PROJECT MANAGER Interview Questions & ANSWERS! (How to PASS a Project Management Job Interview!) 

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Been a PM for many years, big and small orgs, Fortune 500 companies, startups, agile, waterfall, etc, also interviewed many PMs, and also been interviewed many times as a contractor, consultant or FTE. I like this, gave allot of the core concepts, though My first reaction this felt scripted. The thing I look for is people that are genuine, has a personality, and of course can do the job. I understand you are giving a training video, which I feel you got all the traditional questions and answers. There are different types of PMs and for different industries, all have there on flares and knowledge. I felt your answers were way to long and mono tone. There was lack of charisma, personality and emotion. This day and age, interviewers and interviewees do not dress in suit and tie. You dress and match the industry, and go one notch higher. One question I always ask, is tell me a hobby or something that you like to do for fun. I then ask questions about said topic, and see how they respond. This question catches allot of people off guard at first, but the goal is to hear there level excitement in something they don’t collect a paycheck for. Then gauge all other questions off that same emotion. It also sets the tone that we are looking for someone that is real, honest, and Down to earth. Project managers are not in control, they influence. Control these days are signs of weakness and power hungry, that’s not a team! Projects are teams, like any sports team. PMs are like the org appointed captain of the team, not the manager! Trust and honesty is the biggest things to work on with any team. Know, like and trust is something I always strive for. Psychology and sociology are key things to learn as a PM. What makes people tick, what motivates them, what drives them. Yes, the timelines, budgets and quality are your responsibility, but them come when you build a team. When you fall on swords for the team, when you give them air cover, when you stay late in the trenches with them, even though you can’t do anything, but your there. Getting food, coffee, or driving them home because they miss the bus. That’s respect 101. That’s what a leader does. I understand it’s a training video, and you captured the core, but interviews do not go like this. I have a technique that makes interviews flow, by answering questions with a question, this creates dialogue and it’s not one way. Instead of waiting for the traditional questions, you answer the initial one, with another one you will know they will ask, work into your response. Bounce off of people, like a real conversation. This day and age companies are looking not for people to do the job, they are looking for people that matches their environment, Good video, but I would lean people to being themselves, and real. This goes for interviewers as well.

Hi Richard, I've been Project Manager for about 15 years and have been PMP certified for 10 years. Your answers were exceptional. About the skills you've mentioned very good ones, but I would add very organized person, detail oriented and have good negotiation skills. Thanks for the video.

I recently interviewed and was offered the Project Coordinator position after watching your videos !! Thank you so much

I had a project manager interview. No relevant experience/qualifications. I used this video & bought the PM interview Q&A on the website. And I GOT THE JOB!!!! Thank you, your videos are great. God bless you

I got offered my dream PM job with a hefty compensation after watching your videos. I interviewed on Monday and was told that I would hear from them by the end of the week. By 5pm on Monday, she said she wanted to do a follow up call on Tuesday. I was a bit taken aback because we had done part 1 on Friday, part 2 on Monday, and that was all they needed to do. However I still came prepared for a ton more questions if need be. She offered me the job and same day they called me to propose my salary. Thank you Sir. May God bless you for everything you do. This is really a big break for my family and I. Blessings 🙌 in the Name of Jesus! God be praised for His good works.

I got the PM position that doubled my income! All thanks to you, no way i would have been able to answer the interview questions correctly if I hadn’t watched your videos! 🙌

Hi Richard, I recently interviewed for a senior project manager position. My last interview was nearly 14 years ago so I found your channel really useful, to create a CV and prepare for my interview. Your videos are well structured, easy to understand and really motivational. I felt confident after watching a number of your videos and taking all your hints and tips into my interview. Needless to say I got offered the job the next day with a 21% pay rise! Thank you for all your content.

I was hired as a Project Manager this week. Your videos helped me a lot to organize my ideas, experience and studies. Thank you so very much!

