The role a project manager plays in the overall success of a project is crucial. Therefore, most organizations carefully evaluate candidates applying for the position. Knowing how to prepare for an interview with a project manager will help you through the interview session.
Although questions that will be asked are usually Casual Interview Questions, most will be strategic interview questions regarding your behavior, qualifications, and accomplishments.
However, these questions require answers that will convince the hiring manager that you are the best fit for the company.
In this article, we will provide tips on how to prepare for an interview for a project manager.
How To Prepare For Interview For Project Manager
Below are a few tips on how to prepare for an interview for a project manager:
#1. Improve Your Communication Skills
Communication is essential in all aspects of project management. So as an individual looking forward to getting hired as a project manager, it is crucial that you improve your communication skills.
Most interviewers evaluate candidates’ level of communication because communication skills are a vital skill a project manager should possess. To effectively prepare for your interview, improve more on your communication skills. This will help you during and after the interview session.
Also, most interviewers ask some of these communication skills-related questions: What is your communication style? How do you communicate your ideas to team leaders?
Tips: Practice a few tricky interview questions on your own or with a friend. Review your responses and evaluate your communication ability with a friend.
#2. Highlight Your Technical Skills
By now, you should be aware that your technical skills are some things that will be requested during your project manager’s interview. Therefore, prepare a list of skills from your CV you can highlight when asked about your skills during your interview. Ensure you market yourself properly.
In most cases, you may be asked about situations where you have to use technical skills. You should also prepare a story that fits that scenario so you will not fidget when answering.
Common questions that come from technical skills during an interview include:
- How do you feel about creating reports?
- How do you manage a slacking team member(s)?
- How do you manage the project timeline?
- What is your most used metrics indicator of a project? How do you manage deadlines?
Tips: You can list out technical skills such as scrum, agile, or other project management software.
#3. Research The Organization
Doing some research on the company will help you with what to expect from the company. Research more about the company beyond its official “about us” profile. Some things you should look out for should include their value, company culture, mission, competitors, and others.
Researching questions about the company you are interviewing with can help you prepare good questions to ask about the company and questions to ask the interviewer as a fresher.
#4. Research The Job Description
Another important thing that will help you prepare for an interview for project manager is to study the job description. You can also study the general role of a project manager. This will prepare you for the interview questions.
When you research the job description, you can link your qualifications to the job description. This will help inform the hiring manager why you are the perfect match for the role.
Tips: Incorporate your experiences, skills, accomplishments, and qualifications into why you are the best fit for the job.
#5. Start Your Interview With Confidence
Regardless of your level of qualifications, be confident in your skills and ability. Most hiring managers note your reactions to every question, fidgeting, or looking confused, can send a wrong message to the interviewer.
Answer each question with complete understanding. Take a few seconds to understand the ideology behind each question and provide simple answers. Also, get familiar with the 5C’s of interviewing to scale your business.
Tips: Avoid getting tensed up before the interview session.
#6. Highlight Your Skills, Knowledge, And Experience
Effective communication is essential in every interview session. As an applicant, you should employ effective communication that will help you market yourself properly to the hiring manager.
Regardless of the level you are applying for, it is crucial that you highlight your skills, ability, and experience confidently during the interview sessions. Also, learn about the skills required for project managers and highlight these skills as skills you possess.
Tips: Avoid projecting far-fetched scenarios, but use real-life experiences.
Relevant: What to Say in an Interview that Makes You Unique?
#7. Pass The Right Message Across
The last thing you may want to do during a project manager interview is to pass the wrong message that you cannot handle the role. Therefore, it is paramount that you pass the right stance and message that tells the interviewer that you are the best fit for the role.
To pass the right message across, you must be eloquent and communicate effectively about reasons why you believe you are the best fit for the position. Be focused and showcase your leadership skills by giving examples that showcase your ability and skills.
#8. Go Through The Interviewer’s Profile
Another way to prepare for an interview for a project manager is to go through the hiring manager’s profile. Going through the interviewer’s profile will help you know a few things about the interviewer that will help you know the right questions to ask the hiring manager.
You can do your research through the platforms that the hiring manager uses. This might help you get familiar with the type of person he/she may be. So do proper research about the company and the interviewer.
#9. Have a Work Diary
Having a work diary will help you document your accomplishments and skills you have once used to mitigate risk. During interviews, questions about your strategic skills in defending a project can be confusing to answer.
Therefore, it is of the essence that you have a work diary that will help you keep records of important moments. It is not uncommon that project managers are often faced with uncertainties and risks.
However, it is your duty to reassure the hiring manager that you have all it takes to be the best fit for the role. So, ensure you have a work diary that will help you during and after your interview.
Tips: Make sure to document strategies you have used to handle a risky situation.
#10. Practice Project Manager Interview Likely Questions
Consider practicing with likely project manager interview questions and answers. Because practicing will help you stay prepared for the actual interview. Most project manager interview questions usually entail questions on your technical skills and abilities, on how to handle tough situations and short deadlines.
Therefore, be sure to stay focused and utilize real-life situations when answering questions.
Tips: Practice with a friend or family.
#11. Detail Your Commitments To Guaranteeing Customer Satisfaction
During projects, one responsibility of a project manager is to guarantee the success of the project. Completing the project within the set time frame is included in the factors that yield customer satisfaction.
Therefore, practice ways by which you will highlight your commitment to guaranteeing the company’s customers remain satisfied. Positive customer relationships often lead to customer loyalty, so ensure you showcase some of your customer and communication skills.
#12. Detail Some Of Your Soft Skills
While it is crucial to market your top-notch technical skills, it is also vital that you highlight some of your remarkable soft skills. There will be room for you to discuss some of your soft skills, so use the opportunity to discuss moments when your skills save the day.
Avoid listing the bullet points of your skills. give proper insight into how important and useful the skills will be if you are provided with the opportunity to work in the company.
Tips: Back up your soft skills with brief yet link-able stories of your experiences while using your soft skills.
#13. Describe Your Commitment To Improving Slacking Members Of Your Team
Project managers are in charge of ensuring the success of a project. The interviewer may ask questions on how can you handle members who are not contributing to a project.
This may sound like a question with a straight answer. However, you need to critically think of steps on how to guide a slacking member. This can be through organizational training, feedback, reviews, motivation, or other means. So it is paramount that you consider various ways you can handle slacking members.
#14. Prepare a Few Questions For The End Of The Interview
One way to prepare for an interview for a project manager is to have questions to ask the interviewer towards the end of the interview. You should have a few questions about the role, the company, what to expect from the role, and when should you expect feedback about the offer.
You can also include some impending questions that you consider significant for the role. Preparing these questions ahead of the interview will provide you with insight into what to expect from the position.
Conclusion on Interview for a Project Manager
Effectively preparing for a project manager interview will most likely help you nail the interview session. It is crucial that you do not memorize answers but provide relatable answers and understand what the questions are about before providing answers. You can also consider practicing with others. This article has provided a guide on how To Prepare For an Interview For a project manager.
Reference
- Indeed.com
- Cprporatetraining.usf.edu
- Monday.com
- Apm.org
- Coursera.org
