they should be clear on their leadership style . There’s no one way to lead, but whether the project manager is a hands-on empathetic leader or a visionary mentor, they need to be intentional about their actions and match the team’s needs. 

This question reveals how the interviewee leverages their soft skills and unique personality to guide and inspire their team. Listen for anecdotes that demonstrate the project manager is confident about their leadership style, listens to concerns, and removes blockers as quickly as possible. 

Familiarize yourself with different leadership styles before your interview and categorize your traits in a clear description. For example, you could state that you’re a visionary leader, and provide anecdotes that support the traits associated with that leadership style. You might also identify with a combination of styles, and that’s okay, as long as you’re clear on each of them.

Once you explain your style, explore a time you motivated your team or how you intend to lead in the future. You might offer incentives for top-notch performance, collaborate with your group to resolve an issue in a brainstorming session, or push people to level up their skills by guiding them toward learning opportunities. 

8. How do you manage a virtual or hybrid team?

According to McKinsey, 58% of people work remotely at least one day of the week . This means that many project managers will find themselves leading teams virtually, and they need to understand how to support them. Supporting functional teamwork from afar requires knowledge of collaboration tools and engagement strategies to keep teams productive. 

Interviewers at remote or hybrid companies must ask this question to gather whether a project manager knows best practices for this type of work.

The candidate should know how to use virtual project-planning software and centralize information so everyone has what they need to work. They should also know how to run a great virtual meeting, whether that’s morning stand-ups or Friday afternoon social gatherings over Zoom.  

If possible, lean on anecdotal evidence when answering this question. Describe a successful project you completed with a hybrid or remote team and what you did to ensure an effective workflow. You could talk about how you taught a new team member to create tasks in an online project-planning tool or held regular 1:1s to engage team members despite the distance.  

9. How do you motivate an underperforming team member?

A team member might burn out, lack confidence in their skills, or perform poorly because they don’t understand an assignment. And if a project manager intervenes with adequate support, that person can find the motivation to improve. This intervention could save a project and boost morale for the whole team, making it a vital skill to know.

All project managers deal with performance issues on their teams, and they should know how to address them appropriately and kindly. These aren’t comfortable conversations — no one wants to hear that they’re delivering poor work. But a project manager worth hiring will know how to give direct feedback and provide a clear route for improvement.

Answer this question by describing how you give feedback and look for opportunities to improve performance. Demonstrate how you observe team members, reach out as soon as you see a problem, and establish a performance review cadence to help even your highest-performing colleagues get better. If you can, cite an example of how your tactics worked.

10. What do you do when a project’s off track? 

No project runs exactly as planned. A team may need to delay a feature delivery because it presented an error, or they might discover that certain tasks take more effort than predicted. A project manager must know how to restructure the calendar, ensure quality outputs despite setbacks, and navigate potentially tense conversations about off-track work with stakeholders. 

You want to hire a project manager who understands that setbacks are part of the work and has a plan for minimizing fallout and communicating changes. Listen for answers that cite real-life experiences and show how the interviewee behaved. The candidate should demonstrate a firm, rational, confident attitude. 

Clearly describe your methodology for pinpointing and resolving issues. Cite how you might perform a root cause analysis to get a firm grasp on the issue, or how you hold a meeting to gain insights from teammates about the setbacks they’re experiencing. Show that you’re proactive without losing sight of what’s realistic.

Some interviews thrive on general prompts, like “Describe your strengths and weaknesses,” that open up the conversation. But manager or project coordinator interview questions should laser-focus on the essential skills and methodologies of the role.

After asking high-level project management interview questions, a recruiter should push deeper — quizzing candidates on relevant knowledge like fishbone diagrams, Gantt charts, and Scrum. 

As an interviewer, research the particulars of the work before the meeting. Even if you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of project management, you’ll have to hire a candidate who does. And if you’re preparing for your next interview as an applicant, practice exhaustively and answer questions with confidence.

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Chris Helvajian

Chris Helvajian is a talent acquisition leader with more than a decade of experience in talent acquisition. He's passionate about creating scalable solutions to resolve recruiting problems at their root. His golden thread is "connecting people to opportunity." Chris is currently a recruiter at BetterUp and received his MBA at Chapman University.

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Top 50 Critical Thinking Interview Questions and Answers

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In today's competitive job market, employers are increasingly seeking candidates with strong critical thinking skills. Whether you're a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, mastering these skills can significantly enhance your chances of acing your next job interview.

In this guide, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about critical thinking interviews, from understanding their importance to providing sample answers and effective strategies. Let's dive in and equip you with the tools to succeed!

The Fundamentals of Critical Thinking

Before we delve into specific interview questions, it's essential to grasp the fundamental concepts of critical thinking. Critical thinking refers to the ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information objectively, leading to well-informed decisions and problem-solving. It involves a combination of analytical, creative, and logical thinking skills, enabling individuals to navigate complex situations efficiently.

To develop your critical thinking abilities, you must understand the key components of this cognitive process. These components include:

• Analysis : Breaking down complex information into its constituent parts to comprehend the underlying structure and relationships.
• Evaluation : Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different arguments, ideas, or solutions based on evidence and logic.
• Inference : Drawing logical conclusions and implications from available information and evidence.
• Explanation : Clearly communicating your thought processes, reasoning, and conclusions to others.
• Problem-Solving : Identifying and defining problems, exploring potential solutions, and choosing the most appropriate course of action.
• Creativity : Thinking outside the box to generate innovative ideas and approaches to challenges.

How to Prepare for Critical Thinking Interviews?

As with any interview, preparation is crucial for success. When it comes to critical thinking interviews, adequate preparation allows you to showcase your abilities confidently. Follow these steps to get ready for your interview:

• Research the Company and Industry : Understand the company's mission, values, and recent developments. Familiarize yourself with the industry's trends and challenges.
• Review the Job Description and Requirements : Analyze the job description to identify the critical thinking skills the employer seeks. Tailor your answers to align with these expectations.
• Understand the Common Critical Thinking Skills Employers Seek : Employers often look for skills such as analytical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and decision-making. Be prepared to demonstrate these skills in your answers.
• Assess Your Own Critical Thinking Abilities and Weaknesses : Reflect on your past experiences and identify situations where you applied critical thinking effectively. Recognize areas for improvement and be ready to discuss your efforts to develop those skills.

Types of Critical Thinking Interview Questions

Critical thinking interview questions can be grouped into several categories. Each category assesses different aspects of your cognitive abilities . Let's explore each type:

Situational Questions

Situational questions present hypothetical scenarios to assess how you would handle specific situations in the workplace. The employer is interested in your problem-solving approach and decision-making process. Examples of situational questions include:

• Scenario 1: Dealing with a Team Member's Incompetence How would you handle a team member who consistently fails to meet deadlines or deliver satisfactory work? ‍
• Scenario 2: Handling a Tight Project Deadline You're assigned a high-priority project with an extremely tight deadline. How do you prioritize tasks and ensure timely completion?

Behavioral Questions

Behavioral questions inquire about your past experiences and actions to predict your future behavior. The employer seeks examples of how you approached challenges in the past. Examples of behavioral questions include:

• Question 1: Describe a Time You Resolved a Complex Problem Share a specific example of a complex problem you faced at work. How did you approach the situation, and what was the outcome? ‍
• Question 2: How Did You Handle a Conflict with a Coworker? Discuss a time when you had a disagreement with a coworker. How did you manage the situation to reach a resolution?

Hypothetical Questions

Hypothetical questions gauge your ability to think on your feet and assess how you approach novel situations. Employers are interested in your thought process and ability to generate solutions under pressure. Examples of hypothetical questions include:

• Question 1: What Would You Do If You Had to Meet a Challenging Sales Target? Imagine you're responsible for meeting a challenging sales target in a short period. How would you strategize and approach the task? ‍
• Question 2: Imagine a New Product Idea for Our Company. If given the opportunity to propose a new product idea for the company, what would it be, and how would you present its potential value?

Puzzle and Brain Teaser Questions

Puzzle and brain teaser questions test your ability to think critically, logically, and creatively. They often involve solving mathematical or logic problems or answering riddles. Examples of puzzle and brain teaser questions include:

• Question 1: How Many Golf Balls Can You Fit in a School Bus? Estimate the number of golf balls that can fit in a standard school bus. Explain your reasoning. ‍
• Question 2: How Do You Arrange Six Books on a Shelf with Limited Space? Arrange six books of different sizes on a narrow shelf with limited space. Describe your arrangement strategy.

Critical Thinking Skills and How to Develop Them

To excel in critical thinking interviews, you must cultivate specific skills that are highly valued by employers. Let's explore each critical thinking skill and strategies to develop them:

Analytical Thinking

Analytical thinking involves breaking complex problems into smaller components to understand their underlying structure and relationships. To enhance analytical thinking:

• Improve Data Interpretation and Evaluation: Practice analyzing data and information from different sources, such as reports, graphs, or case studies. Use this data to draw meaningful insights and conclusions.
• Develop Logical Reasoning: Engage in activities that require logical thinking, such as puzzles, Sudoku, or logic games. This helps sharpen your ability to reason deductively and spot patterns.

Creative Thinking

Creative thinking allows you to generate innovative ideas and solutions to challenges. To foster creativity:

• Cultivate Innovation and Idea Generation: Engage in brainstorming sessions with colleagues or friends. Encourage yourself to think beyond conventional solutions and explore new possibilities.
• Overcome Mental Blocks and Bias: Be aware of your cognitive biases and actively challenge them. Adopt a growth mindset that embraces new perspectives and encourages experimentation.

Problem-Solving

Problem-solving is the process of identifying issues and finding effective solutions to address them. To refine your problem-solving skills:

• Identify Root Causes: When facing a problem, dig deep to identify its underlying causes. Avoid addressing symptoms only.
• Apply Effective Solutions: Evaluate different potential solutions and their implications before implementing the most appropriate one.

Decision-Making

Decision-making involves making choices based on logical analysis and consideration of available information. To improve decision-making:

• Weigh Pros and Cons: Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of each option before reaching a decision.
• Make Informed and Rational Choices: Base your decisions on evidence and facts rather than emotions or personal biases.

The STAR Method: Structured Approach to Responding

During critical thinking interviews, using the STAR method can help you deliver structured and impactful answers. The STAR method involves:

• Situation : Describe the context and situation you encountered.
• Task : Explain the task or problem you faced.
• Action : Outline the actions you took to address the situation.
• Result : Describe the outcome of your actions and any lessons learned.

Situational Interview Questions

Question 1: "imagine you are leading a project, and a team member consistently misses deadlines and fails to deliver satisfactory work. how would you address this situation".

How to Answer : When responding to this question, emphasize your problem-solving and leadership skills. Describe how you would approach the team member privately to understand any challenges they may be facing. Focus on finding solutions collaboratively, setting clear performance expectations, and offering support or training if needed. Highlight the importance of regular check-ins to monitor progress and provide constructive feedback.

Sample Answer : "If faced with a team member consistently missing deadlines, I would take a proactive approach. I would schedule a one-on-one meeting to understand the root cause of the issue and offer my support in finding solutions. By setting clear expectations and providing additional resources, I believe we can overcome this challenge together. Regular check-ins will help us track progress, and I am confident that with constructive feedback, the team member can improve their performance."

What to Look For : Hiring managers should focus on candidates who demonstrate strong communication skills, empathy, and a collaborative approach to problem-solving. Look for candidates who prioritize finding solutions and are willing to offer support to their team members.

Question 2: "You are responsible for managing a high-priority project with an extremely tight deadline. How would you prioritize tasks and ensure timely completion?"

How to Answer : Candidates should describe their process for breaking down the project into manageable tasks. Look for their ability to prioritize tasks based on urgency and dependencies. A strong response will demonstrate effective time management and the ability to communicate with stakeholders throughout the process.

Sample Answer : "To manage a high-priority project with a tight deadline, I would first break down the project into smaller tasks and identify critical milestones. By prioritizing tasks based on their dependencies and urgency, I can ensure that the most critical components are addressed first. Throughout the process, I would maintain open communication with the team and stakeholders, providing regular updates on progress and potential challenges."

What to Look For : Look for candidates who demonstrate excellent organizational and time management skills. Effective communication and the ability to handle pressure are also essential qualities to seek in their responses.

Behavioral Interview Questions

Question 3: "describe a time when you faced a complex problem at work. how did you approach the situation, and what was the outcome".

How to Answer : Candidates should provide a detailed account of the complex problem they encountered, the actions they took to resolve it, and the final outcome. Look for their ability to analyze the situation critically, make informed decisions, and adapt their approach as needed.

Sample Answer : "In my previous role, we faced a significant production delay that was affecting the project timeline. To address the issue, I gathered information from various stakeholders to understand the root cause. Working with a cross-functional team, we brainstormed potential solutions and implemented a process improvement strategy. As a result, we successfully reduced production time by 20% and completed the project ahead of schedule."

What to Look For : Seek candidates who demonstrate problem-solving skills, adaptability, and the ability to work collaboratively with others to reach a positive outcome.

Question 4: " Tell me about a time when you had a disagreement with a coworker. How did you manage the situation to reach a resolution?"

How to Answer : Look for candidates who handle conflicts constructively. They should describe their approach to resolving the disagreement, actively listening to their coworker's perspective, finding common ground, and working collaboratively to reach a resolution.

Sample Answer : "In one instance, I had a disagreement with a coworker over the approach to a marketing campaign. I approached the situation by initiating a private conversation to understand their perspective fully. By actively listening to their concerns and sharing my viewpoint without becoming defensive, we identified areas of agreement and crafted a comprehensive marketing strategy that incorporated elements from both approaches."

What to Look For : Observe candidates' communication and interpersonal skills, as well as their ability to work effectively with colleagues and find solutions in challenging situations.

Hypothetical Interview Questions

Question 5: "imagine you are responsible for meeting a challenging sales target in a short period. how would you strategize and approach the task".

How to Answer : Candidates should demonstrate their ability to strategize and set achievable goals. They should discuss how they would analyze the market, collaborate with the sales team, and monitor progress to adapt their approach as necessary.

Sample Answer : "If faced with a challenging sales target, I would conduct a thorough market analysis to identify opportunities and target segments. Collaborating with the sales team, we would set realistic goals aligned with the target. Regular performance evaluations and team meetings would allow us to track progress and adjust strategies based on real-time data."

What to Look For : Look for candidates who show a strategic mindset, data-driven decision-making, and the ability to work effectively with teams to achieve goals.

Question 6: "If given the opportunity to propose a new product idea for the company, what would it be, and how would you present its potential value?"

How to Answer : Look for candidates who demonstrate creativity and innovation in their response. They should articulate a well-thought-out product idea and explain its potential value to the company and its customers.

Sample Answer : "I believe a mobile app that complements our existing software could be a game-changer. This app would provide users with on-the-go access to essential features, enabling them to work seamlessly even outside the office. The app's integration with popular third-party tools would enhance its appeal, creating a new revenue stream while strengthening customer loyalty."

What to Look For : Seek candidates who display creative thinking, market awareness, and a customer-centric mindset in their proposed product idea.

Puzzle and Brain Teaser Interview Questions

Question 7: "estimate the number of golf balls that can fit in a standard school bus. explain your reasoning.".

How to Answer : Candidates should approach this question logically, breaking down the problem into manageable steps. Look for their ability to estimate the volume of the school bus and the volume of a golf ball, and then perform the necessary calculations to arrive at an approximate answer.

Sample Answer : "To estimate the number of golf balls that can fit in a school bus, I would first calculate the volume of the bus by multiplying its length, width, and height. Then, I would determine the volume of a golf ball using its diameter. By dividing the bus's volume by the golf ball's volume, I can arrive at an approximate number."

What to Look For : Look for candidates who demonstrate analytical thinking, mathematical reasoning, and the ability to approach complex problems systematically.

Question 8: "How do you arrange six books of different sizes on a narrow shelf with limited space?"

How to Answer : Candidates should describe their strategy for efficiently utilizing the limited space on the shelf. Look for their ability to think creatively and find practical solutions to organizing the books.

Sample Answer : "To make the best use of the limited space, I would arrange the three large books horizontally at the bottom of the shelf. This arrangement optimizes the available width. For the three smaller books, I would arrange them vertically, either next to one another or slightly overlapped. This approach maximizes the use of the available vertical space without wasting any surface area."

What to Look For : Observe candidates' creative thinking and practical problem-solving skills when arranging the books on the narrow shelf.

Analytical Thinking Interview Questions

Question 9: "you have access to a large dataset containing customer information. how would you analyze this data to identify trends and insights".

How to Answer : Candidates should outline their analytical approach to handling the dataset. Look for their ability to use data analysis tools, interpret trends, and draw meaningful insights from the information.

Sample Answer : "To analyze the customer dataset, I would start by cleaning and organizing the data to ensure its accuracy. Then, I would use data visualization tools to identify patterns and trends. By segmenting the data based on key variables, I can gain insights into customer behaviors and preferences. Finally, I would interpret the findings and present actionable recommendations to the team."

What to Look For : Observe candidates' proficiency in data analysis, data visualization, and their ability to derive actionable insights from complex datasets.

Question 10: "You need to make a critical business decision with limited information. How do you approach this situation?"

How to Answer : Candidates should describe their decision-making process when faced with limited information. Look for their ability to gather relevant data, weigh pros and cons, and make informed decisions based on available evidence.

Sample Answer : "When making a critical business decision with limited information, I would first identify the most important factors influencing the decision. Then, I would gather as much relevant data as possible and consult with subject matter experts to fill in the gaps. By analyzing the available information and potential outcomes, I can make the best decision possible given the circumstances."

What to Look For : Seek candidates who demonstrate sound judgment, analytical thinking, and the ability to make well-reasoned decisions in ambiguous situations.

