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  • Hello there, everybody.

  • My name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company How2Become.com, and in this

  • video, we are going to focus on the PROJECT MANAGER INTERVIEW and in particular, I am

  • going to give you five brilliant questions and suggested answers that you can use during

  • your preparation.

  • Let's get straight into it: A very warm welcome to this tutorial.

  • That's me there on the right-hand side, Richard McMunn.

  • I've been helping people like you to successfully pass their interviews for over 20 years now.

  • In this video, as I say, we're going to focus on the FIVE TOP PROJECT MANAGER INTERVIEW

  • questions and suggested answers.

  • As always, please make sure you subscribe to the channel by clicking the red button

  • below this video.

  • That way you will not miss out on the weekly interview videos that I upload.

  • And also, if you do LIKE this video, and you enjoy the content and the answers I'm going

  • to give you, please do give the video a like, a thumbs up.

  • That motivates me to do more for you.

  • Also, tell me the name of your Project Manager interview in the comments section below the

  • video and I will come on air each day and I will give you some more interview questions

  • to prepare for to help you pass your interview.

  • And in this video, I am also going to give you 3 brilliant questions to ask the interview

  • panel at the end of your Project Manager interview.

  • So, when you get to the end, they're going to say to you: “Do you have any questions

  • for the panel?”

  • And I'm going to give you three brilliant questions you can ask any project manager

  • interview at the end to impress upon.

  • OK.

  • Let's get straight into it.

  • Question number one.

  • How would you begin a newly assigned project?

  • Great question.

  • Here's my suggested answer.

  • One of the most important things for me, as a project manager, is clarity.

  • Unless you gain total clarity at the start of the project, it is likely to fail at some

  • stage down the line.

  • So, as part of the project management life cycle, I will start off with the initiation

  • phase.

  • This is where I define the reason for the project and its purpose.

  • Once I have completed this stage of the project life cycle, I can then move on to the planning

  • stage and define the people, resources, and finances needed to complete the project to

  • the required standards and specification.”

  • So that response tells the interview panel that you have a clear plan on what you're

  • going to do at the start of every project and in my opinion that should be clarity.

  • You've got to gain clarity straight away and it also informs them you know what you're

  • talking about, but also you have a clear indication in your mind how you are going to start every

  • project.

  • So, it is unlikely to fail.

  • Question number two.

  • Describe a time when you were involved in a project that failed?”

  • Now, some people will say during this tough project manager interview question “I've

  • never failed a project.”

  • Everybody has been involved in a project that hasn't gone well.

  • Now it's how you respond to it.

  • That is the important part.

  • So, what they're looking for, from you, is that you have failed, but more importantly

  • you have learned from the process.

  • So here is my sample response for you.

  • There was one particular project I was involved in that didn’t go well, but it

  • is also perhaps the one project that I learned the most from.

  • I was part of a team of six people who were tasked with delivering a time-sensitive project

  • for an important client.

  • Because there was not much time to complete the project, the initial brief and task allocation

  • delivered by the project manager was inadequate, in my opinion.

  • This obviously had a knock-on effect whereby important milestones were missed.

  • In the end, the client abandoned the project and I felt quite embarrassed having been part

  • of the team that failed.

  • However, I took a tremendous amount from that experience and I always use it now as a reminder

  • of what not to do.

  • Whenever I am managing a project, I will always conduct a thorough brief based on my plan,

  • allocate tasks to people who I can trust and also who will do the job for me, and I always

  • hold regular team meetings to monitor progress.

  • If things are not going to plan, I will always take decisive action quickly and put things

  • in place to get them back on track and to specification.”

  • So, that is a great response that you can use during your Project Manager interview.

  • If they ask you whether you have failed before in a project, and the important part is a

  • second bit that you have learned from that process and tell them what you've learned.

  • Next question: “What do you understand by the project lifecycle?”

  • Okay, now this is a simple response but unless you know what the project lifecycle is, then

  • you're not going to be able to answer it.

  • Here we go.

  • The project lifecycle describes the individual phases of a specific project.

  • These are the INITIATION phase, which is basically defining the reason for the project and its

  • purpose.

