Mike Jacobsen

Interview Question: Tell me about a time when you have made a mistake in a project – Answer Tips

August 18, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Question forms part of

Civil Service Question Bank
Project Manager Question & Answer Sheet

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

No this is not a trick question. But it is not as straight forward as it seems on the surface.

The interviewer is not as interested in the mistake that you made but rather how you handled the situation once the mistake was realised.

Did you attempt to cover up your mistake?
Did you draw attention to your mistake?
Did you, successfully, fix your mistake?
Did you change how you approached the task in the future to prevent re-occurrence of the mistake?

All of these things will be running through the interviewers mind when you are answering this question.

The interviewer is less interested in the actual mistake* than they are in how you handled yourself in the face of the mistake being realised and what, if any, steps you took to fix the mistake and learn from the experience to prevent similar issues going forward.

*That said the interviewer is going to raise an eyebrow if you talk about a particularly devastating mistake so try to keep it minor (no showstoppers!)

The best approach to answering this question

This is a “Tell me about a time” question. As with all questions phrased in this manner your answer is going to require sharing an example from your experience. I always recommend that when answering questions like this that you follow the B-STAR technique.

Let’s see how this method would work on this question:

B – Belief – What are your thoughts/feelings on the matter? – Explain to the interviewer how you feel about making mistakes (presumably not great). Talk about how when you realise a mistake has been made that you seek to highlight and correct the mistake at the earliest possible opportunity. Once the damage from the mistake has been reversed (or minimised) then you look to see the root cause of the failing and take steps to prevent re-occurrence.

S – Situation – What was going on? And what was the mistake? – Set the scene for the interviewer. It is important to remember at this point that this is still an interview, and is under a time restraint. So don’t spend too much of your time describing the issue, if possible make your example very easy to understand – simple project, simple mistake.

T – Task – What was your responsibility at the time? – Talk about what your role in the situation was. What tasks were you responsible for in the original project, in making the mistake and in the clean-up. Good answers will touch upon how you took a pro-active role in helping to fix your mistake.

A – Activity (or Actions) – What steps did you take? – Upon realising your mistake what did you do? Run through each activity you completed while conveying to the interviewer why you believed these steps to be necessary. This part of the question should form the bulk of your answer.

R – Results – How did it all turn out? – What was the end result? Again, this is an interview so let’s try to keep it simple and say that the end result was positive. The mistake was spotted, you owned up to it, you were pro-active in getting the issue remedied and finally you enacted some changes to how you work to prevent the issue from happening again.

How NOT to answer this question

Do not describe a work place catastrophe – I appreciate that the question is asking you to share a mistake but don’t fall into the trap of sharing your biggest mistakes. Keep your examples to mistakes that were somewhat important to your role/function but that did not have life or career threatening impacts.

Do not use a failure as an example – When choosing your example try to talk about one where you were able to wind back all (or at least some) of the damage that your mistake caused. Also ensure that you were able to learn something from the experience for the next time you are in a similar situation. Do not describe a time when you made a mistake, it was never fixed, and you do not know how you would react if a similar situation were to happen again.

Do not avoid the question. Don’t tell the interviewer that you never make mistakes. I have seen candidates use that answer hundreds of times and not once has it ever endeared them to the interview panel. Everyone makes mistakes. If you claim that you never make mistakes the interviewer is not going to believe you, they will either assume you are lying or that you are very inexperienced.

Tell me about a time when you have made a mistake in a project – Example answer

“I hate making mistakes – I suppose everybody does – that is why I always advocate for proper planning. I am a ‘measure twice cut once’ type of girl. When a project is planned correctly the risk of mistakes by any one person are greatly reduced. However on the occasions that a mistake of mine does ‘slip the net’ I always immediately highlight it to the project/workstream and take steps to remediate the fallout.

For example, back when I was Delivery Manager at [REDACTED] my project team were in charge of delivering an important piece of work to the business every Tuesday morning. This piece of work took my team 1 day to produce. One such week – after a bank holiday – the report was going to be delayed until Wednesday (as my team needed the Tuesday for production since Monday was a non-working day).

The mistake that I had made was that I had not communicated this delay to the business area expecting the report and as such there were a team of people without any work to do.

Upon learning of my error I immediately contacted the team lead of the business area and explained the situation, taking full blame for the error and apologising for the inconvenience caused. I listened to the lead talk about how their team used the report and between the two of us we devised a temporary solution. My team would deliver the report in 4 stages, so as opposed to receiving one full report the business would now receive 4. This would allow them to start work on the first stage while my team continued to produce the remaining stages.

Had I not took responsibility and sought out how to rectify the situation then the entire team would have lost a full day’s production, in the end they only lost 1.5 hours, of which the Team Lead advised me they used to complete mandatory learnings anyway.

Once the situation was resolved I went back plugged the gaps in my RACI matrix and communication strategy so that this issue would not present itself going forward. I also took the time to take a couple refresher courses on LinkedIn with regard to stakeholder management. I can safely say failure to communicate will not be an issue for me again!”

Interview Question: Tell Me About A Time You Improved A Process – Answer Tips

August 12, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Question forms part of:

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

In order for a business to survive it needs to continually grow, it is not enough for a firm to just tread the waters as eventually another company will come along and take their place.

This is true in the public space also, the general public is not content to receive the same level of service forever when they see other cities, counties, states, countries etc. receiving better and better service.

So how does a business continue to grow? One of the main ways is via continuous improvement.

Constantly looking for ways to reduce costs, increase profits, improve efficiencies by looking at and introducing change to current business processes.

That is what the interviewer is looking for when asking this question. Are you someone who will look at the process and notice areas for improvement? Or are you content to just work the process as is?

As this is a behavioural question the interviewer will want to know how you have gone about changing processes in the past, what steps did you take, did the changes stick, was it a success, etc.?

The best approach to answering this question

This is a “Tell me about a time” question. Clearly the interviewer is expecting an example of a time you improved upon a process, that much is obvious. But there are good examples and there are bad examples.

The best way to approach this is to first discuss your thoughts on process improvement. Talk about how you feel strongly that all colleagues should take the time to review their processes to identify areas of improvement.

Once that is out of the way you want to get straight into your example using the S.T.A.R method.

The best example to give is one in which you identified an enhancement to a process that would save time or money for your organisation.

Once you identified the enhancement you took steps to organise your idea and present it in a straightforward manner to your management team.

The best answers talk about how after presenting to management you either led the project to change the process yourself or were an important SME during the project.

Finally once the process was updated to include your changes what were the results? Did you get the benefits you thought you would? It is best during an interview to use an example were the process change was a success.

Not every process improvement is a success but this question is not the right time to talk about that. Pick an example where you were key to the change and the change was a success.

How NOT to answer this question

Don’t avoid the question. If you have truly never improved a process in a professional setting then think of an example from your personal life or from back in school. There is no worse answer you can give than:

“I don’t think I’ve ever done that, every job I’ve had I have just followed the process as given to me”

If you really are hitting a brick wall and literally have no examples to give then resort to giving a hypothetical answer about how you would change a process if you could.

Another thing you should avoid talking about is making changes to the process unilaterally:

“Prior to logging case files onto the system the process was to send it to a colleague for a ‘buddy check’. After working some 50 cases without any feedback from the ‘buddy’ I opted not to follow this part of the process. This meant that I could log cases onto the system a day or so earlier than normal.”