Decision-Making Interview Questions

Question 11: "you are part of a team tasked with selecting a vendor for a significant project. how would you approach the vendor selection process".

How to Answer : Candidates should outline their approach to vendor selection, including criteria, evaluation methods, and stakeholder involvement. Look for their ability to consider various factors and make a well-informed choice.

Sample Answer : "To approach the vendor selection process, I would collaborate with the team to define our specific needs and requirements. We would establish evaluation criteria, including cost, quality, experience, and reputation. After researching potential vendors and obtaining proposals, we would conduct interviews and assess their fit with our project. Involving key stakeholders in the decision-making process would ensure buy-in and support for the selected vendor."

What to Look For : Look for candidates who demonstrate a systematic approach to decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and the ability to consider multiple perspectives.

Question 12: "Imagine you are presented with two potential business strategies. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. How do you determine which strategy is the most viable?"

How to Answer : Candidates should describe their approach to evaluating the two strategies objectively. Look for their ability to weigh the pros and cons, assess potential risks, and align the strategies with the organization's goals.

Sample Answer : "When faced with two potential business strategies, I would conduct a comprehensive analysis of each option. This would involve evaluating the short-term and long-term benefits, potential risks, resource requirements, and alignment with our company's mission and vision. By consulting with key stakeholders and considering market trends, I can determine which strategy is the most viable for our organization's success."

What to Look For : Seek candidates who demonstrate critical thinking, strategic reasoning, and the ability to align decisions with the overall organizational objectives.

Creative Thinking Interview Questions

Question 13: "how do you foster a culture of innovation within a team or organization".

How to Answer : Candidates should discuss strategies for encouraging creativity and innovation among team members. Look for their ability to promote an open and collaborative environment that values new ideas.

Sample Answer : "To foster a culture of innovation, I would encourage open communication and idea-sharing among team members. Providing dedicated time for brainstorming sessions and acknowledging and rewarding innovative contributions can motivate team members to think creatively. Additionally, creating cross-functional teams and encouraging experimentation can lead to breakthrough solutions and new opportunities for the organization."

What to Look For : Observe candidates' ability to inspire creativity, promote collaboration, and create an environment that supports and rewards innovative thinking.

Question 14: "Share an example of a time when you implemented a creative solution to a challenging problem. How did your innovation make a positive impact?"

How to Answer : Candidates should describe a specific situation where they applied creative thinking to solve a problem. Look for their ability to articulate the problem-solving process and the positive outcomes of their innovation.

Sample Answer : "In a previous role, we were facing declining customer engagement with our website. To address this, I proposed a gamification strategy, incorporating interactive elements and rewards. By integrating quizzes and challenges, we increased user engagement significantly. This creative solution not only enhanced the user experience but also contributed to a 30% increase in website traffic and a 20% rise in customer retention."

What to Look For : Seek candidates who demonstrate a track record of creative problem-solving and their ability to implement innovative solutions with tangible positive outcomes.

Communication and Collaboration Interview Questions

Question 15: "you are part of a cross-functional team working on a complex project. how do you ensure effective communication and collaboration among team members".

How to Answer : Candidates should describe their approach to fostering effective communication and collaboration within a cross-functional team. Look for their ability to facilitate open dialogue, establish clear channels of communication, and promote a culture of teamwork.

Sample Answer : "To ensure effective communication and collaboration in a cross-functional team, I would start by establishing regular team meetings to discuss progress, challenges, and goals. By encouraging open and respectful communication, team members can share their perspectives and expertise freely. Additionally, I would utilize collaboration tools and project management software to centralize information and keep everyone informed. Recognizing and celebrating team achievements would also foster a positive and collaborative atmosphere."

What to Look For : Observe candidates' communication skills, team-building abilities, and their commitment to creating a cohesive and collaborative team environment.

These communication and collaboration questions are vital in assessing candidates ' ability to work effectively with others and contribute to a positive team dynamic. By incorporating questions that touch on various critical thinking skills, you can identify well-rounded candidates who will excel in your organization.

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How to Answer Critical Thinking Questions?

While answering critical thinking questions, it's crucial to convey your thoughts clearly and demonstrate your problem-solving skills effectively. Here are some strategies to keep in mind:

• Demonstrate Clear and Logical Thought Processes : Clearly outline the steps you took to analyze the situation, make decisions, and arrive at your conclusions.
• Use Specific Examples and Relevant Experiences : Draw from past experiences to provide concrete evidence of your critical thinking abilities.
• Emphasize Collaborative and Innovative Approaches : Highlight instances where you collaborated with others and embraced innovative solutions to demonstrate versatility.
• Handling Stress and Pressure During Critical Thinking Interviews : When answering complex questions, stay composed and focused. Take a moment to gather your thoughts before responding.

Mistakes to Avoid During Critical Thinking Interviews

To make the best impression during your critical thinking interview, avoid the following common pitfalls:

• Relying Solely on Intuition : While intuition can be valuable, support your answers with logical reasoning and evidence.
• Making Assumptions Without Proper Evidence : Base your responses on relevant information rather than assumptions.
• Avoiding Ambiguity and Vagueness in Responses : Be precise and concise in your answers to showcase your clarity of thought.
• Overlooking the Importance of Active Listening : Fully understand the question before responding to ensure you address the interviewer's query accurately.

Final Preparation Tips

As your critical thinking interview approaches, consider these final tips to boost your confidence:

• Maintain a Positive and Confident Attitude : Display enthusiasm and confidence in your abilities throughout the interview.
• Review Key Concepts and Skills : Revisit the critical thinking skills and strategies discussed in this guide to reinforce your understanding.
• Get Adequate Rest Before the Interview Day : Ensure you are well-rested to be mentally sharp and focused during the interview.

By understanding the fundamentals of critical thinking, preparing thoroughly, and practicing your responses, you are well-equipped to tackle any critical thinking question that comes your way. Remember to embrace the STAR method, provide specific examples, and maintain a composed demeanor during the interview. With these valuable tips and strategies, you are ready to impress prospective employers and secure your dream job. Best of luck in your interviews, and may your critical thinking skills shine brightly!

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Interview Questions

Comprehensive Interview Guide: 60+ Professions Explored in Detail

15 Most Common Project Manager Interview Questions and Answers

By Sherice Jacob

Published: October 22, 2023

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the field or project management, you will likely face a set of common, yet challenging, interview questions aimed at assessing your aptitude for planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. In this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive guide to the most frequently asked project manager interview questions and how to answer them effectively.

What qualities and skills are hiring managers looking for in a Project Manager?

• Leadership Skills

The ability to lead a team is crucial. A good project manager can inspire their team, set clear objectives, resolve conflicts, and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal.

• Communication Skills

Project Managers need to be excellent communicators. They must effectively liaise with clients, stakeholders, and team members, ensuring that everyone is informed about project updates, changes, and issues that may arise.

• Risk Management

An understanding of how to assess, mitigate, and manage risks is vital. The hiring manager would be interested in a candidate’s ability to foresee potential problems and plan ways to circumvent them.

• Organizational Skills

Managing multiple tasks and people while keeping track of deadlines requires exceptional organizational abilities. A project manager needs to be methodical and efficient in their approach.

• Problem-Solving Skills

Project management often involves dealing with unexpected issues. The ability to think critically, make informed decisions, and find effective solutions under pressure is a key quality in a project manager.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

A hiring manager would ask this question as an ice breaker to make you comfortable and to get a sense of who you are as a person, as well as your communication skills. They’re interested in how you perceive yourself professionally, your career trajectory, and what you’re looking for in your next role.

• Start by summarizing your professional background.
• Highlight experiences and skills relevant to the project management role.
• Be concise and avoid rambling.
• Include a touch of your personal interests or hobbies to show your human side.
• Show enthusiasm for the position you’re interviewing for.

Don’ts

• Recite your entire resume verbatim – they already have that information.
• Discuss too many personal details not relevant to the job.
• Spend too much time on this question.
• Be negative or discuss topics such as previous conflict at work.
• Talk about sensitive topics such as religion, politics, etc.

Sample Answer:

“I’ve been working in project management for about seven years now. I began my career as a Junior Project Coordinator at XYZ Corp, where I developed my skills in team coordination and project scheduling. Over time, I grew into a full-fledged Project Manager role at ABC Company, managing multiple high-stake projects end-to-end. I particularly enjoy the challenges that come with large, complex projects, and I’ve honed my skills in risk management and problem-solving to successfully deliver them. In addition to my professional interests, I also enjoy hiking and landscape photography, which I find great for developing patience and attention to detail – attributes I find useful in my project management role as well. This opportunity with your company caught my eye because of your innovative approach to project management, especially your use of AI in project tracking.”

2. Why do you want to leave your current position?

This question is often asked by hiring managers to gauge your motivations for leaving your current role and seeking a new one. They want to understand your career goals, your commitment, and your ability to handle professional transitions. This question also helps them identify any potential red flags, such as conflicts or disagreements at work.

• Be honest but diplomatic in your response.
• Highlight any opportunities for growth that you see in the new role.
• Discuss positive aspects about the new company or role that attract you.
• Maintain a professional tone even when discussing any difficulties in your current role.
• Keep your answer focused on your professional goals and aspirations.
• Speak negatively about your current or past employer.
• Share too many personal details or vent about your current job.
• Discuss financial motivations as your primary reason for leaving.
• Give the impression that you change jobs frequently.
• Indicate any issues with commitment to your role or responsibility.

“While I’ve learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed my time at my current company, I believe that this is the right time for me to seek new challenges and broaden my horizons. I have a strong interest in your company’s focus on AI-driven project management, which aligns with my own interest in leveraging technology to improve efficiency in project delivery. I see this role as a fantastic opportunity to advance my skills and contribute to a field I am passionate about. I’m not leaving due to any negative issues at my current job, but rather being drawn towards the exciting opportunities that this role presents.”

3. How would your coworkers describe you?

This question is a way for hiring managers to learn about your interpersonal skills, team dynamics, and self-awareness. It’s an opportunity for you to highlight your strengths from a different perspective, but it also requires tact and honesty. They want to see if you’re a good fit for their team and work culture.

• Highlight qualities that are relevant to the role and the team.
• Speak honestly about your strengths and positive attributes.
• Mention any feedback you’ve received from colleagues.
• Relate your attributes back to the job and its requirements.
• Talk about how you collaborate and interact with your coworkers.
• Exaggerate or make up qualities that aren’t true.
• Only focus on the technical skills – soft skills are equally important.
• Speak negatively about your coworkers or suggest you didn’t get along.
• Use generic terms without providing specific examples.
• Ignore the part of the question about how your coworkers would describe you – it’s not just about your self-perception.

“If you were to ask my colleagues, I believe they’d say I’m a reliable team member who is always ready to put in the extra effort to ensure our project success. They would probably mention my problem-solving skills as well. I often find myself in situations where I have to think quickly and find solutions to unexpected issues. On a more personal level, they would likely describe me as approachable and supportive. I believe in fostering a cooperative work environment, so I always try to be there for my team, whether they need help with a project issue or just a listening ear.”

4. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hiring managers ask this question to understand your long-term career goals , ambitions, and how this role fits into your overall professional plan. They want to assess your commitment to the industry and the company, and whether your aspirations align with the potential growth opportunities within the organization.

• Align your future goals with the job and company you’re interviewing for.
• Showcase ambition, but balance it with realism.
• Mention specific skills or roles you would like to take on in the future.
• Convey commitment to the industry and profession.
• Demonstrate that you’ve thought about your career path.
• Give an impression that you see this job as a short-term stepping stone.
• Provide a vague or non-specific answer.
• Suggest that you plan to switch industries or roles completely.
• Mention personal or private plans that don’t relate to your career.
• Overpromise or set expectations that are unrealistic.

“In five years, I see myself growing within the project management field and ideally within this organization. I hope to take on more strategic roles where I can leverage my skills to drive project execution at a higher level. I’m particularly interested in deepening my knowledge of AI-based project management tools, which I believe will shape the future of this industry. I aim to become a leading expert in this area, contributing to the company’s success and innovation.”

5. What is your greatest professional achievement?

By asking this question, a hiring manager is trying to gauge what you consider important in your career and what you consider to be an “achievement” . They’re interested in understanding what motivates you, how you define success , and how your accomplishments could potentially benefit their organization.

• Highlight an achievement that is relevant to the job you’re interviewing for.
• Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answer.
• Quantify the results of your achievement, if possible.
• Show passion and enthusiasm for your achievement.
• Connect the achievement to the values or goals of the company you’re interviewing with.
• Choose an achievement that isn’t related to your professional life.
• Exaggerate or lie about your achievements.
• Forget to mention the impact of your achievement on the organization or team.
• Neglect the process or challenges you faced in achieving that result.
• Overlook the teamwork and collaboration involved in your achievement.

“One of my most significant achievements was leading a large-scale project at my current company that resulted in a 20% reduction in project delivery time. We were tasked with implementing a new project management tool across all departments. I was responsible for overseeing the integration, conducting training sessions, and ensuring the smooth transition from the old system. Despite the initial resistance and the steep learning curve, my team and I managed to successfully complete the implementation within the deadline. The new tool increased the efficiency of our project processes, reducing project delivery time by a fifth and saving significant resources. This experience was incredibly fulfilling, knowing that our efforts had a substantial, positive impact on the company’s efficiency and productivity.”

6. How do you initiate a project? What steps do you usually follow?

Hiring managers pose this question to evaluate your methodology for initiating a project, which offers insight into your strategic thinking, planning skills, and understanding of project management principles. They want to see if you have a systematic approach and if you understand all the necessary steps to kick-start a project effectively.

• Walk through your typical process in a clear, step-by-step manner.
• Discuss how you define the project’s scope and objectives.
• Explain how you identify stakeholders and their needs.
• Highlight your understanding of risk assessment and planning.
• Mention how you set timelines, milestones, and allocate resources.
• Provide a generic answer without specific steps.
• Forget to mention the importance of communication and stakeholder buy-in.
• Skip over the planning or risk-assessment stages.
• Neglect to discuss how you adapt your approach to different projects.
• Ignore the importance of team involvement and collaboration in initiating a project.

“Initiating a project is a critical phase, and I follow a structured approach to ensure it starts off on the right foot. Firstly, I define the project scope, objectives, and deliverables. What are we trying to achieve? What’s in scope and what’s out? Defining these clearly helps set expectations and guide the entire project. Next, I identify the key stakeholders and initiate dialogues to understand their needs and expectations. Their buy-in is crucial for the project’s success. Once I have the scope and stakeholder buy-in, I develop the project plan. This includes identifying tasks, estimating time and resources needed, and setting timelines and milestones. Simultaneously, I perform a risk assessment to identify potential obstacles and prepare mitigation strategies. Finally, I set up a kick-off meeting with the project team to discuss the plan, delegate tasks, and foster a sense of shared responsibility and excitement about the project. Throughout this process, communication is key – making sure everyone involved understands their roles and the project goals.”

7. Can you describe a project that did not go as planned, and how you managed it?

Hiring managers ask this question to see how you handle setbacks, your problem-solving abilities, and your resilience. They’re interested in understanding your approach to risk management, your ability to adapt and change course when needed, and your capacity to learn from mistakes.

• Choose a specific example where you faced significant challenges.
• Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to describe the situation.
• Discuss the steps you took to manage the situation.
• Highlight any lessons learned and how you have applied them since.
• Show resilience and problem-solving skills in your response.
• Blame others for the project not going as planned.
• Choose an example where the project failure was due to a lack of effort or oversight on your part.
• Skip over what you learned from the experience.
• Portray the situation as insurmountable or out of your control.
• Be overly negative or dwell too much on the failure.

“Sure, not every project goes as planned, and I recall a time when we were tasked with implementing a new software system across the organization. Despite our initial timeline and risk assessments, we faced significant pushback from a few departments resistant to the change, and the project was delayed significantly. Rather than forcing the change, we took a step back to reassess our approach. We initiated a series of meetings and workshops with the reluctant teams to better understand their concerns and show the benefits of the new system. We also offered additional training sessions to ease the transition. Concurrently, we revised our project plan and communicated the new timeline and approach to all stakeholders. Despite the initial delays, the project was successfully implemented, albeit on a longer timeline.”

8. How do you handle changes to a project scope or timeline?

The intention behind this question is for hiring managers to understand how adaptable you are in managing project changes. They’re interested in knowing your ability to balance scope modifications with project timelines and resources, and how effectively you communicate these changes to stakeholders and the team.

• Discuss your approach to evaluating and incorporating changes.
• Mention your ability to reassess and adjust project plans and resources as needed.
• Highlight your communication methods for informing stakeholders and team members of changes.
• Discuss the importance of documenting changes for future reference.
• Highlight your understanding of the balance between accommodating changes and maintaining the project’s goals.
• Give an impression that you rigidly resist any changes.
• Overlook the necessity of stakeholder communication when changes occur.
• Neglect the aspect of evaluating the impacts of changes on project goals.
• Ignore the possibility of negotiating or pushing back on changes if necessary.
• Forget to mention how you manage team stress or concerns regarding changes.

“Managing changes in a project scope or timeline is a common aspect of project management. My approach is first to evaluate the necessity and impact of the proposed changes. This includes reassessing timelines, resources, and the potential effects on the project’s end goals. Once I have a clear understanding, I update the project plan and discuss the changes with the project team. I believe in maintaining transparent communication, so everyone understands why the changes are necessary and how we’ll adapt to them. Next, I communicate these changes to the stakeholders, discussing the reasons behind them and their impact on the project outcomes. I’ve found that being upfront and transparent helps maintain their trust and support. Finally, I document all changes meticulously. This helps in managing any further changes and serves as a learning tool for future projects.”

9. Can you discuss your experience with budget management in projects?

By asking this question, hiring managers want to understand your ability to manage project finances effectively. They’re interested in seeing how you allocate resources, monitor expenditure, and maintain the project within its budget. Your answer can provide them with insights into your planning, strategic thinking, and financial acumen.

