The ideal program manager should be able to see your company through any situation that unfolds. You don’t know what the future brings in business. As hard as you might try to predict which way the tide will turn and how projects will turn out, you can only plan for so much. The best program managers are the ones who can oversee departments and multiple aspects of a project with clarity and cohesion. They can keep everyone working together during the best and worst times with ease and take everything in their stride. It’s not easy to find people that fit this description. They need to be fully qualified for the role in more ways than one.
Previous experience in managerial roles and the right qualifications go a long way. So does the life experience that comes with the job and the lessons learned along the way. The right candidates are honest about what they’ve been through and how they rose above challenges. That’s why it’s so important to not just ask about positive factors when interviewing prospective program managers but also to ask about the negatives.
How Well Do Candidates Handle Difficult Situations?
It’s easy to go into an interview situation focusing on the positives. Employers want to know everything that candidates have achieved during their time at their previous company. So, understandably, you’ll start crafting interview questions based on the skills and achievements of the candidate. You’ll want to know why they are such a good fit and worth poaching from another company. The problem is that business isn’t always positive. It’s unrealistic to assume that the next project you face will go completely smoothly with no obstacles and that there will be nothing but profit and success.
That’s why it’s important to grill people about the negative aspects of the job. It’s no good having someone who guided a rival through a major product launch and smashed targets if they had an easy ride and can’t handle tougher times. That’s where it pays off to ask questions about negative situations from different angles. The insights you get could distinguish the strongest applicants from the weakest. Here are some approaches you can take for effective interview questions for program managers.
1) Dealing with shifting targets
Let’s start with something that many program managers will face at some point – maybe multiple times. Sometimes, it can feel as though a program manager is in complete control of every process and department, and all is well. Then, without warning, things change. The goalposts move, and everyone has to adapt as quickly as possible to keep everything afloat. It could be a change in the deadline, someone new making demands from a collaborating company, or a need to hit greater profits. How has your candidate dealt with situations like that? Did they thrive or fall apart?
2) Dealing with changes to budgets and resources
In addition to those shifting targets, there may have been further stresses in the form of adaptations to the budget or the resources on offer. Maybe a key department or strong team member was taken out of their role to focus on something else. Maybe the higher-ups decided to slash the budget while expecting the same results. What did your candidate do to keep everything running according to plan?
3) Dealing with conflict resolution
Conflict is inevitable when you have different departments and maybe different branches all trying to work cohesively on a massive project. The best program managers will be able to step in where there is tension or obvious conflict and find a resolution. How was that achieved? Was it a strategy they’d use again, or would they do things differently?
4) Dealing with unhappy stakeholders or clients
It isn’t just employees and department heads that program managers have to contend with when maintaining balance and order. There are plenty of other people who have a stake in the success of the project. There’s upper management, shareholders, clients, suppliers, and everyone else with expectations. Failure to meet those could be costly without the right communication and negotiation. How did your candidate achieve this?
5) Dealing with team morale and cohesion after a setback
Setbacks of any kind can be demoralizing and hard to bounce back from. Whether it’s a failure to meet a target or a change in circumstances, it can be hard to get the whole team to keep going and get past the situation. The best program managers have the communication skills to ensure everyone knows their role and their strengths while guiding them forward to new successes. How would a candidate do this?
Different Types Of Interview Questions For Program Managers
The best way to understand the skills and mindset of candidates in these situations is to frame the questions in the right way. Behavioral and scenario-based questions are perfect for this. Candidates can explain a time when they encountered one of the situations mentioned above. For example, they can talk about a time when they had to handle a conflict between departments. They can also explain how they dealt with setbacks with specific examples to show their problem-solving skills and resilience. You can also use hypothetical questions about potential situations rather than asking about past ones. What would candidates do if their higher-ups suddenly had a whole new objective for the next month or slashed the budget?
Finding Strong Candidates Through Tough Experiences
What you need to remember here is that you’re looking for a well-rounded candidate who’s dependable, resilient, and able to think on their feet. If you focus on the plus points of a candidate that seems too good to be true and don’t grill them about negative situations, can you be sure they’re suitable? The worst-case scenario is this golden new hire crumbles under the pressure of new challenges, and you’re back to square one. So, ask the tough, insightful questions about their previous role. Get a better sense of their character and integrity to ensure you make the right call.