In this example the interviewee has removed a step from the process in order to save time. It also appears as though the interviewee failed to clear this with anyone in his department before doing so. Given the nature of the task it is probable that this ‘buddy check’ was there to catch quality issues and approval to remove this step would not have been given had the request been made.

A better thing to do would have been for the interviewee to query the buddy check process itself, it seems unusual for there to be zero feedback at all across 50 cases.

Tell Me About A Time You Improved A Process – Example Answer

The examples provided below can serve as a foundation for creating your unique answers. For additional inspiration, our new guide includes five sample responses to this question and over 100 answers to all of the most common interview queries.

Check out “INTERVIEW SUCCESS: How to answer 20 of the Most Popular Interview Questions (with over 100 sample answers!)”

“I am a big fan of continuous improvement. I am always looking for ways to improve my skills and to make the people and processes around me better and more efficient. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it is my passion but something I very much enjoy doing is automating repetitive functions.

One such occasion was in a previous role where I was working in the accounts department of a flooring company. This firm employed numerous contractors across the country who would be submitting expense reports and invoices regularly.

My job was to receive these emails and transpose the data into our accounting software in order for payment to be made.

As I was interested in automation I knew that a lot of repetitive type data entry tasks could be automated. But I wasn’t sure how. So before I approached my managers with my idea I did some research into various solutions.

Once I found how it could be done I pitched the idea to my managers who were totally on board. We hired an IT contractor who automated the entire process within a week.

The end result was instead of spending 20 hours a week on expense reports and invoices I spent just the 1 hour doing quality checks of the tool, leaving me an additional 19 hours a week to spend on other value adding tasks for the firm”

5 more example answers…

Question Banks

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27 Scrum Master Interview Questions (And Example Answers)

August 7, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Scrum is the new black.

The first implementation of scrum took place way back in 1993 so it is not a particularly new project management framework but it sure is popular at the moment.

At its core scrum is a framework that fosters collaboration and giving a team (usually of developers) the tools and free-reign to self-organise while working on tasks.

Right in the middle of this self-organising team is the Scrum Master. It is the Scrum Master’s job to act as a facilitator and blocker remover for the members of the team.

Scrum Master roles can be quite high paying so there are usually many candidates for any open positions. Getting a job as a Scrum Master is therefore quite tough, and the process can be fairly intense.

This article today is going to look at the Scrum Master job application, and in particular the interview process.

First we will look at some SM specific tips that you can use when in the interview. Then we are going to dive into the best method for answering interview questions (and also how not to answer interview questions!) Then finally we are going to round off by looking at some of the more popular Scrum Master interview questions that you can be asked and see some example answers.

Contents

1 Scrum Master Interview Tips
2 How Best To Answer Scrum Master Interview Questions
3 What You Should Not Do When Answering Questions
4 Scrum master Interview Questions

Scrum Master Interview Tips

Lean heavily on your experience – Follow the B-STAR process (discussed further below) and refer back to your previous role regularly. Show the interviewer that you are very well acquainted with the subject matter at hand.

Name drop the processes, systems and tools you have used – If you are telling a story about a sprint or a project you worked on name drop the software you used (MS Projects, JIRA, etc.). If you are explaining how you did stakeholder management discuss how you utilised a RACI Matrix. Basically pepper your answers with Scrum Master vernacular. Make sure it comes across naturally though.

Tailor your answers to the organisation – Learn all you can about the organisation that is interviewing you. You particularly want to know:

What are their current, past and future projects?
What is the level of their PMO, what processes/methodologies do they use, what are they looking to use going forward?
What software and tools do they use day-to-day?

When answering your questions try to showcase your experience that you have in the above areas. For example if you learn that they have completed numerous waterfall projects automating business processes but are looking to move into an Agile delivery then you talk about how you have experience with Agile and in automating business processes.

How Best To Answer Scrum Master Interview Questions

Unless the question you are asked is a straight ‘up or down / yes or no’ style question then you are going to need to learn to describe, expand and elaborate on your answers. The best way of doing this is to follow the B-STAR technique for answering interview questions.

Answers using this method follow the below structure:

B – Belief – What are your thoughts and feelings with regard to the subject matter? – As a Scrum Master you should have your own set of philosophies and processes that you tailor to each situation.

S – Situation – What was going on? Briefly explain the scenario that was taking place. – Try not to spend too much time describing the situation. The bulk of your answer needs to be about you and what you did so keep the situation simple to understand and even simpler to describe.

T – Task – What was your role in the action? Most of the time it is best that you are taking an active rather than passive role in the encounter – You are going for a Scrum Master role (presumably) so the situation you describe should have you in a leadership role in delivery.

A – Activity (or action) – What did you do? Detail the steps you took and why you took them. – This should take up the bulk of your time answering the question.

R – Result – How did everything end up? Try to use figures if possible (e.g. we cut costs by $3m, customer satisfaction scores increased 25%, failures reduced to zero, ice cream parties increased ten-fold).

Remember though that the B-STAR technique is descriptive not prescriptive. You do not need to follow this flow strictly, go with what is best for your answers and that will allow you to put your point across and show your experience the best.

What You Should Not Do When Answering Questions

Do not avoid the question.

Do not describe a failure (unless specifically asked).

Do not downplay the situation.

Do not overhype the situation.

Do not say you have no experience with the subject matter.

Do not reject the premise of the question.

Do not have a passive role in the situation.

Do not give a one-sentence answer.

Do not overly describe the scenario and miss the action.

Scrum master Interview Questions

What is Scrum? (describe in layman’s terms) / what are the different roles within Scrum?
What are the responsibilities of the Scrum Team?
What are the differences between Agile and Scrum / what is meant by Agile
What is meant by Sprint in Scrum?
What are Scrum artefacts?
What are the three pillars of scrum?
What are the Scrum values? / What do you mean by Sprint in Scrum?
Who is a Scrum Master? And what does he/she do?
What do you mean by user stories in Scrum? What are the advantages of using them?
What are Some drawbacks to using Scrum? / What are some risks in Scrum? How are they handled?
What are the key skills of a Scrum Master?
How can conflict be dealt with within the Scrum Team?
What is a product owner?
How to deal with Score Creep?
How can you coordinate between multiple teams?
What are the Scrum values?
How would you deal with a difficult stakeholder?
How can a Scrum Master contribute to the sprint planning process?
Should the Scrum team be involved in the product discovery process? If so, how?
What is the structure of a good user story?
What is the Scrum Master’s role during the Daily Scrum?
What would you do if a team member is unable to complete a task for a sprint? / How would you motivate team members? / What would you do if the project is running behind schedule?
How would you deal with a difficult stakeholder?
What is your experience in this industry?

Do you have any questions for us?

Interview Question: What are you good at? – Answer Tips

August 5, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Question forms part of

Civil Service Question Bank

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

This isn’t a trick. This question isn’t one of those where the interviewer is asking one thing but is actually looking for something else.

This is as straight a question as you can be asked.

The interviewer wants to know what you are good at. What skills do you have. What areas of the role will you excel in.

Your CV will only give half the picture. The interviewer wants to hear straight from you what skills you bring to the table. From your answer the interviewer will be assessing whether your skills are what they need in the organisation.