• Discuss specific projects where you were responsible for budget management.
• Explain your approach to budget planning and allocation.
• Discuss how you track and control project expenditure.
• Mention any instances where you had to adjust the budget and how you handled it.
• Highlight any tools or software you use for budget management.
• Forget to discuss the importance of communication with stakeholders about budget matters.
• Ignore the challenges that can arise with budget management.
• Skip over any steps you take to prevent overspending.
• Fail to highlight the importance of budget management in successful project delivery.

“Budget management is a key aspect of successful project delivery, and I have considerable experience in this area from my previous roles. I’ve been responsible for the financial management of projects ranging from small initiatives to large-scale, multi-departmental endeavors. My approach to budget management starts with a detailed budget plan at the project’s onset. This involves aligning with the project scope and objectives, estimating costs for resources, and setting aside contingencies for unexpected expenses. I believe in involving key stakeholders during this planning phase to ensure alignment and transparency. Throughout the project, I closely track expenditure against the budget. I use project management tools, which allow for real-time tracking of expenses. If costs begin to exceed budget estimates, I proactively identify the causes and implement corrective measures. This could be reallocating resources, negotiating with vendors, or if necessary, discussing budget adjustments with stakeholders.”

10. How do you manage and motivate a project team during a challenging phase of a project?

This question aims to evaluate your leadership skills , particularly in difficult situations. The hiring manager wants to understand how you maintain team morale, facilitate communication, and lead your team to overcome challenges. Your approach to these situations will provide insight into your management style and emotional intelligence.

• Discuss specific strategies you use to motivate and manage your team.
• Emphasize your communication skills and how you use them to keep the team informed and aligned.
• Share examples of how you’ve successfully managed a team through a challenging project phase.
• Highlight your ability to maintain a positive environment, even under stress.
• Discuss your approach to problem-solving and how you involve the team in this process.
• Give an impression that you ignore or downplay the challenges.
• Forget to mention how you acknowledge the team’s efforts and hard work.
• Ignore the aspect of emotional intelligence in managing teams.
• Overlook the importance of individual team member’s needs and concerns.
• Fail to discuss how you learn from these challenging situations.

“Managing a project team during challenging times requires a balance of strong leadership, clear communication, and emotional intelligence. In such situations, I first ensure that the team is fully aware of the challenges we’re facing. Transparency fosters trust and makes the team feel involved. We discuss the issues at hand openly, brainstorm possible solutions, and decide on our approach collaboratively. This involvement often leads to innovative solutions and gives the team a sense of ownership over the problem-solving process. To keep morale high, I always emphasize the bigger picture – reminding the team of the value of the project and their critical role in it. I also acknowledge their efforts and celebrate small victories along the way. Personal recognition can go a long way in boosting morale. Finally, I maintain an open-door policy, encouraging team members to voice any concerns or ideas. Understanding their perspective not only helps in managing the current situation but also contributes to my growth as a leader.”

11. How familiar are you with project management methodologies like Agile or Waterfall?

When a hiring manager asks about your familiarity with project management methodologies, they’re looking to understand your practical knowledge and experience. They’re interested in how you’ve used these methodologies in real project situations, your flexibility in adapting to different methods, and your perspective on the best use cases for each.

• Share your experience with the specific methodologies mentioned.
• Explain the key principles and benefits of each methodology.
• Discuss how you’ve used these methodologies in past projects.
• Highlight your adaptability to use different methodologies as per the project requirements.
• Discuss how you choose which methodology to use for a particular project.
• Only provide theoretical knowledge without examples of practical application.
• Speak negatively about any methodology.
• Give an impression that you rigidly stick to one methodology without considering project specifics.
• Overlook the importance of team understanding and buy-in when implementing a methodology.
• Ignore discussing your continuous learning efforts to stay updated on new project management methodologies and practices.

“In my role as a Project Manager, I’ve had the opportunity to work with both Agile and Waterfall methodologies and have gained substantial understanding and experience in both. Waterfall methodology, with its linear and sequential approach, works well for projects with clearly defined requirements and where changes are less likely. One of the large-scale software implementation projects I led used the Waterfall methodology, as the requirements were well defined and changes were minimal. On the other hand, Agile methodology has been instrumental for projects where requirements are likely to evolve and quick adaptation is needed. In one of my previous roles, we used Scrum, an Agile framework, for software development projects. The iterative approach allowed us to incorporate feedback quickly and deliver value to customers in short sprints. Choosing a methodology largely depends on the project’s nature, team structure, and stakeholder expectations. In my experience, understanding the strengths and limitations of each methodology allows for flexibility and adaptation as per the project requirements”

12. Can you explain how you deal with a team member who is not contributing as expected?

This question allows hiring managers to assess your conflict resolution and people management skills. They’re interested in knowing how you handle underperformance within your team, how you maintain the project’s progress, and ensure a positive work environment. It demonstrates your leadership style and ability to handle sensitive situations.

• Discuss your approach to understanding the root cause of underperformance.
• Share how you communicate your expectations and provide constructive feedback.
• Explain your strategies for supporting and encouraging team members.
• Describe how you maintain the balance between addressing the issue and preserving team morale.
• Discuss how you measure performance and track improvement.
• Give an impression that you ignore or avoid confronting the issue.
• Be overly harsh or negative about underperforming team members.
• Neglect the importance of private and respectful conversations.
• Overlook potential solutions like additional training, reassignment of tasks, or mentorship.
• Forget to mention how you ensure fairness and consistency in managing performance.

“Dealing with a team member not contributing as expected can be a challenging aspect of project management, but it’s crucial for maintaining the project’s progress and a positive team environment. If a team member’s performance is not up to the mark, my first step is to understand why. This typically involves a private, one-on-one conversation where I communicate my observations and give them an opportunity to share their perspective. It’s important to approach this conversation with empathy and an open mind, as the issue might stem from something outside of their control. Once I understand the root cause, we can work together on a plan to improve their performance. This could involve additional training, mentoring, or potentially reassigning tasks to better match their skills. I believe in giving constructive feedback, setting clear expectations, and providing support to help them improve. Throughout this process, I monitor their performance and provide regular feedback. If the situation doesn’t improve despite our efforts, I’d consider other actions in line with company policies.”

13. What project management tools have you used, and how proficient are you in them?

This question is asked to determine your familiarity with various project management tools, your adaptability to new technologies, and how you leverage these tools to effectively manage and deliver projects. It provides the hiring manager with insights into your technical competency and your ability to work within their operational environment.

• Mention specific project management tools you’ve used.
• Explain how you used these tools in your project management work.
• Discuss your level of proficiency in these tools.
• Highlight any training or certifications you have related to these tools.
• Discuss your adaptability to learning and using new tools.
• Be dishonest about your proficiency level.
• Only mention the names of the tools without explaining how you used them.
• Give an impression that you are not willing to learn or adapt to new tools.
• Forget to discuss how these tools helped improve project efficiency.
• Neglect to mention any collaboration tools you’ve used along with project management tools.

“In my project management career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with several tools that have greatly enhanced the efficiency and effectiveness of my work. For project scheduling and tracking, I’m proficient in using Microsoft Project. I’ve used it to develop project plans, assign resources, and monitor progress. I’ve also utilized it for risk management and to perform what-if scenario analyses. For more Agile-based projects, I’ve used tools like Jira and Trello for managing tasks, tracking project progress, and maintaining transparency with the team. They’ve been especially helpful in the Scrum methodology, where tasks, backlogs, and sprints need to be managed seamlessly. For team communication and collaboration, I’ve extensively used Slack and Microsoft Teams. They’ve been vital for keeping the team connected, sharing updates, and conducting virtual meetings . In addition, I’ve also used Excel for budget management and Google Drive for document sharing and collaboration.”

14. How do you ensure quality and satisfaction in the project’s deliverables?

This question is aimed at understanding your approach to ensuring the quality of project deliverables and stakeholder satisfaction. Hiring managers are interested in your knowledge and application of quality management principles, how you monitor and measure quality, and your ability to align the project outcomes with stakeholder expectations.

• Discuss your approach to quality planning at the project’s outset.
• Describe how you monitor and control quality during the project lifecycle.
• Talk about your strategy to align deliverables with stakeholder expectations.
• Mention any quality management tools or methodologies you use.
• Discuss how you gather feedback and make necessary improvements.
• Overlook the importance of planning for quality from the beginning.
• Neglect to mention how you involve the team in maintaining quality.
• Ignore the role of continuous improvement in quality management.
• Forget to discuss the importance of clear and regular communication with stakeholders.
• Fail to mention how you handle situations when deliverables don’t meet quality standards.

“Ensuring quality and satisfaction in a project’s deliverables is a multi-step process that begins right from the planning stage. At the start of the project, I work with stakeholders to understand their expectations and define quality standards for the project deliverables. This sets a clear target for what we aim to achieve. During the project lifecycle, I monitor the quality of work at regular intervals. I use tools and methodologies like the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, quality audits, and control charts to measure performance against the set standards. The project team is closely involved in this process, fostering a culture of quality within the team. Communication also plays a crucial role in ensuring stakeholder satisfaction. I keep stakeholders updated on the project’s progress, seek their input where necessary, and address any concerns promptly. This helps in managing their expectations and maintaining their confidence in the project’s direction.”

15. Can you describe how you report project status and progress to stakeholders?

This question aims to gauge your communication skills and how effectively you can keep stakeholders informed about the project’s status and progress. It also helps the hiring manager understand your ability to tailor your communication to different audiences, your transparency, and your skill in managing expectations and building trust with stakeholders.

• Share your approach to determining what information is important to stakeholders.
• Explain how you tailor your communication to different stakeholders.
• Discuss how frequently you communicate project status.
• Describe the tools or formats you use for reporting.
• Highlight your commitment to transparency and managing stakeholder expectations.
• Neglect the importance of regular and timely communication.
• Overlook the need to tailor your communication to different audiences.
• Ignore discussing any challenges you’ve faced in reporting and how you’ve overcome them.
• Forget to mention how you handle negative updates or bad news.
• Avoid discussing your approach to soliciting feedback from stakeholders.

“Reporting project status and progress to stakeholders is a critical aspect of project management. It not only keeps stakeholders informed but also helps build trust and manage their expectations. At the beginning of the project, I determine what information is important to each stakeholder group.I believe in regular and timely communication. Typically, I provide weekly status updates and monthly detailed reports. However, the frequency and level of detail can vary depending on the project’s phase and stakeholder needs. I maintain transparency in my communication. If there’s bad news, I share it promptly along with a plan for mitigation. I’ve found that stakeholders appreciate honesty and proactive communication. Finally, I use these communications as an opportunity to solicit feedback from stakeholders. Their perspectives can provide valuable insights for ongoing improvement and aligning the project outcomes more closely with their expectations.”

Your Next Steps Toward a Career as a Project Manager

Securing a project management position entails demonstrating a wide range of skills and competencies during the interview. From showcasing your ability to handle project initiation, planning, and execution, to illustrating your aptitude for managing team dynamics, handling changes, ensuring quality, and communicating effectively with stakeholders, each question you answer provides a window into your potential effectiveness as a project manager. 

Remember, each response should be truthful, backed by real-world experiences, and tailored to the job and the company you’re applying to.

Interview Resources

• 8 Things to Say in an Interview to Impress
• Answers to “Why Are You the Best Candidate for This Position?”
• Asking for Feedback After a Job Rejection: Do’s and Don’ts

About the Author

Read more articles by Sherice Jacob

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30 Program Project Manager Interview Questions and Answers

Common Program Project Manager interview questions, how to answer them, and example answers from a certified career coach.

Taking on the mantle of a Program Project Manager means stepping into a world where strategic thinking, leadership skills, and meticulous planning are paramount. As you gear up to ace your interview for this high-stakes role, it’s essential to prepare thoroughly and demonstrate how you can lead teams effectively while ensuring project goals and timelines are met.

In this article, we have put together an insightful guide featuring common Program Project Manager interview questions. We will provide expert advice and sample answers designed to help you articulate your management style, problem-solving abilities, and ways to deliver successful projects efficiently and within budget.

1. Can you describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision that affected the outcome of a project? What was the situation and how did you handle it?

Being a project manager is all about decision-making. Sometimes, these decisions are straightforward and easy; other times, they’re complex and can have significant impact on the project’s outcome. Therefore, hiring managers ask this question to assess your decision-making skills, particularly in high-pressure or high-stakes circumstances. They want to gauge how you handle difficult situations and whether you can make tough calls, even when they may not be popular.

Example: “In one project, we were significantly behind schedule due to unforeseen technical issues. I had to decide between pushing the deadline or reducing the scope of work.

Considering the importance of all features for our client, I decided to negotiate a revised timeline. It was challenging as it required convincing stakeholders about the necessity of this change.

I explained the situation, potential risks and benefits thoroughly. They appreciated my transparency and agreed on a new deadline. This decision ensured quality delivery without compromising any features.”

2. How do you approach risk management in your projects?

Risk management is a critical part of project execution. It’s not about avoiding all risks, but about identifying, assessing, and controlling threats to a project’s success. Project Managers must be adept at managing risks to ensure that the project goals are met on time and within budget. Thus, your potential employer wants to understand how you navigate uncertainties in your projects.

Example: “Risk management is integral to successful project execution. I start by identifying potential risks, assessing their impact and likelihood of occurrence. This helps prioritize which risks need immediate attention.

Mitigation strategies are then developed for each risk. These could include preventive measures or contingency plans in case the risk materializes.

I believe in maintaining open communication with all stakeholders about potential risks and our mitigation strategies. Regular monitoring and updating of the risk register is also crucial to ensure that we’re always prepared for any changes in the project environment.”

3. How have you handled a situation where a project was not going according to plan?

An interviewer wants to gauge your problem-solving skills and resilience in the face of challenges. As a Project Manager, you are bound to encounter bumps along the road, and how you handle these can greatly impact the project’s success. It gives them insight into your ability to think on your feet, adapt to changes, and guide your team effectively through unexpected circumstances.

Example: “In a recent project, we faced unexpected technical issues that threatened our timeline. I immediately called a team meeting to reassess our strategy. We identified areas where we could accelerate work and reallocated resources accordingly.

Simultaneously, I kept stakeholders informed about the situation, maintaining transparency. By prioritizing tasks and fostering open communication, we managed to deliver the project on time without compromising quality. This experience taught me the importance of adaptability and proactive communication in project management.”

4. Can you share an example of a project that required significant cross-functional collaboration? How did you manage it?

This question is asked to gauge your leadership skills, communication abilities, and your understanding of the complexities involved in cross-functional projects. As a Program Project Manager, you are often required to coordinate with different teams and departments, each with their own goals, timelines, and working styles. Through this question, interviewers want to see your ability to foster collaboration, manage conflicts, and lead a team towards achieving a common goal.

Example: “One project that stands out was the launch of a new software product. This required collaboration with sales, marketing, development, and customer service teams.

I managed it by setting clear goals and expectations upfront. Regular meetings were held to ensure everyone was on track and any issues were addressed promptly. I also made sure all team members felt valued for their contributions which fostered a positive working environment.

The result was a successful product launch, met timelines, and satisfied stakeholders. It reinforced my belief in the power of cross-functional collaboration when managed effectively.”

5. How do you use project management software tools in your daily work?

This question is posed to understand your technical competence and how you leverage technology to manage projects efficiently. In our digital age, project management software tools are indispensable in tracking progress, managing resources, and ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget. By asking this question, the interviewer wants to gauge your familiarity with these tools and your ability to use them effectively.

Example: “In my daily work, I use project management software tools to efficiently manage and track the progress of projects. For instance, I utilize Gantt charts for scheduling, outlining dependencies and identifying critical paths.

I also use these tools for resource allocation, ensuring that tasks are assigned appropriately based on team members’ skills and availability. It helps me in risk identification and mitigation as well.

Moreover, I leverage collaboration features for effective communication within the team, sharing updates or documents. The reporting function aids me in analyzing performance metrics and making data-driven decisions.

Overall, project management software is integral to maintaining organization, transparency, and productivity in my work.”

6. How do you ensure all stakeholders are adequately informed about the progress and any changes in the project?

Stakeholder communication is a critical part of project management. It ensures everyone involved is on the same page and understands what’s happening, why, and how it impacts them. Managers want to know that you understand the importance of keeping all stakeholders in the loop, and have effective strategies for doing so, as it can greatly influence the success of the project.

Example: “Effective communication is key to keeping stakeholders informed. I use a variety of tools such as project management software, emails, and meetings to share updates. It’s important to tailor the communication method based on stakeholder preference.

Regular status reports are essential for transparency. These include progress updates, risks, issues and changes in scope or schedule.

In case of significant changes, I organize special briefings or discussions with affected parties. This ensures everyone understands the impact and can provide input if needed.

Maintaining an open line of communication encourages feedback and questions, fostering a collaborative environment.”

7. Could you provide an example of a project where you had to manage a tight budget? How did you ensure it was delivered within the allocated resources?

As a project manager, you are often the one responsible for ensuring that a project is completed on time and within budget. This question tests your ability to manage resources effectively, make hard decisions when needed, and find creative solutions to keep a project on track. It’s also a chance for you to demonstrate your skills in financial planning, forecasting, and negotiation.

Example: “In a recent project, we were tasked to deliver an upgraded IT system within a tight budget. I started by breaking down the project into smaller tasks and assigning a cost estimate for each. This helped us understand where our resources would be spent.

To ensure delivery, I implemented strict monitoring of expenses and regular financial reviews. We also prioritized tasks based on their impact and value to the project, allowing us to allocate resources more effectively.

When unexpected costs arose, we reassessed our priorities and made necessary adjustments without compromising the project’s outcome. By maintaining open communication with stakeholders about the budget situation, we managed to deliver the project successfully under the allocated resources.”

