Opinion

Interview Question: What are your three biggest strengths? – Answer Tips

November 7, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

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What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

There are probably an infinite number of questions that the interviewer could ask you on the day. Some questions are incredibly common appearing in almost every interview you will have, while other questions you might hear once and never again regardless of how many jobs you apply for.

Fundamentally though all interview questions are really trying to find out one of 3 things:

1 – Can you do the job? (Do you have the skills/experience needed?)
2 – Will you do the job? (Do you have the drive/motivation to get the job done?)
3 – Will you fit in? (Does your personality match the workplace culture? Are you likeable?)

That’s it. Those are the 3 things that the interviewer is trying to ascertain. Every question that is asked of you will fundamentally be trying to resolve one (or more) of these 3 things.

This is a relatively straight forward question. And it is obvious that the interviewer is trying to find out No. 1 above – “Can you do the job?”

There’s no real hidden agenda at play. The interviewer simply wants to know where you believe your strengths lie.

The interviewer will be coming into the interview knowing exactly what their team/organisation need. What experience or skill set is missing from their current employee base. They are looking to see if your strengths will marry up well with what they are looking for.

The interviewer will have your CV so they will know exactly what you’ve done, but they want to know in your own words what areas of the job you excel in.

The best approach to answering this question

This is an interview so there is no point being modest. The best answers will briefly discuss how you believe that you have a quite varied skill set and a possess a great many strengths that are applicable to the role before drilling down into 3 that you believe to be your best.

This is not a story based question (like a ‘Tell me about a time‘ question) where the interviewer is expecting you to walk them through one of your experiences (where the B-STAR technique is the correct approach)

No for this question the ideal approach is to list all 3 strengths and then in turn go into further detail about why you feel that you possess each strength and how you are able to use that strength in your current role (the best answers will also relate this strength to the role that is being discussed).

How NOT to answer this question

Do not avoid the question. – This question is about your strengths. Ensure that is the question you answer. I have seen people take this question all sorts of ways; ranging from candidates just rehashing their experience without mentioning what it was they were good at, to someone who actually talked about what areas she thought she was weakest in. Keep it straight forward. The interviewer asked for strengths, give them some strengths.

Do not be overly modest. – It’s an interview, you are allowed, – nay – required, to sell yourself. Blow your own horn and share with the interviewer what your skills are. Being modest here will just mean that you do not get the job.

Do not give a one-sentence answer. – Just listing off 3 strengths will not get you far with this question. You need to explain to the interviewer why you feel this is one of your strengths, linking back to your previous experience and trying to tie that in to how you would use this strength in your future role.

BIGGEST STRENGTHS – Example answer

“As you can see from my CV I have a great deal of experience in a wide range of roles. This experience has afforded me the opportunity to considerably grow my skill set over the years to the point that now I believe I possess a great many strengths that can be applied to excelling in this role.

You asked for my 3 biggest. I think my 3 biggest strengths are my problem solving abilities, my communication skills and my industry knowledge.

The first of these strengths I wish to discuss is my industry knowledge. I have been working in this area for my full career, working all across the spectrum in various roles. I believe this puts me firmly in the Expert category when it comes to our sector, I will bring this knowledge into every project I work.

My 2nd biggest strength is my communication skills. After 3 years of sales experience I have no problem building rapport and in creating instant connections with stakeholders of any level. I have created long lasting relationships with customers, suppliers and all levels of management. If I were to join X company not only would I seek to make a great first impression to all my new stakeholders I would also seek to tap into my existing network for the betterment of the organisation.

The last strength I wish to discuss may sound a bit cliche but I do think it is my strongest area. I am able to quickly and efficiently solve problems as they land on my desk. In my last role this came in handy during COVID when we were working remotely with a reduced workforce, everything needed to be completed quickly but without sacrificing quality. I can use these skills to aid in projects that have tight turnaround times or that require ‘thinking on your feet’.“

Interview Question: How do you feel about deadlines? – Answer Tips

September 6, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Question forms part of

Civil Service Question Bank
Project Manager Question Bank

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

Deadlines.

