Project management is one of the indispensable parts of business success. Project managers are among the few valued resources of an organization. Getting through an interview as a project manager is an art. You can get selected for an interview if you focus on critical areas. Here is a list of the key areas that the interviewers check through project management interview questions.
- How do you define an ideal project?
It is one of the most common and important interview questions. This shows the interviewer the types of projects you like to work on. By answering this question, you will tell the interviewer about what kind of projects excite you and whether you want to work alone or as a team. You can also tell the interviewers about your preferred deadlines, along with your interest in the new and creative projects.
- Tell us your strategy for prioritizing the tasks.
This is another important question determining your ability to complete a task on time. The question on prioritization means the interviewer wants to know how well you can distinguish between urgency and importance. This question will tell them how flexible you can be while working on a project.
- According to you, what is the most desired skill needed to become a successful project manager?
If you have worked as a project manager, you might know that no single skill is sufficient for becoming a successful project manager. You should have multiple skills like leadership, management, communication, time management, etc. When answering this question, ensure that you have given enough reason why you have chosen a particular skill. You can also make your answer strong by giving a few examples.
- Tell us about the most challenging project you have managed in your career till now.
Here the interviewer wants to talk about your skill in managing critical challenges and how you have dealt with difficult situations. It is best to give an example in support of your answer. However, make sure not to include the internal factors like difficult team members or lack of support from the management; instead, focus on the external factors like when the project was called off unexpectedly or when the funding was deducted.
- Tell us the biggest mistake that you made in the past projects.
The interviewer wants to know how you managed your errors through this question. Interviewers want to check your honesty and also want to check whether you are ready to take responsibility for the mistakes that you made in the past. Ensure that you take responsibility for the errors made in the past to demonstrate your maturity level.
You can also add how you resolved the issues and made them better.
The above given five interview questions are some of the most typical questions asked during an interview. However, knowing the correct answer alone is not sufficient, as you should also have the necessary project management certification for the same.
