Interview Questions to Ask Project Managers

Make sure you are fully prepared and ready to conduct an interview. The selection process is a two way street and the candidate has to decide that they want to work for your organisation. You can create a bad impression with them if you are not prepared.

Make sure you have thoroughly read the candidates CV and have prepared a list of questions driven by the CV. You should also have a list of standard questions to ask every candidate. This will help you make a fair comparison.

The Interview Format

Start the interview by explaining what you intend to do. I recommend identifying four steps:

• Step 1 - Explain more about the organisation and the role. This gives the candidate time to gather their thoughts and perhaps calm their nerves.
  
  
• Step 2 – Talk through the candidates CV
  
  
• Step 3 – Ask other standard questions not picked up as part of the CV discussion
  
  
• Step 4 – Closing the interview. Candidates should have an opportunity to ask questions and you should outline the next steps, including approximate timings for decisions and how a decision will be communicated. If there are other potential interview stages then these can be explained as well.
  

Questions to Ask About a CV

You need to find out as much as possible about previous experience so you can align it with your own requirements. Try asking open ended questions that give the candidate the opportunity to talk – you want to listen to them, not the other way round.

Invariably you will discuss previous projects. Examples of possible questions include:

• What was your position within the project team?
  
  
• Did you have responsibility for time, cost & quality for the project / work packages / specific deliverables?
  
  
• How did you plan the project work? Who was involved in developing the plan? How did you collect progress updates?
  
  
• If you had cost responsibility, how were actuals & forecast updated? Were you given a contingency and how was this authorised / distributed?
  
  
• At what stage did you perform risk management? How were risks and issues managed through the project lifecycle.
  
  
• Did you encounter project changes / variations? How were these controlled and the impact of changes assessed?
  
  
• What monthly reporting did you undertake? Did you present updates to a Steering Committee / Senior Managers on a regular basis?
  
  
• What worked well on this project?
  
  
• What did not work so well on this project? What would you change next time?
  

Standard Questions to Ask All Candidates

You should prepare a list of standard questions to ask all candidates. This enables a clear comparison against your selection criteria. These questions should support the role description and requirements that you will have defined at the start of the recruitment process.

The exact questions to be asked does can vary significantly depending on the exact nature of the role but here are some examples to get you thinking:

• Are you familiar with any formal project management methodologies (note: if you are a PRINCE2 environment then clearly you need to drill into candidate knowledge further)?
  
  
• What would you say are the most common reasons for project failure?
  
  
• What do you believe is the fundamental role of a Project Manager?
  
  
• How do you ensure the project team understands the goals for the next month?
  
  
• What techniques would you employ to ensure your team are motivated and committed to the project?
  
  
• At what point would you highlight problems or concerns to senior management?

You might also like to use scenario questions where you present a situation and ask the candidate what would they do, for example:

• A software developer has assured you that development time for a unit of code is 2 weeks. You return 2 weeks alter to find they need a further 2 weeks which would delay the project. What would you do in this scenario?
  
  
• A very senior manager from the client has demanded a last minute change to a refurbishment project which will set you back 2 weeks and delay the project beyond the agreed end date. How would you manage this request?

For further advice on interviewing or sourcing high calibre candidates speak to Wellingtone Project Management and ask them about their services for Project Management Recruitment.