​How to ask and respond to common project manager interview questions

Looking for a project manager to take your business forward? Or are you looking for a role in project management? We outline some of the common interview questions associated with project manager roles and how to respond to them as a jobseeker.

9 mins read
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over 1 year ago

Project managers are responsible for the daily management of project work and need to have the skills to handle the scope, schedule, budget, risk and quality of any project.

Project manager roles can be very stressful and time-sensitive, so interviews for this kind of role can be challenging. Although every interview is different, it is likely that similar questions will be asked that focus on interpersonal skills, technical knowledge, and examples from specific situations.

Here are some common project manager interview questions that you can ask as an employer and how to answer them as a candidate.

Tell me about yourself

Employer: This is a common question to start most interviews, and it is a good way to learn more about a candidate’s background, previous experiences and skills they have learned from other roles. This question can also be used to try and learn more about the candidate’s personality and how they would fit in as a project manager at the company.

Candidate: There are several ways to approach this question that will satisfy the interviewer. A simple and effective way to structure a response is to start with your current role and what you do, then move on to past experiences that are relevant to the role you applied for and finish with what kind of role you are looking for next and why you are interested in this opportunity. There are several ways to approach this question that will satisfy the interviewer. A simple and effective way to structure a response is to start with your current role and what you do, then move on to past experiences that are relevant to the role you applied for and finish with what kind of role you are looking for next and why you are interested in this opportunity.

What’s your prior experience in this industry?

Employer: It’s important to know if a candidate has experience in your industry because they may already have the knowledge and understand the methods that your company uses to manage projects successfully. If they don’t, try to assess if they have strong project management skills that can apply to your industry, such as using project management software or having a good knowledge of how the industry works. It’s important to know if a candidate has experience in your industry because they may already have the knowledge and understand the methods that your company uses to manage projects successfully. If they don’t, try to assess if they have strong project management skills that can apply to your industry, such as using project management software or having a good knowledge of how the industry works.

Candidate: Being prepared to talk about the industry is essential. Make sure you can talk about any experiences you have had in the industry - from either a professional or academic perspective. If you don’t have any direct experience, talk about what you know from market research, what interests you about the industry and what you plan to bring to it. It may be helpful to mention any skills or knowledge that are transferable as well.Being prepared to talk about the industry is essential. Make sure you can talk about any experiences you have had in the industry - from either a professional or academic perspective. If you don’t have any direct experience, talk about what you know from market research, what interests you about the industry and what you plan to bring to it. It may be helpful to mention any skills or knowledge that are transferable as well.

What was your most successful project?

Employer: Scenario-based interview questions are a good way to understand how candidates have achieved success in different situations. This question will help to identify a candidate’s passion for their work, any proven successes as a project manager and how they measure success.Scenario-based interview questions are a good way to understand how candidates have achieved success in different situations. This question will help to identify a candidate’s passion for their work, any proven successes as a project manager and how they measure success.

Candidate: This question gives you a great opportunity to show your strengths as a project manager. Focus on your role - what did you do to make sure the project stayed on track to meet the deadline? Think about the key decisions you and the team made that led to its success. Remember, projects can be successful not only for meeting goals and deadlines, but also if they introduced change and developed new strategies.This question gives you a great opportunity to show your strengths as a project manager. Focus on your role - what did you do to make sure the project stayed on track to meet the deadline? Think about the key decisions you and the team made that led to its success. Remember, projects can be successful not only for meeting goals and deadlines, but also if they introduced change and developed new strategies.

"Although you may be concerned about a career decision, or some possible skill gaps a candidate might have, be mindful to not rule anyone out or make any snap judgements before the end of the interview so you can get the full picture and give the candidate a fair chance."

Scott Nevett- Recruitment Director, Reed

Describe a difficult project and how you handled it

Employer: The purpose of this question is to evaluate how candidates cope with challenges. Obstacles are common when managing projects, but you want to find out how they solved them in the past to understand how they deal with real-life situations. This question also gives an insight into the person’s project management style, and how they lead teams and resolve conflicts that may occur.

Candidate: Facing unexpected challenges is a key part of being a project manager, so ideally you’ll have a few examples to pick from. The best way to answer this question is to first explain the situation and what the challenge was. Then, describe how you found a solution to overcome the situation. Next, tell what you did, and how you did it. Finish by sharing the result and what you learned from the experience.

How do you prioritise tasks on a project?

Employer: Knowing exactly what to prioritise is essential for any project. To be successful, a good project manager or project management office (PMO) is going to help manage small and large-scale projects that have an impact on the business and customers. This question will explore the candidate’s thought process and how they make time and task management decisions. It’s also worth finding out how the candidate would handle multiple projects at once.