8. How do you prioritize your tasks when managing multiple projects simultaneously?

When juggling multiple projects, prioritization becomes a key skill. Hiring managers need to know that you can effectively assess each task’s urgency and importance, distribute resources, and keep everything on track. Your ability to prioritize ensures projects are completed accurately and on time, which is critical to business success.

Example: “Prioritizing tasks in multiple projects simultaneously is crucial for effective project management. I employ a combination of urgency and importance to prioritize my tasks.

Urgency refers to the time sensitivity of a task, while importance is about how critical it is to the overall project success. Tasks that are both urgent and important take top priority.

I also use project management tools to keep track of all tasks across different projects. These tools help visualize timelines, dependencies, and progress, which aids in prioritization.

Regular communication with team members and stakeholders helps identify any changes or issues early on. This allows me to adjust priorities as needed to ensure smooth execution of all projects.”

9. Can you describe a time when you had to deal with a team member who wasn’t performing well? How did you handle it?

As a project manager, you’re not just responsible for overseeing tasks, but also for managing people. A significant part of your role involves motivating your team to deliver results and address any performance issues that may arise. Thus, hiring managers ask this question to gauge your people management skills, understand your approach to conflict resolution, and assess how well you can maintain harmony and productivity within your team.

Example: “In one project, a team member consistently missed deadlines. I approached the situation by first having an open discussion with him to understand any challenges he was facing. It turned out he was struggling with certain technical aspects of his tasks.

I arranged for some additional training and also paired him up with a more experienced colleague who could provide guidance. This not only helped improve his performance but also fostered better teamwork within our group. As a result, we were able to meet our subsequent deadlines without issue.”

10. How do you assess the success of a project?

The essence of a Project Manager’s role is delivering successful projects. Therefore, understanding how you define and measure success is key. This question is asked to gauge your ability to set clear goals, measure outcomes, and adjust strategies as needed. It also allows hiring managers to understand your critical thinking skills and how data-driven you are in your approach to project management.

Example: “Assessing the success of a project involves multiple factors. The most obvious is whether the project met its defined objectives within the set timeline and budget.

However, it’s also crucial to consider other elements such as stakeholder satisfaction, team performance, and lessons learned for future projects.

For instance, if a project was completed on time and under budget but resulted in poor client satisfaction or high staff turnover, it may not be considered successful.

On the other hand, a project that faced challenges but led to significant innovation or process improvement could be seen as a success due to its long-term impact.

Thus, comprehensive evaluation requires both quantitative measures and qualitative insights.”

11. Can you discuss a time when you had to make a crucial decision under time pressure?

The question gets at the heart of what it means to be a project manager. The role often entails making critical decisions on the fly, sometimes without the luxury of time for thorough deliberation. When hiring for this position, employers want to know that you can make sound, effective decisions quickly—even when the stakes are high. They’re interested in your decision-making process and how you handle stress and uncertainty.

Example: “In a previous project, we were nearing the deadline but faced unexpected technical issues. I had to decide whether to extend the timeline or deploy with potential bugs.

I called an emergency meeting with key stakeholders and our development team. We discussed the risks involved in both scenarios.

Considering client satisfaction as a priority, I decided to request for a reasonable extension. This decision was appreciated by the client, who valued quality over speed. The extension allowed us to deliver a bug-free product, maintaining our reputation for high-quality work.”

12. How do you handle scope creep in your projects?

Scope creep can quickly derail a project, leading to cost overruns, missed deadlines, and a lot of frustration. Employers want to know that you have the skills and experience to manage this common problem effectively. By asking this question, they’re looking to see if you can set and manage expectations, communicate effectively with stakeholders, and keep a project on track even when changes occur.

Example: “Scope creep can be mitigated by setting clear project boundaries from the onset. This involves defining and documenting project requirements, deliverables, and timelines.

Effective communication is also key. Regular meetings with stakeholders ensure everyone understands the scope and any changes are agreed upon collectively.

Lastly, I use a formal change management process to handle any requests outside of the defined scope. This helps in assessing the impact on resources, time, and cost before making a decision.”

13. What strategies do you use to motivate your project team?

Project managers who can inspire their teams to work together towards a common goal are invaluable. By asking this question, interviewers want to gain insight into your leadership style and understand how you handle team motivation. They are looking for your ability to keep your team engaged, productive, and feeling valued, which directly impacts project success.

Example: “Motivating a project team involves clear communication, recognition, and fostering an environment of collaboration. I ensure all team members understand the project’s objectives and their role in achieving them. Regular updates on progress keep everyone informed and engaged.

Recognition is also key. Celebrating individual and team successes not only boosts morale but also encourages further effort.

Lastly, promoting a collaborative culture where ideas are valued and feedback is encouraged helps to empower team members. This sense of ownership can be highly motivating for many individuals.”

14. How do you handle conflicts between team members or stakeholders during a project?

As a project manager, your ability to negotiate, mediate, and maintain a productive work environment is key. Disputes or disagreements can arise in any team, and they can derail a project if not properly managed. Your ability to handle these situations, then, is a vital part of ensuring a project stays on track and meets its goals.

Example: “When conflicts arise, I believe in addressing them head-on. My approach involves active listening to understand all perspectives, facilitating open communication between conflicting parties and guiding them towards a mutually beneficial resolution.

If the conflict persists, I’d leverage my role as a project manager to make decisions based on what’s best for the project, always ensuring transparency about how and why those decisions were made.

Involving an unbiased third party can also be useful when necessary. It’s crucial to remember that every team member or stakeholder is invested in the success of the project, so finding common ground should always be the priority.”

15. Can you describe your experience with Agile methodology?

Agile is a project management and product development approach that’s all about aligning with customer needs. It emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer satisfaction. As a project manager, your understanding and experience with Agile can be critical to your ability to deliver successful projects. This is why interviewers want to hear about your experience, understanding, and comfort level with Agile methodology.

Example: “I have extensive experience with Agile methodology. I’ve used it to manage multiple projects, ensuring efficient workflow and timely delivery.

My familiarity with Scrum has been particularly beneficial in setting short-term goals for teams and tracking progress through daily stand-ups.

In terms of software, JIRA has been my go-to tool for project management within an Agile framework. It’s excellent for issue tracking and maintaining transparency across the team.

Overall, Agile methodology has greatly improved my ability to manage change, anticipate risks, and deliver quality results on time.”

16. How do you incorporate feedback from stakeholders into your project planning and execution?

Stakeholder feedback is the backbone of project planning and execution. As a project manager, you need to demonstrate an ability to effectively incorporate this feedback, as it can influence project direction, objectives, and outcomes. Stakeholders can provide valuable insights and perspectives that can help to identify potential risks, enhance project quality, and ensure the project aligns with its intended purpose. Therefore, an interviewer will want to see that you value stakeholder input and are adept at weaving it into your project processes.

Example: “Incorporating feedback from stakeholders is crucial for successful project planning and execution. I usually start by ensuring open lines of communication, encouraging stakeholders to share their thoughts and concerns.

Once feedback is received, it’s important to analyze it in the context of the project goals. Not all suggestions can be implemented, but each should be considered carefully.

The next step involves integrating viable ideas into the project plan. This could mean adjusting timelines, reallocating resources or modifying strategies.

Throughout this process, transparency is key. It’s essential to keep stakeholders informed about how their input has influenced the project, fostering a sense of collaboration and mutual respect.”

17. How do you ensure the quality of deliverables in your projects?

Project managers are the gatekeepers of quality in any organization. Their ability to ensure that project deliverables meet the necessary standards directly impacts the success of the project and, ultimately, the business. Hence, hiring managers ask this question to assess your understanding of quality control processes and your ability to implement them effectively.

Example: “To ensure the quality of deliverables, I start by setting clear expectations and standards from the onset. This involves defining project objectives, scope, and success criteria with all stakeholders.

I use a robust project management system to track progress and maintain transparency. Regular audits are conducted to spot any deviations early on, allowing for timely corrective actions.

Communication plays a key role too. By keeping everyone informed, we can collectively address issues that might impact quality.

Lastly, I believe in continuous learning and improvement. After each project, I conduct a thorough review to identify areas of improvement for future projects.”

18. What steps do you take to ensure a project stays on schedule?

Project managers are the captains of the ship, guiding projects from conception to completion. And like any good captain, they must be adept at keeping things on course. This question is designed to assess your ability to manage time, resources, and teams effectively. It’s also a way for interviewers to gauge your organizational skills, foresight in anticipating challenges, and your ability to implement solutions to keep projects on track.

Example: “To ensure a project stays on schedule, I start with a detailed plan that includes key milestones and deadlines. This helps to visualize the timeline of the project.

Next, I use project management tools to track progress and keep everyone updated. Regular check-ins with team members are also essential to identify any potential issues or delays early on.

I believe in proactive communication as well. If there’s an obstacle, it’s crucial to communicate this immediately so we can adjust the plan accordingly.

Lastly, contingency planning is important for unexpected situations. Having backup plans ensures that even if something goes wrong, the project can still stay on track.”

19. Can you share an example of a project that required innovative problem-solving?

In the fast-paced world of project management, being able to think outside the box and solve problems in innovative ways is a highly valued skill. Projects rarely go exactly as planned, and when obstacles arise, managers are expected to find effective solutions quickly. Potential employers ask this question to gauge your problem-solving skills, creativity, and ability to adapt under pressure. They want to see that you can not only manage a project but also drive it forward with innovative ideas and solutions.

Example: “In a recent project, we were tasked with improving the efficiency of our client’s supply chain. The existing system was outdated and causing delays.

The innovative solution involved integrating AI technology into their operations. We developed an AI-powered tool that could predict demand patterns, optimize inventory, and streamline logistics. This required creative problem-solving to ensure seamless integration without disrupting ongoing operations.

Post-implementation, the client saw a 30% increase in operational efficiency. This project highlighted the importance of innovation in problem-solving for efficient project management.”

20. How do you approach the planning phase of a new project?

Planning is the foundation of any successful project. It’s where you set the goals, determine the scope, identify the necessary resources, and create a timeline. An interviewer asking this question wants to know how you initiate a project, how you ensure all the necessary elements are in place, and how you handle unforeseen challenges. Your answer will tell them a lot about your organizational skills, foresight, and your ability to think critically and solve problems.

Example: “In the planning phase of a new project, I start by defining clear and measurable objectives. This sets the direction for all subsequent steps.

Next, I identify key stakeholders and involve them in establishing scope, timelines, and resources required. Their input is critical to ensure alignment with business needs.

I then create a detailed work breakdown structure which outlines tasks, dependencies, and responsibilities. This provides a roadmap for execution.

Risk assessment follows, where potential challenges are identified and mitigation strategies developed.

Lastly, communication plans are set up to keep everyone informed throughout the project lifecycle.

This systematic approach ensures thorough planning, setting the stage for successful project implementation.”

21. What is your experience with managing remote teams or virtual projects?

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, many projects are being carried out by remote teams spread across different geographical locations. So, a project manager’s ability to effectively lead and coordinate these virtual teams is of paramount importance. Employers ask this question to gauge your experience and skills in managing remote teams, handling the unique challenges that come with it, and utilizing technology to ensure smooth collaboration and successful project completion.

Example: “I have managed remote teams for several years, utilizing digital tools to ensure effective communication and productivity. I am experienced in setting clear expectations and deadlines while also providing the necessary support and resources.

One key strategy I’ve employed is regular check-ins via video conferencing. This not only helps track progress but also fosters a sense of team unity despite geographical distances.

Another aspect I focus on is cultivating an environment that encourages open feedback and discussion. This has proven invaluable in resolving any issues promptly and maintaining high morale among team members.

In terms of virtual projects, my approach involves meticulous planning, close monitoring, and timely adjustments when needed. My experience with project management software aids in coordinating tasks efficiently and keeping everyone updated.”

22. How do you handle changes in project requirements or objectives?

Project managers sit in the driver’s seat of dynamic work environments, where change is often the only constant. Interviewers want to understand your agility and adaptability when dealing with changes in project requirements or objectives. They’re interested in your problem-solving skills, and how you balance the needs of your team, stakeholders, and the project’s overall goals when alterations occur. Your response will shed light on your ability to lead and manage change effectively.

Example: “When changes occur in project requirements or objectives, I believe it’s crucial to remain flexible and adaptable. The first step is to thoroughly understand the new requirements by communicating effectively with stakeholders.

Once clear on the changes, I reassess the project plan, timelines, resources, and risks associated with these changes. It may require reprioritizing tasks or reallocating resources.

I also ensure that all team members are informed about the changes and their impact on their roles. Regular updates and transparent communication help keep everyone aligned.

Finally, any change must be documented for future reference and incorporated into the project management plan. This ensures consistency and provides a record of why certain decisions were made.”

23. Can you talk about a time when you had to manage a project with a high level of uncertainty or ambiguity?

Project management often involves stepping into the unknown and making decisions with imperfect information. Hiring managers want to see how you handle such situations. Your ability to navigate uncertain waters and bring clarity to ambiguous situations is a highly valued trait in project management. This helps to ensure that even in the face of uncertainty, the project will continue to move forward and meet its objectives.

Example: “In one instance, I managed a project to develop a new software tool. The requirements were not clearly defined and the client’s expectations kept evolving.

To handle this ambiguity, I focused on maintaining open communication lines with all stakeholders. This helped me understand their changing needs and adjust our approach accordingly.

We also adopted an agile methodology for development. This allowed us to adapt quickly to changes and deliver incremental value to the client, reducing uncertainty.

Despite the challenges, we successfully delivered the project within the agreed timeline and budget. This experience taught me the importance of flexibility and effective communication in managing projects with high levels of uncertainty.”

24. How have you used data or analytics in your project management role?

Project managers must be able to use data and analytics effectively to drive decisions and monitor progress. Proving you can take in large amounts of data, analyze it, and make informed decisions shows that you are a strategic thinker with the ability to use resources at your disposal. This question also provides insight into how you handle problem-solving and forecasting.

Example: “In my role as a project manager, I have used data and analytics extensively to drive decision-making. For instance, during the planning phase, I rely on historical data to forecast timelines, allocate resources, and estimate costs.

During execution, I use real-time tracking tools to monitor progress against key performance indicators (KPIs). This allows me to identify bottlenecks early and take corrective actions promptly.

Post-project, I analyze data to evaluate performance, identify lessons learned, and make recommendations for future projects. This continuous learning process helps in improving efficiency and effectiveness of our project management practices.”

25. What steps do you take to ensure clear and effective communication within your project team?

Your potential employer wants to see how you maintain open lines of communication with your team members. Project management involves making sure everyone is on the same page and understands the project’s goals, timelines, and resources. Therefore, your communication skills and strategies are of utmost importance to ensure the project runs smoothly and efficiently.

Example: “To ensure clear and effective communication within a project team, I establish open channels of communication from the onset. This includes regular meetings to discuss progress, challenges, and next steps.

I also believe in the importance of clarity in roles and responsibilities. Each member should know their tasks, deadlines, and how their work contributes to the overall project goals.

Another key aspect is feedback. Encouraging an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas or concerns helps to prevent misunderstandings and promotes collaboration.

Lastly, using appropriate project management tools can streamline communication, providing real-time updates on task status, facilitating document sharing, and enabling efficient scheduling.”

26. Can you discuss a time when you had to manage a project that failed? How did you handle it and what did you learn?

Every project manager has faced a project that didn’t go as planned. The objective of this question is to understand how you handle failure, how you overcome obstacles, and what you learn from these experiences. The ability to learn from mistakes and apply those lessons to future projects is a key trait of successful project managers.

Example: “During a product launch, unforeseen technical issues led to delays and eventual failure. I immediately communicated the situation with stakeholders and began troubleshooting with my team.

Post-analysis revealed gaps in our testing phase. This experience taught me the importance of comprehensive testing and contingency planning. It was a tough lesson, but it significantly improved my approach to project management.”

27. How do you manage stakeholder expectations in your projects?

This question is meant to gauge your interpersonal and negotiation skills. The role of a Program Project Manager is not just about managing tasks and resources, but also about managing people, their expectations, and sometimes their conflicting interests. Demonstrating your ability to communicate effectively and negotiate with different stakeholders, while keeping the project on track, is key to showing your potential as a successful project manager.

Example: “Managing stakeholder expectations involves clear communication and transparency. I start by identifying all stakeholders, understanding their interests and concerns related to the project.

I then set realistic expectations by providing a detailed project plan with timelines, deliverables, and potential risks. Regular updates are crucial in keeping everyone informed about progress and any changes.

If there’s a change or delay, I address it proactively, explaining the reasons and the revised plan of action. This way, even if there are obstacles, stakeholders remain confident because they’re kept in the loop and understand the steps being taken to mitigate issues.”

28. Can you describe your experience with managing large-scale, complex projects?

The crux of a Program Project Manager’s job is to handle large, intricate projects, often with multiple moving parts, diverse teams, and high stakes. Your potential employer wants to be sure that you’re not only familiar with such scenarios but that you’ve successfully navigated them before. They’re seeking to understand your strategic thinking, organizational skills, and leadership style in action.

Example: “In managing large-scale projects, I’ve learned the importance of clear communication and meticulous planning. For instance, while overseeing a software integration project for a multinational company, I coordinated with multiple teams across different time zones. This required precise scheduling and regular updates to keep everyone aligned.

Risk management is another crucial aspect. By identifying potential issues early on, we can develop contingency plans to mitigate their impact. In the same project, we faced unexpected technical glitches that could have delayed our timeline. However, because we had prepared for such scenarios, we were able to resolve them quickly without affecting the overall schedule.

My experience has taught me that successful project management requires adaptability, foresight, and excellent coordination skills. These are qualities I bring to every project I handle.”

