Program Manager Interview Questions

A program manager is a person responsible for chalking out a plan and executing it till the end. With such a vast scope of work, a program manager's job description includes a number of roles and responsibilities. The nature of his job slightly differs with a difference in nature of industries. Broadly, a program manager has to come up with ideas, create plans and develop them and look after the production as well. He defines the requirements of the program and schedule to see its completion at the earliest. A program manager has to direct and oversee the deliverable, their compliance with set standards and performance levels of employees under him. A job, responsible as such, requires a person who has an experience and is capable do doing his job well.

Interview Questions for a Program Manager

• What are your career goals?
• What do you wish to learn from this job?
• In a creative field, how do you deal with non-productive team members?
• Your role would require you to motivate disheartened subordinates. What will be your strategy for doing the same?
• Describe the most challenging project you have ever handled?
• On the scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself as a situational leader in a culturally diverse environment.
• What has been the high point of your career so far?
• How would you imbibe a sense of ownership and loyalty amongst your team members?
• What have you deduced from your failures? How have you transformed them into potential learning experiences?
• Tell us something about your previous employment(s). What did you learn from there?
• What part of your previous employment did you enjoy the most and what frustrated you the most?
• What if you come across similar situations here?
• If we were to call your ex-colleagues, what do you think they would say about you?
• How many hours of work can you pull at a stretch?
• Tell us about a situation wherein you worked long hours. How stressful was it and how did you handle it?
• What are your three strengths and three weaknesses?
• What is the toughest decision you've made so far?
• What are the key elements of planning a program?
• What makes a program unique?
• What are the constraints of planning a program?
• If at any point, your program exceeds the budget, what will be your plan of action?
• How did you meet the goal of your previous program?
• How will your experience contribute towards the growth of our company?
• What is quality management?
• How do you think you can increase sponsorship for your program?
• If the previous sponsor leaves when you take up the assignment, what will you do?
• How different is a project than routine jobs at office?
• What are common the obstacles faced by program managers in a multilingual environment?
• What is the importance of risk management while outlining a program?
• What are the methods of costing and estimation for a program?
• How important are people skills? Are they more important than technical skills?
• What is the standard procedure used for closing a project?
• How open are you to criticism?
• Tell me something about your previous boss.

Program manager interview questions aim to assess the qualities of the candidate. The answers to these questions will help you understand his experiences, his thoughts, whether he is a leader or a follower, a team player or whether he has an individualistic style of working. Ask as many questions as you like, to get to know the candidate well. It is important to make a conscious decision while recruiting a program manager, for he holds a responsible position, which can make or break the standing of your company.