Most Valuable Tips for Project Manager Job Interview

High-visibility project Interviewing in the Project Management industry internally or a new opportunity outside your company can be terrifying. Using mind-mapping techniques to organize your introduction, elevator speech, key experiences and follow-up questions can help you prepare.

If you are looking jobs in Project Management industry or the next internal high-visibility project, interviews are a common occurrence in the Market of Project Management. Understandably, senior management and perspective employers want to audition and approve the project manager before handing over a multinational project. As project managers, one can looking for the next available project when the current project closes.

Preparing for an interview for Project Manager Job is a challenging experience. You know everything you say and do is being evaluated. You are concerned about your appearance, making a good first impression, responding with articulate answers, and hoping you’re providing sufficient detail without overwhelming the hiring manager about past project nuances, acronyms and tidbits. The amount of preparation may vary depending on your risk tolerance, interview skills and the job importance. Some project managers can simply walk into an interview with little or no preparation and describe their qualifications like a recap of last night’s American Idol performance. Others spend a few hours updating their resumes, making notes, and even rehearsing for the interview. I’ve always been a fan of preparation, although usually five minutes before the interview, I’m reviewing my resume and comments frantically thinking I forgot something. After all, I wanted to be prepared for any possible question with the perfect answer.

Positive Approach for interview

The approach must be positive for a an interview, It is important to remember the key points you want to communicate in addition to answering the interview questions.

Below is key points for An interview.

Introduction : The introduction is a lot more than a greeting while looking the hiring manager in the eye with a firm handshake. Onsite office interviews are often scheduled in-between meetings during a manager’s free time. Often, the interviewer may be a few minutes late or generally unprepared to start the interview. This is an excellent opportunity for you to direct the discussion with a brief summary of your background.

Position Overview : The next five to ten minutes the interviewers will typically provide a brief overview of the project. Depending on the dialogue, the interviewers may go into additional detail before asking key questions. You want to apply your listening skills because the next series of questions will try to determine how well your background fits the project.

Relevant Experience : After the project overview, the interviewers will likely ask about your experience as it relates to the project. Assuming you know a little about the project, you can reflect on your experiences and find a related example. If the Project Management Position interfaces directly with clients or business customers, you’ll want to highlight past experiences demonstrating how you connected with customers for effective delivery.

Technical Skills: The title of project manager is often bestowed upon anyone in a leadership position despite their lack of technical project management knowledge. The technical project management question is intended to determine if you really know the science and not just the art of project management. This is an opportunity to highlight your technical experience performing critical chain analysis, calculating earned value, or resource leveling a project schedule.

Soft Skills : The soft skill question is usually asked to test a project manager’s team management skills and overall leadership behaviors. Look at your experiences and recall examples of conflict resolution, issue management, managing customer’s expectations, and team building. You’ll notice this technique focuses on experiences and not specific positions. Citing experiences from multiple positions is an effective technique to demonstrate breadth.

Wrap Up : Remember to reiterate your interest in the position and ask if there is anything else that requires further clarification.