29. How do you approach resource allocation in your projects?

Resource allocation is a critical task in project management. It involves deciding how to distribute your available resources—money, time, equipment, and personnel—to accomplish your project goals. By asking this question, hiring managers want to gauge your ability to make strategic decisions, manage resources effectively, and successfully steer a project to completion. They’re looking to understand your decision-making process, your ability to prioritize, and your capacity to balance the needs of the project with the resources at hand.

Example: “Resource allocation is a critical aspect of project management. My approach involves understanding the scope and requirements of the project, then identifying the necessary resources – be it personnel, tools or budget.

I prioritize tasks based on their impact and urgency, allocating resources accordingly. I also use project management software to track resource utilization and adjust as needed.

Communication plays a vital role in this process. Regular team meetings ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities, promoting efficient use of resources.

Risk assessment is another key factor. By anticipating potential issues, I can allocate resources proactively to mitigate these risks.

In essence, my approach is strategic, flexible, and communication-centric.”

30. Can you share an example of a project where you had to apply strategic thinking?

As a program project manager, strategic thinking is a critical part of the job. Interviewers want to know if you can see the bigger picture, anticipate potential obstacles, and plan for the future. They are interested in learning how you apply this skill to real-life projects. Your answer can provide insight into your problem-solving capabilities, decision-making skills, and ability to steer a project towards its objectives while aligning with the company’s overall strategy.

Example: “In a recent project, we were tasked with improving the efficiency of our product delivery system. The challenge was to reduce costs without compromising service quality. I led my team in mapping out all existing processes and identifying areas of potential improvement.

We realized that by consolidating some steps and introducing automation in others, we could significantly cut down on time and resources. However, implementing these changes required careful planning to ensure minimal disruption to ongoing operations.

Through strategic thinking, we managed to successfully restructure our process, resulting in a 20% reduction in operational costs while maintaining high service standards. This experience underscored for me the importance of strategic thinking in managing projects effectively.”

30 IT Programmer Interview Questions and Answers

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How to answer project manager interview questions

Got an interview coming up for your dream project management role? Congratulations!

Quick question: how fast did you go from excitement —“Wow, I got an interview!” — to terror — “Oh my God, I got an interview!?!”?

You’re definitely not alone. In fact, 93% of us feel nervous about job interviews . 30% would prefer a trip to the dentist!

However, as a project manager, you know that the secret to success is preparation. So, without further ado, here are the 6 most common project manager interview questions, and how to answer them.

What makes a great project manager? 

To sail through a job interview, you need to put yourself in the shoes of your interviewers. What are they looking for? What will be most important to them? How do you need to position yourself to stand out from the crowd?

To start with, think about what skills make a great project manager . These are the skills that your interviewers will be looking for.

We asked our very own Project Manager Team Lead, Kim Landau, what she looks for when she hires project managers for the monday.com project team. Here’s what she told us:

“I’m always looking for creative people, people that can think outside the box. I want people that would challenge others–they don’t always need to agree with me! I want them to be very confident in themselves, but still to be able to take feedback and know how to take “No” as an answer.”

Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, author of the Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook , adds the following list of project management skills in his HBR article :

• A strong understanding of project management concepts and tools – such as waterfall planning, Agile, Scrum, Lean, or Prince2
• The ability to initiate, plan, execute, and monitor projects
• A high level of emotional intelligence and empathy
• The ability to think rationally and logically, and to identify the root causes of problems
• The ability to make decisions thoughtfully, even under pressure
• The capacity to influence, inspire and persuade other people

So, your interviewers will probably ask you questions to uncover whether or not you have developed these skills, and how you have used them in previous roles.

How can you prepare for a project management interview? 

The best way to prepare for tough project management interview questions is to craft a personal narrative.

Review your resumé and read the job description and company website in detail. Ask yourself:

• What are my personal strengths that make me a great project manager?
• Which stories from my career and personal life should I aim to share during the interview? Which skills and strengths do these stories show?
• What are the key values of the company I’m interviewing with? Which of my skills will be most relevant to those company values?
• What is the company’s main priority at the moment? How can my experience help them achieve their objectives?
• Who will I be interviewing with? What do we have in common?
• What impression do I want to make? How do I want them to remember me after the interview?
• When I look at the job description, where am I strongest? How can I make sure that I convey those strengths?
• Where am I weakest? How can I address those weaknesses?

Tip: You can organize your project manager interview prep on monday.com

6 common project manager interview questions — with answers 

During a project manager interview, you should expect the interviewer to ask questions about you, your project management skills, your team and stakeholder management skills, and your values fit with the company. Here are a few examples of the most common interview questions for project managers:

Questions about you: 

1. tell me about yourself.  .

How to answer: This question can feel so vague that it can be hard to answer. But actually it gives you a great opportunity to share your unique selling points. Think about the wording of the job ad you applied to, and respond in a way that relates your experience and skills to what the company is looking for. However, it’s also crucial that you’re honest and natural at this point. After all, if you’re not the right fit for the role, you won’t enjoy working there anyway!

Ex: “I’ve been working as a project manager for [Company] for over 3 years. During that time, I’ve successfully managed 4 major projects, delivering a 95% success rate. What I most enjoy about the job is that it gives me the opportunity to work collaboratively with a wide range of people and use my critical thinking skills to solve complex problems.”

2. Tell us about the last project you worked on. 

How to answer: Take this as an opportunity to showcase your ability to evaluate your performance and look for ways to improve.

Ex: “My most recent project was [X]. Overall, I’d describe it as a success–we delivered on time and on budget, and the client was very happy. However, if I had to do it again, I’d spend more time upfront on stakeholder management. It was challenging to bring the Account Management team and the Development team onto the same page, and it cost us a bit of time. I feel like some more time securing buy-in would have been beneficial in the early stages.”

3. What is the most successful project you’ve worked on?

  How to answer: Don’t be shy! You want this to be a story that your interviewer will remember about you. Sometimes, it can feel awkward to blow your own trumpet. Get round that feeling of embarrassment by describing the success as a team result, not your own solo triumph.

Ex: I was really happy with [Project X] because I felt that we over-delivered for a really demanding client. I think the key to our success was that we defined clear success metrics and kept our focus on those metrics throughout. We could push back against scope creep confidently, because we’d already defined some ambitious outcomes for the client that we could keep reminding them about.”

Questions about your project management skills: 

1. what is your strategy for prioritizing tasks .

How to answer:  This question gives you an opportunity to show off your technical project management chops. Answer this question in a way that showcases your understanding of the client’s preferred project management methodology.

Ex : I usually start by assigning all tasks a value out of four, taking into account their importance to the project outcomes, the client’s requirements and priorities, and their cost in terms of effort and time for the team.

Questions about your people skills: 

1. how do you handle conflict within a team .

How to answer: Project managers are always people managers, too. As Kim points out,

“When you manage projects, you usually interact with many people, and some of them can be a little dominant or think that they know best. You don’t want what these dominant people say to be the only thing that is relevant or the reality for the project. You have to have the common sense to think about what is really needed for the project.”

For questions like this one, you’ll need to draw on your experience to illustrate that you have what it takes.

Ex: I had a situation on a project a few years ago, where there was a lot of conflict within the team. One of the main developers had a serious difference of opinion about how we should design the user experience for the client, and he just couldn’t let it go.

I stepped in to fix the situation because it was causing a lot of friction. I took him to one side and listened to his concerns. I helped him to see that the way he was expressing himself was actually holding up the project.

Then we looked for more productive ways to address the issue. We ended up offering the client the option for a second project that would add the features he was pushing for, so everyone was happy.”

Questions about your values or cultural fit: 

1. why do you want this job .

How to answer: Interviewers always want to make sure that you’re going to be a good fit for the team you’re joining. They want to feel reassured that you understand the company, the team, and the role. This kind of question gives you the opportunity to show that you’ve done your research, and that you want this specific job – not just any job!

Ex: I’d love the opportunity to join this team because I love working on projects like [X]. I also share a lot of the values of the company – I’m a big believer in innovation and fast iteration, so I’ll be very comfortable with the pace of work here. Plus, I’m already very familiar with [the project management methodology used there] so I know I’ll be able to hit the ground running.

Got more questions about project management interviews? We got you covered.

How do you interview for a project manager position?

If you’re hiring a new project manager, start with the big picture. What skills and experience are most important for your company? What are your company values? From there, define the specific skills and mindset you need for the particular role. For example, project managers need to be creative, confident, communicative, empathetic, organized and logical.

How should I prepare for a project manager interview?

To prepare for a project manager interview, review your previous experience and craft a personal narrative. You should think of specific examples from your career that illustrate your unique skills and strengths. Focus on how you want to present yourself to stand out from your competition.

How do you prepare for a construction management interview?

Construction project managers are responsible for highly complex and high-stakes projects. If this is your first construction project management interview, focus on demonstrating your relevant experience with managing smaller projects or supervising construction workers. Aim to showcase your skills in team management, organization and prioritization, quality control and risk management.

Become a better project manager with monday.com

When it comes to project management, monday.com’s Work OS has you covered. Our powerful, easy-to-use project management software lets you:

• Visualize your entire project with Gantt charts , modify and control your dependencies and milestones, and keep an eye on the whole project lifecycle
• Make key decisions based on real-time data, and centralize your project data into a single high-level view
• Manage your team’s workload with live information on current capacity
• Stay ahead of the game with custom automations to keep project tasks flowing efficiently

Whether you’re just starting out as a project manager, or many years into your career, monday.com can help you level up your PM skills and knock every project out of the park.

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Top 25 Critical Thinking Interview Questions & Answers

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Embarking on the quest to find the ideal candidate, interviewers are turning to critical thinking interview questions as a decisive tool. These inquiries delve into the applicant’s ability to analyze situations, make informed decisions, and solve problems effectively. This article aims to unlock the potential of such questions and guide you through crafting your responses.

Critical Thinking in the Hiring Process

When it comes to identifying top-tier talent, the ability to engage in critical thinking is a highly sought-after skill across various industries. It is not merely about being smart; it’s about approaching problems in a systematic and logical manner. Whether you’re aiming for a role in tech, finance, management, or any other sector, demonstrating your critical thinking prowess can make you stand out. The questions curated in this article are designed to probe your analytical abilities, gauge your problem-solving strategies, and assess how you handle complex situations—skills that are pivotal for success in any dynamic work environment.

3. Critical Thinking Interview Questions

1. describe a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. what approaches did you consider and why (problem-solving skills).

How to Answer: When responding to this question, focus on a specific problem you faced in the past, outlining the context, the steps you took to address it, and the reasoning behind your chosen approaches. Employers are looking for evidence of systematic thinking, the ability to evaluate different options, and the use of resources or frameworks that helped guide your decision-making process.

My Answer: In my previous role, I was confronted with a major issue when our customer service satisfaction scores started to decline. After analyzing initial feedback, it became clear that the problem was rooted in slow response times and a lack of effective solutions provided to customers.

I considered several approaches to tackle this problem:

• Training: I proposed additional training for the customer service team to ensure they had the necessary product knowledge.
• Staffing: I analyzed our staffing schedules and discovered that there were not enough representatives during peak hours, so I considered adjusting the schedules.
• Technology: I evaluated the possibility of implementing a new customer relationship management (CRM) system to improve efficiency.

I decided to implement a combination of all three approaches. Training would empower the team with knowledge, better staffing schedules would ensure availability during high-volume periods, and an improved CRM system would streamline the problem-solving process. This strategy was chosen because it addressed all identified issues contributing to the decline in satisfaction scores.

2. Can you provide an example of a time when you had to challenge the status quo? What was the outcome? (Innovation and Change)

How to Answer: In your response, illustrate a specific instance where you identified a need for change and took action to initiate that change, despite potential resistance. Explain your motivation for challenging the status quo and describe the process and outcome. Employers are looking for your ability to think creatively and your courage to drive change.

My Answer: At my previous company, we were using an outdated process for tracking project progress, which was time-consuming and error-prone. I noticed that we were spending more time managing the process than actually working on the project itself.

To challenge the status quo, I:

• Researched alternative methods: Explored modern project management tools that offered real-time updates and collaborative features.
• Prepared a case: Compiled data showing the time wasted with the old system and the potential time and error reduction with a new solution.
• Presented to stakeholders: Demonstrated the benefits and efficiencies to the management team and addressed their concerns.

The outcome was successful; the management agreed to a trial period of the new system, which eventually became our standard project management tool. This led to a significant reduction in administrative overhead and an increase in project delivery efficiency.

3. How do you distinguish a correlation from a causation in a given scenario? (Analytical Thinking)

To distinguish between correlation and causation, you can look for the following factors:

• Temporal precedence: Causation requires that the cause happens before the effect.
• Non-spuriousness: There should be no hidden variable that explains the relationship between the two variables in question.
• Consistency: The cause-and-effect relationship should be consistent across different studies and scenarios.
• Theoretical rationale: There should be a plausible mechanism explaining why the cause leads to the effect.

Here’s a simple example to illustrate the difference:

In this scenario, there’s a correlation between ice cream consumption and drownings. However, to establish causation, we would need to rule out other variables. In this case, a third variable, hot weather, likely causes both higher ice cream consumption and more people swimming, which can lead to more drownings.

4. Describe a complex project you worked on. How did you ensure you understood all the variables involved? (Project Understanding and Analysis)

In a complex project involving the deployment of a new IT infrastructure, I took the following steps to ensure I understood all the variables:

• Document Review: I thoroughly reviewed all project documentation, including technical specifications, project plans, and stakeholder requirements.
• Stakeholder Interviews: Conducted interviews with key stakeholders to gather additional insights and identify any unaddressed needs or concerns.
• Expert Consultation: I consulted with technical experts to better understand the technological aspects and constraints.
• Risk Analysis: Performed a risk analysis to anticipate potential challenges and devise mitigation strategies.
• Feedback Loops: Established regular feedback loops with the project team to ensure ongoing alignment and address any issues promptly.

By taking these steps, I was able to grasp the complexity of the project and contribute effectively to its success.

5. When was the last time you made a decision that was unpopular and how did you handle the feedback? (Decision-Making and Feedback Reception)

How to Answer: Talk about a decision where you weighed the pros and cons and decided in favor of the long-term benefit or greater good, despite immediate pushback. Explain the decision-making process and how you communicated your decision. Then discuss how you managed the feedback, both positive and negative.

My Answer: In my previous role as a team leader, I decided to implement a mandatory ongoing professional development program. Despite its benefits for long-term career growth, the decision was unpopular due to the additional time commitment required.

• Communication: I explained the rationale behind the decision and how it aligned with our goals for quality and competitiveness.
• Openness to Feedback: I listened to the team’s concerns and adjusted the implementation to make the program more flexible.
• Regular Check-ins: I scheduled regular check-ins to gather feedback and make further adjustments as needed.

In the end, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive as the team members started seeing the benefits of the program in their work quality and career progression.

6. Explain a situation where you used data to make a decision. How did you process and interpret the data? (Data Analysis)

How to Answer: When discussing how you used data to make a decision, be specific about the context, what kind of data was involved, the methods or tools used to process that data, and how you interpreted the results to inform your decision. Employers want to see that you have an analytical mindset and can use data effectively to make informed decisions.

My Answer: In my previous role, we were trying to optimize our marketing strategy to increase user engagement. We had data from various campaigns—email, social media, and pay-per-click (PPC)—and needed to decide where to allocate our budget for the best return on investment (ROI).

• I started by collecting and cleaning the data from all campaigns, ensuring it was accurate and up-to-date.
• I then used statistical software to analyze the data, looking at metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and the cost-per-acquisition (CPA) for each campaign.
• To interpret the data, I performed a comparative analysis to determine which campaigns were most cost-effective.
• I also conducted a cohort analysis to see how long-term value varied by acquisition channel.

Based on my analysis, I found that while PPC campaigns had higher upfront costs, they also brought users with a higher lifetime value compared to other channels. I presented these findings to our team, and we decided to allocate a larger portion of our budget to PPC campaigns, which ultimately increased our overall user engagement by 20%.

7. How do you prioritize your tasks in a project with tight deadlines and multiple stakeholders? (Time Management and Prioritization)

How to Answer: Discuss your method for prioritizing tasks, such as using the Eisenhower Matrix, ABCDE method, or other prioritization tools. Explain how you manage expectations and communicate with stakeholders, as well as how you adapt your approach when circumstances change.

My Answer: To manage tasks effectively in a high-pressure project, I use the following prioritization framework:

• Identify Critical Tasks: I determine which tasks have the highest impact on the project’s success and deadlines.
• Assess Stakeholder Needs: I consider the expectations and requirements of each stakeholder to understand their priorities.
• Urgency vs. Importance: I use the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks as urgent, important, both, or neither.
• Delegation: Where possible, I delegate tasks that are not the best use of my time or that others are better equipped to handle.
• Communication: I keep open lines of communication with stakeholders for updates on progress and to manage expectations.

Through this approach, I ensure that the most critical aspects of the project are addressed first and that stakeholders are kept informed throughout the process.

8. Can you talk about a time when you had to convince your team of your idea? How did you do it? (Persuasion and Teamwork)

How to Answer: Share a specific instance where you successfully persuaded your team. Discuss the tactics you used, such as gathering evidence, preparing a persuasive argument, and being open to feedback. Emphasize your collaborative approach and willingness to incorporate other perspectives.

My Answer: In my previous project, I proposed a shift in our software development methodology from Waterfall to Agile to improve efficiency and adaptability. To convince my team, I used the following strategies:

• Data and Evidence: I gathered data on Agile’s benefits, including case studies from other companies that had successfully made the transition.
• Presentation: I prepared a compelling presentation that outlined the current challenges with our process and how Agile could address them.
• Listening and Addressing Concerns: I actively listened to my team’s concerns and addressed them with practical solutions and examples.
• Trial Period: I suggested a trial period for the team to experience the benefits firsthand without fully committing to the change.

