Are you an aspiring project manager? It’s a great career choice. It has potential for professional growth and demand in the market. Many recruiters worldwide are seeking a promising project manager, and to get hired, you only need to crack those tricky Project Manager Interview Questions.
Although you are skilled enough, you have to be aware of all possible project manager interview questions. The trickiest part to crack the Project Manager interview questions is delivering answers that meet the recruiter’s expectations.
To enhance your preparation, here’s a list of the top 30 most frequently arising project manager interview questions with answers.
Top 30 Project Manager Interview Questions and Answers
Experience and Behaviour-Based Project Manager Interview Questions
Q1. What made you choose project management as your career?
Ans- Answer this by stating your interest in the key elements of project management, like organising, planning, etc. In addition, tell how your key skills and abilities made you select project management.
Also, state about the versatility of project management and your interest in the same.
Q2. State your skills that differentiate you from others as a project manager
Ans- In these types of project manager interview questions, highlight your strengths, past working experience and the impact of your work on the company’s growth.
Mention how adaptable and coordinated you are in the workplace. To make your answer stand out, specify statistical data in prioritizing and managing tasks.
Q3. Which kind of projects do you prefer the most?
Ans- Specify your expected projects, expertise, duration, and interest. At last, mention your interest in exploring new projects. Through this, recruiters will get clarity about your role and responsibilities.
Q4. Could you brief us about your unsuccessful project?
Ans- Instead of beaming fake success, conveying the truth, and being honest is appreciable. Answer optimistically and mention the approach that you used to solve the issue.
Q5. How do you track your project?
Ans- Answer these kind of project manager interview questions by being specific and technical. Mention some strategies like, setting SMART goals, using software and task planners.
Further, explaining your way of monitoring the project and team will make you sound professional.
Q6. Mention your most successful project
Ans- Your expertise and performance will be analysed. So, explain valid points such as duration, challenge and complications involved to consider it successful. Also, brief on your competency.
Q7. What do you consider as the most suitable quality that is required to become a successful project manager? Explain it through your past projects.
Ans- The Core qualities include adaptability, leadership skills, communication, and problem-solving. Embed your experience with these qualities to give a prominent response.
Technical Questions
These project manager interview questions will analyse your technical knowledge and skills.
Q8. Explain Agile and waterfall methodology.
Ans- These two are the important methodologies involved in Project Management. Differentiate by stating facts that agile is more flexible, continuous, and iterative, whereas the latter is more rigid, performed at the end, and sequential.
Q9. Describe cost and budget management.
Ans- Budgeting is a crucial factor in projects. So, first mention its impact in a project and then highlight how you effectively used it. In addition to this, give examples of your real-time budget management in a project.
Q10. Mention any two or three tools used to assess the risks.
Ans- Effective risk analysis tools involve root cause analysis, risk matrix, SWOT analysis, and Monte Carlo simulation. Provide a concise explanation about any familiar tools.
Q11. Abbreviate EVM and explain.
Ans- Earned value management is a popular methodology used. Explain its usage to track the project and assess the performance.
Note: Refer to different methodologies as they are frequently asked project manager interview questions.
Q12. What’s your conflict management strategy?
Ans- Specifically mention adopting open communication techniques and Previous experience in identifying and solving the issue.
Q13. Name some preferred project management software.
Ans- Consider making preferences based on task management, resource planning, and collaboration. Some relevant software are Asana, wrike, and clickup, etc.
Q14. Explain the project life cycle with an example of your project
Ans- To answer these types of project manager interview questions, you need to correlate the core concepts with real-life scenarios. Explain what you did in all stages like Initiation, planning, monitoring, and controlling, precisely.
Q15. What is the work breakdown structure?
Ans- A Work breakdown structure can be explained as converting complex tasks into small, manageable units. Clearly explain the implications through the hierarchical structure and create responsibilities.
Project Manager Interview Questions Based on Leading Teams
Q16. What is your leadership type?
Ans- Stating the selection of your leadership depending on factors such as the scope of your project and team would make you a versatile candidate. Indeed, add to your previous leadership experience to build clarity.
Q17. Do you delegate?
Ans- Yes is the suitable answer as delegation is the key to managing high-end projects and to motivate team members. Also, elaborate on delegating small tasks and handling core responsibilities.
Q18. How to build a good rapport with your team?
Ans-
- Building informal groups
- Being an active listener
- Being empathetic
Point out ways like these to emphasize your communication skills.