The best approach to answering this question

While this is a straightforward question, you should still take care with how you answer it.

I find that most candidates fire straight into what they think their best attributes are with no regard for the role or the company.

This is a mistake. When you answer this question (and all questions in an interview) you should always be mindful of what the interviewer wants to hear.

Take time to re-read the job description before you go for your interview. This will tell you exactly what the company is looking for from the candidates. This is what you will say you are good at; when the question is asked.

Sure it is a bit deceitful. But hey, that’s how the game is played.

Be sure to talk about a few things. You do not want the interviewer to think you are a one trick pony.

The best answers will highlight a few things that you are good at while emphasising one skill that you really excel in: all the while tying back what you are saying to your experience. That is what separates good and great answers. Everyone can say that they are great at leadership, but not everyone can back up this self-reported greatness with experience.

As mentioned it is best to get your answers directly from the job description, here are some things to look out for:

Skills / Strengths for Job Interviews

Strengths you can use in a job interview (buzzwords):

Expert in an industry software
Adaptability
Leadership
Quick study
Detail oriented
Focused
Able to juggle many things at once
Planning
Communicating and Influencing
Problem solving
Experience

It is important for this question and other similar questions (like the dreaded “What are your 3 biggest strengths”) that you don’t just read off the skill and move on. You should mention the skill and go into a little more detail as to why you are so good at it. Take a look at the examples at the end of this post to see how.

How NOT to answer this question

Don’t be too humble. Sure it is difficult for some people to ‘big themselves up’. But this is not the time for false modesty. If you are ever going to show off your skills to someone this is the time and the place

Don’t say you are good at everything. If you say you are great at everything then it starts to become less believable. Limit your answer to 2 to 4 strengths.

Don’t say you are hard working. Such a cliché answer. You want to separate yourself from the rest of the candidates. Your future employer will expect all of the candidates to be hardworking you need to show something that differentiates you and shows the interviewer why you are right fit for the role.

Some other popular responses that you will want to avoid:

Honest
Punctual
Trustworthy
Reliable

Obviously these are all good traits to possess however as mentioned all of these things are expected of any employee and will not make you stand out – which is what you want in an interview.

What are you good at?

Example answer 1

“As you can see from my CV I am an experienced project manager and I do believe I am very good at my role. I am a very good planner, I am quick to adapt to changing business environments but I believe my best attribute is my communication skills.

Being a project manager is all about being able to communicate effectively and to all different types of stakeholders – something I learned recently when we released a new software upgrade and I was communicating with front-line customer service colleagues all the way up to the CEO of the whole group! – It is this experience and others that have moulded me in to the skilled communicator I am today“

Example answer 2

“I’m not usually one to toot my own horn but when in an interview I suppose it is a must. I have a few attributes that I am particularly skilled in. I am hardworking – but I guess everyone says that – I am also an extremely quick study as you can see from my qualifications. But my greatest strength that I bring to the table is my experience in the sector. I have been working in this industry for over 10 years and have worked in a multitude of departments across all areas of the supply chain. There is not much about this trade that I do not know.

So you ask what am I good at, I am good at knowing where everything fits together, why certain processes are the way they are, who the best suppliers are in the area, etc. The knowledge that you can only gain from doing. I will be the person on the team that everyone comes to when they need more information about their work.“

Interview Question: How Do You Assess And Monitor Risk Within A Project? – Answer Tips

August 3, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Question forms part of

Project Manager Question & Answer Sheet

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

Bread and butter project based question this one is.

This is a question you will find in a lot of junior or graduate positions. Once you move into a more intermediate or senior project management role you can expect a lot fewer textbook questions like this. However do be prepared for the question anyway as it could be the case that the interviewer asks the question with a slight twist (e.g. “Tell me about a time risk was not adequately scoped…”).

So what is the interviewer looking for exactly here? Basically do you know your stuff. Do you understand the principles of project management and can you explain that back to the interviewer to show that you appreciate the importance of Risk Assessment and Monitoring within a project.

As simple as that.

The best approach to answering this question

As mentioned this is a fairly textbook question and should prove no issue if you have the required knowledge or qualifications. If you do not have any formal education in project management it might be worth reading the PMBOK prior to your interview just to get yourself accustomed to some of the terminology.

While this is a ‘textbook question’ that does not mean you should give a ‘textbook answer’. The best answers will expand on the textbook answer by providing your insights and backing up your answer with relevant examples from your experience.

How NOT to answer this question

Do not say you have no experience. This question is not asking you to explain your history with projects and how you have assessed and monitored risk in the past. This question can be answered easily in the hypothetical. Even if you have no experience in the subject matter at hand talk about how you would approach risk in a future project.

Do not say you do not manage risk. Whenever an interviewer asks you “How do you…”, it is never a good idea to say you don’t do what they were asking about. The interviewer is clearly asking the question in that manner as it is expected for you do what is being asked. In this instance managing risk is a fundamental part of the project management process and saying that you do not think about risk during a project will not be taken well by the interviewer.

How Do You Assess And Monitor Risk Within A Project? – Example answer

“Managing risk is one of the most important tasks that I undertake as a project manager. It is crucial to success that risks are appropriately identified, assessed and monitored throughout the project lifecycle.

In order to achieve this one of the first project artefacts that I create when forming a new project is the RAID log. Within this log I record all potential risks to the project (as identified by the project team and stakeholders).

Within the log risks are assessed as to the likelihood and severity and an appropriate plan is put in place, usually looking to reduce or eliminate the risk or to mitigate the impacts should the risk crystallise.

Within the log I include a date for review. When this date comes around the item is re-examined to determine if all the underlying logic still holds true.

I have found that the on-going monitoring of the risks is the most difficult to get people engaged with. It is easy to explain the need for the initial session but slightly more persuading is needed to get people involved in continually updating the risks.“

29 Teacher Interview Questions (And Example Answers)

August 2, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Getting a job as a teacher is a bit different to any other job. The people you work with the most will not be there. You basically have to talk to a grown-up about how good you are at talking to little kids.

It might even be better if the interview was held by the kids themselves.

Actually strike that that’s a terrible idea!

Interviews are stressful occasions, you need to put yourself out there and hope that the other person thinks that you are a competent enough person to trust with the role.

In order to reduce the stress you need to ensure that you come prepared. You are dressed the part, you arrived on time and you have checked yourself out in the mirror beforehand (make sure there’s nothing stuck in your teeth!).

But the most important thing you can do to prepare is to practice interview questions beforehand.

And that is what we are going to look at today. We are going to go through some of the most popular Teacher Interview Questions.

Take your time and think about how you would answer these questions in an interview setting and make some notes if necessary. Hopefully in doing this you will nail your next interview.

Contents

1 Teacher Interview Tips
2 How Best To Answer Teacher Interview Questions
3 What You Should Not Do When Answering Questions
4 General Teacher Interview Questions
5 Primary School Teacher Interview Questions
6 Secondary School Teacher Questions

Teacher Interview Tips

Lean heavily on your experience – Follow the B-STAR process (discussed further below) and refer back to your previous time in the classroom regularly. Show the interviewer that you are very well acquainted with the subject matter at hand.

Name drop the processes, systems and tools you have used – If you use any learning aids in the classroom make sure you namedrop them (particularly if you know the institution is also using – or has used – the same tool).

