What qualities do you look for when interviewing a PM candidate?
Are you more focused on skills and experience or do you look for personality, potential, and the ability to fit in with the team? Is there anything that is a ‘showstopper’ where you would almost discontinue the interview immediately? Saving Changes...
Showstopper: not knowing anything about Project Management. You'd be surprised how often that happens. Plenty of candidates seem to think PM is a cushy job that requires nothing more than sitting back and ordering people around all day. It would be almost funny, if there wasn't also plenty of people already working who seem to think the same... Saving Changes...
Wai Mun KooPMO Director| Intergraph PP&MSingapore, Singapore
What Julien has mentioned belongs to 'He who knows not and knows not he knows not' - is a fool, shun him. He made the right decision.
Showstopper for me: He who knows not and pretends that he knows a lot - is a snake oil seller, stop him. This type of people are more dangerous and harmful than the 'fool' type as they will often provide fake or wrong information that will confuse and mislead the others. Saving Changes...
Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Great post and replies. Of the choices listed (skills and experience vs. personality, potential, and the ability to fit in with the team), I would go with the latter - on the condition that skills and experience were sufficient. In terms of showstoppers that would result in discontinuing the interview, exhibiting an overly arrogant demeanor and not listening would certainly shorten it. Saving Changes...
Harlan BridgesConsultant, Coach, Trainer, Speaker, Program Manager, Project Manager| EntrepreneurSeguin, Tx, United States
After 30 years in this business, I have learned that the most important qualities for a project manager are sometimes known as soft skills such as people skills. So I look for these skills in this order:
1. Leadership - both team leadership and servant leadership
2. Communication skills
3. Business Acumen - crucial to the successful delivery of project objectives
4. Flexibility and adaptability
5. Political Acumen
6. Project management skills
Technical project management skills are no longer enough to successfully deliver on project objectives.
Some really good answers there- I would just add a thought around needing them to demonstrate creative problem-solving skills.
Is immediately discontinuing an interview common in the US? I've only heard of it happening once ever in a UK PM interview, and that was an old PM colleague of mine deciding to stop an interview where they were being interviewed. Usually in the shortlisting pre-interview stage you would be able to eliminate any candidates who were really unsuitable. Saving Changes...
Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Tim, I agree. I have not heard of interviews being immediately ended by the interviewer. Like you mentioned, I have heard a few stories of candidates that have walked out of interviews. I would be inclined to afford the candidate the full time allowed, though if the candidate exhibits the kinds of traits discussed in the replies this post, I would likely have "mentally" ended the interview in my mind. Years back, I was one of the managers that interviewed candidates at career fairs. In this setting which was more like screening than interviewing, we had more people to interview than time allowed. Hence, some interviews had to be politely cut short so that other candidates could be received. But even then, I can't recall abruptly ending a session per se... Saving Changes...
Wayne MackRetired| RetiredSouth Riding, Va, United States
Is there even a trade-off? I think one would want both skills and experience; and personality, potential, the ability to fit in with the team.
Would one choose someone who is technically skilled but would not fit in with those he would work with? Would one choose someone who is not technically skilled but who fits in well with others for anything beyond an entry level position?
These are not either-or choices, but trade-offs in degree of capability. One needs to look for a well-rounded individual, but accept that there will not be a perfect match.
Saving Changes...
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
I have hired both an inexperienced person who was a great fit for the team and who quickly learned the skills, and an experienced, brilliant PM who was not a great fit for the team. They have both left now, but working with the inexperienced one was a greater pleasure.
You can teach skills, you can gain experience, but you can't change someone's personality to make them fit in with the team. Having said that, if you have an entire team who are all identikit versions of each other, you won't get the variety you need for balanced and challenging viewpoints.
I've never come across anything that would make me halt an interview, but I have asked fewer questions and got through the interview more quickly when it became clear from the responses that the candidate didn't want the job and wasn't capable of doing it. I don't know why people go for jobs that they don't want, unless they see us as interview practice. Saving Changes...
Wai Mun KooPMO Director| Intergraph PP&MSingapore, Singapore
Very well said Elizabeth. Both interviewee and interviewer deserve some forms of respect. Saving Changes...
