Providing Project Documentation Samples for a Job Interview
Andrew WatsonIT Project Analyst| Contractor at Florida BlueJacksonville, Fl, United States
Prior to an upcoming interview for an IT Project Manager position, I have to provide these two sample documents:
1) A 2 to 4 page memo in which I define a problem and then make a recommendation to solve the problem from a list of 3 possible alternatives/options that I also have to come up with.
2) A 1 to 2 page status report for project activities that have occurred over the past 2 weeks
I should point out that I am not working right now so I don't have any current projects that I can use for the data.
Any suggestions on how I can prepare these fictional but "real world" looking documents? I'm not good at making up scenarios. Any examples out there that I can look at for ideas?
Andrew, I would suggest you try to identify the types of projects typically performed by your prospective employer, and create a generic project that aligns with the responsibilities you are seeking. This can be beneficial in a number of ways:
- It gives an indication that you understand the company you're applying to.
- It shows you understand the important considerations of their types of projects.
- It might involve some research which will better prepare you for the interview as well as for the examples.
Bonus points if you do a different project type for each demonstrating breadth. You can find plenty of templates for each document. For the first I'd look at some high level proposal templates, such as a STP (Situation Target Proposal) template. For the second, I'd look at some example project dashboards or other search terms like project status template. Look at a couple, and blend the elements you think are most relevant together.
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2 replies by Andrew Watson and Joey Perugino
Apr 17, 2019 2:41 PM
Andrew Watson
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Keith:
Thanks for your reply. These are great ideas and I'll definitely look into what you suggested.
Regards,
Andy Watson
Apr 17, 2019 9:02 PM
Joey Perugino
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Interesting, I had never come across the reference that you made to the STP but it seems to be a very good model. It seems to be mostly used for proposals but I think I would be able to leverage it for other things too.
A quick and easy way to identify a problem and document possible solution alternatives.
Saving Changes...
Andrew WatsonIT Project Analyst| Contractor at Florida BlueJacksonville, Fl, United States
Apr 17, 2019 1:40 PM
Replying to Keith Novak
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Andrew, I would suggest you try to identify the types of projects typically performed by your prospective employer, and create a generic project that aligns with the responsibilities you are seeking. This can be beneficial in a number of ways:
- It gives an indication that you understand the company you're applying to.
- It shows you understand the important considerations of their types of projects.
- It might involve some research which will better prepare you for the interview as well as for the examples.
Bonus points if you do a different project type for each demonstrating breadth. You can find plenty of templates for each document. For the first I'd look at some high level proposal templates, such as a STP (Situation Target Proposal) template. For the second, I'd look at some example project dashboards or other search terms like project status template. Look at a couple, and blend the elements you think are most relevant together.
Keith:
Thanks for your reply. These are great ideas and I'll definitely look into what you suggested.
Typical project scenarios are lack of resources ($$$, people) and contractor/ product non-compliance. For example, regarding resources (people) you could have scenarios such as hiring is delayed due to HR overload/ lack of funds for wages, people quitting, people not trained/ experienced, maternity/ parental leave, etc. For lack of $$$ you could have scenarios such as poor forecasts, higher than anticipated costs, unforeseen/ scheduled work, delayed approvals, budget cuts, etc. For monthly project/ task status reports (1 page) I usually included the following:
1. HR related issues (hiring, new people, leave status, exceptional issues - health, non-performance, etc).
2. Budget table updates (allocation/ forecast/ spent/ % spent/ balance).
3. On-going issues/ tasks and their status (30 day out, 60 day out, etc)
4. Upcoming travel of staff for that month and status of approvals/ costs Saving Changes...
Andrew WatsonIT Project Analyst| Contractor at Florida BlueJacksonville, Fl, United States
Steve:
These are great suggestions! I'll try to incorporate these into my documents.
Andrew, I would suggest you try to identify the types of projects typically performed by your prospective employer, and create a generic project that aligns with the responsibilities you are seeking. This can be beneficial in a number of ways:
- It gives an indication that you understand the company you're applying to.
- It shows you understand the important considerations of their types of projects.
- It might involve some research which will better prepare you for the interview as well as for the examples.
Bonus points if you do a different project type for each demonstrating breadth. You can find plenty of templates for each document. For the first I'd look at some high level proposal templates, such as a STP (Situation Target Proposal) template. For the second, I'd look at some example project dashboards or other search terms like project status template. Look at a couple, and blend the elements you think are most relevant together.
Interesting, I had never come across the reference that you made to the STP but it seems to be a very good model. It seems to be mostly used for proposals but I think I would be able to leverage it for other things too.
A quick and easy way to identify a problem and document possible solution alternatives. Saving Changes...