Q19. Mention some tools and resources you’ve used to develop your team.
Ans- Be specific and point out the initiatives, techniques, and software you have used, like LMS software, Asana, and Timetracker, to teach them. This will represent you as a good leader cum manager.
Q20. How will you deal with internal team conflicts?
Ans- Specifying that listening, empathizing, and understanding can solve the issue and will reflect your ability to handle a complex group.
Q21. What is your approach to communicating the project with your team?
Ans- Despite several ways to communicate, the important factors to mention are clarity, defining roles, and creating SMART goals.
Q22. How will you motivate everyone?
Ans- Reflect your leadership by presenting commendable ways, such as giving constructive reviews, showcasing a positive attitude, and being supportive.
Q23. Your team member is being reluctant. Suggest ways to handle it.
Ans- Provide your recruiter with suggestions such as finding the root cause, understanding, and conveying the consequences of their reluctance in a friendly manner.
Hypothetical and Situation Grounded Questions
These questions will analyse your problem solving and forward thinking ability.
Q24. Stakeholders prefer a different strategy from what you have created. How will you convince them?
Ans- Communication and negotiation are crucial. Elaborate on your method of negotiation by stating the cost benefits, efficiency, and correctness of your plan.
Q25. How will you handle fluctuations in the middle of the project?
Ans- Explain how your adaptability has enhanced the situation and mention strategies, like altering the existing plan, communicating, and collaborating with your team to achieve the result.
Q26. If you are provided with a project which is left halfway by another manager. How will you handle it?
Ans- In these project manager interview questions, analysing the former plan, creating a more feasible strategy, and being collaborative, would be the suitable answer.
Q27. How to deal with a deficit budget?
Ans- Describe Strategies such as plan revision through optimizing resources, analysing the situation, and cutting costs.
Q28. How will you tackle running behind schedule?
Ans- This answer should reflect effective plan modification, project tracking, and a coordinated team approach to adjust the time deviations.
Q29. You are given two projects and told to select one among them. How will you choose?
Ans- This question analyses your decision making skills. So, you can state the best practices you follow before taking a critical decision, like analysing both the situations, return on investment, and the company’s core objective, etc.
Q30. In this period of rapid growth and advancement in technology, what have you done to update yourself?
Ans- The answer to this question will be the recent PMP certification you have done for advancement. Further, mention your learnings and its impact on your workplace.
Are you looking to get a PMP certification for upskilling yourself? Then, check out the details of this PMP certification course offered by Henry Harvin.
Henry Harvin’s PMP Certification Course:
This Project Manager Professional (PMP) Certification offered by Henry Harvin would boost your skills and abilities. It is one of the reputed educational institutes offering several globally recognised and accepted courses in all domains for almost 12 years.
This course will enhance the skills of aspiring project managers and will expose them to new opportunities present in their domain. You will be learning all the best practices and methodologies in handling teams, projects, and stakeholders.
Course Details
- 36 hours Instructor-led session
- 192 Hours of Self-Paced Learning
- Henry Harvin Management Academy’s membership for one year
- Access to 192 hours of self-paced learning
- Guaranteed internship and placement support.
- 9 Auto-Graded Assessments
- 54 Guided Hands-On Exercises
- 6 hours of live master session and 4 hours of mentorship held by experts.
Key Skills covered:
- Compliance Requirement Management
- Conflict management
- Leadership skills
- Process improvement
- Stakeholder Engagement
Conclusion
Pm interview questions can be addressed if you keenly understand the pm questions and requirements of the recruiter. To get hired in a leading company with a good package ensure you have core project management skills and a PMP certification.
These program manager interview questions and answers will be beneficial for making solid preparation to crack any tough project manager interview questions.
Recommended Reads
- Unlock Project Management Skills – A Step By Step Guide
- Why Henry Harvin is the Best Choice for PMP Corporate Training ?
- Top 7 Most Helpful PMP Books You Should Know
- 12 Best PMP Certification Courses Online: A Comprehensive Review
- How to Choose the Right PMP Course for Your Career?
FAQs
For beginners – 4 to 8 lakhs per annum
For senior project managers – 15 to 30 lakhs per annum
It depends on the preparation of the candidate. Mostly the questions will be moderate.
Communication
Leadership
Adaptability
Time management
Problem solving
Yes, PMP certification is valid globally as if it is accredited by a reputed institution.
You need a relevant bachelor’s degree, project management skills, and preferably a PMP certification.