-Are you preparing for a project manager interview?
Well, tune into this video
because I'm going to give you
some project management interview tips
that is going to really set you apart.
So if you're watching this video
for interviewing tips for a project management job,
then you definitely have to sign up
for my free webinar on five fabs that I feel
that every project manager must have and know.
And what a great way to ensure you have
this additional advice for your interview.
Go to the link below this video
and you can sign up for the free webinar.
Save your seat.
Hi. If you're new here, welcome.
My name is Adriana Girdler and you've landed
on the best, practical, project management channel
out there in YouTube world.
Obviously in my humble opinion.
I'd also love it and appreciate it so much
if you'd consider subscribing as it helps us grow
this amazing community.
Now, on that note,
I know you're looking for
those project management tips, so let's get to it.
Communicate well, like a PM.
Okay, so what do I mean by that?
It's not just about generic, good communication.
Yes, having really good communication is important.
You want to have some active listening
but you want to communicate like this is a project
so they can see your style.
And what I mean by that
is you want to be able to really listen.
You want to summarize what was said to you.
You want to be able to disseminate information
like you would anyway, in a project when someone tells you,
I have this great idea, this initiative.
Here's the background.
What do you do?
You listen really well.
You do your active listening.
You then summarize what they're saying.
If I heard you correctly,
what we're going to be working on is A, B, C and D, right?
And then what you also do is you vet it out even more.
Ensure that you do that really good communication,
as if you were a project manager
doing what you would normally do anyway.
Now, as well as part of communication
is how you present yourself.
'Cause again, this is an interview now, all right,
we're not just talking about project management.
It's an interview.
So you really want to show yourself
in the best, positive light.
The way you sit or interact, if it's a virtual one,
on that call, with the camera is really important.
You want to be straight on, looking at their eyes.
You don't want to be slouching like,
Hey, I really want this job.
It doesn't look that good, right?
Hey, I'm really excited about this job.
And as well as this part of communication,
it's not just you listening and asking questions,
sorry, not just you listening and summarizing information,
which is very important.
It's you asking the right questions
'cause that's what good project managers do
with communication, is you're constantly asking questions
to vet things out.
So you would've done your research.
You want to have some really good questions
to ask them back like,
how do they see this project management role
a couple years from now?
What's the strategy of the organization?
And even more importantly,
why is this project management role even available?
You want that other information.
It's really going help you
and it shows that you do the right listening, digging,
and really, part of communication.
Highlight your experience.
All right, you're in an interview.
So of course they're going to ask you about your experience.
Now, if you're an experienced project manager,
this is a no brainer.
Just talk about the past projects that you worked on.
They're gonna ask you questions like, how did it go?
What were things that worked well, didn't work well?
What was your greatest challenge?
You can really go to your experience as a project manager
and pull out the answers to those specific questions.
Now what if you're not an experienced project manager
or you have very little experience in project management?
And you're like, oh my goodness, what do I say or do?
Don't fret.
Don't forget, you probably have run a project
without realizing it.
Or you were a team member on a project.
You can pull out the experiences that you've had
while being a team member.
Think about those activities and initiatives
that had a definitive start and a definitive end
and a deliverable.
That's deemed a project.
So you can look at those experiences as well
to pull out your experience
so that you can highlight it at that interview.
Just make sure that you've done your research
on the organization and what the job actually is all about
and ensure it all ties in.
And if you, by chance didn't do that, which is a no no,
but if you didn't, make sure you ask questions up front
and get some clarification
so that you can tie in your answers.
So it really is laser beamed
towards that particular organization and their needs.
Emphasize your training and your education.
You're in your interview.
So you know what?
Your education and the training that you have
is going to become important.
Individuals or organizations,
particularly if you're going to a new one,
they want to know what fundamentals do you know,
what training do you have?
How were you educated?
That does become important
and can sometimes be the distinguishing factor
as to whether or not you get hired.
Again, I'm not in the shoes of the interviewer,
but sometimes it comes down to the littlest things
that can distinguish you from someone else.
So think about the workshops you've done,
the training sessions you've been on.
Maybe you even did some formal education.
That all becomes very valuable.
Now, what if you don't have any formal training?
Uh, do not worry.
I have you covered.
I actually have an online,
practical project management course called,
Slay Project Management.
And this is an awesome course
because it's going to teach you
not only the theory behind things,
but also tons of the practicality that you're goin to need
and you actually can use in your interview itself.
You're going to know a lot of the terminology.
That's why education becomes really important
and understanding fundamentals becomes really important
'cause it shows and distinguishes you, saying, yes,
you may have practical experience
but you also have this knowledge
which is going to help when scenarios and situations pop up
that someone else may not be able to handle.
Practice answering
common project management interview questions.
It is about practice.
And particularly when it comes to interviews,
you do want to ensure that you can think sort of on
your feet but you need that framework behind you
to know how you're gonna answer those questions.
I have you covered.
I actually have a video solely dedicated
to project management interview questions.
So if you go to the search bar,
Adriana Girdler project management interview,
you will definitely pop that up.
So go check that out.
So ensure that you practice.
When you practice, think about a couple scenarios.
You may also wanna practice with an individual.
Give them the questions
and then you can just practice to them asking them,
how did that sound?
You may even want to script it out a little bit,
if you feel that scripting it out will help you.
But again, you want to know how to sort of be on the fly.
Because when you're in a stressful situation
like an interview, even though it can be exciting,
if it's too scripted, you may just freeze and panic
and sound more like a robot or don't even know what to say.
So, you know, kind of, don't worry about the script,
but again, do what you have to do.
The key is practice.
Know how to make a good first impression.
First impressions can be really critical
and can make or break you.
It really is the one time you have
that someone meets you for the first time
that they can go, wow, I really like this person,
don't like this person.
So the way you come across becomes important.
So number one, don't be late.
That is like a worst, worst, worst first impression
that you can have.
It's really hard to make up for that
because they're going to think,
wow, what else are they going to be late for?
Are they going to be late delivering the project?
They're going to be late for meetings,
even though you were late.
So really try not to be late.
In fact, I like to be like an hour early,
if that's the case.
And maybe drive around very locally to get a coffee
so that I know I'm on time, if that's the case
or really think about that.
Think about the first impressions you make,
not only for the interviewer,
but as soon as you walk in the door.
That receptionist, the person who's in the hallway.
Who knows?
That person who overheard you speak to the receptionist,
'cause if you weren't that nice
and you made a really bad first impression
could be a really good friend to the interviewer
or could be someone else in the same department
that you're interviewing for.
So it becomes really important.
Your best face and your foot forward
is really going to be critical here.
Everybody is important, regardless of their title.
And you wanna treat everyone with the same kindness.
So, interview or not,
that should just be something you do in life,
generally speaking,
is treat people the way you want to be treated.
But when it comes to the interview,
you do have to be a little bit more on the ball
when it comes to this.
So really think about your first impression.
Okay, now you know, and you have some interview tips
for your project management job.
I want to remind you again to sign up for my free webinar
on the five fabs that you need for projects,
I feel are the five key things that you need.
It's free. It's going to help you.
Think of it as part of your training.
Go underneath this video to the link below
and sign up and save your seat.
Until next time, see you later.