Tailor your answers to the school – Learn all you can about the organisation that is interviewing you. Each institution is different and offers different learning experiences to their students (classroom size, extra-curricular activities, etc.)

How Best To Answer Teacher Interview Questions

Answers using this method follow the below structure:

B – Belief – What are your thoughts and feelings with regard to the subject matter? – As a Teacher you should have your own set of philosophies and an overall ‘teaching style’ that you tailor to each situation.

T – Task – What was your role in the action? Most of the time it is best that you are taking an active rather than passive role in the encounter – You are going for a Teaching role (presumably) so the situation you describe should have you at the head of the classroom if possible.

A – Activity (or action) – What did you do? Detail the steps you took and why you took them. – This should take up the bulk of your time answering the question.

R – Results – How did everything end up? Try to use figures if possible (e.g. student pass rates rose 10%).

What You Should Not Do When Answering Questions

Do not badmouth a previous institution

Do not avoid the question.

Do not describe a failure (unless specifically asked).

Do not downplay the situation.

Do not overhype the situation.

Do not say you have no experience with the subject matter.

Do not reject the premise of the question.

Do not have a passive role in the situation.

Do not give a one-sentence answer.

Do not overly describe the scenario and miss the action.

General Teacher Interview Questions

Why do you want to work in our school? / why do you want to teach? (often asked together)
What makes you an effective teacher? / Why should we hire you?
How would you contribute to making our school a safe environment for children? / Tell us how you dealt with a safeguarding issue in school
What are the current issues in education?
How do you build relationships and communicate with parents/carers? / How do you engage with students’ parents or guardians?
What would you do if there was a pupil in your class who was refusing to complete their work? / Can you tell us about a time when a pupil has refused to cooperate with you?
Can you tell us about a time you’ve faced challenges at work and how you’ve overcome them?
How would you handle bullying in your class?
How do you assess and record children’s progress?
Why did you choose to teach this particular age range?
What do you think makes a successful school?
How do you feel about parent helpers in the classroom?
How would you meet the needs of more academically able children in the class?
What strategies do you use to support children with special educational needs?
If a child doesn’t show signs of improvement after all your planning, monitoring, assessing and so on, what do you do next?
What do you think is the best way to motivate pupils?
How would you like to see your career develop?
Tell me about a lesson that didn’t go well and what you did about it
What behaviour management strategies do you tend to employ in the classroom?
What role do you believe technology has in the classroom?
What is your teaching philosophy?
What has been your greatest success as a teacher?

Do you have any questions for us?

Primary School Teacher Interview Questions

What are your favourite and least favourite subjects to teach, and why? How do you ensure that you teach your least favourite subject well?
How would you develop children’s communication and language skills?
What are the important things to consider when setting up your inside space?

Secondary School Teacher Questions

In your opinion, what is the most important aspect of your subject, and how do you make sure that you teach this well?
What have you gained by studying your main subject at university?
How do you see your subject developing over the next three years?

Interview Question: What are your weaknesses? – Answer Tips

July 5, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Question forms part of

Civil Service Question Bank

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

This is a very popular question in an interview. I have found that it doesn’t matter what job you are going for or what stage of your career you are in, this question can appear at any time.

Which is unfortunate (for us as job seekers) because it is such a tricky question to gauge what it is exactly the interviewer is looking for by asking this question.

The interviewer could be looking for one of two things:

Are you the type of person who is capable of introspection to find weaknesses. Are you also the type of person who – when they identify weaknesses in themselves – takes steps toward improving in these areas.
Actual, genuine areas of weakness. The interviewer might have genuine interest in your areas of weakness. It could be that they require people strong in X and you saying that it is your weakness will rule you out.

We are not mind readers so it is hard for us to know what exactly the interviewer is looking for, but a good rule of thumb would be if the job you are looking to apply for is in a career based position where you would be expected to grow and mature as a professional with the organisation then strong bet the interviewer is looking for number 1 above.

On the other hand if you are applying for a contract position or a limited time position where you are being tasked with coming in and performing X function and then leaving the organisation, then you can safely assume they are looking for number 2 above. You should keep this in mind when formulating your answer.

The best approach to answering this question

This is not a “Tell me about a time” question, or a skill question. It is an opinion based question. The interviewer wants to hear your thoughts around your strengths/weaknesses to understand if you would make a good fit to their organisation.

With that in mind the best approach to this question is to be honest…but not too honest. Tell the interviewer your weaknesses…within reason.

No-one is great at everything and even if you are there will be some areas that you are greater in than others. The others are your weaknesses.

The best answers will approach this question by giving a frank assessment of your weakness AND discussing what steps you are taking (or will take) to overcome this weakness and become a better worker.

Talk about your weakness and how it impacts your life and work, but then detail the steps that you are taking to overcome this weakness. Try to make your answer about a weakness that can be improved and isn’t purely subjective (e.g. “I can’t use X system” vs “I don’t get on well with people”).

How NOT to answer this question

Don’t say you have no weaknesses. For a starter it is just plain not true, everyone has weaknesses. Further it will not endear you to the interviewer, they will think you are cocky and arrogant. Or even worse it shows that you are naïve and failed to prepare for the interview.

Don’t give a false weakness that is actually a strength. “Oh my biggest weakness is that I work too hard, *wink*”. Come off it. The interviewer is smarter than that. They are asking the question to see if you can determine your own weaknesses. If you truly work too hard then talk about how you have a problem setting boundaries with colleagues and saying NO to additional responsibilities outside your job role.

Don’t share a massive weakness. This question is really tricky, because you want to give a weakness and show how you are overcoming it, but at the same time you don’t want that weakness to actually cost you the job. Keep your weaknesses small but relatable, i.e. don’t say you can’t use Microsoft Office when applying for an office job (plus also learn how to use Word!)

What are your weaknesses? – Example Answers

Weakness Example Answer 1

“I have never worked with <insert tool or software> before and I see that it plays an integral role in your organisation. I have worked with <insert other tool> before and from what I hear it lacks a number of features present in <tool>. I look forward to the opportunity to use this new tool as I hear great things about it, I have also found a crash course online that I would look to take to get up to speed as quickly as possible…should I be offered the job”

Weakness Example Answer 2

“My memory is my biggest weakness. Quite frankly it sucks. I will be told something in the morning and will have completely forgotten having had the conversation by the afternoon. It held me back a lot in school were it seemed like a lot of exam preparation was just cramming as much info into your head as possible prior to an exam. I have found a good system though that works for me. I write lots of notes and set myself lots of reminders. I am not sure if you can see since we’re on video but I have been taking notes throughout this meeting as well!”

Weakness Example Answer 3

“I think my biggest weakness is my potential to get distracted. I’ve found that when I have just one task on my plate that I procrastinate a lot and it often ends up either incomplete or rushed and not finished satisfactorily. I have had good success recently with this by ensuring that I always have multiple tasks on the go at once. That way I can procrastinate on one by completing the other. It is not a perfect solution so I also perform exercises designed to improve focus and concentration at home.”

