Table of Contents

Recruitment Interviews

Hiring the right project and programme management professionals is one of the most impactful decisions an organisation can make. A structured, competency-based approach to recruitment ensures that candidates are assessed fairly, consistently, and against criteria that predict success in the role.

Competency Framework for PM Roles

A competency framework defines the skills, knowledge, and behaviours required for effective performance at each level. The following framework covers the core competency areas for project and programme management professionals.

Core Competency Areas

Competency Area Description
Stakeholder Management Building and maintaining relationships, influencing, managing expectations
Planning and Organisation Developing plans, scheduling, resource management, prioritisation
Risk and Issue Management Identifying, assessing, and responding to risks and issues
Leadership and Team Management Motivating teams, providing direction, developing people
Delivery and Execution Driving progress, managing scope, maintaining quality
Communication Written and verbal communication, presentation, active listening
Financial Management Budget management, forecasting, cost control
Change Management Supporting adoption, managing resistance, enabling transition
Governance and Assurance Applying standards, managing controls, ensuring compliance
Problem Solving and Decision Making Analysing situations, evaluating options, making sound judgements

Competency Levels by Seniority

Competency Junior PM Project Manager Senior PM Programme Manager
Stakeholder Management Foundation Practitioner Expert Expert
Planning and Organisation Practitioner Practitioner Expert Expert
Risk and Issue Management Foundation Practitioner Expert Expert
Leadership Foundation Practitioner Practitioner Expert
Delivery and Execution Practitioner Practitioner Expert Expert
Communication Foundation Practitioner Expert Expert
Financial Management Foundation Practitioner Practitioner Expert
Change Management Awareness Foundation Practitioner Expert
Governance Foundation Practitioner Practitioner Expert
Problem Solving Foundation Practitioner Expert Expert

Interview Question Bank

Stakeholder Management

Question What Good Looks Like
Tell me about a time you managed a difficult stakeholder. What was the situation and how did you handle it? Demonstrates empathy, identifies root cause of difficulty, takes proactive action, achieves a positive outcome without damaging the relationship
How do you identify and prioritise stakeholders on a new project? Uses a structured approach (e.g., power/interest grid), considers multiple stakeholder groups, tailors engagement approach
Describe a situation where stakeholder expectations were misaligned. How did you resolve it? Recognises the misalignment early, facilitates dialogue, finds common ground, documents agreements
How do you maintain stakeholder engagement on a long-running programme? Regular communication cadence, varied channels, demonstrates value, seeks feedback, adapts approach

Risk and Issue Management

Question What Good Looks Like
Walk me through how you approach risk management on a project. Proactive identification, structured assessment (probability and impact), defined responses, regular review, escalation when appropriate
Tell me about a significant risk that materialised on one of your projects. What happened? Demonstrates learning, explains what was done to mitigate, honest about what could have been done differently
How do you distinguish between a risk and an issue? How does your management approach differ? Clear understanding of the difference, explains how response approaches differ, provides practical examples
How do you encourage your team to identify and report risks? Creates psychological safety, uses workshops and regular reviews, rewards early identification, avoids blame culture

Planning and Organisation

Question What Good Looks Like
Describe your approach to developing a project plan for a complex initiative. Starts with scope and deliverables, involves the team, uses WBS, identifies dependencies, builds in contingency, gets buy-in
How do you handle a situation where the plan is no longer achievable? Assesses impact, identifies options, communicates transparently, recommends a course of action, updates the plan
Tell me about a time you had to manage competing priorities with limited resources. Uses clear prioritisation criteria, communicates trade-offs, negotiates with stakeholders, makes tough calls
How do you track and report progress? Uses appropriate tools, tracks against baseline, reports honestly (including bad news), uses RAG status meaningfully

Leadership and Team Management

Question What Good Looks Like
How do you motivate a project team, especially during challenging periods? Understands individual motivations, celebrates progress, provides support, maintains morale through transparency and empathy
Tell me about a time you had to address underperformance in your team. Addresses it promptly and privately, seeks to understand root cause, provides support, sets clear expectations, follows up
How do you build a high-performing team from scratch? Defines roles clearly, invests in relationships, establishes team norms, creates psychological safety, leverages strengths
Describe a situation where you led without direct authority. Uses influence and persuasion, builds coalitions, demonstrates credibility, achieves results through collaboration

Delivery and Execution

Question What Good Looks Like
Tell me about a project you delivered successfully. What made it successful? Attributes success to team and process, identifies specific actions that drove outcomes, demonstrates self-awareness
Describe a project that did not go as planned. What would you do differently? Honest reflection, identifies root causes, demonstrates learning, explains how they have applied those lessons since
How do you manage scope creep? Uses change control, documents baseline, assesses impact of proposed changes, communicates trade-offs, involves decision-makers
How do you ensure quality in your deliverables? Defines quality criteria upfront, builds in reviews and testing, uses acceptance criteria, learns from defects

