Project Manager

Project Manager qualifications to look for

The project manager takes charge of projects, ensures they meet deadlines and stays within the budget and scope. They coordinate internal resources and third parties/vendors to make sure the project runs smoothly and meets all the required standards. 

Your project manager meets and coordinates with your team, vendors, and stakeholders to ensure that projects are finished on time and on budget. They also negotiate the scope and resources for the project, manage the flow of communication with the team and resolve any conflicts that arise during the project process. 

Keep an eye out for candidates who have:

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills 
• Strong decision-making skills
• A process-driven mindset
• The ability to switch gears quickly
  

Top tip: Diversity is key to a thriving workplace. Keep an eye out for management and exec-level candidates from varying backgrounds and aim to eliminate bias from your hiring process.

Problem-solving interview questions

• What project are you most proud of? What were the deliverables of the project? Did you meet your deadline and budget? 
• If you have to get buy-in on a project from multiple stakeholders, what methods would you use to show it’s the right decision for them?
• What are your go-to project management tools? What are your favorite features? Do they have limitations?
• What’s your go-to methodology? Agile? Something else? 
• Have you ever had a project fall behind on budget or time? What steps did you take to mitigate the situation?
• Describe a situation when you had to deviate from the usual process. How did you handle it? What were the results?
• If you’re working with a team member who isn’t pulling their weight, how did you address this? 
• Have you ever taken someone off a project? How did you explain this to the rest of the team?
• If you have a conflict with someone on a project, how do you handle it? How do you see things from their point of view?  
• Have you had to give a customer bad news? How did you deliver the news? How did they respond?