30 Project Manager Interview Questions (with Answers)

1.

Tell me about your typical relationship with project sponsors.

It's imperative that project sponsors be kept in the loop throughout the entirety of the project since they provide resources that the project needs to be completed. In addition, project sponsors can provide valuable feedback to project managers as the project progresses. Talk to the interviewer about how often you typically contact sponsors and in what manner.

Marcie's Answer

"Throughout my career, I've encountered many different kinds of sponsors. Sometimes they want to be very involved in the project and other times they don't. When I'm introduced to the sponsor(s) at the beginning of the project I try to determine their preferences and then communicate accordingly during the project. If a problem arises that my team and I are unable to resolve on our own, I would definitely reach out to the sponsor to get their thoughts. In many cases, the feedback that the project sponsor provides is extremely helpful. For many of the sponsors I've worked with during larger projects, I scheduled weekly meetings or calls with them where I gave updates and discussed outstanding issues."

2.

Give me an example of a time when you successfully handled intense pressure.

Project managers need to have the ability to juggle urgent deadlines, various personalities, sometimes unreasonable expectations, and more during complex projects. All of these moving parts can create a lot of stress, and the interviewer wants assurance that you can effectively manage high-pressure situations. Provide an example of a time when you did so successfully.

Marcie's Answer

"There's no doubt that there's a lot of stress and pressure in the life of a project manager. I personally reframe the stress and look at it positively; I like variety in my work life and many times enjoy the challenges that arise. I see them as puzzles for me to figure out as quickly and efficiently as possible. Within my last role, we were two weeks out from the deadline with a few critical issues still needing to be resolved when one of my key team members got very sick and had to be hospitalized. I knew that I had to fix this fast so the project would stay on track. I re-assigned that person's high-priority tasks to other team members I trusted and hired some freelancer workers I had used in the past to handle his lower-priority tasks. I kept tabs on everything, and in the end, we pulled it off and the project was completed successfully."

3.

What project management methodologies do you follow?

There are many different project management methodologies out there. You will want to discuss the ones that you personally use and explain why you choose to follow them. Try to give an example or two of the times you've used various methodologies. Show that you are knowledgeable in this area and that you understand that some methodologies work better in certain situations than others.

Marcie's Answer

"I am familiar with and have used many different methodologies in the past, including waterfall, critical path, critical chain, scrum, adaptive, and event chain. I could likely list even more! There are obviously many to choose from, but in general, I always consider the PMBOK in every project I run and rely on its best practices. Waterfall is also a methodology I commonly follow because of how straightforward and linear it is, especially when I'm in charge of a project that is highly structured. When I'm working with a smaller team in the software development realm, I'm more apt to employ the Scrum methodology. I am comfortable using many different methodologies; I decide which one to use based on the type, size, and cost of the project."

4.

Do you prefer to handle things yourself or to delegate to others?

This is the interviewer's way of finding out if you are a micromanager or not. Most likely, the interviewer is looking for someone who is comfortable delegating tasks to others because trying to do everything by oneself is a recipe for disaster, particularly during a large project. You want to show that you are a leader who puts together strong teams and then allows others to do their jobs so you can do yours.

Marcie's Answer

"I have learned throughout the years that I simply can't do everything myself! But I can establish high standards that I expect my teams to meet and exceed. So I start by assembling good teams that are filled with people who are smart and enthusiastic. Then I lay out my expectations for each of them - using project management software - and clearly communicate these to them. Finally, I trust them to complete their tasks but provide guidance along the way if they need it. I also continually monitor everyone's progress using the software so if anyone does slack or fall behind, I can discuss this with them and develop a short-term action plan to resolve the issue."

5.

Tell me how you communicate with others. What kind of communicator are you?

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Project Manager Interview Questions

Tell me about your typical relationship with project sponsors.

Project Manager Interview Questions

Tell me about your typical relationship with project sponsors.

Give me an example of a time when you successfully handled intense pressure.

What project management methodologies do you follow?

Do you prefer to handle things yourself or to delegate to others?

Tell me how you communicate with others. What kind of communicator are you?

Tell me about any experience you have overseeing remote teams.

What experience do you have in our industry?

How do you keep a project on track when you feel overwhelmed?

What do you do to prevent "scope creep"?

How experienced are you in using RAID analysis?

What is the most successful project you've managed to date?

What are some risks and issues you've dealt with in the past during projects?

Are you experienced with process development?

Do you prefer to work on one project or multiple projects at the same time?

What is the last project you worked on?

How do you handle conflict between team members?

How do you manage customers and stakeholders?

What kinds of project management software do you use and why?

What is the biggest mistake you ever made during a project?

How do you handle the escalation of an issue and when might you do this?

What kinds of risks do you encounter during projects and how do you handle them?

What would you do if a client was unhappy with the project's end result?

What do you hope to achieve in the next five years?

How do you facilitate the success of your teams?

What do you do to ensure a project doesn't go off track? If it does, how do you fix it?

What kind of experience do you have managing budgets?

How do you handle it when one of your team members makes a mistake?

How do you go about defining the scope of a project?

Tell me about the types of projects you've handled in the past.

What is the most important skill that a project manager needs to be successful?