“Tell me about a time” Interview Questions – What does your interviewer want? (Example Answers Included)

July 4, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Tell Me About A Time Question Examples

Tell me about a time when you have identified an opportunity for improvement within your processes?
Tell me about a time your decision was overruled
Tell Me About A Time When You Went Above And Beyond For A Customer
Tell me about a time when you have challenged the usual way of doing things
Tell Me About A Time You Helped A Co-Worker Learn A New Skill
Tell Me About A Project That Failed
Tell Me About A Time You Improved A Process
Tell me about a time you worked well as part of a team
Tell me about a time when you have had to make a decision using only limited information?
Tell Me About A Time Someone Challenged Your Decision

What the interviewer is looking for by asking ‘Tell me about a time’ questions

Interviews are like exams; you show up, someone asks you a question and you give an answer.

Where they differ though is when you are in an exam you usually have the right answer, or you have the wrong answer.

When it comes to an interview the lines aren’t as clear.

You can have bad answers, OK answers, good answers, great answers and perfect answers.

“Tell me about a time” questions are your chance to differentiate yourself from the other candidates, there are no right or wrong answers, only an opportunity for you to showcase your skills and experience.

When an interviewer asks a “Tell me about a time” question they are looking for someone who has experience in the subject matter and want to hear how you have handled the particular situation previously.

The questions they ask are sometimes indicative of what the corporate values and work culture is like.

Firms that value exceeding customer expectations will ask questions like “Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond for a customer“.
Organisations that are hiring in order to increase efficiencies will ask questions like “Tell Me About A Time You Improved A Process“.
Etc.

The exact question you are asked will give you insight into what the interviewer is after. But regardless of the question when you are asked to “Tell me about a time” you know that the interviewer wants to see your experience in the subject matter and how you have tackled those situations and how you would tackle them in the future.

The best approach to answering these style of questions

When answering these type of questions it is important that you give full and detailed answers. But at the same time you need to ensure you remain on point and are not ‘waffling on’ and giving out too many superfluous details that the interviewer does not care about.

That is why we recommend using the B-STAR method. The B-STAR method is specifically designed for you to be able to hit all the key areas that the interviewer is looking for while still keeping your answers within a reasonable time frame.

Let’s take a look at how B-STAR works:

B – Belief – What are your beliefs (or thoughts/feelings) about the topic at hand. Do you have a process or methodology you usually follow when challenged with this topic? Are you passionate about a particular way of working or doing things?

This part of the answer is your chance to talk about your high level non-specific view on the subject.

Q: Tell me about a time when a delay impacted your ability to deliver
A: “I believe it’s very important to always be on time, especially in a professional setting. That is why I always take time to accurately set deadlines that I know are achievable. I appreciate there will always be times when this is not possible so I also feel that as soon as I know I am going to be late I need to inform my colleagues to manage their expectations. There was an occasion…[answer continues with STAR]”

Notice how the answer doesn’t have any details. You are giving the interviewer a look inside how your mind ticks and what frameworks/philosophies you live your life (and your working life) by. The interviewer will now know that the rest of your answer was no fluke occurrence, what you did and what you achieved is directly what you set out to do and falls in-line with your beliefs on the matter.

S – Situation – Set the scene for your tale. What was going on, where were you, who were you with, why were you there? When was this?

Basically the 5 Ws.

A: “A few months ago we (my colleague and I) were supposed to give a presentation in the clients office to provide a status update on their project but my colleague’s train was cancelled and they were going to be over 15 minutes late to the meeting start”

T – Task – What was your responsibility, what had you been assigned to do? Or rather what did you now have to do given the situation?

A: “It was now my responsibility to manage the situation with the client. A client that was very important to the firm and who we had only just started doing business with.

A – Action (or Activity) – What did you actually do? Walk through the steps that you took once you realised your situation all the way through to the end result.

A: “I quickly made a call to my manager to advise of the situation. The guidance from above was that the presentation had to go on as planned. I then called my colleague to get caught up to speed on his slides within the presentation. Luckily I had worked with my colleague to produce the presentation so it was a quick information download for me. I explained the situation to the client and reassured them they were in good hands with me while I delivered the presentation.

R – Result – How did everything play out? Did everything go as planned? You should also talk about any lessons that were learned from this scenario that you put to use in the future.

A: “The meeting ended up going quite well. I did struggle in some of my colleague’s areas but we were able to rectify that later when my colleague arrived. The client was impressed that I was able to cover both roles as seamlessly as I did and the relationship flourished from there. In the future I always ensured that I knew the whole presentation so that this issue would not re-occur.

Why is the “B” Important?

How NOT to answer these questions

Do not avoid the question. The question is the question. That is what the interviewer wants to know, do not answer some other question that the interviewer hasn’t asked.

Do not describe a failure (unless specifically asked). Failure is important in life, it gives us opportunities to learn and grow. However this is not so easy to explain in an interview setting. Take the easier route and talk about your successes – and feel free to include some lessons learned in the ‘R – Results’ portion of your answer.

Do not downplay the situation. You are trying to sell yourself here. This is not the time or the place to be modest. Tell the interviewer exactly how important the situation was and how crucial you were in it.

Do not overhype the situation. Don’t go too far in selling yourself. Make sure you accurately represent the situation as it happened, once you start embellishing or over-exaggerating encounters the interviewer will pick up on this and you might lose credibility.

Do not say you have no experience with the subject matter. This is difficult to avoid if you truly have no experience with the matter being discussed. So you will need to fake it til you make it. Talk about experience outside of a work setting if you must.

Do not reject the premise of the question. Try to not to belittle the question. The question is being asked because the interviewer believes the subject matter is important to the organisation. You should feel the same (if you still want the job of course)

Do not have a passive role in the situation. The interviewer wants to see what you have done, what steps you took, what actions you drove to completion. Make sure you were an active participant in any example you provide.

Do not give a one-sentence answer. You need to expand on your answer in order to show that you have the necessary experience.

Do not overly describe the scenario and miss the action. Your answers need to focus on what you did and how you helped in the situation. Obviously the scenario needs to be described so everyone knows what was going on but the bulk of your answer needs to hit at what you did and how you will apply that knowledge and experience in the new organisation.

Tell me about a time when you have identified an opportunity for improvement within your processes? – Example Answer

“I am always looking for ways to improve my processes both in work and out of it. I feel that if we are not looking to improve, to optimise then we will stall and eventually get surpassed. Better to be ahead of the pack than overtaken by the pack.

Recently in my current role I was tasked with reviewing and documenting the process for one of our business areas. These teams worked in customer complaints and were primarily responsible for gathering information about our customer to input into the complaint file.

This was a purely manual process and involved the team going into various systems and pulling the relevant data to input into a spreadsheet.

In order to perform my task I shadowed a few colleagues over the course of a week to better learn how they perform their function. From here I noticed a number of things that could be improved.

Firstly the team had to manually check a folder to see if any new complaints had arrived. I suggested that an automated solution could ping an email to the Team Leader to advise when a complaint had arrived and could – if it was wanted by the business – automatically allocate to a team member.

Secondly I noticed that the systems the team would gather data from all had various data feeds coming in and out. My suggestions were to interact with this feed for the complaint so that the data required for the complaint files were automatically shared with the team meaning that they did not need to go into each system. I had a further suggestion that would compile the data into the complaint file but after further analysis I deemed this to not be feasible with the current resources available.

