34 IT Project Manager Interview Questions (And Answers)

Updated 5 September 2023

Interviewers often ask various questions to evaluate a candidate's eligibility for a role. In an interview for an IT project manager position, you can expect questions about your academic background, work experience and skills. Reviewing a list of typical interview questions for this role is good practice before an interview, as it can give you confidence and help you deliver engaging responses. In this article, we give a list of general, experience-based and in-depth interview questions for an IT project manager role and provide some sample questions with answers you can review to help form your own.

10 General IT Project Manager Interview Questions

The following are some general IT project manager interview questions you may encounter:

What do you think is your most important accomplishment professionally?
What are your hobbies outside of work?
What do you do to stay current on the latest technological developments in the field?
How would you describe the perfect workplace?
What are some of your professional goals?
If we hire you, how do you plan to add value to this company?
What is your work routine?
Do you have any references and how can we contact them?
Why are you leaving your current job?
How do you process negative feedback at work?

10 Questions About Experience And Background

The following are some IT project manager interview questions about your experience and background:

How many years of experience do you have working in IT?
What professional certifications do you hold?
Briefly explain how you evolved as a professional over the years.
How does your education complement the requirements of IT project management roles?
What are some key lessons you learned from your previous role?
How do you address challenges at work?
What academic interests do you have?
Briefly explain how you learned from your past mistakes at work.
How do you intend to deliver optimal performance in this role?
What improvements can our organisation make?

10 In-Depth Questions

These are some in-depth interview questions for IT project managers:

What do you do to address unexpected changes to a project?
What is scope creep and how do you address it?
What experience do you have managing budgets for projects?
What are your conflict resolution strategies?
What methods do you use to motivate your team members?
What do you know about delegative leadership?
How do you create a project plan?
Do you have experience working with remote teams?
Tell us about a time when you overcame an obstacle during a project.
If you make a mistake while managing a project, how do you address it?

4 Interview Questions With Sample Answers

These are some interview questions with sample answers to help you prepare for your own interview:

1. What skills are most important for an IT project manager?

An interviewer may ask you this question to see whether you are aware of the role's requirements. They may also want to examine your rationale for prioritising skills relevant to the position. In your response, list two or three skills and elaborate on why you think they are important for an IT project manager.

Example: In my opinion, communication and organisation are two very important aspects of project management in any domain. Good communication ensures everybody on a team understands the scope of their work and the expected outcomes. Project managers provide periodic reports to senior leaders, so written communication skills help them to be more effective at their jobs. Project managers in IT often work on multiple projects at a time and organisation skills let them maintain information, documents, communications and resources efficiently.

I prioritise timely communication in my regular duties as an IT project manager. On a weekly basis, I connect with team representatives and the client to discuss what tasks require prioritisation in the coming days. I also prepare monthly reports for management staff, where I document even minor developments in a project with a timeline.

2. How would you define a perfect project?

Interviewers usually ask this question to understand your expectations and learn more about your preferences. This question helps them determine whether you are suitable for the particular role and organisational culture. You can respond by describing what you expect from an ideal work environment and project.

Example: I prefer working on projects with a familiar scope, sufficient budget and achievable timelines. I enjoy collaborating with colleagues throughout the project and value experiences that allow me to learn more about specific IT domains. I also find IT projects meet their potential when top-level decision-makers become extremely invested in the outcomes and the process because it encourages seamless communication and limits discrepancies emerging as the project progresses.

While I prefer using prior experience and expertise to my advantage, I am willing to work on projects that demand regular interaction with employees in other departments, such as research and development and product development. Often, such projects let me gain a comprehensive understanding of common organisational business processes and encourage me to develop my skill set. I also prefer working on a single, layered and engaging project rather than dividing my time between two or more small-scale projects.

3. What is your strategy for prioritising tasks?

Project managers make crucial decisions about dedicating resources to specific tasks at various project stages. Their aim is to achieve successful outcomes within their prescribed deadlines. To perform effectively in this role, candidates usually possess a personal strategy for making decisions related to prioritising their duties. Your answer can explain your strategy and describe your ability to adapt to various situations.

Example: I start a typical workday by listing all the important tasks for that day. I consult with senior managers and supervisors to discuss each task's priority level. Following this, I consult with contributors and executives to understand if there are potential issues that can prevent us from addressing the most important items on the list. I ask individual task holders to report their progress and address priorities that have the available resources and minimal concerns. I also make a day's action plan adaptable by providing time for unexpected changes.

4. What do you do to ensure you meet deadlines?

Interviewers may ask this question because a typical IT project involves multiple contributors and variables. Monitoring several aspects of a project simultaneously may be challenging for individuals to do on their own, so project managers typically rely on technology and project management software to monitor the various workflows throughout a project. In addition, they often communicate with a wide variety of individuals, including senior partners, top management, executives, supervisors and clerical staff. Your answer can indicate you possess a nuanced understanding of each IT project's factors.

Example: IT projects typically have primary and secondary milestones. A secondary milestone may pertain to an individual's or a small group of contributor's work. Primary milestones may indicate the culmination of a project phase, often pertaining to the collective efforts of the team members working on the project. Before a project starts, I usually consult with the client to understand their expectations and set deadlines for primary milestones. On a routine basis, I consult with contributors to estimate the time cost of each secondary milestone.

In case the collective time cost of all secondary milestones deviates from an upcoming deadline, I inform the client in advance and try to make the appropriate adjustments. I identify the reasons behind the issue and resolve them with help from executives and supervisors. By proactively evaluating the time each task requires and accounting for potential issues, I ensure the team delivers expected outcomes according to the pre-determined schedule. When I am unsure about meeting a deadline, I communicate openly with the client and provide an accurate overview of the situation.