We all have them. Whether it is a report that needs to be submitted by no later than 5pm or it is a major project that needs to be delivered before Q3, we’ve all been there.

This is a particularly unusual question as normally interviewers ask how you are at dealing with tight deadlines, or multiple deadlines (or multiple competing tight deadlines). When they ask these questions the interviewer wants to see how you cope under pressure and whether you are able to prioritise your tasks in order to meet the deadline with a quality output.

But this question is more general than that. It is asking how you feel about deadlines as a whole. It is one of the questions in the Civil Service bank of questions so it is definitely worth practising an answer if you are applying for a government position.

For this question the interviewer wants to see if you understand the importance of deadlines and your experience with working toward deadlines. If you are applying for a senior position the interviewer may also be looking to see how you would approach setting deadlines for your team members.

There are a few competing schools of thought when it comes to deadline setting. Some managers believe giving short deadlines results in people working harder and therefore increasing output, other managers will prefer to give a lot more slack when setting deadlines (where possible) as they find it is more important for their team to focus on quality rather than quantity or speed.

Whichever approach you take just ensure that you are able to discuss the pros/cons when the interviewer asks their follow up questions.

The best approach to answering this question

This is an opinion question so in theory there is no right or wrong answers.

In practice however you should probably avoid saying that deadlines can go *&^% themselves!

The best approach to this question will use the B-STAR technique as while this is an opinion based question (and not, for example, a “Tell me about a time” question) you will want to back your answer up with an example from your experience, and the best way to structure your answer when dealing with examples is to follow the B-STAR process.

Let’s see how that would work when answering this question:

B – Belief – What are you thoughts / feelings on the subject? – Discuss what you feel about deadlines. Good answers will talk about how when deadlines are set appropriately that they provide structure to activities and motivation to the team.

S – Situation – What was the scenario? – Following on from what you feel about deadlines pick an example of a good deadline that you had in one of your projects.

T – Task – What was your role? – In the scenario you are describing what had you been assigned to do? Good answers here will have you in the exact same role that you are applying for.

A – Activity – What did you do? – Run through the steps that you took and why.

R – Result – How did everything end up? – This is an interview so the best option is always to describe a successful result. Make sure to tie the result back into how you feel about deadlines to really round out your answer.

How NOT to answer this question

Do not say deadlines stress you out. They stress everyone out at some point in time but you are looking to impress the interviewer so you should talk about how you find them motivating instead of daunting.

Do not answer a different question. As discussed earlier this question is often asked in a way that refers to tight deadlines or competing deadlines. While it is encouraged to talk about these things in your answer ensure that you do not only talk about these things.

How do you feel about deadlines? – Example answer

“Obviously having a future date that something is due looming over you can be daunting, especially when it is a hard deadline. It is quite easy for people to get overwhelmed and get stressed. But I feel differently. I hold a begrudging respect for deadlines. I appreciate their importance as they force you to provide more structure to your work and can act as a motivator. Without deadlines I feel like a lot of work would just not get done.

To give you an example, last year I was brought in as Project Manager on an infrastructure upgrade project. This project had been ongoing for 3 years with no end in sight. There was no urgency within the team to get their work completed as there was no deadline to meet. Instead the team would prioritise other pieces of work over this project.

Eventually this pushed on long enough that a hard deadline did appear. This infrastructure upgrade became a dependency for another project of mine and it needed to be completed before I could go-live with my project.

Immediately on taking ownership of the project I created a project plan using the new deadline to create a work breakdown structure. Then I spoke with all project team members and stakeholders to advise them of the new deadline and the new plan that everyone was to adhere to.

In the end the infrastructure upgrade was deployed successfully. As a result I was able to deploy my other project on time also. So to circle back to the question I truly believe that deadlines are important as otherwise I do not believe a lot of work would get completed.“

Interview Question: What do you like to do in your spare time? – Answer tips

August 31, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Question forms part of

Civil Service Question Bank

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

What you do in your free time says a lot about your personality and how you operate as a person.