Once I was complete I delivered the documented process maps to the business area and filed my suggestions with the relevant programme manager, who took my suggestions and formed a project that delivered on all of my suggestions and took an action to look at further resource to implement my compilation idea. The successful delivery of the project reduced the time it took to complete a complaint file by 50%.

Tell me about a time your decision was overruled – Example Answer

“When I make a decision I always make sure that I have evaluated each and every option and take a rational approach to choose the optimal one based on the data available. I would say it is not often that my decisions are questions or overruled but when they are I am always appreciative of the feedback provided and, while I try to advocate my position further, if the decision has been made I accept that and see what lessons I can learn for the future.

On one such occasion I had been asked to produce a list of employees who would be suitable for a new task force the organisation was deploying. This would be a great career move for all of the potential members so there was a lot of interest from within the department.

I set about immediately by collating all of the information about the candidates and matching this against a list of required and desirable qualities for task force members. Any colleague that did not have the required qualities was ruled out and then the rest of the candidates were ranked according to how many desirable qualities they showed.

When I presented this list to my director he overruled a number of the choices I had made. I listened to his reasoning for each of the changes and largely agreed (for example 2 of the candidates had disciplinary actions on their file that I did not have access to see).

There was one change that I did not agree with. The director was requesting that a colleague be brought onto the task force when their position in my ranking meant that he would be jumping ahead of 3 other better qualified candidates. The reasoning behind the decision was clear in that the candidate in question was a relative of a senior director elsewhere in the organisation.

I advocated strongly against this change informing my director that doing so would be a case of nepotism that is highly discouraged in our organisation and would look poorly upon myself, the director and might even tarnish the reputation of the newly formed taskforce. Once it was laid out in front of him like that the director acquiesced and we went ahead with the original list of colleagues with the 2 discipline cases swapped out.

Tell Me About A Time When You Went Above And Beyond For A Customer – Example Answer

“I was always taught, as a child, that if a job is worth doing it is worth doing well, and I fully believe that still today, as an adult. I also believe that if you exceed a customer’s expectations by going above and beyond then that customer is many more times likely to revisit your business again down the line.

This is a philosophy I have taken with me to all my previous roles and will take with me to any future roles.

One time I remember going above and beyond was when I was working the Front Desk at my previous employer. Our hotel had a restaurant attached that was popular with guests and non-guests alike.

We had a customer at the restaurant try to book a same night stay at our hotel. Unfortunately for this customer though this was a busy weekend for the hotel and we were fully booked.

Upon learning that the customer was from way out of town and was quite stuck I took it upon myself to call around the other hotels in the area and find him a last minute room. It took about 20 minutes but I managed to find him a place not too far away and ordered him a taxi.

I have seen this customer numerous times since and he has told me that every time he stays in the city for work he now uses our hotel because of how much I helped him out that night.

Because I went above and beyond our hotel managed to turn someone from a restaurant customer to a frequent stayer.”

Tell me about a time when you have challenged the usual way of doing things – Example Answer

“I am always looking for ways to improve, be it my own development or trying to enhance the work in the office I believe that we all need to continually evolve else we will be overtaken by others.

On one such occasion I was assigned to oversee a process that was somewhat new to me. I took a short while to ensure I fully understood the end to end process and when I did I started to identify areas that could be improved.

My first ‘enhancement’ was also the most difficult to push across the line. In this organisation we had a number of subcontractors. These subbies would complete invoices on a word document and then email these across to the office staff who would then manually type the invoices into excel where another user would then combine them into other reports.

Coming from an automation background I knew that this process could be better streamlined so I set about seeing our options. I presented these options to my management team along with the estimated costs and benefits of each.

Management approved of my preferred option and tasked me with overseeing the deployment. Getting the subbies on board was easy as our process was similar to other firms that the subbies worked with so it made their jobs easier. The biggest hurdle to overcome was getting the office staff on board with a new process, but after a few training sessions and once they saw how much time would be saved out of their day they eventually came around. I did have to spend the first few days fighting fires though and handholding some colleagues through the process!

Overall the new process was a success and is still being used today saving a lot of time manually re-typing data.”

Tell Me About A Time You Helped A Co-Worker Learn A New Skill – Example Answer

“I love working in a team. I truly believe that when a team is functioning correctly that it is greater than the sum of its parts. More work just seems to get done than would be if we were working independently. That’s why whenever I see a team member struggling I always reach out and try to help for the good of the team. I also adore the feeling when someone learns something as a result of my help. In a different walk of life I might have been a teacher!

There was one occasion when our company was adopting a more Agile approach to our projects. Moving away from waterfall and into a sprint based delivery approach.

I noticed rather early on that one of my colleagues, Jayne, was not grasping the fundamental idea behind the change and was still trying to operate in a waterfall approach.

I approached my manager to ask if we could support some additional training for the team on Agile so that we could all understand the philosophies. He agreed and we all began taking LinkedIn courses in the afternoons.

I reached out to Jayne during these sessions so that we could share notes and discuss what we had learned. I even offered that we should work together on a project so that we could bounce the ideas we had learned off each other.

That was all it took really. After we delivered a couple sprints in our project Jayne was a full Agile convert. She has actually moved out of the team now and has taken a SCRUM master position in a different department.”

Tell Me About A Project That Failed – Example Answer

“Obviously I don’t like to see my projects fail. I always try to plan for enough scenarios and build in enough contingencies to my projects that I am ready for anything. But some times things change and what was going ok yesterday might not be today, so I also believe it’s best not to get too attached to projects and realise when it is the correct move – for the business – to wind the project down.

There was one occasion in early 2020 where a project was facing massive delays. We were attempting to offshore one of our processes and the next step in the project was to send a few trainers overseas to initiate the training sessions. Unfortunately, days before we were due to fly out all flights were cancelled indefinitely (COVID-19)

It was now my job to try to salvage what we could. Our fallback plan was to conduct training sessions via Teams. This was going well until COVID-19 got in our way again. The overseas offices were closed by the government (soon after our own offices would close).

Our team all had the ability to work from home however the offshore colleagues did not.

We started to perform analysis on what it would take our end to get all of the required colleagues trained and working from home. It readily became apparent that the initial costs of deploying such a solution would be higher than the expected benefits over the coming years.

As a result I proposed to senior management that we terminate the project as it no longer made commercial sense. My proposal was accepted and the project was halted and the colleagues were assigned to other projects.

All was not lost however as we were able to repurpose the training materials to be used for our onshore colleagues which saw a reduction in the time spent in attaining competency.“

Tell Me About A Time You Improved A Process – Example Answer

My job was to receive these emails and transpose the data into our accounting software in order for payment to be made.

Once I found how it could be done I pitched the idea to my managers who were totally on board. We hired an IT contractor who automated the entire process within a week.

Tell me about a time you worked well as part of a team – Example Answer

“I love working in a team, I find the collaboration and task specialisation that group working offers allows for higher quality and more efficient outputs – than what would happen working solo.

In a previous role I actually initiated a shared team approach to our process. At the time the department I was working in was responsible for handling customer complaints for a large retail bank.

The process that we followed had 3 main phases; reviewing the complaint, calculating moneys owed in redress and production/mailing of the payment. Each member of the team would be assigned one case and would work the case through each phase to the end. We were expected to work 2 cases a day which meant 50 cases a day for the department.

