Best Project Manager Interview Questions

Interview rounds are usually difficult, and we are more conscious while giving any answer to an interviewer. This is because we are not prepared for it. But what if you know the questions that can be asked of you? You’ll be prepared for it, right? Well, therefore, we have brought Project Manager interview questions for you. Once you have completed your MBA degree, you would be in search of a job that pays you better than others. But how to crack such a job? Obviously by having the domain knowledge and being confident in your pitch. In this blog, we have covered the project manager interview questions along with the skills required and how to ace the interview. So, keep scrolling through…

Project Manager Interview Questions - Personal/Professional/Miscellaneous

• Tell me something about yourself
• How do you prioritise any task in any project that you are handling?
• How well are you at managing a remote team?
• What is a project plan?
• How do you define an ideal project?
• Can you please elaborate on the last project you worked on?
• Do you know which is the most desired skill required for project management?
• Briefly describe your most challenging project.
• Can you tell me about your failed project?
• What are the key mistakes that you made while handling a project?
• What is a traceability matrix?
• How do you identify stakeholders?
• How do you deal with an underperforming team member?
• How do you execute a project plan?
• Can you please tell me about the project plan methodologies used in your project?
• What is the life cycle of a project?
• Can you please explain the concept of RAID in project management?
• How do you define the scope of the project? Any techniques for the same?
• How much do you know about the triple constraint triangle of project management?
• When do you consider escalating an issue?
• How do you avoid gold plating?
• What is Asana Project Management tool, and how does it work?
• What is the difference between project controlling and project monitoring?
• What is the practical approach for implementing Earned Value Management?
• Explain Fishbone/Ishikawa Diagram.
• What is the process of calculating the three-point estimating method?
• Explain Pareto principle analysis.

Project Manager Interview Questions - Clear Communication

• What is the communication style that you use with your team?
• Were there any communication challenges that you faced in your last project?
• How important is it to communicate your thoughts fluently? 
• What can be the consequences of the communication gap?

Project Manager Interview Questions - Customer Orientation

• How do you ensure that you deliver your project on time?
• Any practices that you developed to maintain excellent customer relationships?
• How do you ensure to exceed customer expectations?
• How do you set your goals for the next six months?
• Have you ever set goals for your team?
• How do you track these goals?

Project Manager Interview Questions - Domain Knowledge

• What are the three key challenges in our industry?
• How can we tackle the challenges that you mentioned above?
• How do you control changes in your project?
• How do you tackle a high level of uncertainty in any project?
• Can you describe any tough decision that you made, and it backfired?
• Do you have any examples of proactive decision-making from your last project?

Project Manager Interview Questions - Consistency and Integrity

• Have you ever delivered bad news?
• How do you communicate bad news?
• Are there any promises that you have kept even when they might have been difficult?
• Did you get the chance to handle disgruntled employees?
• How do you manage the performance of your team?
• What are the sources you use to motivate your team members?
• How easily do you delegate responsibilities?

Skills Required to be a Project Manager

If you are in the role of project manager, you should be well-versed in these skills:

Skills	Description
Leadership	A project manager needs to lead the team. Hence, he/she should be a good leader.
Communication	Communication is the key; therefore, this skill is very essential when you are in the role of Project Manager.
Organising	Project Managers need to organise their work otherwise, they will have a situation in hand.
Problem-Solving	There can be any situation that can come up where a project manager would have to solve problems.
Time Management	The major skill that a project manager should have is to manage time as they will have to deliver a project on time.
Teamwork	It is not just about leading but to know how to be with the team and in the team. You will have to communicate with different people from inter-teams.

Tips to Ace Projects Manager Interview Questions

Now that you know about the project manager interview questions, let’s discuss the tips that can help you crack the interview.

• You need to demonstrate good communication skills.
• Showcase your organisational techniques.
• Mention how you evaluate your team members’ talent and help them in developing certain skills.
• Let the interviewer know how effectively and efficiently you manage a project or reach your goals.
• Ask at least three questions about the organisation and the project that you will be handling.
• For the project manager interview questions mentioned above, you need to practice them thoroughly.
• Risks are inevitable; therefore, you need to mention the risks you took and what strategies you followed in your last project.
• Let the interviewer know about your problem-solving abilities.
• Customer satisfaction is a must - highlight this point.
• Let them know about your experience and knowledge
• Talk about the different tools you know for project management.

Conclusion

This is it! If you study these project manager interview questions, you will be ready to ace your interview. If you still planning to enter the project manager role, pursuing an MBA course would be a great choice. Apply for MBA with Sunstone and give a kickstart to your career.

• 70+ training and development sessions by top recruiters and industry experts
• Learn from expert guest faculty who are ex-IIMs and IITs
• 50+ guaranteed interviews with Placement Protection Plan
• 70% more job opportunities in metro cities
• A capstone project to work on every semester
• Helps in building a professional portfolio that improves your chances of getting hired
• If you appear in the Sunstone scholarship test, you can get a scholarship worth up to ₹ 10 Cr.

FAQs - Project Manager Interview Questions

Who is a Project Manager?

An expert who organises, plans, and manages projects while adhering to constraints like budgets and timetables is known as a project manager. Leading teams, setting objectives, communicating with stakeholders, and seeing a project through to completion are all responsibilities of project managers. The project manager contributes to the success of the project whether it is designing a computer system, building a building, executing a marketing campaign, or introducing a new product.

What is the average salary of a Project Manager?

The average salary of a Project Manager in India is ₹ 18 LPA.

Which course should I pursue to be a Project Manager?

You can pursue MBA in Project Management to learn how a Project Manager works and the skills you need.

Can I be an IT Project Manager?

Yes, you can be an IT Project Manager, but firstly, you need to have a thorough understanding of this field because IT projects are different from normal projects.

What is the role of a Project Manager?

The role of a project manager is to analyse the project, understand the difficulty, what techniques or methodologies will be used, delegate the task, and ensure that the project is delivered on time.