Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called Blink. It is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant-in the blink of an eye-that actually aren’t as simple as they seem.  In the book (and I am paraphrasing), it states you can learn more about a potential hire by visiting their living quarters for 5 minutes than you can get by interviewing the person for a couple of hours. Why?  You can see how organized he/she is. You can see how neat he/she is. You can see what reading material he/she does read. All of these attributes help define the person.

It is impractical to visit the living quarters of a potential project manager hire. The next best thing is to generate interview questions for him/her that gives insight into the person to confirm if this candidate is right for the job. Of course, the candidates resume is also very important to verify if he/she is qualified for the job. This paper suggests some interview questions to ask and other considerations to keep in mind to reduce the risk of hiring the wrong person for the job.

SUGGESTED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Are you an organized person? Give me an example.
2. Do you consider yourself neat? Give me an example.
3. Are you a detail or broad-brush person? Give me an example.
4. Can you take pressure well? Give me an example.
5. If I walked into your home, what books or reading materials would I see?
6. Are you a problem solver? Give me an example.
7. Are you a risk taker? Give me an example.
8. Are you a visionary? Give me an example.
9. How would you take a group people and turn them into a team?
10. Remote working will bring a diverse culturally and geographically diverse team. How would you manage this type of team?
11. Are you a leader? Explain why.
12. To lead a team, you need to be out in front. What does this mean to you and how would you accomplish this?
13. How would you resolve conflict on your team? Give me an example.
14. If you are hiring a project manager, what is the most important characteristic you are looking for?
15. How would you handle a disruptive team member during a meeting?
16. What is the best way to communicate well? Give me an example.
17. What is your opinion regarding the frequency and length of a meeting?

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS TO KEEP IN MIND

Body language and facial expressions can give insight into the interviewee’s trustworthiness and confidence. Research has found that the most trustworthy facial expression involved a slight raise of the eyebrows and a slight smile. Body language adjustments like smiling or nodding can be a good indication if the interviewee is engaged and listening.

Effective speaking by the interviewee such as words chosen and how he/she say them will provide an insight into how the interviewee may communicate verbally with the team and understood by team members.

An interview goes both ways. The company is interviewing the candidate and the candidate is interviewing the company. The interviewee should know a lot about the company before the interview. The candidate should be asking questions in the interview like Who will be my supervisor? Where will I sit? How is the company organized/ What project will I be initially assigned to?  Failure to ask these types of questions may indicate the interviewee is not fully engaged in the interview or maybe does not seem excited about joining the company if an offer is made.

SUMMARY 

Reviewing the candidates resume in detail with him/her to understand what the interviewee has and can do is pretty routine in an interview. More than one candidate has embellished their resume so due diligence in reviewing their resume is important.

But you do not know anything about the person. To hire the right candidate, it is essential to ask questions to provide insight into the person and how he/she may perform in a project managers role.  This paper provides suggested interview questions and other consideration to reduce the risk of hiring the wrong person.

Bio:

Currently John is an author, writer and consultant. He authored a book entitled Project Risk Management. It went on sale on Amazon in August 2019. He authored a second book titled How to Get a Project Management Job: Future of Work.  It is on sale on Amazon. The first book is a text book that includes all of the technical information you will need to become a Project Manager. The second book shows you how to get a Project Manager job. Between the two, you have the secret sauce to succeed. There are links to both books on his website.

He has presented numerous Webinars on project risk management to PMI. He writes columns on project risk management for CERM (certified enterprise risk management). John also writes blogs for APM (association for project management) in the UK. He has conducted a podcast on project risk management.  John has published numerous papers on project risk management and project management on LinkedIn.

John earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering and MS in Engineering Management from Northeastern University. He has extensive experience with commercial and DOD companies. He is a member of PMI (Project Management Institute). John has managed numerous large high technical development programs worth in excessive of $100M. He has extensive subcontract management experience domestically and foreign.  John has held a number of positions over his career including: Director of Programs; Director of Operations; Program Manager; Project Engineer; Engineering Manager; and Design Engineer.  He has experience with: design; manufacturing; test; integration; subcontract management; contracts; project management; risk management; and quality control.  John is a certified six sigma specialist, and certified to level 2 EVM (earned value management). Go to his website to find links to his books on Amazon as well as numerous papers he has written. https://projectriskmanagement.info/