Our latest blog is a guide to what you might expect during an interview for a Project Manager. This may be just what you need to land that ideal job.
So, you’ve applied for your ideal job as a Project Manager, dreaming of getting stuck in and putting to use all those first-class PM’ing skills you’ve got and herding those pesky cats. Or perhaps you’re still searching (we can help with that) but getting ahead on the interview prep – kudos to you!
The all-important job interview is what it comes down to now. You’ve impressed the selection panel with your stand-out CV (or perhaps you’re reading this and thinking to yourself ‘I should really have my CV reviewed’ – well guess what, we can help with that too).
So what can you expect from the all-important interview? Well, dependent on the company, you could be facing a few scenarios. As a senior manager who’s hired a few Project Managers in my time, here’s my guide on the types of things you might expect to be faced with in the interview.
Help with The Ice Breaker
This is a standard interview intro, taking the candidate through an overview of the company, the role, and the team. Not too formal, and expect a few wisecracks to be made from the more relaxed interviewers on the panel. Try not to look too nervous, remember to smile, and most importantly breathe and relax!
So, Project Manager, Tell Me About Yourself
You may well be asked to give a brief overview of yourself, your project background and experience, and why you’ve applied for the role. Keep this succinct and try not to give the panel war and peace about your entire life story. Prepare some key points you think are worth highlighting that are relevant to the role, successful projects you’ve recently been involved in, and in what capacity.
Panel Questions – Help is Here
There will likely be a set of questions the panel will ask, which could be a selection of both competency-based and general. I won’t try and list these here, but if you check out the video below created by Passmyinterview.com you’ll see a great role-play of some of the typical interview questions that might be asked in a Project Manager interview, and how you can answer them. You can also see a set of typical questions from the Passmyinterview.com team. Remember, preparation is key to any interview, so do spend some time prepping and getting your head straight with some killer answers.
Scenario Based Project Management Help
There may be some scenarios thrown at you in the interview. Be ready for this. I get candidates to look at a list of tasks and place them into logical priority order, to see how they approach a basic planning problem and ask them why they chose that order. You will probably be challenged on some of the decisions – make sure to strike a good balance between justifying your decision and taking on board the panel’s comments. We can all improve our plans!
Show Us Your Planning Skills
Some interviews may require you to look at a project brief and prepare a basic project plan to present, usually with time to prepare this ahead of the interview date. I’ve used this successfully on several occasions – it’s a great way to see how confident interviewees are at preparing and then presenting something which they feel ownership of. Be confident with this, but as before, keep things succinct and focused on the task you have been set.
Questions At The Ready
The final phase of the interview will normally be the standard part where you get to ask any questions. I’ve performed so many interviews where people haven’t asked ANY questions. Please please, take my advice, and have at least a couple of questions to ask as it will show you really are interested in the role and the company. It could be simple things like:
- “What sort of projects would I be working on when I start the role”
- “What’s the dynamic of the team, and would there be an opportunity to meet with them before my first day”
- “What’s the best thing about working for this company”.
You get the idea.
There will be many different formats of interviews, but hopefully, this overview and the video will help you prep.
If you’re reading this article, you may well be interested in taking a look at some of the Project Manager Job vacancies we have listed on the website. Just click here to start your search – you only need to enter the job title (Project Manager, Agile Project Manager, Senior Project Manager, etc.) and the location you’re interested in.
By the way – if you don’t find anything relevant for you this time, you can always do a quick sign-up and get email alerts sent to you for Project Manager jobs in your desired location. It’s free, quick, and dead easy.
Lastly, good luck. Interviews can be daunting, but with the right preparation and mindset, I’m confident you can blow the panel away and land your perfect job.
Best of luck!
One final word – below is our selection of Project Manager and Project Management Jobs in the UK’s major cities. These are refreshed regularly throughout the day, so you should be able to find a relevant Project Manager job near to you. Happy hunting.