By combining evidence with open communication and a willingness to test the idea, I was able to gain my team’s buy-in, and we successfully transitioned to Agile.

9. How do you assess the credibility of sources when conducting research? (Research Skills and Source Evaluation)

How to Answer: Discuss the criteria you use to evaluate the reliability of sources, such as the author’s credentials, the publication’s reputation, citation of sources, and the presence of bias or objectivity. This shows you have a systematic approach to ensuring the quality of your research.

By using the above table to screen sources, I can maintain a high standard for the credibility of information I use in my research.

10. What steps do you take to ensure you’re not biased when analyzing information? (Objectivity and Bias Awareness)

How to Answer: Explain the techniques and approaches you use to minimize personal biases, such as seeking diverse perspectives, applying critical thinking, using blind review processes, and relying on data and evidence. This showcases your commitment to objectivity in analysis.

My Answer: To ensure I remain impartial when analyzing information, I take several steps:

• Seeking Diverse Perspectives: I consult with colleagues who may have different viewpoints to challenge my own preconceptions.
• Critical Thinking: I question assumptions and consider alternative explanations for the data.
• Blind Review Processes: When appropriate, I anonymize data to prevent personal biases related to demographics from influencing my analysis.
• Evidence-Based Decisions: I base conclusions on data and evidence rather than hunches or gut feelings.

By consistently applying these checks and balances, I strive to maintain objectivity in all my analytical work.

11. Can you recall a situation where you identified a problem others had overlooked? How did you identify it and what was done about it? (Attention to Detail)

How to Answer: When answering this question, you should aim to demonstrate your attention to detail, analytical skills, and initiative. Start by setting the context for the situation and explain what the overlooked problem was. Describe the steps you took to identify the problem. Then, outline the actions you took or recommended to address the problem. If possible, conclude by mentioning the positive outcomes that resulted from your actions.

My Answer: Yes, I can recall a situation in my previous role where I identified a discrepancy in our client billing process, which others had not noticed. The problem was that services rendered were not being billed at the correct rates due to an outdated pricing structure in our system.

• Identification: I identified the problem while conducting a routine audit of our billing system. I noticed that the numbers did not add up when comparing the service logs with invoices.
• Action Taken: After identifying the issue, I compiled a report detailing the discrepancies and presented it to my manager. We convened a team meeting to discuss the problem. Together, we reviewed the current pricing structures, updated the rates in the system, and implemented additional checks to prevent future occurrences.

As a result of my attention to detail, we were able to recover a significant amount of unbilled revenue and also improved our billing accuracy going forward.

12. Discuss a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed. How did you proceed? (Decision-Making Under Uncertainty)

How to Answer: Discussing decision-making under uncertainty requires you to show how you handle ambiguity and risk. Explain the context in which you had to make the decision, and describe the steps you took to make the most informed decision possible given the constraints. Highlight your thought process, how you weighed the pros and cons, and if you consulted with others or relied on your experience and intuition.

My Answer: In my previous position, there was an instance where we had to decide whether to continue with a marketing campaign launch with incomplete market research data due to time constraints.

• Approach: I decided to proceed with the launch by using the data that was available and supplementing it with industry benchmarks and our own historical marketing performance data. I also consulted with the marketing and sales teams to gather their insights and experiences.
• Risk Mitigation: To mitigate the risk, we launched the campaign in phases, closely monitoring the initial results and customer feedback to make adjustments as needed.

This approach allowed us to move forward without delay and adjust our strategy in real-time, leading to a successful campaign with measurable ROI.

13. How do you approach a new subject or field you are unfamiliar with? (Learning and Adaptability)

How to Answer: This question is designed to assess your ability to learn and adapt to new situations. Describe the strategies you use to familiarize yourself with new topics and how you ensure that you become competent in those areas. Mention any tools, resources, or methodologies that you find helpful.

My Answer: When approaching a new subject or field, I employ a structured method to ensure a comprehensive understanding:

• Initial Research : I start with a broad overview of the topic to understand the basic concepts and terminology.
• In-Depth Study : I then delve into more detailed resources such as books, academic papers, and online courses specific to the field.
• Practical Application : I apply what I’ve learned through hands-on practice or small projects to reinforce the knowledge.
• Seek Expert Advice : I reach out to professionals or mentors with expertise in the field for guidance and insights.

This multi-faceted approach accelerates my learning curve and allows me to adapt to new fields effectively.

14. Describe how you would handle a conflict of opinion within your team. (Conflict Resolution)

How to Answer: Conflict resolution skills are crucial for any professional setting. Explain the steps you would take to resolve a disagreement among team members. Focus on communication, respect for all viewpoints, and finding a common ground or a compromise that aligns with the team’s goals.

My Answer: To handle a conflict of opinion within a team, I would:

• Open a Dialogue : Encourage an open discussion where each team member can express their viewpoint without interruption.
• Understand Perspectives : Actively listen to each opinion to understand the underlying reasons for the disagreement.
• Identify Common Goals : Highlight shared objectives to refocus the team on the bigger picture.
• Explore Solutions : Brainstorm possible solutions, evaluate their pros and cons, and come to a consensus.

By fostering a culture of respect and collaboration, conflicts can be resolved constructively, leading to better team dynamics and outcomes.

15. How do you approach making a recommendation that relies on assumptions? (Assumption Analysis)

How to Answer: When making recommendations based on assumptions, it’s important to communicate the rationale behind your assumptions and how they influence your recommendation. Explain how you validate your assumptions and the contingencies you have in place should the assumptions prove incorrect.

When I make a recommendation based on assumptions, I take the following steps:

• List Assumptions : Clearly state each assumption that the recommendation is based on.
• Justify Assumptions : Provide a justification for each assumption, explaining why it is reasonable or likely.
• Assess Impact : Evaluate how each assumption affects the recommendation and the risks involved.
• Contingency Planning : Develop alternative plans in case the assumptions turn out to be invalid.

Here’s an example table outlining this process:

By systematically analyzing and documenting assumptions, I ensure that my recommendations are robust and that there are clear plans in place should circumstances change.

16. What strategies do you use to test the validity of your own assumptions? (Critical Self-Evaluation)

How to Answer: To answer this question effectively, you should describe specific techniques or methods that you use to critically evaluate your assumptions. These can include seeking feedback, using empirical evidence, or applying logical reasoning. Employers ask this question to gauge your ability to think objectively and your willingness to challenge your own beliefs.

My Answer: I employ several strategies to test the validity of my assumptions:

• Seeking External Feedback: I consult with colleagues or mentors to gain different perspectives and challenge my initial thoughts.
• Empirical Evidence: I look for data that either supports or refutes my assumptions and base my conclusions on the evidence.
• Hypothesis Testing: I treat assumptions as hypotheses and design experiments or scenarios to test them.
• Counterargument Analysis: I actively think about potential counterarguments to my assumptions to assess their strength.
• Historical Comparison: I compare the situation with similar past experiences to draw parallels and understand potential outcomes.

17. How do you deal with situations where your team members come to a different conclusion using the same data? (Team Dynamics and Analysis)

How to Answer: This question tests your interpersonal skills and your ability to handle disagreement constructively. Employers are looking for candidates who are collaborative and can navigate conflicts while maintaining a positive team dynamic. Highlight your communication skills and willingness to consider alternative viewpoints.

My Answer: When my team members reach different conclusions from the same data, I take the following steps:

• Encourage Open Dialogue: I create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their interpretations.
• Understand Perspectives: I make sure to understand the reasoning behind each conclusion.
• Data Re-Evaluation: We collectively reassess the data set to ensure there’s no misinterpretation or overlooked information.
• Seek Common Ground: I look for areas of agreement that can be built upon to reach a consensus.
• Utilize Expertise: If the disagreement persists, I suggest consulting an external expert or using additional resources to provide clarity.

18. Provide an example of how you have adapted your thinking or approach after receiving new information. (Adaptability and Open-Mindedness)

How to Answer: Discuss a specific instance where you modified your perspective or methodology after encountering new evidence or insights. This showcases your ability to be flexible and responsive to changing situations, a trait highly valued in dynamic work environments.

My Answer: In a previous project, I was working on developing a marketing strategy based on certain customer demographics. Midway through, new market research data indicated a shift in consumer behavior. I adapted by:

• Reevaluating the Strategy: I paused the current plan and reevaluated our approach in light of the new information.
• Consulting the Team: I discussed the implications of the new data with the team and brainstormed potential adjustments.
• Piloting New Ideas: We quickly prototyped new marketing tactics that aligned with the updated research and tested them in a controlled environment.
• Implementing Changes: After validating the new approaches, I overhauled the strategy to focus on these insights, leading to an increase in customer engagement.

19. How do you balance the need for thoroughness with the importance of meeting deadlines? (Efficiency and Thoroughness)

How to Answer: You should explain how you prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively to achieve quality results within a given timeframe. The goal is to convey that you can deliver detailed, accurate work under pressure without compromising on deadlines.

My Answer: Balancing thoroughness and deadlines involves several key actions:

• Prioritization: I identify the most critical aspects of a task that will have the greatest impact on the outcome.
• Time Management: I allocate specific time blocks for deep work, ensuring I can focus on complex tasks without interruptions.
• Resource Allocation: If necessary, I delegate tasks to team members based on their strengths and capacities.
• Regular Check-ins: I set milestones and conduct regular check-ins to monitor progress and adjust plans as needed.
• Efficiency Techniques: I use techniques such as the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) to focus on the 20% of the work that will yield 80% of the value.

20. Can you describe a time when you had to analyze a big data set? What approach did you take? (Big Data Analysis)

How to Answer: Discuss a specific situation where you tackled a large data set, outlining the steps you took to analyze it and the tools you used. This will demonstrate your analytical skills and familiarity with data analysis methodologies.

My Answer: Yes, I once had to analyze a large data set to identify trends in user behavior for an e-commerce platform. My approach was as follows:

• Data Cleaning: I began by cleaning the data, removing duplicates, and handling missing values to ensure accuracy.
• Data Segmentation: I segmented the data into relevant categories such as demographics, purchase history, and user activity.
• Statistical Analysis: I used statistical software to run descriptive and inferential analyses, determining patterns and relationships.
• Visualization: To make the results accessible, I created visualizations such as charts and heat maps.
• Insight Generation: Based on the analysis, I developed insights that informed the company’s marketing and product development strategies.

By systematically working through these steps, I ensured the analysis was both thorough and actionable.

21. How do you ensure that your decisions are aligned with the strategic objectives of the organization? (Strategic Alignment)

How to Answer When answering this question, it is important to demonstrate that you have an understanding of strategic goals and how your role fits within the broader business context. Reflect on how you ensure your actions contribute to the company’s vision and objectives. You might want to talk about goal-setting, collaboration with others, and how you measure the impact of your decisions.

My Answer To ensure that my decisions are aligned with the strategic objectives of the organization, I follow these steps:

Understand the Strategic Objectives : I make it a priority to understand the company’s mission, vision, and strategic goals. This includes keeping up-to-date with any changes and understanding how my department’s objectives fit into the bigger picture.

Consistent Communication : I regularly communicate with my managers and stakeholders to ensure alignment. It’s important for me to have a clear understanding of their expectations and how my decisions should support the organization’s strategy.

Decision Frameworks : I use decision frameworks aligned with strategic objectives. This may include a cost-benefit analysis, SWOT analysis, or any other tool that helps assess how a decision supports the strategic goals.

Metrics and KPIs : I establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) that are directly linked to strategic objectives. This way, I can measure the impact of my decisions and adjust accordingly.

Feedback Loops : I create mechanisms for feedback to ensure continuous alignment. This may involve regular check-ins with the leadership team or setting up advisory groups within the organization.

22. What is your process for evaluating the risks associated with a decision? (Risk Assessment)

How to Answer Discuss your approach to identifying, assessing, and managing risks. Highlight your analytical skills and your ability to balance different factors to come to a prudent decision. Mention any specific techniques or tools you use to quantify or qualitatively assess risks.

My Answer My process for evaluating the risks associated with a decision includes:

Identification : I start by brainstorming all potential risks, including both obvious and non-obvious ones. I often involve a diverse group of stakeholders during this process to ensure a comprehensive risk list.

Assessment : I assess each risk based on its likelihood and potential impact. This can be done qualitatively or quantitatively.

Prioritization : I prioritize risks based on their assessment, focusing on those that could have the most significant impact on the organization.

Mitigation Strategies : For each prioritized risk, I develop mitigation strategies. These could range from avoiding the risk entirely to accepting it with contingency plans in place.

Monitoring and Review : I set up a system to monitor risks and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies, adjusting as necessary.

23. Discuss an instance where you had to use lateral thinking to solve a problem. (Lateral Thinking and Creativity)

How to Answer Give an example that demonstrates your ability to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions. Explain the situation, the conventional approach that might not have been effective, and how your lateral thinking provided a better solution.

My Answer An instance where I used lateral thinking to solve a problem was when I was faced with a product delivery delay due to a supplier issue. The traditional approach would have been to find an alternative supplier, which would have been time-consuming and potentially costly.

Instead, I used lateral thinking and reached out to a local university with a prototype shop. By partnering with them, we were able to produce the necessary parts quickly and even at a lower cost. This not only resolved the immediate issue but also led to a long-term partnership that benefited our R&D efforts.

24. How would you handle a situation where after making a decision, you realize it was incorrect? (Problem-Solving and Accountability)

How to Answer Show that you are accountable and proactive in addressing mistakes. Describe how you take responsibility, communicate with stakeholders, and implement corrective measures. It’s also important to stress what you learn from the experience.

My Answer If I realize a decision I made was incorrect, I would:

Acknowledge : Immediately acknowledge the mistake to stakeholders and take responsibility without deflecting blame.

Analyze : Understand why the decision was incorrect by reviewing the decision-making process.

Communicate : Inform everyone affected by the decision, providing transparent information about the error and the steps being taken to rectify it.

Correct : Implement corrective actions to mitigate any negative effects.

Learn : Reflect on the mistake and identify lessons learned to improve future decision-making.

25. Explain how you would go about persuading someone who is skeptical of your ideas. (Influence and Communication)

How to Answer Demonstrate your communication and persuasion skills by explaining how you tailor your approach to the audience’s values, concerns, and perspective. Show that you are empathetic and strategic in your persuasion efforts, using evidence and building rapport.

My Answer To persuade someone who is skeptical of my ideas, I would:

Understand Their Perspective : Listen actively to understand their skepticism and any underlying concerns.

Build Common Ground : Find common ground and values to connect my ideas to their beliefs or interests.

Present Clear Evidence : Use clear, logical, and data-driven arguments to support my ideas.

Use Emotional Appeal : When appropriate, make an emotional connection to the benefits of the idea.

Address Concerns Directly : Respond to their concerns and objections thoughtfully and respectfully.

Seek Endorsement : Gain support from others who have influence over the skeptic to help validate my ideas.

Follow-up : Continue the conversation if they are not immediately persuaded, showing dedication and willingness to adapt my ideas based on their feedback.

4. Tips for Preparation

To prepare for a critical thinking interview, start by familiarizing yourself with common critical thinking frameworks and problem-solving methodologies. Reflect on past experiences where you’ve demonstrated these skills, and be ready to articulate the process you followed. Research the company and understand its values, products, and industry challenges.

Practice articulating your thoughts in a clear, structured manner, as interviewers will assess how you organize and present information. Strengthen your understanding of the role’s technical aspects and review relevant case studies or industry-specific issues. Finally, prepare to showcase soft skills like communication, adaptability, and teamwork, as these are often indirectly evaluated through critical thinking questions.

5. During & After the Interview

During the interview, listen carefully and ask clarifying questions to ensure you fully comprehend the scenarios presented. Employ structured thinking to convey your responses, and support your answers with logical reasoning and concrete examples. Be mindful of non-verbal cues and demonstrate confidence without appearing arrogant.

Avoid common pitfalls such as rushing to conclusions or failing to address the question’s core aspects. At the conclusion of the interview, ask insightful questions that demonstrate your interest in the role and the company’s future. This can also be a chance to clarify any doubts and learn about the team you’d be joining.

After the interview, send a personalized thank-you email to express your appreciation for the opportunity and to reiterate your enthusiasm for the role. This gesture keeps you fresh in the interviewer’s mind and reflects well on your professionalism. Expect to hear back within the company’s stated timeline, but if you don’t, a polite follow-up after a reasonable period is appropriate to inquire about the status of your application.

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Table of contents

Are you looking to hire a project manager? That's great news! Whether it's your first time or you've done it before, adding a project manager to your team is an essential step toward improving your organization's overall health.

Project management, as a discipline, enables organizations to align cross-functional teams with strategic goals, hold stakeholders accountable for their commitments, and achieve operational excellence. To ensure high-quality project management, bringing top talent on board is crucial.

But how can you be sure you're asking the right questions to identify the best candidates (especially if you're not a project manager yourself)? Not a problem!

We've compiled a list of 10 sample interview questions (along with answers) to help you make the most of your conversations with potential project managers.

Skills to look for during interviews

Before delving into the specific interview questions, let's first look at the bigger picture. The goal of an interview is to gain insight into whether the candidate possesses the necessary skills for the role.

Here are some essential skills to look for in a project manager :

• Effective communication : Can the candidate effectively communicate with diverse audiences on various topics and through different formats?
• Emotional intelligence : Can the candidate adapt their communication style and work approach to accommodate diverse perspectives?
• Critical thinking : Can a candidate apply their experience and knowledge to unfamiliar situations or emerging problems?
• Sense of ownership/leadership : Does the candidate show a willingness to tackle problems, even if they fall outside their immediate responsibilities? Can they lead teams , including leading without authority?
• Intellectual curiosity and a desire to learn new things : Project managers need to bring people together to solve problems, which requires quickly understanding new issues and bridging gaps between teams. Project managers who aren't interested in learning are less likely to succeed.
• Flexibility and adaptability : Working with people means dealing with change. Project managers must adapt to shifting stakeholder needs , evolving project scopes, and leading others through change.