The problem is that frequently you face lack of resources, opposite stakeholders interests and lack of sponsorship. Most of the time project manager can’t carry all the responsibility for the project success. in a job interview you must meticulously question your potential employer on the problems with projects they have had so far. Probably all their projects fail or succeed due to reason that are beyond PM’s control.

this is so helpful. I've been working as a PM for some years now but I honestly wouldn't have a clue what to reply to some of these questions. Thanks for giving us some good inspiration.

Dear Richard I've been watching your videos & absorbing the Wisdom. I had a meeting for a project manager position today. It went really well. They said that they'd let me know tomorrow, however I was called an hour after the interview and offered the position👍🙂 Thanks so much Richard, applying your tips & wisdom secured me that job!

I attended a interview today with the help of this video, I have mentioned the important keywords mentioned in this video such as "taking responsibility, working under pressure, finishing within deadlines, conflict resolution, listening" I have received a call that i have got selected for the job role of Project Manager..thank you so much sir, I am grateful for this video.

When I read that these videos will help you pass your Interview, I thought it was merely an advertisement to draw one to the videos; I was wrong, totally wrong!! I got hired after watching a few of these videos. I want to thank everyone for putting these videos together and the knowledge you spread. What I would like to share is that the interviewers were so impressed with my answers they said I was impressive at the interview in my offer letter - Thanks, Richard!

I prepped myself in a big part by watching your videos and I landed my first-time job as a project manager. Your interview techniques and guidelines were very helpful. Thank you so much!

I just wanted to say a special THANK YOU to you and your videos. Watching and learning from you helped me get the job as a Project Manager and I get to work from home 3 days out of 5. Thank you so much for your videos and guidance 🙏🏾

Hi Richard, Thank you for your content! I used your tips and tricks during my recent job search and completely nailed my interviews. Then, I used your salary negotiation tips to secure my six figure PM position that I’ll be starting very soon. Being well prepared with answers using the STAR technique helped my confidence in interviews tremendously. Anyone watching, trust what he says. Think about your experience, your projects and prepare your answers as he has presented his. It’s solid advice.

Hi Richard! I just wanted to once again say 'Thank You!!'. I am still enjoying life as a Project Analyst, and it is truly thanks to you that I could represent myself and my experiences well in the PMO interview, and was prepared to write the preliminary Psychometric test. Things are busy, dynamic and ever changing - exciting!! ...and it's thanks to you. THANK YOU!!

Excellent! I am your fan. I made use of your previous videos. They are great! I had two interviews in the past two weeks. I had at least one offer from them. Thank you very much for your great work. I will still keep watching your videos.

Watched ur videos in preparation for a job interview and I read through the comments with people testifying they got a job due to ur tips. Never thought I would testify here but amazingly had to come back to say I just got my the job today! So excited Thanks

Wow! Your attitude and the tone of the voice are perfect! You receive the respect from the very beginning of the interview! Thanks for sharing that.

Got an interview today and u uploaded this. Yet another stunner. Thank you

I've been in the process of changing careers this spring/summer. Since I was with my company for 11 years already, straight out of school, I was not confident in my interview skills, and came by your series. I must commend you, as throughout my interviews this summer I have ran in to several of your "difficult questions" and been well prepared for them. Looking forward to start in a well paid PM position in a couple of months. Thanks Richard! I owe you one 👌

Amazing! Great Confidence!

Richard, thanks so much for this content. I really appreciate. I'm a PM for 15 years. I now have to apply for new ventures and need to be interviewed.

That's simply a masterpiece, I really enjoyed every second and learned a lot. Thank you very very much!

I used this, but added examples of my actual experience rather than just saying I know this or that, and cut each response down to less an a 1 minute using bullet points on many of the topics you mention. They complimented me on my introduction. So wow, thanks! Best interview ever so far. 5 stars highly recommended.

It is amazing! You are describe a project management scope and nature very precisely. I have feel all these qualities inside me during 15 years I’m working on the position of project manager, but with this video I’d aggregated all the things together. Thank you so much for instructions and inspiration!

Hi Richard. Excellent Video! Thank you so much for the same . Cracked multiple interviews in one shot and got the offers as well , followed all your advice. Its my success story . THANK YOU AGAIN.

