If you’re looking to hire a project manager you’ll want to know some of the most critical interview questions to ask candidates. We will give you plenty of points to consider and offer practical examples that can help you understand some of the benefits of having a project manager.
So let’s dive into the best interview questions for a project manager to ask when undertaking the search for the perfect candidate for your organization.
How Do You Manage Challenging Projects?
This question will help determine how the candidate tackles problems and resolves conflicts. It’s an excellent opportunity for the interviewee to share their leadership capabilities. It will also give you a sense of how they can remain faithful to a project when working with difficult people and tight deadlines.
You can even use it to see the kinds of project methodologies the candidate prefers, such as Agile, Lean, or Scrum.
Can You Highlight Some Aspects of Your Management Style?
This question shows the candidates’ preferred project management styles. They could be the hands-on type, laid-back, or something between the two. The point is to see if their management style will make a good fit for your company.
You will also want to hire a project manager with various leadership qualities as the situation warrants since different projects and company cultures will require different styles of leadership.
How Would You Describe Your Communication Style?
Any project manager you decide to bring on board must be an effective communicator to carry out their duties. When speaking to vendors, consumers, stakeholders, and team members, there are always challenges, and your manager will need to approach each one differently.
A good project manager will also know how to strike the right balance when it comes to conflict between team members and smooth out any issues that arise by acting as a mediator.
Have You Ever Managed Teams Remotely?
Depending on the nature of your business, you may need your project manager to handle team members situated in different regions. Any candidate who has the necessary expertise to work under such conditions will be a valuable asset to your business. Without it, project delays could lead to higher costs for you, as you’ll likely be working across multiple time zones.
In Your Opinion, What Makes a Great Project Manager?
There is usually no wrong answer to this question. However, a candidate’s response should indicate what they believe makes a good project manager. Also, make sure that whatever description they give is in line with the goals and practices of your company.
Can You Tell Us About Some of Your Mistakes on a Project?
A good project manager should be both wise and humble enough to admit past mistakes and tell you what they learned from the challenge. If you present this question and the candidate cannot mention any examples, you should be wary.
Remember, all of us make mistakes in our personal and professional lives. Speaking about things honestly shows a candidate’s character and humility.
How Do You Prioritize Tasks on a Project?
Effective project managers must have excellent organizational skills. In most cases, they will be managing budgets, external contractors, team members, and other essential elements. Therefore, having excellent prioritization skills is necessary to succeed.
What Is Your Preferred Project Management Software?
There is also no right or wrong answer to this question because there are various project management tools that each candidate may be familiar with using.
When interviewing a potential project manager, it’s a fundamental question to ask. Project managers need to be natural planners capable of leading their teams to accomplish their goals and objectives. Also, when working on projects, budgets and finances play a significant role in decision-making and are something a PM should understand.
What Sort of Projects Do You Like?
In most cases, project managers don’t choose their specific projects, but you would not want to hire them for a job that is totally out of their scope of capabilities. Nonetheless, you must know the kinds of projects the interviewee likes to work on so that you can establish if they will be a good fit for your company.
Final Thoughts
Finding the right project manager is a complex process that needs a lot of care and planning. You can use the interview questions mentioned above to make things go smoother and help you find the right candidate for your next round of projects.