Now that we've outlined the skills to assess let's dive into 10 sample interview questions. Use these questions to gauge whether your candidate has the qualities needed for success in project management.

10 sample interview questions to ask and what to look for in the answers

Below are 10 great questions—plus a bonus question!—to ask prospective project managers during an interview what qualities you might expect to find in a good answer.

Remember that if a candidate responds differently than you’d expect, it doesn’t mean they should be dismissed outright. Focus on whether their response highlights the skills they’ll need to succeed in the position.

1. One executive says Project A is more important, and another says Project B is more important. How do you choose which one to implement?

What to look for : Critical thinking skills, prioritization abilities, communication of trade-offs to stakeholders, and relationship management with both the winner and the loser . A candidate who can find a solution benefiting both parties would be particularly impressive.

Example response :

"I would speak with both executives to understand their viewpoints and the rationale behind them. Then, I would evaluate their perspectives against the business strategy, performance metrics, the required level of effort, available resources, stakeholder level of influence, and expected outcomes to make my own recommendation about which project to pursue.

I would identify a decision maker within the organization to help make the case. I would also work to persuade both executives of my recommendation and smooth over any potential ill will with the executive whose project was not selected."

2. Can you tell me about a time when you've made a process more efficient?

What to look for : Problem-solving skills, creativity, pragmatism. It's helpful to see how a candidate measures efficiency gains and shares their success with stakeholders to create further opportunities for improvement.

"We didn't have a straightforward process for managing content creation requests with an external vendor. As a result, keeping track of the requests sent and their status was challenging. I collaborated with the team to establish a streamlined process, including an intake workflow for handling new requests.

After implementing the new process, we eliminated status meetings and shifted to entirely asynchronous communication, reducing meeting time by one hour per week. Our stakeholders were so pleased with the improvement that we began expanding the process to other vendors."

3. Can you tell me about something you've read lately and how you'll apply that idea to this position?

What to look for : This unconventional question is excellent for assessing a candidate's authenticity and ability to respond under pressure. An interest in reading and applying new ideas demonstrates intellectual curiosity and their approach to problem-solving (two essential skills you're evaluating). Plus, it's a great way to gather reading recommendations!

"I regularly read X, Y, and Z blogs on project management to stay up-to-date with my knowledge. In preparation for this role, I've started listening to industry podcasts A and B. I particularly enjoyed a recent episode that helped me understand some of the challenges in this field. Is there anything else you'd recommend I read?"

4. Do you have a personal productivity system?

What to look for : It's essential to know if they have a system in place. Project managers need to manage numerous competing priorities, and having a method to stay organized is crucial. Extra points if they describe how they apply these techniques outside of work, indicating a genuine passion for the process.

"I use Tool X at work because it allows me to track tactical progress and report high-level outcomes to executive stakeholders, ensuring nothing is overlooked. It's also user-friendly, which encourages stakeholder adoption.

In my personal life, I use Tool Y because it's a freemium product that helps me visualize progress toward my long-term goals."

5. Tell me about a time you took over a project from another program manager. How did you handle the transition?

What to look for : Avoid candidates who criticize the previous program manager. Look for those who explain how they utilized their limited transition time to gain insights that directly benefited the project and how they applied those learnings. Bonus points if they explain how their contributions improved upon the existing foundation.

"I maximized my available time with the outgoing program manager to understand the project background, context, history, and stakeholder landscape, focusing on those details that are not readily found in project management documentation.

I also gathered information on the program manager's pain points, allowing me to identify quick wins to implement for my stakeholders during the first 90 days of my tenure."

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6. What are the challenges with driving goals when working across time zones?

What to look for : Assess the candidate's ability to engage with diverse stakeholder groups, design and implement scalable processes, and drive consensus. Emotional intelligence, effective communication, and a sense of ownership are vital.

"Working across time zones emphasizes the need for asynchronous communication, as spending too much time in meetings is impractical. It can also sometimes introduce cultural communication differences, depending on the stakeholders' location and cultural norms.

I overcame these challenges by codifying team communication protocols, including ground rules for behavior and a description of which communication tools to use in various circumstances. We also adopted a practice of documenting our work so that others could see the project progress outside of synchronous gatherings."

7. Can you think of a time when you were wrong and how that changed your opinion about a project or issue?

What to look for : This question helps assess critical thinking skills, flexibility, and adaptability. Extra credit if their description of their learning demonstrates emotional intelligence and intellectual curiosity.

"I worked with a stakeholder who challenged me to tailor my leadership style to meet their communication needs. I hadn't previously considered the need for adaptability, but their feedback helped me realize that different team members respond differently, and what worked for one person might not work for someone else.

Now, when I work with someone new, I make it a point to ask them how they like to be managed, their preferred communication method, and how they like to give and receive feedback."

8. How do you balance short-term deadlines with long-term objectives?

What to look for : Critical thinking skills to differentiate between big-picture strategy and tactical execution and the ability to communicate these nuances to stakeholders in a compelling way that drives results.

"I translate the business strategy into a set of project goals and then design and communicate a project schedule that translates those goals into a roadmap for tactical execution.

Tying the schedule back to the goals helps the team understand that we're not inventing deadlines for the sake of deadlines, but rather grounding them in the shared goals we're trying to achieve."

9. How have you been influential in fostering cross-company collaboration? What challenges have you faced?

What to look for : In this case, you're screening for effective communication, emotional intelligence, flexibility, and adaptability. Be cautious of candidates who describe difficult stakeholders with excessive negativity.

"One of our most significant pain points was a lack of visibility as to how different stakeholder groups were working towards project goals, sometimes resulting in duplicate efforts. We developed a light touch process for teams to report on project progress and share that information across the company.

We faced challenges getting some stakeholders to buy in, so we started small with a pilot group and then gradually expanded, taking advantage of team members who were change champions to help us evangelize the benefits."

10. How do you know when to cut corners to get a project out the door?

What to look for : Critical thinking skills, pragmatism, sense of ownership to make decisions, effective communication in messaging to stakeholders.

"I weigh long-term desired outcomes with the feasibility of implementation in the short term. Striving for perfection can sometimes be the enemy of progress and lead to analysis paralysis in driving project outcomes.

Therefore, I look for ways to make incremental changes that contribute to a long-term solution, focusing on building strong stakeholder relationships."

Bonus question for senior project manager hires

What is your program management philosophy.

What to look for : Do they have one? If your prospective hire is experienced, it might be concerning if this question throws them for a loop. A significant part of the role is evangelizing the benefits of program management in an organization. If the candidate can't articulate their value proposition in an interview, they may struggle to convince stakeholders.

"I believe program managers are responsible for promoting alignment across diverse stakeholder groups, holding stakeholders accountable for desired outcomes, and enabling teams to do their best work through high-quality execution."

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• Industry Specific

Project Manager Interview Questions (with Sample Answers & How-To Guide)

IYKYK — Project Manager interviews are intense and challenging. The questions focus on your ability to navigate complex scenarios, manage diverse teams and stakeholders, and drive projects to completion.

You need to show how you handle real-world project dynamics.

You need to show you can do strategy, but also execution.

You need to speak about your decision-making processes, adaptability, and interpersonal skills.

Above all, you need to give concrete examples and talk about project deliverables and budget management, so you have to come prepared with “hard data”.

In this guide, we cover the core questions you can expect and offer strategies to help you prepare.

Want to get an offer after every interview? Our interview preparation tool will guide you through all the questions you can expect, let you record and analyze your answers, and provide instant AI feedback. You’ll know exactly what to improve to turn your next interview into a job.

Don’t waste days compiling overused interview techniques. Get original answers to every single question you could expect.

Common Project Manager Interview Questions

Here’s a list of most common project manager interview questions:

• Tell me about yourself .

What do you enjoy about working in project management?

How do you prioritize tasks in a project, what project management tools and software are you familiar with, describe a time you led a project under tight deadlines., tell me about a challenging project and how you managed it., discuss an instance where a project did not go as planned. how did you handle it, explain how you manage project risks., can you share an experience where you had to manage a difficult team member, how would you initiate a new project, imagine you have multiple projects with the same deadline. how would you handle the situation, if stakeholders are unhappy with the initial project results, how would you manage their expectations, what steps do you take to ensure project quality, how do you keep your project team motivated, especially during challenging phases, how do you integrate new technologies into your project management process.

• Describe your experience with budget management in projects.

How do you handle change requests from clients or stakeholders during a project?

What techniques do you use for stakeholder analysis and management, basic interview questions for project managers.

You’re most likely to hear these at the beginning of your project manager interview. The interviewer typically asks them to assess your experience, skills, and approach to managing projects.

Tell me about yourself.

Tips on how to answer:

• Be ready to answer this question! “ Tell me about yourself ” is a common opener for any job interview. They could also ask similar versions like: “Walk me through your resume” or “Could you share a bit about your background?”.
• Use the Present-Past-Future formula to make a point: start by explaining your current role, then go back to the past and briefly mention your experiences that helped you get where you are now. Then talk about what kind of work you’d like to do next and how this role aligns with your plans and wishes.
• Don’t make this about your personal life or rehash your entire life story (or your resume).
• Be honest — if you love the problem-solving aspect of the job, say it.
• As you list the reasons why you like the job, try to weave in your top skills crucial for effective project management.
• Show them that you have a structured approach. Mention tools, priority matrices, or a task management software you use.
• Support your answer with examples from your own experience to show how you effectively prioritize in real life.
• The interviewers want to see if they’ll need extra time to onboard you because of the technology, so mention all PM tools and software you’ve used and how you’ve used them.
• Bring up the classics that you’ve worked with. This shows you’re adaptable and ready to use the newest tools, while also staying faithful to well-established ones when necessary.

Behavioral Interview Questions for Project Managers

Behavioral questions are all about your past projects and what you learned.

To answer them well, you need to refer to your experience and previous roles. The interviewers ask about your past decision-making, leadership, and technical skills so that they can predict how you would do in your next role.

The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) will help you organize your thoughts into concise stories that highlight your project management skills. But more on this approach later.

Here are the behavioral questions that often come up in project manager interviews:

Tips on how to answer: 

• This is a typical problem solving question, so highlight the challenge.
• Next, focus on solutions, and discuss the specific actions you took to overcome the challenges.
• Briefly mention the key skills that helped you complete the project despite the setbacks.
• Pick the right example. Make sure it’s a major incident that will illustrate your problem-solving abilities. If you’re interviewing for a management role or a position you’ll need to head a team, pick an example that showcases your leadership skills.
• Keep your answer structured. It’s easy to start rambling when discussing complex situations. Focus on making a clear point and providing only the most important details to support it.

Sample answer: During a high-rise apartment building project, we ran into an unexpected issue with the foundation. Routine soil tests hadn’t revealed any major concerns, but during excavation, we discovered a layer of unstable bedrock that required additional reinforcement. This could have caused significant delays and potentially compromised the building’s structural integrity.

First, I prioritized safety. The crew halted excavation, and I brought in a geotechnical engineer to assess the situation. Working together, we developed a plan for reinforcing the bedrock with additional pilings. This meant collaborating closely with the structural engineer to adapt the building plans and with the procurement team to secure the necessary materials quickly.

Transparency is key in construction, so I kept the client informed every step of the way. We discussed the issue, the proposed solution, and the potential impact on the timeline and budget. Thankfully, due to great communication and early intervention, we were able to minimize delays. The additional pilings were installed, and the project continued safely and on schedule.

• Frame it as an opportunity to demonstrate your resourcefulness and adaptability.
• Tie it to your strengths. After explaining your actions, connect this experience to one of your top strengths.

Sample answer: My approach to risk management is proactive. I recently had a project I can use as an example. At the outset, we brainstormed every potential roadblock, no matter how unlikely. One major risk we identified was a key vendor potentially facing supply chain delays, which could throw off the whole hardware supply for the project.

Analyzing the situation, we realized the likelihood and potential impact of this delay were high. We couldn’t afford to wait and see, so we got to work and developed a contingency plan. I researched alternative suppliers and negotiated back-up options with flexible terms. We even made some strategic adjustments to our timeline upfront to buy a bit of breathing room. Keeping everyone in the loop was essential. The Risk Register became our focal point and we updated it constantly with new information and mitigation status. In the end, the initial vendor did experience delays, but because we were prepared, we switched suppliers quickly and kept the project on track. So, you can say my risk management philosophy is all about anticipating problems, developing those “Plan B” scenarios, and making sure the whole team is actively involved and ready to adjust as needed.

• Choose a situation where you acted proactively.
• Explain your process of analyzing risks and detail the mitigation strategies, contingency plans, resource adjustments, and enhanced communication strategies you used.
• This is not about you venting about a difficult team member. It’s about the actions you took to address the situation.
• Finish with a positive outcome. Explain how your actions and guidance resulted in improvements for the individual, the team, or the project as a whole. This will establish you as someone who can create a positive change.

Get a full guide on how to answer behavioral interview questions .

Situational Interview Questions for Project Managers

Situational interview questions, unlike behavioral, put you in a hypothetical project scenario and ask how you’d handle it. While the situations themselves aren’t real, these questions are a chance to show your project management skills by drawing on your past experiences. Here are some common questions with example answers and why they work.

• Have a robust work breakdown structure. Clearly outline the steps you take during project initiation.
• Explain how your every step in the kick-off process ties into project success.
• Explain the process behind prioritization. Show the interviews that you consider factors like client importance, project complexity, business impact, and any existing contractual obligations.
• Emphasize resource management. Discuss how you’ll handle resource allocation when projects compete for the team’s time.
• Show you can work under pressure.
• Choose an example where you provided outstanding client experience despite problems and explain how you made that happen.
• Show you can own your mistakes. If the project setbacks stem from a clear miss on your team’s part, don’t shy away from acknowledging that.
• Describe the quality checks you perform and explain how the approach helps you spot potential issues early on.
• Spotlight your communication efforts. Explain how communication plays a role in completing projects successfully.
• Manifest the right energy. Interviewers want to see optimism, enthusiasm, and a positive attitude even in tough times.
• Choose an example that shows how you provide support and resources to your team.
• Focus on communication and recognition, but also your ability to set clear goals and timelines to keep the team on track.

If these hypothetical scenarios seem difficult to answer, check out this full guide on answering situational interview questions .

Role-specific Interview Questions for Project Managers

Project management interviews tend to be a mix of general and some very PM-specific questions.

These vary wildly based on the project, the company, and the methodology. Regardless of that, their purpose is to see how well you understand the industry and the technologies involved.

Here are 4 common questions you can expect:

• Balance enthusiasm with analysis. Show you’re proactive about exploring new tech but emphasize your assessment process.
• Briefly outline your assessment process. Phrases like “adoption feasibility” or “measurable ROI” will convince the interviewer that you think beyond the initial implementation.
• Illustrate with a very specific, real-life example.

Describe your experience with budget management in projects

• Explain how you do budget planning and forecasting.
• Discuss how you track and monitor project spending against the budget to identify and address variances.
• Explain how you keep the client informed, with regular updates on actual vs. projected spending.
• Show how change requests don’t disturb your flow. The key here is to show you’re open to exploring possibilities and assessing the impact of the change.
• Show you’re aware of how the change could affect resources, timelines, and budget.
• Highlight your communication skills that helped you find alternative solutions.
• Emphasize the WHY, not just the WHAT. Don’t just list techniques. Explain the strategic thinking behind your choices. Why would you use power-interest mapping in one instance, and SWOT analysis in another? This shows a deeper understanding of the topic.
• Focus on relationship building. Show (through an example) how you have built trust, addressed concerns proactively, or turned potential resisters into supporters.

Pro tip: While this guide can prepare you for common themes, don’t skip your homework — research the company and the role. This will help you predict the role-specific questions you can expect in the interview.

How to Answer Project Manager Interview Questions

Project management interviews often focus on your ability to solve problems, lead teams, and deliver successful outcomes. One of the best ways to showcase these skills is by using the STAR method when answering their questions.

Use the STAR Method

The STAR method is a formula that provides a structured format for telling stories about your past work experiences. It’s mainly used for responding to behavioral and situational project manager interview questions.

STAR is an acronym standing for Situation, Task, Action, Result.

Here’s how to use it to your own advantage and impress the interviewer:

Here’s a candidate’s response we already discussed and how they implemented the STAR formula:

Situation: A client needed to migrate their entire database in just two months. The tricky part is that it was a multi-phase project with different teams and super tight deadlines. Any hiccup for one team meant trouble and delays for everyone else. 

Task: I had to keep everything coordinated and ensure quality.

Action: I started by breaking the project down, giving each of the phases and teams clear deadlines. Then, it was all about communication — meetings, updates, and keeping everyone in the loop at all times. I also had to plan for problems. We had to be ready to minimize the impact, be it because of unexpected delays on new equipment or wrong backup licenses.

Result: In the end, we pulled it off. Thanks to our coordinated efforts and focus on clear communication and milestone tracking, the new environment was up and running exactly as the client expected. 

Show you’re a leader who can problem-solve

Project managers are expected to be decisive problem solvers who can take charge, inspire the team, and keep plowing through despite challenges. Interviewers will look for evidence of these qualities in your responses.

Don’t be vague. Showcase that skill by describing a specific project challenge and the systematic way you approached resolving it. Emphasize your ability to analyze issues, identify solutions, and implement them effectively.

Focus on project outcomes

Interviewers want to know you’re results-driven. Instead of just listing the tasks you completed, emphasize the impact of your work.

Did you deliver the project on time and under budget? Say it.

Did your team exceed client expectations? Explain how.

People don’t trust plain theory, so quantify your successes whenever possible.

Talk about methodologies or software used

When preparing to answer project manager interview questions, one particularly effective strategy is to discuss the specific methodologies or software tools you’ve leveraged in your past roles.

