MightyRecruiterOnce you’ve gotten past the standard line of questioning used for all of your employees, it’s a good idea to start with learning more about the candidate’s overall technical abilities. What’s great about technical questions is that they’re easy to answer and make candidates feel at ease. How to interview project managers when it comes to this category is to ask about the type of software applicants have used in the past as well as the type of software they prefer to use with different projects. Once you’ve covered the details, you can ask about the applicant’s overall project management style and personal philosophy. This is a good way to determine if the two of you operate in a similar manner or in a way that is complementary. Some of the more specific work style questions you can ask include: – How do you handle status updates? – What’s your scheduling method? – How do you utilize resource?
Likes and Dislikes
As you’re compiling a list of questions to ask while learning how to interview project managers, be sure to ask about the types of work and projects the applicant prefers. Depending on your business, there might be several different projects that need to be handled, or there might only be a select few. In either case, the individual you hire should enjoy the work being performed, otherwise it might feel like more of an unwanted chore, which may not yield the very best of results. A response to be wary of is one that indicates the candidate prefers to choose his or her own projects rather than perform the ones he or she is assigned. Being open to learning how to perform different tasks is beneficial to you as well as your project manager.
Interpersonal Skills
Your new project manager will be leading your company employees as well as company projects, so she or he should be well equipped with the professional and interpersonal skills necessary to bring out the best in your employees. Be sure to ask how applicants handle office place politics and whether they have any professional training on the matter. Something else to consider as you gain more knowledge on how to interview project managers is you want to narrow your options down to candidates who show the greatest potential for doing everything necessary to ensure projects (and your employees) remained focused.
Career Valuation
To keep from hiring the seemingly perfect candidate only to have to lose him or her later, it’s a good practice to ask applicants how they value their project management careers thus far. Doing so lets you see how individuals feels about their careers and where they see those careers going in the future. Candidates you feel are only looking for a job for the money or as a placeholder until getting a ïproper jobï might not be good matches in the long run. Specifically, you’ll want someone who wants to grow with your company and in her or his career.
Project Sponsorship
Asking the interviewee how she or he works alongside project sponsors gives you the opportunity to determine what project sponsorship means to the individual as well as how the candidate gathers information from project leaders. This is also the perfect time to ask what kind of, if any, professional certifications the person has. On a related note, you should also be sure to inquire about professional skills related to project management, such as: – Do you have a background in supply chain management? – Have you ever been responsible for financials and delivery, or only project administration?
The Close
Before ending the interview, be sure to ask the interviewee how he or she would handle issues you find are common to your company or industry. Try to be as specific as possible with this line of questioning to properly prepare the individual for the job should you desire to hire her or him and so you can determine if the candidate will be a good fit. For more tips on how to interview project managers and other all-star hires, you’re more than welcome to explore more of the articles and tools offered by Mighty Recruiter.