The interviewer wants to know that you are familiar with the critical path method and that you know how to keep vital projects moving in the face of adversity by using it. Explain the concept by saying, 'The critical path method is a tool used to calculate the length of your project, and it is a sequence of dependent tasks that will form the lengthiest duration. Mapping the tasks allows for tweaking and determining the most efficient timeline possible to finish a project.'

Tip: Give the interviewer a rundown on how to calculate the critical path in a made-up project..say...with decorating your living room with a friend. You can also show them a print out from a Gantt chart in Microsoft Project you did for the living room project. Examples you did in college and on the job work, too. Explain any tweaks you made for changes in the critical path to prevent scope creep in the printouts. This is also a good place in the interview to let them know of any project management certification you have.

That being said, certificates such as the Project Management Professional (PMP) automatically show potential employers that you have project management experience and have extra commitment. In light of that, be sure to have that skill on your resume and be prepared to discuss it.