Scoring Criteria

Competency Rating Scale

Score Rating Description
1 Unsatisfactory No evidence of the competency, or evidence of poor practice
2 Developing Limited evidence, basic awareness but lacking practical application
3 Competent Solid evidence of the competency at the required level, with relevant examples
4 Strong Exceeds expectations, demonstrates depth and breadth of experience
5 Exceptional Outstanding evidence, demonstrates mastery and ability to develop others

Scoring Guidelines

  • Base scores on evidence – candidates must provide specific, verifiable examples, not hypothetical answers
  • Use the STAR framework to evaluate responses: Situation, Task, Action, Result
  • Probe for depth – ask follow-up questions to understand the candidate’s specific contribution
  • Score independently – each interviewer should score before discussing with other panel members
  • Document justification – record the evidence that supports each score

Assessment Techniques

Competency-Based Interview

The primary assessment method. Candidates are asked to provide specific examples from their experience that demonstrate each competency.

flowchart LR A[Situation
Context] --> B[Task
Objective] B --> C[Action
What they did] C --> D[Result
Outcome] classDef blue fill:#108BB9,stroke:none,color:#fff class A,B,C,D blue

Tips for interviewers:

  • Ask open questions that begin with “Tell me about a time…” or “Describe a situation where…”
  • Listen for “I” not “we” – you need to understand the candidate’s personal contribution
  • Probe vague answers: “What specifically did you do?” “What was the outcome?”
  • Allow silence – give candidates time to think

Situational Interview

Candidates are presented with hypothetical scenarios and asked how they would respond. Useful for assessing judgement and problem-solving.

Example scenario: “You are two weeks from go-live and a critical defect is discovered that could take three weeks to fix. The sponsor is insisting you go live on time. What do you do?”

Technical Assessment

For roles requiring specific technical knowledge (e.g., scheduling tools, financial modelling, methodology knowledge), a practical assessment can supplement the interview.

Assessment Type Best For Format
Plan review Planning skills, attention to detail Provide a plan with deliberate issues; ask candidate to identify and correct them
Case study Problem-solving, stakeholder management Present a scenario and ask for a written or verbal response
Tool demonstration MS Project, Jira, Excel proficiency Practical exercise using the relevant tool
Presentation Communication, structure of thought Ask candidate to present on a given topic for 10-15 minutes

Assessment Centre

For senior or high-volume recruitment, an assessment centre combines multiple methods to provide a comprehensive view of each candidate.

Red Flags

Watch for these warning signs during interviews.

Red Flag What it May Indicate
Cannot provide specific examples Lack of genuine experience at the required level
Always the hero of every story Lack of self-awareness, difficulty working in teams
Blames others for failures Poor accountability, potential for conflict
Cannot describe their methodology Operates by instinct rather than structured approach
Vague about outcomes and metrics May not have been close enough to delivery
Dismissive of governance and process May resist organisational standards and controls
Cannot articulate lessons learned Limited reflective practice, may repeat mistakes
Overly focused on tools rather than people May lack stakeholder management and leadership skills
Inconsistent story across questions Potential integrity concern, or exaggerated experience

What Good Looks Like at Different Levels

Junior Project Manager / Project Coordinator

  • Demonstrates enthusiasm and willingness to learn
  • Can describe structured approaches to task management
  • Shows awareness of PM fundamentals (scope, time, cost, quality)
  • Provides examples of supporting senior PMs or managing small workstreams
  • Communicates clearly and concisely

Project Manager

  • Provides multiple examples of end-to-end project delivery
  • Demonstrates stakeholder management at senior levels
  • Shows evidence of managing risk proactively
  • Can describe how they have handled difficult situations with maturity
  • Articulates a clear personal methodology while being adaptable
  • Manages budgets and resources effectively

Senior Project Manager

  • Demonstrates delivery of complex, high-value, or politically sensitive projects
  • Shows evidence of leading and developing teams
  • Can navigate ambiguity and organisational politics effectively
  • Demonstrates strategic thinking alongside operational delivery
  • Has experience of multiple methodologies and can select the right approach
  • Provides evidence of coaching or mentoring others

Programme Manager

  • Demonstrates experience of managing multiple interdependent projects
  • Shows evidence of benefits management and business case ownership
  • Can describe how they manage strategic stakeholder relationships
  • Demonstrates experience of organisational change at scale
  • Shows evidence of building and leading high-performing teams
  • Articulates a vision and can translate strategy into delivery

Interview Process

flowchart LR A[Define
Requirements] --> B[Screen
CVs] B --> C[First
Interview] C --> D[Assessment
Exercise] D --> E[Final
Interview] E --> F[Decision &
Offer] classDef blue fill:#108BB9,stroke:none,color:#fff class A,B,C,D,E,F blue

Pre-Interview Preparation

  • Define the role clearly using the role definition template
  • Agree competencies and weighting with the hiring manager
  • Prepare questions and scoring sheets in advance
  • Brief all panel members on the assessment criteria
  • Review the candidate’s CV and note areas to explore

Post-Interview Evaluation

  • Each panel member scores independently before discussing
  • Compare scores and discuss significant discrepancies
  • Focus on evidence, not impressions
  • Document the rationale for the hiring decision
  • Provide constructive feedback to unsuccessful candidates
Last updated: 19 March 2026