If you were given two weeks after on-boarding before being assigned a project, what would you do with your time?

How to Answer
Answer Example

The interviewer wants to find out where your priorities lie. Whether the two-week wait is deliberate or not, assure the interviewer that you are going to use that time to equip yourself with knowledge and experience to make yourself an even better fit for the role. The interviewer will be interested to know exactly what you plan on learning and experiencing in those two weeks and any motivation behind your plan.

"It's rare to be given some time to learn the ropes before jumping into a new project, so I definitely appreciate it. The first thing I would find out is the PM tool or tools that we will be using and allocate time to learn them. If I'm already familiar with it, I'll ask for company templates. Another item on my list would be to look at any process maps and/or documentation that exist so I can get an idea of how the project management office operates. If I'm allowed to, I'd really like to shadow an existing project manager to establish rapport and see what the day-to-day is like. Lastly, if there are any project meetings or kickoffs that I can be a part of, I would also want to observe so I can see what the standards are for project managers."

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How to Answer: If you were given two weeks after on-boarding before being assigned a project, what would you do with your time?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Technical Project Manager job interview.

1. If you were given two weeks after on-boarding before being assigned a project, what would you do with your time?

How to Answer

The interviewer wants to find out where your priorities lie. Whether the two-week wait is deliberate or not, assure the interviewer that you are going to use that time to equip yourself with knowledge and experience to make yourself an even better fit for the role. The interviewer will be interested to know exactly what you plan on learning and experiencing in those two weeks and any motivation behind your plan.

Answer Example

"It's rare to be given some time to learn the ropes before jumping into a new project, so I definitely appreciate it. The first thing I would find out is the PM tool or tools that we will be using and allocate time to learn them. If I'm already familiar with it, I'll ask for company templates. Another item on my list would be to look at any process maps and/or documentation that exist so I can get an idea of how the project management office operates. If I'm allowed to, I'd really like to shadow an existing project manager to establish rapport and see what the day-to-day is like. Lastly, if there are any project meetings or kickoffs that I can be a part of, I would also want to observe so I can see what the standards are for project managers."

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