50 Interview Questions for Program Managers
If you’re itching to join the Great Resignation before it’s too late, you’re probably finding yourself wondering what the heck employers even ask in an interview these days. I’ve gotten two new jobs in the course of the last year, and I’m here to tell you that I’ve got the interview circuit down to a science. Allow me to spare you the pain of the awkward song and dance of the professional dating world, aka the job interview. Read on for best practices plus my list of the top 50 interview questions that program managers should prepare to answer.
Best Practices for Job Interviews
Before you speed through to the questions list, it’s worth contemplating how you’re going to go about answering the interview questions, in addition to determining what you should say in response.
The STAR method is a tried and true interview approach that still holds up today. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Basically, you shouldn’t launch into a detailed description of the task management system at your last job—this will either confuse your interviewer or, worse, put them to sleep. Rather, you want to show that you can apply what you’ve learned previously to this prospective job.
To do so, first give the context—why does what you’re about to say matter? Then, explain what you were asked to do, what you did, and the outcome. If you consider the interview as a conversation, the STAR method helps you craft each response in the form of a short story that engages your listener to want to learn more.
50 Interview Questions for Program Managers
OK, now that you’ve mastered the interview structure, let’s get down to the good stuff. Here are 50 questions that interviewers have asked me or that I have asked program managers that I am looking to hire. Let me know in the comments if you have any additions, subtractions, or reactions!
Describe a scenario which required you to say no to an idea or project.
How do you handle stressful situations as a program manager?
Tell me about a time you made a mistake and how you course corrected.
Tell me about a challenging issue you took on.
What is the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
Tell me about a time when you’ve made a process more efficient.
What would you do to get a team to stick to a schedule?
Describe a time you’ve worked in a team or helped communicate across teams.
Tell me about a time when you had to build or motivate a team.
What’s the difference between leadership and management?
Tell me about a time you had to influence someone.
Tell me about a time you had to prioritize by yourself or as part of a team.
How do you achieve consensus?
Why should we hire you?
Why shouldn’t we hire you?
What is your communication style?
One executive says that Project A is more important and another executive says Project B is more important. How do you choose which one to implement?
How do you know when to cut corners to get a project out the door?
Tell me about a time you used data to make a decision.
Our engineering teams are pretty used to employing x methodologies. What is your opinion of them? Have you used them in the past?
What is the importance of engineers and technical teams as stakeholders? How do you integrate them into the project vision?
Tell me about a time you overcame project failures/challenges or poor feedback.
What is one improvement you would implement for our company in the next 6 months?
What makes you excited to join this company?
Can you tell me about a training you’ve taken recently?
Tell me about something you’ve read lately and how you’ll apply that idea to this position.
Tell me about your personal productivity system.
How would you go about obtaining executive buy-in?
How would you deal with a team member who is unresponsive?
How would you handle a rush request from a client?
Tell me about a time when you were wrong and how that changed your opinion about a project or issue.
What percentage of your time is spent on tactical vs. strategic work?
How technical are you?
What is your program management philosophy?
What experience do you have with various program management tools?
Tell me about your experience with change management.
Imagine you were starting a new project. What would you do?
Tell me about a time you took over a project from another program manager. How did you handle the transition?
What is your experience being a thought leader and advisor for C-level executives?
Do you have experience with managing initiatives end-to-end?
What are the challenges with driving goals when working across time zones?
Have you created a long-term strategy for a team or department?
What long-term programs are you running now and how do you ensure progress gets made incrementally and communicated?
How do you balance short-term deadlines with long-term objectives?
What measures do you take to ensure you’re properly assessing risk? What challenges arise when you assess risk efficiently and accurately? How do you work through those challenges?
How have you been influential in fostering cross-company collaboration? What challenges have you faced?
Do you have experience managing vendor relationships and collaborating to execute vendor-led initiatives?
Do you have experience developing detailed project plans to manage team tasks and track progress for individual initiatives?
Do you have experience creating and maintaining comprehensive project and process documentation?
Do you have experience establishing regular reporting for senior management on the status, risk, and progress of programs and key initiatives?
