(upbeat music)
- Hey, thanks for checking out Coffee with Brett.
You know, I hope that you're enjoying the series.
If that's the case, would you just do me a favor
and like this video and then subscribe to our channel
and click on that bell icon so that you can get notified
when we release new episodes.
In fact, if you're into the topic of today's video,
which by the way is essentially about what questions
to ask project managers in job interviews.
If you like that topic, you're gonna wanna check out
the next episode as well,
which is gonna be all about how to answer these questions.
So yeah, click that bell icon so that you know
when that one's ready as well. All right.
So you might be prepping for an interview,
maybe you're the interviewer,
and then you have no idea
how to assess a project management candidate.
I mean, I get it,
it's really tough to assess for PM skills
or, hey, maybe you're a PM going into your next interview
and you're just trying to prep yourself
for some curve ball questions.
Well, good for you.
You've totally got this and I'm here to help.
So I've interviewed countless project managers in my career,
both as a VP of project management,
looking to add PMs to my team, but also as a consultant,
helping companies to find great PMs
to run their own projects.
I love talking to PMs and I've come up with five questions
that I think help to not only assess skills for PMs,
but also help to assess your team fit,
after all, it's not all about creating
and managing and plans,
I mean, yes, you do want somebody who can manage a project,
but you also wanna find an individual
who fits in with the team and with your company culture.
So trust me, I know it's tough stuff
finding a good PM for your team.
When I worked in an agency, I think I interviewed no less
than, like, 25 people to fill one single role.
The candidates ranged from very professional PMPs
with great track records,
to newbie PMs who were visibly shaking during the interview.
Oh, and I'll never forget the time someone showed up
with a half face of makeup.
Yeah, you never know what you're gonna get
just based on a resume or a cover letter,
or even an initial phone screen.
People are people and there's no singular profile
that constitutes a good PM.
So you need to use your interview as your ways
to not only assess skills
but also to explore their personality type and how they work
and how they might be able to relate to your team,
to your stakeholders, and honestly, to your projects.
I personally always look for someone
who comes off as comfortable and confident
because I know that person will likely be in a situation
or two where things do get uncomfortable
and I want them to be able to have a personal confidence
to really navigate that kind of awkwardness
on their own as a project manager.
Does that mean I trick them
into some kind of awkward situation or conversation
during the interview? No, absolutely not.
I actually think it's terrible when people play games
in interviews and project managers are not folks
who play games so level with them,
get straight to the point and talk about the role
and how it's valued and how it's handled
in your organization.
And then jump into some questions.
Okay. On that note, let's jump in
so that I can give you a set of questions to work with
and we can kind of keep this short.
So my coffee is gonna get cold,
well, actually, it won't get cold in this cup,
but that's okay. All right.
So first ask what drew them to project management
and this role specifically, you probably already know this,
but project management isn't really something
that folks study in college.
Actually let me correct myself because that's changing
and growing. I've had the opportunity to teach some classes
and even guest lecture at some universities
and even high schools,
but PM isn't a central focus of programs in schools.
So many people end up in PM for a lot of different reasons
or they end up just learning on the job,
actually, that's how I got into it.
But you wanna know that they're actually a PM
and that they're actually invested in project management
as a career path.
So this question allows you to hear a little bit
about what it is about the role that appeals
to the candidate and really to assess whether or not
that aligns with your organization's vision for the role.
I'd also dig a little bit deeper on this question
and make it a conversation about how they got into PM
and some of the specifics about what they've done
as a project manager,
I'm talking about tasks and project types here,
you know, getting that level of detail is important
because there are variations on the PM role
from industry to industry and even company to company
in an industry.
You wanna find the person who fits
with your flavor of project management.
I think this is a good way
to get into the interview as well.
Just talking in the open about the role
and their desire to fill the role.
So next I would ask what makes you a great PM?
I think this is a natural second question
that not only gets the candidate talking
about themself more, but also opens up the conversation
about where they might add value to your team.