I had a knack for the calculation aspect of the work and was able to breeze through them quicker than anyone else in the team. I noticed that other colleagues would struggle with the calculations not only with how long it took them but with the overall quality.

I suggested to my manager that we break the process down and allocate people based on their strengths. I took over calculations for the department while other colleagues were put on review and payments.

Using this team approach to the task we quickly started to hit 80 cases a day and even hit 100 cases a few times, a feat that I attribute to the team work we showed”

Tell me about a time when you have had to make a decision using only limited information? – Example Answer

“When I worked as a store manager for X I was there on Day 1 of a new store opening and it was my job to make the staff schedule.

Now if you’ve ever been responsible for creating the shift rota you know that the number of colleagues you need is based on forecasts. Forecasts that are largely driven from past data.

But this was a new store so I needed to decide how many staff we should have in without knowing how many staff we were going to need!

I had to think about things tactically. While it would not be ideal to have too many staff in it would be worse if we had too few; so any judgements I were to make would have to err on the side of over staffing.

Through my experience I knew how many staff members were needed to manage a store when empty and when at peak. Now I just needed to make an informed estimate of how many customers to expect.

I reached out to similar sized stores in the organisation and started to speak to the store owners within the area to get an idea of what to face.

Eventually using the information I had gathered I completed the schedule. Day of opening rolled around and luckily we had enough staff to motor through, toward the end of the shift we probably had too many colleagues on the shop floor but that just meant we were able to provide even better customer service. Gotta make a great first impression after all!

After things had settled down I reported to my senior management team that in the future it would be wise to provide the store manager with the analysis that was used when deciding to open the store in this location as it would have had a lot of the necessary information for me to make my decision”

Tell Me About A Time Someone Challenged Your Decision– Example answer

“Whenever I make a decision in work (or anywhere for that matter!) I ensure that I have looked at all the possible options and weighed the pros / cons accordingly to make sure my decision is the most effective one for the organisation as a whole.

That is why I enjoy when others question or challenge my decisions, as it allows me to hear differing opinions and improves my decision making abilities for the next time.

One such occasion occurred recently. I was put in charge of choosing a supplier for a part we needed on a new product range. We had taken proffers from 4 firms and it was my job to decide who to go with.

Using all of the information I could gather I made my choice, but before I rubberstamped my decision I invited some of the key stakeholders to a meeting to talk things over.

It was at this meeting that my preferred choice was challenged. The colleague raised good points in favour of one of the other suppliers, namely that we have used this supplier before so were already familiar with how they operated and would not need to create new relationships.

I agreed with my colleague and politely told them that I had considered that information when making my decision. I explained that the supplier I had chosen was cheaper than the supplier we have a relationship with. I also showed how this new supplier had recently hired a number of key personnel from our usual supplier meaning that we would be liaising with people we already had existing relationships with. Granted we would still need to create new accounts for the new supplier but for the cost savings I believed it was well worth it.

Once I mentioned this the colleague was immediately relieved, her main cause of concern was with dealing with new suppliers as our products were highly specialised and it often took a while for suppliers to get used to our requirements.

After the meeting I signed the contracts for the new supplier and we have received a number of shipments from them without incident.

Interview Question: Can you explain the differences between risk and issues? Answer Examples.

July 2, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Hey there! If you’re delving into the fascinating world of project management or preparing for an interview in this field, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll be exploring the differences between risk and issues – two essential concepts that any project management pro should be familiar with. Not only will understanding these distinctions make you a more effective team player, but it will also equip you to shine in any job interview. So, buckle up and get ready for a fun, engaging, and insightful journey into the realm of risk and issues. Together, we’ll unravel their meanings, dive into their key differences, and provide you with some stellar answer examples to ace that interview question!

Contents

1 Discovering Risk and Issues: Definitions Unveiled
- 1.1 A. Risk: The Future Uncharted
- 1.2 B. Issues: The Present Unraveled
2 Risk vs. Issues: The Showdown of Differences
3 Answer Example 1: Simple Explanation – The Party Analogy
- 3.1 A. The Basic Breakdown: Risks and Issues Unpacked
- 3.2 B. Real-Life Example: Party Planning Perils
4 Answer Example 2: Detailed Explanation – The Project Management Dance
5 Answer Example 3: Industry-Relevant Explanation – The Creative Agency Scenario
6 Banking Project Manager Example
7 Other Project Management Questions

Discovering Risk and Issues: Definitions Unveiled

A. Risk: The Future Uncharted

Risks are like plot twists waiting to happen. They’re potential future events or conditions that might affect your project.
The uncertainty factor: Risks come with a certain level of unpredictability, which is why managing them is such an exciting challenge. They could either propel your project to new heights or set it back, depending on how you tackle them.

B. Issues: The Present Unraveled

Issues are like those little (or big) bumps in the road you’re navigating right now. They’re current events or conditions that need some serious attention to keep your project on track.
Known and certain: Unlike risks, issues are known problems that have already materialized. They’re not a “maybe” anymore; they’re here, and it’s time to deal with them head-on.

Risk vs. Issues: The Showdown of Differences

A. Timeframe: The When Factor

Risks: Future adventurers – Risks are all about the “what-ifs” that lie ahead. They’re the uncertainties waiting to be faced in the journey of your project.
Issues: Present warriors – Issues are the challenges that have already arrived at your doorstep. They’re happening right now and need your immediate attention.

B. Certainty: The Known vs. the Unknown

Risks: Mysterious and elusive – Risks are a bit like a game of chance, with uncertain outcomes that keep you on your toes.
Issues: Clear and present – Issues, on the other hand, are the real deal. They’re definite and tangible problems that you can’t ignore.

C. Management Approach: Proactive Planners vs. Reactive Problem-Solvers

Risks: Fortune tellers – When it comes to risks, you need to have your crystal ball at the ready. Proactive planning, forecasting, and mitigation strategies are key to staying ahead of the game.
Issues: Firefighters – In the world of issues, you’re often required to don your firefighting gear and tackle problems as they arise. It’s all about being reactive and finding solutions to the challenges at hand.

Answer Example 1: Simple Explanation – The Party Analogy

A. The Basic Breakdown: Risks and Issues Unpacked

Picture planning a party: Risks are the unpredictable factors that could impact your event, like the chance of rain or a guest bringing an uninvited plus-one.
Issues, meanwhile, are the hiccups you’re currently facing in your party prep, like a last-minute cancellation from the DJ or the caterer running out of a key ingredient.

B. Real-Life Example: Party Planning Perils

Risks: You keep an eye on the weather forecast and have a backup plan for an indoor location just in case it rains. You also communicate the guest list policy clearly to avoid any uninvited guests.
Issues: When the DJ cancels, you swiftly find a replacement or create a killer playlist to keep the party going. As for the caterer’s dilemma, you brainstorm alternative ingredients or dishes to ensure the feast remains fabulous.

Answer Example 2: Detailed Explanation – The Project Management Dance

A. In-Depth Dive: The Intricate Tango of Risk and Issues

Risks are the potential missteps that can throw your project management dance offbeat. They require you to be nimble, adaptive, and ready to pivot with proactive planning.
Issues are the present twirls and dips that need your immediate attention to maintain your project’s rhythm and flow.

