Preparing for a project manager interview? From using the STAR method to answering common questions with confidence, learn how to showcase your leadership, communication, and planning skills to land your next role – especially in security cleared environments.
Firms need project managers to plan, budget and assess projects, with those in security cleared industries being no exception. These professionals are responsible for everything from planning to procurement, making sure the execution of a project goes smoothly.
Once you’ve crafted the perfect project manager CV and it’s earned you an interview, it’s time to start thinking about the next stage of the recruitment process. A successful project manager must have strong leadership and communication skills, so getting that across during the interview is crucial to securing a new role.
Interviews can feel like a daunting prospect, but the more experience you have with them, the more confident you’ll become. It’s a good idea to do some preparation and think about the sorts of questions you might get asked.
Project management roles are all about organisation, communication and planning, so it’s important to show off your skills with clear, structured answers to every question. Using the STAR method is great for this as it demonstrates your competency in a straightforward, logical manner.
STAR stands for:
No two interviews will be the same, but even if questions are phrased differently, the information a panel is trying to elicit is likely to be similar. Understanding what hiring managers are looking for will help ensure you’re preparing in the right way and have the right examples on hand for any eventuality.
Here are some of the questions you can expect to be asked in your next interview for a project manager role.
Such an open-ended question can be an easy way to slip up in an interview, so it’s important to have a strategy to answer it. Interviewers ask it to gain an insight into your personality and if you’ll fit into the company culture, but they don’t want to hear about your hobbies or personal life. They want to know about your professional background, so show off your skills by explaining your experience in a logical manner, starting with your current responsibilities, then systematically going back through previous positions in order, as well as your future ambitions.
The interviewer doesn’t just want to know what the project was about, but also how you approached it, the number of people you were managing and what the outcome was. This question is a great opportunity to use the STAR method to demonstrate your capabilities and walk interviewers through each stage of how you go about your work. Be sure to explain how you applied key project management skills and principles to the specifics of the situation.
This is a more explicit invitation to talk about your weak points and akin to the much-hated ‘what’s your worst trait’ interview question. However it’s phrased, this question is likely to come up, so you’ll need a few examples prepared that you can choose depending on the context and direction of the interview. Be ready to give an outline of the situation, the actions that were carried out and how problems were overcome for a satisfactory conclusion.
On the flipside, you’re likely to be asked about a project that went well. While there’ll probably be one that immediately comes to mind, think carefully about which example to use in your interview. Choose a project that’s relevant to the job you’re applying for and link the success back to its goals, again using the STAR method to emphasise how you kept the project focused and on track in order to meet the demands set out at the beginning of the process.
Despite the obvious temptation to talk exclusively about yourself, it’s important to bring answers to this question back to your project team. You should talk about why your project management skills will be valuable to the business, such as how you can build a strong team, support employees and streamline processes. It’s important to demonstrate to prospective employers that you understand the role isn’t about your ego.
This project manager interview question offers a great opportunity to show how you work and how you apply key principles to real-world projects. You should be able to explain the pros and cons of various ways of working and talk about your experiences using common methodologies like Kanban or Scrum, for example. You should also clearly explain why you might prefer a certain option and give examples of when they’ve proved successful in the past.
This question is where you’ll delve deeper into some of the more technical aspects of the job, with hiring managers keen to see that you have a strong grasp of project management tools. They won’t expect you to be familiar with all the potential software associated with the role, but you should be able to talk in detail about the ones you have experience with. Be honest about those you’ve used in the past – if they ask you about a tool you don’t favour or have not used so far in your project management career, then be prepared to explain why.
Good communication is vital to obtain a project manager position, but how you prefer to do this will tell hiring managers a lot about your working methods and how it will fit into the culture. You should go into the interview with a clear idea of how you’ll describe your communication style. It’s important to be as specific as possible – this is a question where generic responses such as ‘positive’ or ‘professional’ won’t be enough. Backing up your answers with examples where you can explain why you’ve communicated in a certain way, or been forced to adapt to a new style for a specific situation, will help impress recruiters.
Conflicts happen within teams. These are not a failing of its manager, as disagreements can be healthy and lead to breakthroughs. Hirers don’t want to hear how you create conflict-free environments – they want to know how you handle disputes when they inevitably arise. You must explain to the job interview panel how you resolve them and assert leadership without stifling creativity for the greater good of the project.
Managing stakeholders is a key part of project manager roles, but it can sometimes be trickier than taking charge of a project team. It can often mean having to identify who the stakeholders are in the first place, before dealing with their expectations and soliciting honest and actionable feedback. You should be prepared to explain how you communicate with these stakeholders and justify any choices with reference to past projects. Showing how you adapt your communication style to these individuals is important in demonstrating your flexibility and ability to work with different groups of people.
The above questions are the most likely to come up in a typical project management interview, but you always need to be prepared for other areas. You’re likely to get at least one question you haven’t anticipated, so thinking on your feet will be important. However, the better-prepared you are, the smoother your responses will be.
Here are two more questions you should think about before heading into an interview:
In this case, the hiring manager doesn’t want to hear about the failure itself or have you apportion blame; they want to know how you bounce back and take positive outcomes from setbacks. Don’t try to redirect or avoid the question. Be upfront about what went wrong and how you responded to it.
This is an area of leadership that’s increasingly important in a changing working environment. When answering this question, you’ll need to strike a balance between giving your team the trust and space they need and maintaining clear communication and accountability. For example, talk about the tools you use to keep in touch and explain how regularly you check in and why.
Being ready for these questions should stand you in good stead. But however you’re answering, keep in mind a few key dos and don’ts to improve your chances of a successful interview.
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