I also think so many PMs tend to be behind the scenes
and don't get a ton of feedback about their work
so it gives them a chance to sing their own praises,
after all, you know, you want someone who's confident
in their work and will tell you what they actually do well.
So on that note,
the next question will probably make sense to you.
I always follow that question up with,
well, hey, no one's perfect
so where do you think you could use some improvement
as a project manager?
I'll admit this is a curve ball early on in an interview,
but hey, PM's are constantly thrown curve balls
so any good candidate will be ready
to answer this question effortlessly.
You want them to put it all on the table
so that you can discuss the details
and dig into what they do well
and where they might actually need some improvement.
I mean, I know I'm not a perfect PM,
so I'm not expecting a unicorn here
but what I am looking for is a PM who is unabashedly honest
and transparent and knows that it's impossible to be perfect
in this role. So this question helps me to assess that.
Next, I try to get into their actual project experience.
If their resume points out specific projects,
I might just ask about those.
If I'm feeling like I wanna dig deeper,
I'll ask something general, like,
hey, tell me about a project you managed
that was a challenge and how you handled that challenge?
Easy question, right?
It's another tough one, I'll be honest,
but listen, if you talk to a PM
who says that all of their projects come in on time
and under budget, your red flag better go right up
because no one has that track record,
actually, if you do, call me or comment below,
we definitely need to talk, but let's face it,
there are a ton of challenges a project manager could face
on a project, so hear those things out, you know,
there's a lot of information to be gained
from a personal account of what happened on a project.
You'll learn about project types and scopes, team makeup,
stakeholder interactions,
and even leadership and communication styles,
which is so important.
You know, there's so much that will paint a clear picture
of the PM that you're talking to so I'd listen and learn
and ask follow up questions about things that happened,
you know, how those things happened,
how they handled them and how they felt about the outcomes.
Again, make it a conversation and relate the story
to your own experiences and how similar things could happen
in your organization or with your teams.
You know, I'd approach this part of the interview
with a little bit of empathy,
you know, if you've worked on projects,
you know that things can get tough
so if you want the true story,
express what you've been through and that you've been there
and that you get it, essentially, you know,
this is a reminder to interviewers
that your interviewee is gauging their fit with you
just as much as you are with them.
As much as someone might be dying to get a job interview,
they wanna make sure it's right for them
so you need to come to the table
with the same level of honesty and expertise
that you expect of your interviewee
and also please make it welcoming and comfortable.
Cold interviews are a waste of time, be human,
even if you recognize the candidate isn't the right fit
after the first question, that's okay, just don't be rude.
Hear them out and give them the respect
and the professionalism that you'd expect in that situation.
At the end of the day, the interview is a reflection of you
and your organization as much as it is about the candidate.
All right.
So I'm gonna give you one more question
that I think that you should ask a PM candidate
in an interview and it's, how do you keep up
with what's happening in industry
or with project management in general?
So this one is less about, kind of,
how they handle situations
and more about how seriously they take continuing education
and being a great project manager and a great employee.
So, I'm not saying I'd only hire people who make time
to learn but I do think it's a great quality
to be a learner.
You know, those are the people who grow in their careers
and in their organization,
so if you're looking for someone who's dedicated
to their craft, you'll wanna explore this with them.
All right.
So I'm definitely gonna admit here
that it's really hard to fit all of the possible questions
you might ask in an interview
in a really short video like this,
so I'm gonna offer more questions here on screen.
Feel free to pause if you need to, scribble these down,
I'll be right here,
but just remember you have to mix it up
so that you can get a sense for how they work,
for their personality, their history,
and even some personal preferences.
All of that's important.
I hope that you've found all of this helpful.
In the next episode,
I'll talk about how a PM should approach these questions
or answer these questions in an interview.
I'm gonna need another cup of coffee for that.
I think in the meantime,
tell me what questions you like to ask project managers
in interviews or about the approach that you take
in order to assess skills and fit.
Leave your comments in the comments below,
and I'll talk to you next time. Thanks.
(upbeat music)