We asked W. P. Carey Alumni: What are your most helpful tips on preparing for project management role interviews?
Here is what they shared:
- Know and Explain Your “Why”
- Understand Key Words and Tricky Phrases
- Prepare Specific Examples to Respond to Situational Questions
- Hone Your Storytelling Skills
- Clarify Your Role
Know and Explain Your “Why”
Great project management requires a visionary mindset, so being able to effectively communicate your “why” with clarity and passion will help you stand out.
Be able to explain what has motivated you to pursue the project management career path and what your short and long-term career goals are. Prospective employers also want to know why you have pursued them specifically among all the choices of companies out there.
Jesse Osburn, MBA, Project Manager, Hensel Phelps Construction Co.
Understand Key Words and Tricky Phrases
Familiarize yourself with keywords and tricky phrases associated with common project management professional certifications. Most organizations are going to have their own internal project management terminology, but interviewers holding common PM certifications will recognize these key terms and tricky phrases.
Just make sure to also study what the words and phrases mean and when they apply, in case they want to dig deeper. Doing so will lend an air of credibility to you and show that you understand core PM theory and practices.
John Hoover, MBA International Business ‘20, Project Engineer III and Project Manager, SEL Engineering Services
Prepare Specific Examples to Respond to Situational Questions
Project management heavily relies on strong communication, stakeholder management, and the ability to drive change. The best way for an interviewer to understand your skills in these areas is through situational questions.
Think of a time in your previous experience when you handled varying opinions, pushback, or unresponsiveness and how you persevered. Be able to provide examples of how you have adapted work to meet the needs of varying stakeholders or how you met a deadline when faced with a challenge.
Of course, you won’t be able to foresee every possible situational question, so think of two or three stories that could apply to a variety of questions. Make sure they are specific, detailed, and dynamic stories that emphasize your strengths and what makes you unique. The interviewer will remember not what you say but how you make them feel, so paint them a picture!
Anna Smith, BS Marketing ‘19, Engineering Project Manager, Cisco
Hone Your Storytelling Skills
To hone your story-telling skills, I recommend following four major steps.
First, review your experiences and see which ones are most applicable to the position, e.g., experiences involving leading or managing a team, resolving conflicts, solving tough challenges, etc.
Second, structure your stories using the STAR (Situation, Task, Actions, and Results) format. For the actions, highlight the various options you considered and why you chose your course of action, and also include some measurable results that arose because of your actions.
Third, practice your stories until you are comfortable with the delivery—you can practice by yourself and also with career coaches and friends so they can give you feedback on the stories.
Finally, thoroughly research the company and the role so you can clearly articulate why you are interested in the company and the position and how your skill sets and experience will add value to the role.
Kizito Okougbo, MBA ‘21, Project Manager, Data Quality, Prime Healthcare Services
Clarify Your Role
“Project Management” is a very broad term. Really clarify with the interviewer your goals, desired projects, and the project types you will be executing.
Lois Zozobrado, BS Marketing ‘19, Associate Project Manager, Go West Creative
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