Thank you Richard. I watched ur video few hours before my interview and they interviewer asked the same question you shared (about the stages of project management). I answered confidently and smoothly. Got the job offer! :)

Thanks so much. I saw many testimonies here before I did my interview and hoped to make mine. Here I am, I did so well in my interview and the panel said I was one of the best candidates. Thanks so much for taking your time to positively touch lives. All praise be to Almighty God.

Thanks for sharing the PM interview FAQs. This helped me to get a PM job.

Thanks Richard, very insightful answers helping to prepare the interviews perfectly. Helped me to land my job in one of top tech companies.

As a Senior Project manager, this video is pretty spot on barring any role/organisationally specific points, really nice to see well thought out and well laid out answers. To all those interviewing for PM roles (or any supporting Project related roles), best of luck, to all those that have secured positions, congratulations!

Thank you for all your videos! I had an interview yesterday for a Quality Manager and passed- your videos helped a lot with preparing for the interview questions 🙂

I watched this video before my project manager Interview and I’m happy to share that i got the job. Thank you so much for the tips.

In all honesty you sounded so new, listening to you motivates me to keep pushing in my career in project management. I look forward to learning more, thank you sir

Been a PM for many years myself, I wanted to point out that the PM role have evolved significantly in recent years especially in the technology field. You need to me more Agile oriented, less traditional PMBOK approach. It is all about speed to market, don’t need to be the best but be the first. Hence, I like the part where you mentioned your ability to adapt and learn as one of your strength.

I do find that, when interviewing, less is often more; but, this was still pretty good. I just advise others to keep your answers relatively short, unless asked to expound. It shows confidence and you also don't risk sounding redundant or scripted.

Brilliant piece of art. Thank you for this!

Interviewers always ask for example not only the theoretical part of project management. If they ask about conflict management, they will tell you to illustrate with past experiences. If they ask for Project management life cycle, they will again ask how this was implemented in the project you have worked. It's not just about seeing the video and answering the questions in the interview.

Thank you for your advices ! I've been hired as a Project Manager for the UK area thanks to your videos !

Just wanted to thank you 🙏 I followed your structure, I got the project manager job! You are absolutely brilliant 🤩

Mind-blowing. It helped me a lot more than I thought. It changed my way of approach and HR was so impressed.

Your videos are extremely informative and at the same time motivational. I always made sure to view this particular video especially once before my interviews, and I have successfully cracked 3/4 job offers in Project Manager role. Thank you so much for the awesome content. Here I am viewing your content again now before my PMP exam, fingers crossed that I will crack my PMP exam as well today..as I consider your videos to be lucky for me😊 Edited: Successfully passed my PMP today in first attempt.

I recently got hired for a job as a network and systems Analyst thanks to your interview videos

Hi Richard! I just wanted to say thank you. I followed everything from this video and I got a job offer! You're amazing.

I don't know what happened that I suddenly stood up and clapped for this video! Everything is perfect, look at the body language, eye contact, tune of voice, level of confidence in the voice.. This video is gold and I will watch it over and over.. Thank you!

Very informative…really good video here. I am currently struggling with myself and where I am at and what I can negotiate. At this time , getting a PM job is difficult because of Covid. I have worked in the tech field for 16yrs and have been a PM 8yrs of that. I recently passed my PMI-PMP exam with above target on all domains and business. Now it seems I can’t find a job. “Been looking for 3 months now”. I am a little bummed right now but your video has given me some encouragement.