This both highlights your technical competence and gives the interviewer insight into your approach to project management.

Pro tip: Mentioning methodologies like Agile, Scrum, or Kanban, or project management tools like Asana, Trello, or Microsoft Project can significantly strengthen your answer.

Practice for the interview (even if you’re a senior)

Remember how we said you need to come prepared?

You can 10x your interview if you can come up with great stories to answer scenario-based questions, remember concrete examples, budgets, and project deliverables.

But even if you manage to keep it all in your head, your body language, poor eye contact, or speaking too fast can cost you the job.

A great way to increase your chances of securing the offer is through mock interviews. You can use interview simulation software like Big Interview to practice. Once you record your answers on camera, you’ll get AI feedback on 12+ criteria, including the relevance of your answer, but also pace of speech and use of filler words.

If you’re already a Big Interview user and want to try this out, head over to Interviews , then Practice Sets , and choose Project Management under Industry .

Summary of the Main Points

• A Project Manager role is extremely versatile, and interviews tend do reflect that.
• Expect to be asked a lot of “what would you do if…” questions where you’ll need to go back to exact past situations and explain what you did or explain how you would react in a hypothetical scenario.
• Most of the questions will focus on key project manager skills like communication, time and budget management, resource planning, risk management, and problem solving.
• To answer project manager interview questions successfully, prepare many examples from your career and learn to answer using the STAR format .

How to respond to interview questions with limited project management experience?

You can still effectively respond to interview questions with limited project management experience. To do it well, highlight the transferable skills you gained in other roles: organization, communication, leadership, and problem-solving. If you led small teams or earned certifications like PMP or Agile, mention them to show your commitment and motivation.

What are the most challenging questions a project manager might face?

Candidates consider behavioral or situational questions to be the most difficult because they require you to remember specific situations that may have happened a long time ago or think of hypothetical scenarios you might have never encountered.

What questions should a candidate ask at the end of a project manager interview?

• Could you give me more information about the type of projects this role entails?
• What methodologies are you using?
• Can you give me an example of projects, their duration, range, and budget?
• Does this position entail working with clients from different time zones?
• What’s an average number of projects one PM is handling at a time?

What’s the appropriate attire for a project manager interview?

Dress slightly more formal than the daily work attire. For most project manager interviews, business professional is a safe choice. If you wear a suit (matching jacket and trousers or a skirt) with a shirt or blouse, you’ll be fine. Whatever you choose to wear, make sure your clothes are clean, pressed, and well-fitted. Stick to simple, professional accessories such as a watch, belt, and minimal jewelry.

What are the best practices for researching a company pre-interview?

Start with the company’s website to learn about their values, mission, products, and services. Pay attention to any recent news and press releases. For more information about key people and team members, check out their People section on LinkedIn. Glassdoor provides employee reviews and ratings for companies. This can give you a better idea about salary ranges, company culture, and any red flags.

Bojana Krstic

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Top Critical Thinking Interview Questions (Sample Answers)

Want to crush your interview.

Learn how to ace your interview with superior confidence.

Critical thinking interview questions are an essential part of the interview process if you're trying to fill a position that demands accurate and reasonable decision-making abilities.

Because it's not always easy to judge, many hiring supervisors ignore this concealed job necessity and talent. Some applicants may possess the necessary technical skills and expertise but lack emotional intelligence or critical thinking abilities.

That's where interview questions for evaluating problem-solving abilities might help.

What is the definition of critical thinking?

Critical thinking is a mental process that enables a person to objectively examine and appraise information and compute answers and make decisions. Critical thinking is comparable to hasty, reactionary cognitive processes that produce solely emotional responses.

People with critical thinking abilities are highly regarded in the job because they often give sensible counsel, well-thought-out solutions, and fair evaluations.

It's difficult to tell how good a candidate's critical thinking abilities are unless you expressly ask about them during the interview. One of the tools available to hiring managers to judge how a candidate will handle unusual scenarios on the job is critical thinking interview questions.

Tailor interview questions to critical thinking

There are many different sorts of interview questions to choose from, but your questions must be relevant to your firm's role and culture. If the job demands you to make critical judgments on a technical level, the questions should get tailored around that competence. Focus on people skills if the position needs critical thinking about people (clients or employees).

There's a tendency among interviewers to offer brainteaser questions to gauge a candidate's response but don't do it. It's a waste of time! "Andy is the youngest of three children," for example. Rudy and April are her sisters' names. "What is the third child's name?" is entirely pointless.

It speaks nothing about a candidate's critical thinking talents or anything else whether they accurately respond "Andy" or remark "probably April."

You may cause a candidate to doubt your sincerity, in addition to making them feel confused and uncomfortable.

Plan every phase of the process

Before the interviews begin, plan every phase of the recruitment process. If a position requires rational decision-making, the recruiting team should create a list of critical thinking interview questions rather than simply the hiring manager. Different thoughts and perspectives on the same role and its needs can be accommodated through collaborative thinking and inclusive employee recruiting.

These questions aren't meant to be simple. Questions should provoke thought . Make the candidate consider how they would respond and react in various complex scenarios. You're not seeking correct or incorrect answers or solutions. Instead of assessing the candidate's ability, you're evaluating their response.

Almost every department has roles that significantly influence the results of other team members, customers, production, sales, your company's brand, and so on. These occupations need highly developed critical thinking abilities.

When developing your list of interview questions, think beyond the job requirements regarding talents and experience. Examine the effects of impaired decision-making in this function on current employees, customers, your brand, and your company as a whole.

You may begin building your list of questions once you've identified the areas of influence associated with the function. The question examples are divided into two categories: technical occupations and roles that need human abilities. It's possible that your job opening is a mix of the two. Because each position and firm are unique, there can never be a template for critical thinking interview questions, so consider them a starting point.

Interview questions that challenge critical thinking skills

Use these critical thinking questions to assess critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills.

• What would you do if you had a project/production deadline approaching but didn't yet have all of the necessary information/components to meet it?
• What would you do if you've found a more efficient or cost-effective solution to an issue, but your boss doesn't comprehend it?
• How would you tackle a situation with a weak link in your team or supply chain affecting productivity?
• What would you do if a client or boss tried to rush a project to completion at the expense of other projects with definite deadlines?
• When you're working with a group of professionals, it's easy to uncover disagreements about how projects should go. How do you agree?
• Have you ever had to persuade a boss to adopt an alternative approach to a problem?
• What would you do if a coworker gave you a new or unusual idea that wasn't in line with the company vision?
• How would you provide rational advice to someone sensitive to feedback?

Interview questions for soft skills that require critical thinking

Determine a candidate's critical thinking skills through these questions:

• A consumer is enraged because an order didn't get delivered on time. They want you to cancel the order and close their account immediately. How would you fix the problem while keeping the customer?
• Since business has stalled, you're in the middle of a sales brainstorming session. Someone recommends decreasing pricing and putting a greater emphasis on customer service. How do you feel about it?
• You have an employee who is excellent at their job but is rude and aggressive with their coworkers, generating problems in your department. What are your plans for resolving the situation?
• You're in a meeting with your boss, and they misquote a price or a process that might have a significant influence on your department or project. So, what exactly do you do?
• When you're under pressure, you realize that your boss (or a coworker) is prone to shifting blame and refusing to accept responsibility. What is your approach to the topic?
• What would you do if you had to make a decision based on insufficient information?
• What would you do if you and your coworkers couldn't agree on proceeding with a project?
• When it comes to critical thinking interview questions, what do you look for?
• You'll see that the concerns described above are pretty broad, with no right or wrong response or result.

Use hypothetical scenarios to describe ideal reactions to complex situations. There are no wrong answers in these scenarios—only a determination of the applicant's job skills.

Considering the response

The way the applicant replies is what you're looking for. Each question is a hypothetical circumstance that, if not handled appropriately, may turn into a significant problem.

Because persons with developed critical thinking process information before reacting or responding. People with strong emotional intelligence and well-developed essential abilities of critical thinking will not offer you a standard response. When confronted with a difficult circumstance, their critical thinking kicks in, and they'll most likely ask you some questions to have a better understanding. Don't be shocked if you get an initial answer of "I'll have to think about that..."

People who don't ask for additional information and don't ponder before reacting typically lack analytical abilities. They're also more prone to make rash, emotional decisions.

Interview questions for critical thinking with example responses

Here are ten frequent interview questions and sample responses targeted at evaluating your critical-thinking abilities:

Tell me about a moment when you had to persuade your boss or team to take a different approach to an issue.

Interviewers will assess your critical thinking abilities by seeing if you can make rational conclusions and then convey your reasons to persuade others to follow you. They're looking for persuasive behaviors like using statistics to generate trust in your judgment rather than supporting a concept based on feelings or beliefs. When replying, give an example of a time when you could persuade someone using evidence to support your argument.

Example answer

"I used to have to search a business database for information and prepare a spreadsheet with the findings regularly at my former employment. This was formerly a laborious procedure, but I found a method to automate it. I explained the application we'd need to utilize and demonstrated how the process worked to my boss when I proposed this new method. I explained how automating this process will save us time and focus on other essential responsibilities.

They implemented this idea since I had statistics to back up my recommendation. Our team's workflow became more efficient and streamlined as a consequence of this modification."

Tell me about an instance when you had to make a rapid choice.

Interviewers are interested in seeing how you make decisions under duress. The capacity to utilize logic and reasoning to make the best decision, especially when time is limited, indicates excellent critical thinking. Provide an example of a case in which a timely choice resulted in a beneficial outcome.

"My boss had to leave the workplace an hour before a scheduled presentation one time. We didn't want to cancel the meeting with our clients, so we just had a few hours to figure out who would take over the presentation. We decided I was the best candidate since I spent so much time preparing with my manager and had the most knowledge of the points they wanted to convey.

Our presentation wowed the clients, who eventually approved our bid. We also enlisted the services of another manager who was more knowledgeable with these kinds of discussions to assist me and answer client inquiries. My boss was so impressed with our quick thinking and achievements that he began to entrust me with future customer presentations."

What would you do if you discovered an inaccuracy in a report or presentation prepared by your boss?

Interviewers want to see how you manage a potentially awkward scenario with a higher-ranking official. Explain what action you would take in response to this question, as well as the thought process that led to your conclusion. Your answer should demonstrate to the potential employer that you can take a professional approach.

"I would wait until I could speak with my boss personally if I observed a problem in their work. I'd then show them the error and offer to assist them in correcting it. Having a chat in private demonstrates my respect for my supervisor and their authority. My prior bosses admired my forthrightness, and my last boss even had me give a final review of all their produced paperwork."

Describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision at work.

Interviewers use this question to see if you have any expertise in making judgments under challenging situations. Your response should show how you reasoned about a tough decision, including how you utilized critical-thinking abilities to weigh your alternatives and the best solution.

"At my previous employment, I assisted in implementing a new learning platform for a specific department. We visited with five suppliers to discuss online training, but it was up to me to make the ultimate selection. I evaluated the five vendors to requirements relating to our budget and our learners' needs. I also polled our stakeholders, who attended vendor meetings and examined their material, to see which they preferred.

I went with the provider that satisfied all of our standards and was well-liked by the stakeholders. As a consequence, our learners' productivity increased significantly, and we got great comments on their training experiences."

How would you respond if a coworker presented you with a novel or uncommon idea?

Open-mindedness is one of the essential aspects of critical thinking . Provide a concrete example from your experience to demonstrate your capacity to explore fresh ideas to enhance procedures or solve complex situations. Include how this open-mindedness benefitted you and your job in your response.

"When I was working on a project with a coworker, they advised that I take a completely different strategy than I typically did. I asked them to walk me through their strategy and explain how it had previously worked for them. We chose to follow their technique because their recommended steps appeared easier than mine. As a consequence, we completed the assignment considerably faster than I typically do, and I discovered a new preferred method for doing comparable tasks."

How would you resolve a team disagreement over how to tackle a project?

By assessing competing ideas and applying them to generate feasible solutions, you may improve your critical thinking skills. Examining several aspects of an issue can help you better understand the situation, which can lead to better solutions. Demonstrate to the interviewers that you can make judgments that are in the best interests of your team.

"I urge everyone to submit their concept and the reasons behind it in a team context where there are competing perspectives. Rather than following the crowd, I make the team look at the data or reasoning to see which option is better for our requirements. For example, I was in a team where we couldn't agree on how often we should meet to discuss project status updates.

The majority preferred weekly meetings initially, but a few folks insisted on brief, daily check-ins. Our group decided that a daily 15-minute meeting would be more effective in keeping us on track after hearing the reasons behind these proposals. Because the regular check-ins made us accountable for our duties, we discovered that this method did not take time away from our responsibilities and helped us accomplish the job sooner."

Have you ever foreseen issues and devised strategies to prevent them?

Possible employers are looking to see if you can analyze a scenario and foresee potential problems. This talent combines excellent observational and problem-solving abilities, both of which are necessary for critical thinking. Your response should demonstrate that you can anticipate issues and rationally establish solutions before they occur.

"In my former position, I was in charge of staff scheduling. I was aware that scheduling was more difficult over the holidays. To overcome this, I created protocols for requesting time off during that specific period, allowing me to plan ahead of time. I also established a program that taught employees how to fulfill the obligations of various professions, allowing for flexibility in the case of unexpected absences. As a result of these modifications, I had a strategy for dealing with scheduling issues. Our staff felt prepared, and we were able to prevent any interruptions in work."

When you don't know all of the facts, how do you go about making a decision?

Interviewers are frequently interested in seeing how you think within particular constraints. Your response should demonstrate how you used logic and ingenuity to reach a sensible conclusion. Focus on the mental process rather than the results when providing an example in your response.

"When making judgments, I like to have as much information as possible, while I recognize that this is not always possible. In this case, I would try to gather as much information as possible and then utilize context to fill in any gaps.

I once had a query concerning a customer proposal. Because my supervisor was unavailable, I looked over the client's creative brief for ideas. I was able to find a feasible solution to my problem because of the information supplied in brief. When I gave my presentation, I felt confident in what I had prepared, and the customer only requested a few minor revisions."

How do you know when you need support from others while fixing an issue or finishing a task?

Potential employers may inquire about your capacity to request assistance from coworkers since this demonstrates that you can behave wisely to get the best results. Give an example of when you required assistance, how you arrived at your conclusion, and how it helped you.

"In the past, I've discovered that some situations necessitate the assistance of others. This is a choice I'll make when I realize a task is too big for me to do alone or when I need multiple perspectives on a problem to find a solution.

I committed to writing a report for an internal customer with a tight deadline last year. As I worked on this report, I realized I wouldn't finish it in the allotted time, so I contacted a coworker for assistance. We finished the report on time with their aid, and the final product was far better than if I had raced to do it on my own."

How would you handle a scenario in which a coworker doesn't grasp your method or solution?

In this case, you should talk about how you would account for different learning styles to communicate effectively with the other individual.

"When I realize a colleague is having difficulty comprehending what I'm saying, I take a breath and ask how they're doing so far. This allows me to figure out where they were perplexed. Now I have a new foundation to build their knowledge, and I can tailor my explanation to their specific requirements. Depending on the type of learner, I may need to utilize visual aids or examples to convey the material, or I may need to use less technical terminology.

Because I understand that not everyone processes information or instruction in the same manner, I typically attempt to prepare a few different explanations approaches ahead of time. That way, if they require visual help, for example, I will already have one on hand."

There are eight advantages of being a critical thinker.

The following abilities get shared by critical thinkers who are capable of making impartial and fair judgments:

• They have honed their analytical talents by thoroughly analyzing circumstances.
• They have good reasoning abilities since they think logically and based on facts.
• They have a strong emotional sense and can distinguish between the truth and the lie.
• Social experience: They pursue more study or rely on previous experiences as a guide. They adhere to well-established guidelines and avoid prejudice.
• They discriminate between variances and perform comparisons in comparative analysis.
• Solution-oriented thinking entails imagining a solution and its possible outcomes.
• Calculating actions: They weigh the pros and cons of their decisions and take decisive action.
• They use creative thinking to turn a poor circumstance into a favorable one.

People with well-developed critical-thinking abilities can approach a situation and resolve it in the best way possible, whether they have to think on their feet or address long-standing issues. They also have no qualms about making difficult decisions if they are in the firm's best interests or the people concerned. Depending on their skill level, this process may be lengthy, evolving as the issue unfolds, or it may be swift.

Critical thinking interview questions for project managers

• Tell me about a time you had to manage a project where it was over budget.
• Explain to me how you would handle a situation where a client was unhappy with the final product.
• Tell me about a time when your team wasn't motivated and you had to motivate them.

Critical thinking interview questions for nurses

• Tell me about a time when a patient was in pain and the medical staff was unavailable. What did you have to do?
• How would you handle a family that wasn't happy with treatment?
• If you're describing your patient's issues without the physician, how would you answer a question you didn't know?

About the author

Patrick Algrim is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), NCDA Certified Career Counselor (CCC), and general career expert. Patrick has completed the NACE Coaching Certification Program (CCP). And has been published as a career expert on Forbes , Glassdoor , American Express , Reader's Digest , LiveCareer , Zety , Yahoo , Recruiter.com , SparkHire , SHRM.org , Process.st , FairyGodBoss , HRCI.org , St. Edwards University , NC State University , IBTimes.com , Thrive Global , TMCnet.com , Work It Daily , Workology , Career Guide , MyPerfectResume , College Career Life , The HR Digest , WorkWise , Career Cast , Elite Staffing , Women in HR , All About Careers , Upstart HR , The Street , Monster , The Ladders , Introvert Whisperer , and many more. Find him on LinkedIn .

Fact checked: Our small and dedicated team rigorously evaluates every article, guide, and reference to ensure the information is accurate and factual. Learn more .

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