Got great organizational skills and problem-solving skills too? If yes, then this role is going to be a good choice in your career. In this article, we will be sharing some of the questions with answers that you might be asked in your interview as an Assistant Project Manager.
1. Why Are You Interested In This Role?
The reason for applying for this job was to explore options in the industry where my skills could be used and I could get exposure. Till now, I have been working in small firms where my exposure was limited but with a bit of knowledge about your company, I believe that I will be handling a lot of international projects on my plate.
2. What Are The Roles Of An Assistant Project Manager?
In this role, several responsibilities involve organizational and problem-solving skills.
- Maintenance of all project plans and schedules as per the budget and expenditure,
- Involving stakeholders and providing all information regarding the given projects,
- Keeping a note of all discussions happening in a meeting with stakeholders including decisions,
- Preparing a presentation for such meetings to give a proper briefing and up to date information,
- To make sure that all project timelines are being met,
- Evolving project strategies along with giving administrative support to all members involved,
- Make sure that the project is following all rules and regulations including the agreed framework,
- Keeping an eye on all risks and issues that may arise and being able to provide solutions where needed,
- Aligning all goals and deadlines as per the commitment of the project and
- Ensuring that all stakeholders are on board at every given step.
3. What Are The Qualities That An Assistant Project Manager Needs To Be Successful?
The requirement of soft skills is the essence of this role. An assistant project manager should have good interpersonal skills where he can assist in the administrative and technical side of the project. He should be a team player and should be a team motivator instead of working in a separate space. It is also important to have good listening, writing communication, and oral skills to pass on the information in the right manner.
4. What Major Challenges Did You Face During Your Last Role? How Did You Manage Them?
In my previous role, we had a new client on board and a few key team members were required to join the first few initial meetings. One of our team members was always approaching late to the meetings and everyone had to wait for him. It was hard to reschedule all the meetings because all team members had busy schedules too. One day, I asked my team member to join me for a cup of coffee outside work in a friendly manner. During the quick session, I informed him about this behavior that was causing a lot of trouble and gives an unprofessional look to him. He understood and the next day, he was the first one to arrive in the meeting room.
5. Describe Your Daily Routine As An assistant Project Manager?
The normal day in this role will involve miscellaneous tasks as per the day. I start my day by checking all emails from the previous day and checking if any changes have been made from the client’s end. Once my client’s emails are sorted, I start discussing the current situation of all projects that are in pipeline with the key members. I spend some time discussing problems with the teams if they are facing any difficulty in completing the project. Once I track all the projects, I update the client about the current status and align the expectations. Another miscellaneous task of the day includes preparing invoices and estimates and getting approvals.
6. Describe Briefly About Your Experience?
I started my career in 2019 in the same field in XYZ Company where I contributed to the development of project budgets. I also updated financial records with expenditures and fund status at completion. I also prepared cash flow forecasts that helped in staying within the budget of any project.
7. What Kind Of Strategies And Mindset Are Required For This Role?
This role requires someone who can be a team player because you are the face in front of the client. I make sure that I have good terms with all my team members so that we can achieve the results more conveniently.
8. What Is The Biggest Challenge You Foresee In This Job?
Difficult clients are one of the biggest challenges because they take decisions in seconds. There are times when your problem-solving skills along with patience are tested hard. To deal with any sort of challenge, I make sure that I don’t lose my calm because it can directly affect the business and my team.
9. How Do You Stay Motivated At Work?
I am fond of training and new things always excite me. I make sure that new learning and knowledge about the project status are at my fingertips. A happy client and new tasks coming my way are what I like about this job.
10. Describe A Time You Failed In This Role And The Lesson You Learned?
There have been a lot of difficult times where I have gotten a chance to learn from it. In my experience, I have learned that if I am well aligned with my internal team and can provide up-to-date information to my client, both sides are happy and so are the project stakeholders.
11. Why Do You Feel You Are Qualified For This Role?
I believe that I have all the skills that are required for this role. I can proudly say that I have a good listening skill that gives me an edge in serving clients and internal team members. I also perform well under stress as I don’t panic and remain patient throughout the project. I can also work in a high-pressure environment and at a fast pace too! When I am at work, I am always focused on my professional work and do not engage in any personal activity that could derail me from my tasks. My top priority is to provide great service to all my clients and team members.
12. Share With Us Your Greatest Achievement
A few months ago, I was working with my team on the launch of a new flavor in herbal tea. We were able to sell almost 1 lac packaging of the new flavor in the first few months. Being a leader in project management, I was dealing with external suppliers too and we were able to launch it timely and also inside the budget.
13. What Is Your Management Style When The Team Is Unable To Deliver Results In The Given Timeline?
I make sure that I am taking regular updates from my team to ensure the delivery and timelines. Sometimes, timelines are missed due to unforeseen circumstances but there is always a solution to this. During my work, I make sure that I have a backup of all data with me and that all changes and feedback are being incorporated from time to time. I also make sure that I keep a sufficient buffer in the committed timeline so that internal changes can be done in the internal review. One time, my team member wasn’t able to show up for the meeting since she was stuck in traffic. I took her on-call during the meeting and understood the basics of the deliverables before I presented the files myself. I believe that teamwork is key for such jobs.