While this is some VERY generic responses, there are several things that stand out to those looking for project managers. I've been a consulting PM for 35 years, and here are some more tips to help you get the gig. First, KNOW YOUR METHODOLOGIES! What is the difference in Waterfall and Agile, and in what environments to both excel? (Waterfall for infrastructure and Agile for development and code work with a unified workforce...study up on LEAN, SAFE, and SCRUM Agile.). How do ISO 21500 and PMI, and when are why is PMI moving to ANSI (OK, WAY too much to unreel here, google). What tools do you use to manage your projects? MS Project is a solid choice, but there are a lot of companies who cheap out and use SmartSheet (HORRIBLE), some companies are WORSE and just use Excel and shareware / freeware like Monday. MANY companies use SharePoint extensively, and there are many companies that are utilizing their ticketing system to assign and track the project work (like Remedy and ServiceNow). What is the largest budget that you've managed? What is the largest number of people who have reported to you? Scope Management, Risk Management, and Change Management these are the keys to success and making sure that your scope is correct and that you don't allow scope creep, identifying and managing risk is the difference between Professionally Managing a project and Ad Hoc BS, and change management is your key to staying on time and budget for the lifespan of your project (more requirements usually means more time and more money...make sure that the company approves of ALL CHANGE). Take the tips from above, integrate the specifics from my little wall of text, and you will show that you ACTUALLY know how to PROFESSIONALLY manage project, and not just another "shade tree mechanic" mouthing platitudes.

Really impressive answers

Hi Richard, thank you for this very in-depth behind-the-scenes look at an example project manager interview. This being my field, I found this particularly insightful.

This interviewee knows more than the interviewers. He doesn’t need the job he can create his own company and move forward.

Thanks a lot, I got a construction manager job thanks to your interview

Excellent mock interview video suitable for Project Manager's job position!

Hi Richard, your video has really inspire me and gave me courage to continue working hard as I am perusing my degree in project management. Thank you so much.

Hi Richard, throughout my career journey as a Project Manager I would rank you an A plus on Your brilliant answers “WELL DONE MATE”

I got the job!! Thank you so much 😊

I like how Rich always brings everything (skills, experiences, education, etc) back to the role and how would they help him contribute positively to the organisation and organisation bottom line. Love watching these interviews, you always learn something new and start feeling confident about you own deliverance of your interviews.

Thank you so much for help me with my interview 👍🏼

Thanks Richard for these lovely tips though I have never thought having tight timelines for a project implementation may be considered as one of advantages! I really wish my projects go live on time without any time constraints though I appreciate it's not always the case!

There are some really good questions and answers but it all feels so robotic. Good to take some of this onboard with my next gig. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you so much for your sharing!

Hi Richard I can't not thank you enough with tips and knowledge you providing to us. I think I did exceptionally well on my interview today.

I was hired as project manager 3 years ago, and the same question was hurled to me. I did not have the same answer to those question as you did, but they accepted me anyway.Thanks because I found out I am on the right track.

Quick tip: be yourself, honest and hardworking. And that's it.

I got hired as a program manager because of you!!!

I’m actively interviewing for project management positions. These were amazing. Thank you!

Hi Richard - Would it be possible to add a tutorial video on how to conduct salary negotiation with new employer upon the shortlisting process - Thanks so much in advance!

Hi Richard, when he said "tell me about yourself", you spoke about your skills as a project manger. I once did this but i was criticized for not telling them about me and who i am, where i am from etc. What do you think?

Thanks Richard, this helps me to understand all about the project management, tough I am leading the product it was challanging to explain what project management is.

I am finishing my Google certificate as a project manager, so thanks you very much for you contribution for the next steps!

Thank you very much man! Excellent video, so I would like to suggest something that is really important for every Project Manager... According to the Project Manager for the Unofficial Project Manager book, it’s really important and decisive to put all the people into “The Big Picture”. Understanding What I needed to be be done? Which part of my job allows to accomplish the project goals? And how do all the Project team will achieve that final state?, are the most important factors about having a clear vision of “The Big Picture”.

“We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves.” - Earl Nightingale

Really informative.......Thanks, Richard!

Thank you Richard I am a newbie as a project manager despite the fact I have worked in such positions that would definitely help me in the journey of Project management.