While this question may seem a bit intrusive, the interviewer isn’t trying to pry into your personal life – they more want to see if your character and energy levels are inline with what they are looking for and importantly whether they would fit in with the team and wider organisation you are applying for.

So don’t feel like the interviewer is asking deeply personal questions about what you get up to (that might even be illegal), treat the question as more asking what hobbies you like and how those hobbies reflect on you as a person and as a work colleague.

The best approach to answering this question

The best approach to this question is to be honest (but not too honest).

This is not a ‘tell me about a time‘ which relies on you retelling your experiences, or a skill based question that has you explaining technical matters related to your job role.

This is a question about you, who you are, what you like and how you act around others.

That is why the best approach is to to be honest (but not too honest).

You want to tell the interviewer something that you genuinely like to do in your spare time, but tie it back to the job you are applying for.

Maybe you like to do puzzles and that’s why you are applying to a cryptography role.
Maybe you are captain of your local rugby team and can segue that experience into a management position.
Maybe you travel a lot and are good at itinerary planning as a result – this would look good in a number of positions to do with projects or corporate planning.
Maybe…

Whatever it is you like to do in your spare time just tell the interviewer and tie it back to how that would make you a good fit for the role. And be prepared for follow up questions. The interviewer is definitely going to want to hear more about your hobby or interests.

BONUS: If you have a common interest with the interviewer definitely use it. You should be researching the organisation as prep work for your interview anyway so if you find out that you and the interviewer share any hobbies or outside interests make a note of it. If you can get the interviewer talking to you about something they genuinely enjoy the interviewer will leave with a genuinely positive impression of you which will almost certainly help later on when they are assessing all of the candidates.

How NOT to answer this question

“THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS”. As I said earlier the interviewer has a reason for asking this question. They want to know your personality and what sort of energy you would bring to a team. Sure if you really don’t want to share any details you are free to say so (try to phrase it a bit better though), but if you do refuse the question don’t be surprised if this goes negatively against you during the assessment.

Do not lie to the interviewer. It might seem like a good idea at the time. Just a little white lie. But it’s not worth it. The main reason is because the interviewer is likely to have some follow-up questions. And that is when the whole lie will come crumbling down like a house of cards. And even if they don’t are you sure you want to keep up this lie for the entire time you are working for this organisation?

Do not talk about drinking, partying etc. Everyone loves a good party, and a lot of people do love a good drink – especially in this country! But even if all you do in your spare time is hit the pub with your mates try to come up with a different answer that doesn’t leave the impression you like to get boozed up at every opportunity – as true as it may be!

What do you like to do in your spare time? – Interview Answers

Example 1

“I love to travel but I like to stray from the beaten path and take the trips that don’t show up on any tourist websites. This often requires a lot of scheduling and detailed itineraries to be made so I do really lean on my Project Planning skills when doing this”

Example 2

“I am a big reader of both fiction and non-fiction. I always like to have at least 2 books on the go; one for entertainment – most often some kind of science fiction (I am currently reading the Expanse series) and one for learning. I always like to be learning new things, I find it fun and also incredibly rewarding to learn a new skill. I even find it rewarding when I fail miserably – as I do often – as I always learn something from the experience, I suppose this desire to learn new things and improve is why I was drawn to change management.”

Example 3

“As a mother I spend most of my spare time doing my second job; being a parent. Having small children around the house is a blessing and a curse in that your time is never your own. I like to go on walks with my children every night where we take our dogs to the local woods. This is one of the reasons I am so keen on conservation and why I pursued a career in it. I want to ensure that my children – and their children – are able to enjoy nature to its fullest as I have been able to.”

