Senior Project Manager

Senior Project Manager qualifications to look for

Senior Project Managers take charge of the entire project cycle. They gather initial requirements to create an action plan that tracks progress and delivers a completed product.

Your top candidates will explain in detail how they approach each situation you present in your screening process, and how they cooperate with internal teams to reach project goals. 

Look for candidates with experience in various industries and products so they bring to the table a diverse interest in various projects. 

Keep an eye out for candidates who can:

• Pivot if changes occur during the project process
• Handle challenges without feeling overwhelmed
• Take accountability and think outside of the box
• Keep team members productive and motivated
  

Top tip: Diversity is key to a thriving workplace. Keep an eye out for management and exec-level candidates from varying backgrounds and aim to eliminate bias from your hiring process.

Problem-solving interview questions

• What kind of diagrams/flowcharts would you use to describe a project we ask you to manage?
• How would you motivate team members when they are working long hours?
• What would you do if there were conflicts on your team? How do you get everyone on the same page? 
• An important client keeps changing their requirements. How would you handle this?
• How would you handle a deadline you won’t meet when it comes to communicating it to your customer? 
  

Role-specific interview questions

• What is Agile methodology? Do you find it suitable for some situations and not others? 
• What is the most important stage in the project management cycle? Why do you prioritize this? 
• What do you need to create a project timeline?
• What project management software have you used? What are your favorite features? What limitations does it have? 
• How do you monitor everyone’s work?
• What performance appraisal methods do you use for your team? How do you handle performance reviews?
  

Behavioral interview questions

• What’s your communication process with your team during a project? Do you prefer meetings? Do you meet with the entire team or just team leaders? 
• What has been your most challenging project so far? Why was it challenging and what did you do to overcome difficulties?
• Describe a time when you realized your current management approach wasn’t working. How did you pivot? Did you create new processes overall or just for that specific instance? 
• How do you delegate tasks? When do you decide to delegate and when do you make the call to handle a task directly?
• What do you do if you find conflicts of interest on a project?