  • Then there’s the PLANNING phase of the cycle, which is where I define the team skills, establish

  • the actions, and also set the timelines for completion.

  • Next, we have the DEVELOPMENT stage, which is essentially putting the team together and

  • also establishing the budget and resources necessary to complete the project.

  • Then we move on to the IMPLEMENTATION and TESTING stage, which is taking the steps necessary

  • to complete the project on time, to specification and to budget before delivering the final

  • submission to the client for review.

  • The CLOSURE phase of the cycle is the full and final delivery to the client and a review

  • of the project by everyone involved to see what lessons can be learned for the next project.”

  • And that is a brilliant response!

  • It is structured and you are covering the project life cycle stages of initiation, planning,

  • development, implementation, and closure.

  • So, if you don't know that, or youve not done that before, take down those steps and

  • use them in your answer.

  • Okay, next questionWhat do you consider to be the most difficult aspect of project

  • management?”

  • Now, I recommend you use, provided you believe in this, that dealing with clients can be

  • the most difficult part because it probably is.

  • But you explain how that part is also the most rewarding and what you do to make sure

  • it goes right.

  • So, here's my suggested answer for you.

  • What do you consider to be the most difficult aspect of project management?”

  • The most difficult aspect of project management, and at the same time the most rewarding, is

  • dealing with clients who have unrealistic expectations.

  • I’ve been in situations before whereby I have spent a considerable amount of time discussing

  • the project with a client, and also making them fully aware of the timelines and specification,

  • only for them to place undue pressure on the project with altering expectations.

  • Having said that, I do believe I have become highly competent at managing client’s expectations,

  • and I do this by effective communication and making the client fully aware at every stage

  • of the process we are working to.

  • In my experience, by keeping the client fully onboard, and communicating with them competently

  • at every stage, this saves time and problems later on down the line.

  • The truth is, the client is the person who brings revenue into the business and it is

  • my responsibility as a project manager to manage their expectations and keep them focused

  • on the initial project aim and mission.”

  • So, what you're doing there is you're acknowledging there are difficult aspects to a project but

  • you are also saying they are the most rewarding part and you are also saying how you overcome

  • them.

  • Okay, so you're being truthful and honest because there are difficult parts of every

  • project, but you are explaining what you do to make sure they run smoothly.

  • Next question: “As a project manager is it better to be feared or loved?”

  • Brilliant question, really difficult But here's a cracking answer” “In my opinion, it

  • is better to have a fine balance of both.

  • I believe that, if you are feared, people may not feel motivated to work for you, and

  • conversely, if you are loved, some people may take advantage of your good nature and

  • the project can suffer as a result.

  • An effective project manager, in my opinion, is someone who clearly defines the expectations

  • and standards from the get-go, but who is also approachable and can use competent leadership

  • and motivational skills to drive their team forward to complete the project for the client

  • or the employer on time, within budget and to the required high standards.”

  • In my opinion, that's a brilliant response to that question.

  • Now three questions to ask at the end of your project manager interview to get to the end

  • of the interview.

  • Don't forget, if you want more sample project manager interview questions, I've put the

  • link to this video and the next one right at the end on the next slide, and also in

  • the link in the description below the video.

  • So, here's the three questions to ask.

  • Here we go.

  • Who's your biggest competitor and how can I help you better them within this role?

  • Youre saying who's your biggest competitor and what can I do in the role to improve and

  • to better them.

  • Next question: “If I'm successful what will be the first thing you would want me to focus

  • on as your Project Manager?”

  • Youre trying to find out more about the role!

  • And finally: “I noticed on your website you've launched a new product or service.

  • Has this been successful?”

  • So, go on the website of the company you're applying to become the project manager for,

  • and have a look at their latest project and ask them about it because that shows that

  • you have researched about their product and their service which shows that you care.

  • So, to get more free training, click the link below the video which will give you the other

  • project manager interview video that I did, right here on YouTube, which are different

  • questions and also don't forget to click the link in the description and you can get access

  • to my free interview questions and answers course, which is at the website www.PassMyInterview.com.

  • Guys, don't forget to subscribe.

  • Please do give the video a LIKE!

  • Thank you very much for watching and good luck with your project manager interview.

Hello there, everybody.

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