Hello there, my name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company PassMyInterview.com,
and in this tutorial, I will teach you how to pass a program manager interview. If you
have a program manager interview coming up with any organization from across the world,
please make sure you watch this tutorial from beginning to end, because I promise it will
make a huge difference to your preparation! To achieve that goal, this is what I will
cover throughout the presentation. I will give you a list of program manager interview
questions that I recommend you prepare for. I will give you suggested answers to help
you pass your program manager interview. I will tell you the qualities that you have
to demonstrate throughout your program manager interview. And I will also explain where you
can get access to further resources to help you pass your program manager interview. So,
four really strong reasons why you should watch this from beginning to end. Now, before
I get in to the program manager interview training tutorial, a very warm welcome to
this presentation. My name is Richard McMunn. That's me there in the center of the screen.
I've been helping people for about 20 years now to pass their interviews. And I always
do that by giving you top scoring answers that you can't find anywhere else. Please
make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the channel by clicking the red button below the video. And
you can also connect with me on LinkedIn.com if you want to. I've put my LinkedIn link
in the description below the video. It's always great to connect with like-minded professionals
such as yourself, and I would also appreciate your support if you gave the video a LIKE
(thanks!), because by doing so, that tells me you enjoy the content and I will then spend
more time creating it for you. Okay, let's get into the program manager interview tips,
the questions and the top-scoring answers! So, the first question I would like you to
prepare for is, tell me about yourself why you want to be a program manager? My tip for
answering this question is: this first program manager interview question if your opportunity
to tell the hiring manager or recruiter about the skills, the qualities and the experience
you have that will enable you to ADD SIGNIFICANT VALUE to their organization. And it's really
important that you focus on how you will add value to their business in the role of program
manager. Here is my suggested answer. “Since I first started working as a Program Manager,
I have focused intently on improving my knowledge, my experience and also my ability to bring
instant and sustainable value to my employer by managing and delivering difficult and challenging
programs. Just some of the skills and qualities I can bring to your organization include,
strong program management capabilities for projects of all sizes and complexities, knowledge
of all useable program management methodologies and tools, and also the ability to see how
my work is intrinsically linked to the commercial objectives of your organization. I am strategically
driven and I will always focus on how I can add considerable value within my role as the
Program Manager. I am also a strong communicator with excellent interpersonal skills and I
can be relied upon to manage a portfolio of projects, allocate resources effectively whilst
also managing budgets responsibly. Finally, I want to be a Program Manager simply because
it is a role I am immensely passionate about, it is a role I have in-depth experience in,
and it is also a role I am confident I can succeed in. If you hire me as your Program
Manager, I will be able to contribute quickly so that you start to see an immediate positive
return on your investment.” I love that answer, because it sets you off on the right
footing for the remainder of your program manager interview. It's in-depth, it is positive
in nature, and you are also showing passion in regard to how you can add value to their
organization, which is really, really important. The second program manager interview question
I would like you to prepare for is: Why do you want to work for our organization as a
program manager? It is vital you carry out plenty of research into the organization you
want to work for. Talk about any news stories in your answer, product launches they've had
or how the organization is having a positive impact on society, or the world as a whole,
during your answer. Here is a suggested answer to the interview question: Why do you want
to work for us as a program manager? “As a Program Manager, I believe it’s important
to choose your employer carefully. To be effective in the Program Manager role, you need a supportive
senior management team, a robust and ambitious brief to work towards, and also a team that
is entirely focused on achieving the goals that are set by the organization. Before applying
for this Program Manager position, I carried out extensive research into the organization
to make sure it was somewhere I wanted to work long-term, and also where I was certain
I could contribute to your vision whilst also observing your values and ethics. Due to those
reasons specifically, and also coupled with the fact you have a strong reputation within
the industry and also with your customers and clients, I want to work for your company
and establish myself as a reliable, productive and reputable Program Manager.” So again,
a very strong answer that gives clarity and purpose as to the reasons why you want to
work for their organization as a program manager. Now, please don't go anywhere because I have
a number of really important program manager interview questions to still work through.
But when you're ready, if you want to CLICK THAT LINK in the top right hand corner of
the video, it takes you through to my web PassMyInterview.com, where you can download
my full set of program manager interview questions and top scoring answers in PDF format, including
the ones that I'm going through right now in this video. Let's now move on to the next
question. How would you deal with a difficult team member as a program manager? Being able
to deal with conflict or underperforming team members is an important aspect of any management
role, and you'll need your team to be working at full capacity to achieve your strategic
objectives. So let's give them an answer that shows that you are decisive in your decision
making skills, and you can get underperforming or demotivated members of a team backup running
quickly. “I think it’s important to understand that this type of situation has to be rectified
quickly, in order to prevent any long lasting damage to the program, the team or the organization.
