Extract of Project Management job interview Questions and answers

 

 How do you motivate people?

 

“Different people have different motivations.  It is important to know what motivates each of the team members and select assignments and motivation techniques based on each individual.

 

There are several things that I do as a project manager to motivate team members. I start by creating a positive team environment by using several techniques.   I promote enthusiasm and optimism by sharing my own enthusiasm and optimism and highlight the job’s importance.  There is always an aspect of the project that makes it unique and desirable.  I highlight the uniqueness of the project and the experience that the team members are gaining.

 

I believe that challenges are good motivators.  I pick an achievable challenge and make sure it’s overcome.  I give clear job descriptions and clear standards to go by.  In my experience, people work better if they know what they are supposed to do and how they fit into the overall picture.  I also expend some time in team-building exercises and do one-on-one meetings with team members to check on progress.   Most importantly, I look for early signs of trouble or lack of motivation.

 

I reward team members with:

 

Praise

I thank and recognize the team members when they do good work, which is most of the time.

 

Involvement

I motivate team members by involving them in decision-making when their input is requested.

Autonomy and authority

Most employees value being given the freedom to do their work as they best see fit.  The ultimate form of recognition for many employees is to have increased autonomy and authority.  I give autonomy and authority to team members as incentive to do their best.  I am also aware that I must be tolerant when somebody is given a new assignment and does not do it as well as I would have done it.

 

Learning and development

Employees highly value learning opportunities.  The opportunity to learn and practice new skills is a good motivator. As a PM, I discuss with the team members what their learning interests might be and give assignments based on that input.”

 

 

What do you look for when you hire people?

Most employers seem to agree that good employees display qualities such as dependability, punctuality, initiative, a positive attitude toward the job, ability to get along well with others, flexibility, motivation, organization and the ability to perform assigned duties.  Keeping this in mind, a good answer is:

“Besides the skills specific for the job, I look to hire a person who would fit in with the organization’s culture.  I look for flexibility, initiative, energy and a desire to move up in the organization.”

 

 

 

How do you start a project?

 

The ability to start a project is critical, and it is more difficult to start one than to take over an existing project. The absolute keyword in your answer here must be planning.

 

“Specific methodologies may change, but the first steps I take in starting a project are:

 

1.     Identify the business sponsors

2.     Identify the resources initially assigned to the project

3.     Create the initial project charter and an initial timeline

4.     Create a short-term plan to get initial activities scheduled

5.     Proceed to complete the first version of the project plan

 

The challenge that every project initially faces is that all people involved are ready to jump into action, but in order to be effective, not have false starts or get going on the wrong path, one must do some planning before people get in motion.  I try to do at least a two-week plan to make sure participants are doing work that is conducive to the final product.  Then I take those two weeks to do a long-term plan and a detailed plan for the next few weeks.”

 

You can ask:  “How a project is officially started here?”