Interview Question: What energises you? – Answer Tips

August 29, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Question forms part of

Civil Service Question Bank

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

Energises is the word that the Civil Service Interview guide likes to use for this question. In other sectors though it is most often worded as “What motivates you?” and it is a strength based question that I really hated when I was a fresh-faced youngster applying for my first jobs.

It’s a nuisance question because it gives you no indication as to what the interviewer actually wants. What energises me?…I suppose that pint can of Monster I just downed is giving off some energy I suppose.

So what does the interviewer want?

They are looking to see what makes you tick, how do you gather up the energy to come into work and do a good job day after day, what part of the role do you find actually interests you.

And finally they want to see if what energises (or motivates) you is in line with their organisation and how they work.

The best approach to answering this question

So how do you answer this question when you don’t even know what they want?

Firstly you should ensure that you are well prepared for the interview. Research the company itself on Glassdoor and LinkedIn, you are looking to see if anyone has left a review on the interview process and any feedback they were given. If you are lucky you will get some good information about what it is they are looking for.

Make sure you have read the job description over and over looking for any clues as to what they are looking for – the first paragraph is usually were they keep all their buzzwords; “Results-driven”, “Inquisitive nature”, “People person”.

Use these buzzwords when tailoring your answer.

So if they say they are looking for someone who is ‘passionate about improvement’ then in your answer talk about how self-improvement and process improvement is a passion of yours and that is what energises you through the day – the continued pursuit of development.

How NOT to answer this question

Don’t talk about personal activities – It’s easy to say that your family motivates you (or something similar), and while it is almost certainly true it’s not really an appropriate answer here. The interviewer is going to assume that you already love your family, what they want to know is what motivates you in the workplace.

(Side note – I did hear a fantastic answer once were a candidate said their kids were their biggest motivator, the role was with Forestry England and the candidate talked about how much the Forestry service played a role in her childhood and how ensuring that her kids could have the same experiences as her is what would motivate her in helping to preserve and enhance the woodlands across the UK – So the above isn’t a hard rule, but if you are going to talk about personal motivators make sure you can tie them into the job somehow)

Don’t talk about money – Interviews are a weird construct that we humans have devised. Everyone knows that the primary reason anyone is applying for a job is to make money, but for some reason it is uncouth to say as much. But this is an interview and you want this job so you have to play the game. Don’t talk abut how your primary motivator is to get paid.

Don’t talk about what motivated you to apply for the role – It’s easy to confuse what energises/motivates you in work with what motivated you to apply for this job, particularly as that is also a very popular interview question, but this question is not about that.

What energises you? – Example answers

Motivators Example Answer 1

“I am motivated by the people I work with. I enjoy when we succeed together and I am spurred on during difficult times knowing that I have a solid team around me. For example in my most recent role I was on a great team that really had each other’s backs. When one of our colleagues dropped the ball on a piece of work we all rallied together and worked overtime so that there was no gap in output from the team. This type of team support is what energised me to perform in that role.”

Motivators Example Answer 2

“Success is what energises me. This is why I prefer project type roles. The ability to say that a project has been successfully deployed is what drives me during the more mundane run of the mill day-to-day activities. Recently I was able to close the book on a 30-month IT infrastructure deployment. This was a project that had been completely re-scoped 3 times just during the time I was attached to the project. But knowing that the project would eventually be deployed is what drove me throughout.”

Motivators Example Answer 3

“I am motivated by helping people and by solving problems, this is why Level 2 support roles are where I flourish the most. I like being able to speak with customers and help solve their tricky problems. For example, a few weeks back a bug was discovered that was preventing a customer from making online payments through our new app. After liaising with the customer and with the relevant developers I managed to isolate that the issue was due to the customer’s VPN location. Once this was resolved the customer was able to access the app as normal. I was particularly driven by this encounter because the issue itself was particularly complex in that it had never been seen before but also the issue was very important to the customer as they were attempting to make payments abroad for hospital treatments so it was very rewarding to be able to help them with that.”

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: 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.”

