Your project management background
1. What’s your personal and professional background?
This is your chance to expand on what’s in your resume. Make sure to discuss any of your personal experiences that add something unique to your professional life.
2. What is your experience in this industry?
This is another opportunity to expand on your resume. Most project management careers aren’t linear. This is your chance to explain your unique experience.
3. What is your most successful project?
This doesn’t have to be the biggest project you’ve completed or the most complicated. Share a specific project that you find to be successful and the reasons why you see it that way.
4. Describe the biggest mistake you’ve made on a project.
This is your opportunity to share your project management weakness. While there is no specific right answer to this question, you want to choose a mistake to share that you’ve learned from. A great technique to remember is STAR. STAR means Situation, Task, Action, and Result – it tells a whole story for the interviewer.
5. How did your last project end/what lessons did you learn?
This can be a successful ending or a lesson learned from the last project you completed. This question can be a larger opportunity to share why you’re moving on to other opportunities, if you feel it’s appropriate.
6. How do you plan your project schedule?
In general, share your methods for creating a project schedule. If you have a unique experience that requires a different method, share that too.
7. How do you prefer to give status updates?
Share how you give status updates to the project team and stakeholders. Ask the interviewer how they currently share status updates too.
8. What are your tactics for motivating a team?
This is an opportunity to share what you’ve done in the past to motivate a team. If you have specific scenarios, those are always good to share.
9. How do you monitor and manage risks?
This question and the few listed before it are there to determine your abilities as a good project manager. Just as importantly, these questions aim to see if your management style fits in with the company’s. In project management, a risk is anything that threatens the project’s success or key performance indicators, such as schedule, cost, and scope.
10. Do you have any budget management experience?
This is another opportunity to expand on your resume. If you do not have any budget management experience, you can share any additional experience that’s not listed on your resume.