Candidate: When asked questions about prioritisation, providing examples of how you organise your day, plan your work and set deadlines shows the interviewer that you’re able to monitor and keep on top of work. According to the 2021 Project Management Report, 59% of project managers run between two and five projects at any given time, so make sure your answer includes a combination of deadlines, stakeholder needs and business-critical tasks.

What tools/software do you like to use to help plan, track and evaluate a project?

Employer: A project manager will use tools to plan, track and evaluate their work. Take the time to get a sense of how well the candidate knows different project management tools and how they use them.

Candidate: It would be helpful to list the project management tools you’ve used in previous roles, from Trello to Basecamp to Asana. Mention what you enjoy about the tools, and how they could be improved – it would be a great bonus to find out what tools the company uses and start a conversation on that.

How do you manage budgets for your projects?

Employer: Most projects, regardless of the size, usually require some budgeting, which is why it may be useful to ask questions specifically about budget management. Asking questions about budgets allows employers to gain a deeper understanding of what experience the candidate has with project management processes.

Candidate: The employer, more often than not, will want to hear examples of when you’ve managed a budget for previous projects. Try to talk about situations when you’ve given cost estimates, allocated funds, kept track of money spent, and how you’ve planned for unforeseen costs. If you don’t have much experience, share what you know about budget planning, or, if relevant, talk about budgeting in your personal life. Our specialist recruiters can help you conduct the perfect interview.

Have you worked with remote teams?

Employer: Because of the pandemic – and the rapid growth of digital project management tools – projects being done and worked on remotely have increased significantly. Knowing how the candidate has worked with people and resources remotely can show you how they adapt to changes in working conditions, and provides valuable insight into their leadership style.

Candidate: Employers will want to know how you’ve successfully worked with remote teams. Often, they will want to hear possible challenges faced when working with a remote workforce, and how you dealt with any issues quickly and effectively. Showing how you’ve been flexible and adaptable to changes in working conditions – such as using communication software like Microsoft Teams – is also a huge positive for businesses in the current situation.

How would you handle a difficult stakeholder?

Employer: This question aims to gain clarity into a candidate’s stakeholder management skills and how they deal with issues. How they communicate with executives, project sponsors and stakeholders requires a different tone than what is used with team members – use this question to understand what approach they’d take to handle this situation.

Candidate: Working with stakeholders is never easy, but it’s a vital part of being a successful project manager. Being able to showcase your ability to manage stakeholder needs is crucial. Focus on a previous example, describing the situation, before presenting your solution and the result will stand you in good stead. Your communication and negotiation skills will be an important part of your answer.

If you are looking for the next top professional for your business or looking for your next role, get in touch with one of our expert consultants today.

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Coaching for intersectional inclusion
9 mins read
  1. Article

Coaching for intersectional inclusion

​​Everyone has multiple layers to their identity, and no one is one label. There are other aspects of their identities to consider, and no one should be put in a box. Many businesses, which celebrate Pride Month, for example, are perceived as not doing enough for people who are underrepresented in more than one way.

Recent research by Culture Amp in ‘The Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Report 2024’ found disabled women and black women are more doubtful of their employers’ equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDI&B) efforts than any other group.

This is likely because women might feel their entire identity and additional barriers aren’t being considered, if they are part of more than one underrepresented group. Some employers’ initiatives provide a base-level overview of inclusion for women, but they might only explore the perspectives of white women, for example, or women in general, with no specific solutions explored for LGBTQ+, disabled or black women, for instance. Each may have very different experiences of what it means to be a woman.

Coaching people within your organisation can help leaders and employees gain a deeper understanding of intersectionality and why it’s important. We interviewed Mary-Clare Race, CEO of Talking Talent, for her insight and best-practice tips on all things coaching and inclusion.

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Q: What's the difference between coaching, mentoring, and other types of training, especially when it comes to equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging?

A: These terms are often used interchangeably in the world of talent development, but we see a clear distinction between them that is especially important when it comes to EDI&B.

In a training situation, the primary goal is typically to transfer knowledge from the facilitator to the participant, to raise their awareness and understanding of a particular topic or skill and provide them with practical tips on how to put that skill into action for themselves.

In a mentoring situation, there is also an element of knowledge transfer, but in a more personalised, relationship based, one-to-one situation where the mentee is paired up with a more experienced mentor who is there to provide them with support, advice and guidance.

Coaching takes the relationship-based approach one step further and focuses on supporting and facilitating the coachee to actively step in and facilitate their own outcomes. It is not about giving them the answer but rather supporting them to find their own answer, their own way forward.

At Talking Talent, we favour a coaching-led approach because it enables a deeper level of behavioural change. The coachee must be actively engaged and motivated to do the inner work on themselves and the coach is there to hold them to account. However, there is a role for all three approaches when it comes to solving EDI&B challenges and real power in combining all three.