B. The Choreography of Risk and Issue Management

Mastering the steps: Effective project management is like learning a complex dance, where understanding the nuances of risk and issue management helps you stay in sync with your team and project objectives.
Fine-tuning your performance: Drawing from professional experience or case studies, you can illustrate how you’ve adeptly managed risks and issues to keep projects on track and achieve success.

C. Stage Spotlight: Real-Life Examples

Risks: During a software development project, you identified the risk of potential security vulnerabilities and implemented security testing and code reviews to mitigate it.
Issues: When an essential team member fell ill during a crucial phase of the project, you redistributed tasks, adjusted timelines, and coordinated resources to address the issue and keep the project moving forward.

Answer Example 3: Industry-Relevant Explanation – The Creative Agency Scenario

A. Tailoring the Explanation: Risk and Issues in the Creative Agency Realm

Risks in creative agencies: These can include factors like changing client demands, shifting market trends, or talent attrition.
Issues in creative agencies: Common challenges include project delays, client miscommunication, and resource constraints.

B. Bringing the Scenario to Life

Risks: As a project manager in a creative agency, you’ve proactively anticipated the risk of shifting client demands by ensuring open lines of communication and scheduling regular check-ins to assess their evolving needs.
Issues: When a client’s feedback leads to scope creep, you quickly address the issue by communicating with the team and adjusting timelines to maintain project quality.

C. Showcasing Your Industry Expertise

Drawing on your knowledge and experience in the creative agency realm, you can further elaborate on how you’ve navigated risks and issues in your past roles.
By tailoring your explanation to the specific industry of the interviewer, you can demonstrate your understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities that come with that field.

Banking Project Manager Example

“Well, risk and issues are two vital aspects of project management, and they play a particularly critical role in a bank setting where financial compliance, data security, and regulatory adherence are top priorities. As a project manager, I’ve learned to differentiate between the two concepts and manage them effectively.

In a banking context, risks are the potential future events that may impact the project objectives, such as changes in regulations, geopolitical instability, or new cybersecurity threats. By proactively identifying these risks and developing contingency plans, I’ve been able to mitigate their impact and ensure project success.

Issues, on the other hand, are the present challenges that need immediate attention to keep the project on track. In a bank setting, these issues could include delays in meeting compliance standards, data breaches, or resource constraints. To handle such issues, I rely on my problem-solving skills, my ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams, and my strong communication skills to identify the root cause, brainstorm possible solutions, and develop a plan of action to resolve the issue.

In my previous role as a project manager at XYZ Bank, I encountered several risks and issues, and I was able to effectively manage them by applying the principles of risk and issue management. For instance, when a data security risk emerged, I quickly escalated the issue to the relevant stakeholders and worked with the cybersecurity team to identify and implement countermeasures to mitigate the risk. Similarly, when a compliance issue arose due to a change in regulations, I collaborated with the legal team and the project sponsors to ensure that the project remained compliant while meeting the objectives.

Overall, I believe that understanding and managing risks and issues are essential skills for any project manager in a bank setting. I am confident in my ability to identify, mitigate and resolve risks and issues and to work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure project success.”

Interview Question: Suppose the project has gone off the rails. What steps would you take to get it back on track? – Answer Tips

July 2, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Question forms part of

Civil Service Question Bank
Project Manager Question & Answer Sheet

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

Projects go off course all the time. Often times it is no-one’s fault, it is just a matter of life – and other times it is someone’s fault and somebody screwed up.

Either way if you are working as a Project Manager and the project goes off the rails it is your job to get it back on course, and it is you who is going to take the brunt of the blame if you can’t. Such is the life of a Project Manager, all of the responsibility of project success or failure fall on your head.

As this is the PM’s responsibility the interviewer wants to see how you would handle a situation like this. When asking this question the interviewer is looking to see if you are capable of keeping a cool head in a crisis, can you calmly identify the blockers, remove them and get the project back on its feet?

The best approach to answering this question

The best approach to this question will be a blend of theory and experience. There are certain steps that you should always take when a project is off course; such as assessing the situation, identifying the root cause, introducing remedies and monitoring the situation (all while communicating the project status to the stakeholders).

What will turn a good answer into a great answer though is being able to incorporate an example into your response. Obviously a real life example from your experience would be best but if you struggle to come up with one walk through a hypothetical answer with the interviewer.

To do this treat the question as though the interviewer has asked you to “Tell me about a time”. The best way to answer these competency based questions is via the B-STAR method.

Let’s check out how you can incorporate this technique for this question:

B – Belief – Share your thoughts / feelings on the subject. Quite simply just walk the interviewer through the theory of what you would do (identify the issues, re-evaluate project viability, resolve issues, etc.)

S – Situation – Segue from the ‘theory of projects’ direct into a personal example. Set the scene quickly. What was the project and what was the issue?

T – Task – What was your role in the project and how were you involved in it ‘going off the rails’. Obviously if you are applying for a PM role you will want to give an example where you were leading the project, but you also don’t want the issue to be something that you should have been aware of (COVID is a good external factor that everyone can relate to). A good tip would be to talk about how you were brought into the project because the project was going off the rails.

A – Activity – What did you do and why? This should be the bulk of your answer. Detail the steps you took and explain the reasoning behind why you took them.

R – Results – How did it all turn out? You can go one of two ways with this. Either the project was a success and everyone went home happy all thanks to you. Or you can talk about how the project could no longer be justified given the new state of play. The latter option is a bit trickier to explain in an interview setting but if you pull it off it shows the interviewer you are experienced and able to make the rational choices.

How NOT to answer this question

Don’t throw anyone under the bus. The project has gone off the rails, sure, and most of the time you could probably pinpoint the blame on one or two individuals. But at the end of the day, as the Project Manager the responsibility falls to you. If the project is off the rails because someone didn’t do their job properly the next question from the interviewer is going to be why you did not highlight that issue as a risk and have a mitigation or remediation plan in place.

Don’t avoid the question. Make sure you have some kind of response to the question. I have seen people avoid the question by talking about how it is impossible to say what you would do as you do not know the situation. Those type of responses will not endear you to an interviewer.

Suppose the project has gone off the rails. What steps would you take to get it back on track? – Example answer

“The first step I would take is to confirm if the project is still viable in its current state. I would do this by re-confirming the business justification and seeing if the same assumptions still hold true now. Assuming the project is still viable I would investigate the issues with the team and prioritise remediation or mitigation of each item, re-scoping or re-defining the project plan as need be. Once the new plan was ready I would re-issue to the project stakeholders for review and approval. Later on I would lead an investigation as to why these issues were not catalogued in the RAID log already, but that investigation would be held once the project was back on track.

I actually have some recent experience with a wayward project. COVID-19 had caused a number of our internal projects to stall out. I was brought onto a project when the previous PM had left the business. The aim of the project was to offshore one of our business processes. The project had stalled after our offshore office had been closed due to a lockdown.

The first thing I did was to re-confirm the business justification. In doing so I found that the project was no longer viable. The main aim of the project was to offshore a particular process (and therefore save on the labour costs), however the process itself was to be discontinued in around 18 months time anyway in favour of a new automated process. Given this, and the delays realised by COVID, the assumed cost savings were no longer accurate and the revised cost savings were negligible. I presented my findings to the Change Committee and requested I be allowed to take the necessary steps to close the project.“

Mike Jacobsen

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