Project Analyst Interview questions

Update 4/4/2016: The past year has brought a whole new host of interest in project management, and the landscape has changed for project management interviews. We’ve updated this post to reflect the latest interview trends for 2016.

As most project managers who have interviewed directly for a project management position know, generic interview questions lists don’t cut it. Sure, many offices might ask you to “tell me about yourself” or “what are your greatest strengths, ” but there are many more questions specific to project managers that you can expect in your upcoming interview.

Below, I’ve listed what are in my experience the seven most common project management interview questions, along with specific guidelines on how to give a strong answer.

1. Tell me about a time when your stakeholders didn’t agree on a project. How did you proceed?

Monster.com notes that companies are interested in project managers who can inspire cooperation between all parties. Interviewers asking this question are looking for stories that will prove you have these necessary soft skills for the job. Make sure to brainstorm stories about your former project management roles in anticipation for this question and use them as a confirmation that you have the mediation skills that these hiring managers are looking for.

2. Have you ever experienced project failure? What happened?

It’s happened to the best of us: a project went too far out of scope, or became too expensive, or was behind on delivery, and it ultimately failed. The situation is always unsettling, but even more so when inquired about in an interview. The fortunate truth is that your interviewer is less interested in the actual failure than they are about learning how you deal with stressful situations. Set up the story with what happened. Be as brief as possible and try to pick a story from something that happened a long time ago. Then, detail what you did in the situation. As Lily Zhang writes for The Muse: “Do not try to cover up the fact that things didn’t all go as planned. It’s impossible to do well in an interview if the interviewer doesn’t believe what you’re saying, so don’t try to sugar coat things.” Be as straight as possible when explaining the situation and what you did. Then, give the interviewer what they’re looking for — what you learned from the failure. Demonstrate that you’ve grown as a person and can now handle similar challenges better.

3. What projects do you not want to work on?

Everyone wants to believe that they can handle every project, but the reality is that most project managers are best suited for a narrow project management role. If you tell your future employer that you love working on everything, that communicates that a) you might not know what you’re talking about or b) you’re unwilling to communicate weaknesses. Neither of these traits reflect well on you.

Instead, be honest. Are you more of a software development person? Do you do well with creative media campaigns? Would you rather lie down and die than work on a construction project? Let your interviewer know; both they and your future self will thank you for it.

4. Are you familiar with project management software?

Project management software is currently a massive part of the project management industry. Interviewers don’t just want to know that you know formal project management frameworks like Lean, Kanban, and Agile, but that you can apply these skills to project management software.

Try to figure out what project management software your company uses before interviewing. (Here’s an infographic of the most popular project management software; many products are similar in application). Detail what project management software you have used in the past and explain how that skill set can translate over to their system.

5. Describe your project management process.

Make sure to emphasize collaboration in your description of your process—oftentimes, interviewers are looking for servant leaders instead of one-man shows to bring into their company. Stressing your team and how you interact with them shows that you’re interested in group success instead of solely personal success.

6. How do you deal with difficult team members?

Project management flows a lot smoother when everyone is meeting deadlines with quality results. Unfortunately, you’re likely to work with some individuals who have trouble delivering. Your interviewer wants to know how you deal with these interpersonal and personnel issues.

First, look up proper approaches to dealing with difficult team members so that you’re ready to respond with the best possible answers. Provide examples of how you helped improve work processes of team members at your previous jobs. You can always ask your interviewer to give a “for instance;” they might also have someone specific in mind.

7. If you were to pick one skill for a project manager to have, what would it be and why?

This question is really asking if you understand the job description and have the skills to match it. It also allows the interview to peek into what your project management career has been thus far and what is important to you as a manager.

Answer genuinely. Regardless of if your answer is communication, risk management, process, or another project management skill, this is your chance to demonstrate that you’re a good cultural fit for the company and share the same values your future team will have. Take time to answer this question and give detail about why that skill is important to you.

More?

Of course, there are plenty more project management interview questions that I haven’t listed above. What questions have you run into? How would you answer these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!