Q: How can coaching help businesses become more inclusive and diverse?

A: If you look at what it takes to really move an organisation forward with their EDI&B strategy, we believe you've got to take a systemic approach and build inclusion into your culture and in how people behave every day.

There are several ways coaching can help with this:

Leadership behaviours: by working with a coach, leaders become more aware of their own biases, preferences and how their own identity shapes how they show up as a leader. The coach can help them develop the skills needed to foster a culture of inclusion and hold themselves and others accountable.

Developing talent: in many organisations there are pockets of talent who have been overlooked because of some aspect of their identity. Coaching-led programmes can support under-represented talent to thrive and overcome what may be holding them back so they can fulfil their true potential. And by offering coaching-led programmes that address the unique needs of underrepresented individuals, organisations demonstrate their commitment to supporting the needs of all their employees - thus driving retention and engagement levels up.

Improving culture: at the heart of culture change is the need to move behaviours forward at an organisational level. We believe coaching is the most powerful way to do this for an organisation - by helping individuals and groups develop the self-awareness, emotional intelligence and relational competency to work effectively in diverse teams and build inclusion into the culture.

Q: In your experience, why are diversity and inclusion initiatives so important to organisations and their talent attraction and retention?

A: In our industry, there's been significant backlash against EDI&B efforts, particularly in North America, and this sentiment seems to be growing globally. The issue often lies in viewing EDI&B initiatives as separate from core organisational culture. For me, EDI&B is about creating an environment where every individual, regardless of identity, can thrive and contribute fully. This isn't just about ticking boxes – it's critical for attracting and retaining talent, and crucial for overall business performance.

Ultimately, EDI&B isn't merely an add-on; it's integral to effective leadership and to building success at all levels of your organisation. It's about fostering authenticity, encouraging diverse perspectives, and empowering individuals to contribute their best work. These principles are essential for any business striving to maximise performance and leverage a diverse talent pool, regardless of their specific commitments or strategies. It's about creating a workplace culture where everyone can succeed and where the organisation benefits from the full potential of its people.

Q: Who should be coached in inclusion and diversity within an organisation? And why?

A: When considering who should be coached in inclusion and diversity within an organisation, it's crucial to view these efforts as integral to successful business practice. While not everyone needs individual coaching, it's essential to ensure all members of the organisation are engaged in the journey towards inclusivity.

For leadership teams, coaching can be particularly impactful in fostering a culture where inclusion is actively cultivated and practiced. Leaders can learn to demonstrate inclusive behaviours and set the tone for the entire organisation.

Additionally, focusing coaching efforts on groups that have historically faced barriers – such as women, marginalised ethnicities, or neurodivergent individuals – can be highly beneficial. By addressing systemic challenges these groups face, organisations can promote fairness and unlock their full potential.

Ultimately, the decision on who to coach should be informed by the organisation's current state and readiness for change. A tailored approach ensures that coaching initiatives align with strategic goals and create meaningful impact across the entire workforce.

Q: To what extent is intersectionality considered in your coaching and why is it important?

A: This is one of the reasons why coaching is so effective, because intersectionality is really about the need to recognise we are all more than a set of labels. We have a lot of different aspects of our identity that intersect. Our gender, race, age, sexuality, social background, neurodiversity etc. are all important elements to consider. And it's important to consider the unique experiences individuals have, particularly when they have one or more identities intersecting, and where there might have been barriers against people with those identities.

That's key in our coaching approach, because coaching allows you to meet the individual where they are. It's not so much that we are coaching people about intersectionality, but we're really considering the unique person that comes into the coaching experience.

And the risk of not doing that is you put people in a box, and it can be further disenfranchising for them because they're thinking, "Well, actually, I'm being given this opportunity as a woman, but it's not taking into account all of these other aspects of my identity that are intersecting with it and I am being required to leave that part behind."

By failing to consider intersectionality in a coaching situation you can, in fact, make the situation more difficult for the coachee.

Q: You’re teaching others to be inclusive, but how does your organisation ensure it's walking the walk, not just talking the talk?

A: It's something we're very passionate about obviously, we have our own DE&I council, which is chaired by myself as a CEO, in partnership with our Head of People, and HR.

We are actively looking at all aspects of our culture in terms of how we build inclusion, and how effective our leaders, policies and processes are. Do we feel that they're fair? Is there any way in which we're discriminating against certain groups? Whether that's in our recruitment processes or in how promotions happen or how opportunities are given within the business – and we make that very much a managerial responsibility.

We're also constantly looking at our own metrics and where we need to be rebalancing our employee profile. So, across all aspects of diversity, it's a big focus for us.

And we have a DE&I strategy and plan that we're working to with the support of a council which is made up of different members of our workforce.

Q: What advice would