As a Program Manager, I prefer to manage by giving people the autonomy and the responsibility
to carry out their jobs and roles reliably and to the required standards. However, if
the line is crossed and a team member fails to deliver or fails to live up to my expectations,
then I will take decisive action. This includes, an initial conversation with the person being
difficult to remind them of their responsibilities and to also ascertain the reasons why they
are either being difficult or underperforming. The next step would be to set a definitive
timescale for improvement with clear steps of what they need to do in order to get back
onboard with the team and the program. It would then be down to me to monitor their
performance and support them in their role to make sure they contribute effectively,
as they should be doing, in their role.” That is a good answer, because you are following
a few small steps on how you would deal with anybody within a team or within the program
who is being difficult, and you are totally focused on taking decisive action, which is
important. So let's start looking at some more challenging program manager interview
questions. Tell me about a program you were involved in that was failing to deliver the
expected results and how you overcame the challenges? So, tell me about a program you
were involved in that was failing to deliver the expected results and how you overcame
the challenges? This is a difficult question to answer. However, my advice is to make sure
you use the STAR technique when structuring your answer, and also use your experience,
any tried and tested methodologies and a positive attitude, and then you should be able to give
an in-depth, specific example. Now, I just mentioned the STAR technique, and I think
this will really help you to stand out during your program manager interview. The STAR technique
that you should use for behavioral type interview questions during your program manager interview,
forms of situation, task, action and result. Whenever they ask you a question like that,
can you give an example of when you XYZ, then you should think about the STAR technique.
So you start your answer and you tell the interviewer the SITUATION you were faced with.
You then tell them the TASK that needed to be done. You then describe the ACTION that
you took, and you finish off with the RESULTS following your actions. So always remember
for behavioral or situational type program manager interview questions, use the STAR
technique. Let me know show you the STAR technique in action to prove how powerful it is. So
again, the question is, tell me about a program you were involved in that was failing to deliver
the expected results and how you overcame the challenges in a previous program manager
role? “In a previous Program Manager role, I was responsible for the output of a particular
program that involved numerous projects and teams. Unfortunately, the client I was working
for was hostile in his approach to the program, and it was not only extremely difficult to
get hold of him when needed, but his attitude was unhelpful. Part way through the program,
he changed certain elements of the project specifications, which made things even more
challenging to overcome. Some members of the project teams were starting to show signs
of stress and demotivation. As a positive and determined Program Manager, it was my
responsibility to take control, motivate the project teams and also steer things through
to a successful resolution. I was determined not to let this program finish unsuccessfully,
and I drew up a plan of action to steer the teams through the challenges. I started off
by discussing the challenges with the various project team leaders and what was expected
in terms of meeting the new specifications. I also advised on methods they could use in
order to motivate the teams to keep them focused on the processes, the methodologies we should
all implement to overcome the challenges, and also the new milestones for the completion
of each project element. Throughout the remainder of the program, I kept in constant touch with
the teams, analyzed and monitored performance and also adjusted actions as and when needed.
Despite the numerous challenges along the way, through sheer determination, having a
positive attitude and also reacting to problems as and when they occurred, we managed to complete
the program successfully to the new specifications and set timeline. So you can see that by following
situation, task, action and result, it gives you the ability to provide an evidence-based
answer. And that kind of answer shows that that type of situation is not a problem for
you. You will sort things out. Now, anybody can sit there in an interview and say, this
is what I would do in a particular scenario. However, if you can PROVE what you've done
previously, then you are more likely to get the job and that proves that you can ADD VALUE
to their organization straight away. Let's look at another challenging behavioral type
program manager interview question where we can use the STAR technique again. Tell us
about a time when your integrity was threatened and how you dealt with it? When answering
this program manager interview question, give a specific example again and also make sure
you use the STAR technique to score highly. Let's take a look at another example to this
very tough interview question. “I was attending an initial team briefing with project teams
and stakeholders prior to starting work on an important program. Part way through the
meeting, one of the stakeholders started to question why my approach to the program was,
in his terms, overly cautious and not helpful to getting the program completed in the fastest
time possible. It was my job to explain to him how my approach to the program was important
to not just to its overall success, but also to the reputation and strategic objectives
of the organization. Throughout my response, I was professional, positive and I used practical
examples of how not following the standards of program specification that I recommended,
would be taking unnecessary risks and also putting the organization in danger of not
meeting its strategic objectives. After carefully explaining in detail why I felt my approach
was fully justified and in the best interests of the business, the stakeholder agreed that
this was the best way forward. I believe I have strong communication and interpersonal
skills and I am able to explain things with clarity, understanding and purpose when needed.”
So again, that shows you can make use of situation, task, action and result and it gives you the
platform to create a very, very strong answer to a behavioral type interview questions.
And those candidates who are able to do that, and give specific examples of when they've
been in situations where they can meet the requirements of the program manager role,
are the people who get the jobs! Because they can add value, as I've mentioned before, and
they can prove that they are capable of meeting the role objectives. Now, my advice is to
now go through to that website, CLICK THE LINK in the top right hand corner of the video,
go to my website, PassMyInterview.com and you can have a look at my full list of program
manager interview questions. And you can also download the answers if you want to in PDF
format. So you can literally have them in your inbox within two minutes from now. Literally
thousands of people are passing their interviews by using the resources available on that website,
and I'd like you to get a copy so that you can put yourself in a strong position for
passing your program manager interview. You get all of the answers that I've covered within
this presentation, plus at least 21 in total. So it's definitely worth checking out. Thank
you very much for watching. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE. Please connect with me on LinkedIn.
As I say, my LinkedIn.com link is in the description below the video. And please do give the video
a light, because if I see people like in the videos, I will create more for you. Thank
you very much for watching, and I wish you all the best for passing your program manager
interview. Have a brilliant day. Thank you.