14. Have You Ever Had A Disagreement With Your Supervisor Regarding A Project?
Disagreements are the beauty of this job because it helps in exploring more options and coming up with possible achievable solutions together. Once, I was working on a project budget before locking it with the client. Under the travel tab, my supervisor put the limit to a certain figure that was only a 1% increase from the previous travel budget. Since I was working closely with other team members and one of the analysts informed me that oil prices had increased in the last few days. I mentioned this to my supervisor and he understood and increased the budget and also kept a buffer to be on the safe side.
15. Which Project Management Software Have You Used And What Is Your Experience Like?
In my previous role, I worked on a collaboration tool i.e. Trello and we used it for all our projects. I was able to track down all updates with its help and made relevant changes in it if required. I have also worked on Slack to manage a few projects with the timeline since it was used by the client. Such tools are such a help in project management and also save time.
16. Are You Familiar With Six Sigma DMAIC? What Is Your Experience In Other Project Management Approaches?
Yes, I have used this in my previous role. The methodology surely helps in reducing the chances of defects in the project and also assists in exploring more opportunities. In the same capacity, I have gotten a chance to use Lean Practices that helps in achieving targets with limited resources. For a few projects, Agile also works where process flexibility is required.
17. How Do You Plan To Manage Remote Teams In The Post COVID19 World?
This is the new normal and I believe we all need to adjust to it as per the need of the hour. It has been more than 2 years since I have managed remote teams since all teams were assigned for Work from Home. For meetings, I have used Zoom and Google Meetup as well. Document sharing is constantly done via Google Documents which has good tools to assign tasks and update relevant information in seconds.
18. What Is The Key Difference Between Project Monitoring And Controlling?
The basic is the goal for both i.e. keeping the project on track from the first day till its completion. The monitoring identifies the difference between projected results and actual results as per the baseline. On the other hand, controlling is to ensure correct actions are being made and identification of repair options as well.
19. What Are The 3 Ps Of Project Management?
- People Management:
This involves a leadership skill to guide your team to work in the same direction as everybody. If the teams are aligned, the objectives of the project can be achieved easily. In People Management, cooperation and collaboration play a vital role because, without them, a project ends up in jeopardy. To balance cooperation and collaboration, teams should be making decisions instead of a one-man show. Once the objectives are aligned, experts’ opinions can be taken to make the best decision regarding a project.
- Process Management:
It is as important as People Management as it ensures sound processes are utilized that can lead to a successful project. It is a chance to use knowledge and skills that lead to making a project being successful.
The team is accountable and keeps the senior team members informed about the project’s inside-out information. This helps in tracking the actual progress of any project and adjustments are made based on the provided information.
20. Do You Think Defining Deliverables Assist In Project Management?
To get a result out of something, you need to know what is the requirement of the project is. Clear deliverables can act as a checklist for the team who will work on the project as well as for the key stakeholders because it will align the expectations as well.
21. In Your Point Of View, What Are The Benefits Of Project Management Software?
Using technology to achieve results in a project is a wise thing to do. The software industry has made jobs easier for everyone and project management software is one of them. Few benefits of using it include:
22. What Is The Project Management Life Cycle?
Project Management is a management routine that is used to plan, organize and control project activities. The activities are initiated by the executive members. Usually, the executive committee is the top management of the company. The project lead is responsible for the project, budget, resources, activities, and results. The committees approve the plans and monitor the performance. In specific situations, the executive committee is changing, prioritizing, or terminating projects.
Any project requires defining the roles and responsibilities. Project development comprises 5 stages in its life cycle.
23. What Are A Few Common Causes Of Risk In A Project? How Is It Taken Care Of?
There are common causes of risk that are easily identifiable in many projects, such as:
With the help of risk management, predicted risks or even surprises can be dealt with. It is very often the strategy that is used to deal with these unexpected risks that determine the ultimate success of a project.
24. What Is The Role Of Risk Management?
- With a Risk Management Plan, the risks are monitored timely and tackled too before any damage.
- Knowledge of possible risks that may come along and their severity. This also gives a chance to have those risks translated to stakeholders involved.
- Analyzing the probability of each risk occurring and its impact at the task level and on the overall project in terms of deliverables and scheduling
25. Do You Think Team Motivation Is An Essential Task Of Any Project Manager?
The essential requirement of any project is to deliver a defined product or service. To meet the timelines and scope of the job, it is a major task of any project manager to keep his team motivated throughout. This will not only promote a healthy work environment but also gives everyone a chance to perform to the best of their abilities. Who does not love the motivation and little appreciation during the work? We all do and so will the team.
Conclusion
Answer all questions with confidence and make sure your resume is up to date. Dress nicely and professionally and do not forget to smile as you talk. Your soft skills are going to come in handy in this role so in your interview, present those well to your interviewer. These 25 questions are surely going to help in acing the first round of interviews as assistant Project Manager. Good luck!