Hi Richard, thanks for the video. This is exactly what I was looking for. Just one quick question, how would I make myself stand out if I’ve never been in a PM role but kept learning and taking certificate courses that help me shift into the role? Thanks again 😊

Hi Richard, I know a software company that is building complex plug-ins for a popular and expensive financial application. The services organization is outsourced to an owned entity in E.Europe. The team is full of friendly professional members. I'm close to the team and see that they almost NEVER achieve a micro-granular or a macro-project implementation deadline. They just move the goalposts every-time they miss the deadline. They do not try to understand CSAT and their support team appears slow. My experience forecasts doom for these guys but the opposite is the case. They continue to have new customers and the head of the services and support team continues to receive more money and promotions. It is the oddest situation I've witnessed. Have you ever seen such an 'opposite-think' situation? Would love to hear about it if you have.

Hi Richard, thanks for sharing, I have 30 plus years of working experience, out of which 27 years are related to Project Management with different roles. What your answers are fantastic, just that I would like to suggest the following: 1) Begin with the End in mind (from Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) - the PM can use the Mind Mapping tool to work backward what to be delivered such as "Reports to be delivered" 2) First Things First (priority of the customer's expectation on project outcome) 3) Budget of project is important, however, when the PM is representing the vendor / contractor, he/she should also need to ensure "smooth" billing or payment collection. Meaning, must make sure all dependencies or show stoppers to be cleared of These are the three key things that I think are important. Thanks

Brilliant. Very helpful. Thank you so much Richard.

I have job interview today

Thanks for the upload! Richard you killed the interview, you came across so well!! I bet if that was a real interview the interviewer would have felt threatened by your confidence and experience

Richard, thank you very much for your exceptional work on this channel! Your tips and experience have helped me to succeed in the recruitment process.

Don't you think the response to "How would to handle conflict" should have been answered by sharing an example from the current or past experience where the conflict was really managed and resolved by the Project Manager?

This might have worked 30 years ago but saying a load of fixed sentences with buzz words isn't going to cut it anymore. You need to give concrete examples. Everyone can say they are a good leader that meets deadlines to the requires standard and then analyse it to see where I went wrong blah blah blah.

That is awesome. Fantastic. Thank you very much 😊

Really good tips! Thank you for such an amazing contributions. I found ur channels and after watched your videos I felt that you helped me to do better interviews. I managed to get the job offer in the position I wanted and soon I will change company 🎉😊.

During the interview, would you ever say "Like Janet Jackson said, I want to be the one in control."?

As someone who establishes PMOs. I would not have hired you. (although maybe as a JPM or Coordinator). This was too much generic hot air that can be applied to ANY management position. There is WAY too much what and regurgitation of the theory without any critical thinking about the application (the HOW). RE: Initiation - good luck sitting with leadership to capture requirements. These tend to come from the users and validated by the leaders RE the lifecycle - The Execution stage, if you are only working out what and who your resource are at this stage, you've not done your planning (how have you costed execution??) PM Interviews are evidence and competency-based. you'd have been better off coming up with examples to evidence rather than talking about the theoretical book (The book doesn't actually work most times in the real world). RE "Control" - PM's have NO authority. They rely heavily on influence (But sometimes have the bigger 'Daddy' to run to. Evidence HOW you control the project (monitoring and governing) vs the people (influence) one last thing... don't do up your bottom button on your jacket. It's not good suit etiquette

This is extremely helpful! Thank you so much for posting this informative interview process.

that was really good - thank you. I used this for my university assignment here in Australia. We are having to write a job application for a project manager. I had no idea what a project manager did nor the skills that were needed.

Ah, yes, a project manager. Someone who thinks that 9 women can deliver a baby in 1 month.

Look so fake tbh

Very simple and clear understanding, kudos for creating this video :)

Thank u Richard..Ur video clearly helped get through my PM interview.Thanx a ton

You helped me with passing my interview as an account manager, now I'm back and applying for a project manager role, thank you for your insight.

Thanks for sharing this video, I have learned a lot through this... God bless you Sir!

Thank you Richard. I have been a project and programme manager for over 10 years and I've used your insights to help me land a programme management contract.

you are awesome ,never seen such a confidence and this approach

Thanks a lot Mr. Richard for your wonderful speech which of course will boost the energy and confidence of every candidate, great job, I appeared for an interview today, unfortunately it couldn't succeed due to differences in field of expertise they are looking for