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.“

Interview Question: What Project Management Methodology do you believe is better? – 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

This is a pretty common interview question for everyone who works in projects. This can be asked to a Project Manager, Project Coordinator, PMO, Business Analyst, etc.

The interviewer is trying to understand how much you know about project management and the different ways a project can be approached. This is something that is taught early on in most PM courses so a failure to answer this question shows the interviewer that you have not done much studying in the field.

The interviewer wants to know if you understand the difference between certain methodologies. The key methodologies that you should be aware of are:

Agile
Waterfall
Hybrid

You should also be aware of specific Agile techniques such as Scrum, Lean & Kanban. If your interviewer is passionate about software development do not be surprised if a discussion breaks out into whether these are actual Agile techniques or Project Management methodologies of their own. But we are not getting into that mess here!

When asking this question the interviewer is most interested in seeing how you approach a new project and choose the methodology by which you will run the project.

The best approach to answering this question

This is a trick question!

The premise of the question is asking you to decide which methodology is better, or rather, which methodology do you perceive to be better.

There is no right answer. That is the trick. Each methodology has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. And each methodology suits itself best to different types of projects.

The best approach to answering this question therefore is to say how you don’t believe either methodology is better and that prior to initiating any project you choose the methodology that best suits your project, it’s deliverables and it’s aims.

Feel free to mention that you have a personal preference for one style of project and why – for me I prefer the simplicity of waterfall, in that you know exactly where you stand with it: you start a project, you deliver on its aims then you close the project. With Agile, it can be a never ending beast, particular with a regularly updated piece of software. But that is just my personal preference, I would still use Agile when the situation lends itself to a more iterative approach that Agile can support.

How NOT to answer this question

Don’t say one is better than the other. As previously mentioned no PM methodology is better than the others. Regardless of what some proponents might tell you. Stay neutral and talk about how you use the methodology that is best for the situation.

Don’t confuse terms. Project Management “Methodology” refers, primarily, to Waterfall and Agile. This is not to be confused with any other terms. Lean, Scrum & Kanban are tools and techniques used within Agile. PMP, PRINCE2, PMBOK are certifications and not methodologies.

Don’t answer a different question. This question is asking you for your opinion on which methodology is better. It is not asking you which methodologies you know, or which methodologies you have experience in – although you should weave into your answer your experience with each methodology you discuss. This question is asking which you think is better, highlighting that the interviewer is interested in what you believe the relative strengths and weaknesses of each methodology are.

What Project Management Methodology do you believe is better?- Example answer

“My preference is for Agile. I find that it is the most adaptive methodology meaning that we can pivot on a dime and be able to deliver quickly and often. Something that I don’t believe is possible when working with a Waterfall or even a Hybrid model.

That is not to say though that I believe Agile is better. I think all of the methodologies have their place in an organisation. I have worked Waterfall before and believe that it is better adapted for complex projects with a single one time delivery, like the time I oversaw the opening of a new call centre wing. That was better suited to Waterfall as there were defined stages and a handover to the business.

Contrast that with the time I managed a software deployment (to the same call centre in fact). This was better suited to an Agile-based deployment as we initially delivered a MVP of the software and then deployed multiple releases that introduced new features as we went. Agile was the better choice in this instance as it allowed us to deliver a working product much earlier than we would have done had we used Waterfall.”

Interview Question: How does your current (or previous) role fit into the organisation’s wider goals? – Answer Tips

April 9, 2022 by Mike Jacobsen

Question forms part of

Civil Service Question Bank

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

This question is a “See the big picture” question. The interviewer wants to know whether or not you understand how what you do affects the larger organisation.

If the interviewer is asking this question it generally means the role will have a bit of latitude in how it can be worked. Don’t expect to blindly follow a script or a process, you will need to use your initiative and understanding of wider elements when performing your day to day job.

That is why this is a popular question for the Civil Service interview. The entire point of the Civil Service is for the benefit of the public. When you are answering a question in an interview here the interviewer will be expecting you to know how your function is expected to provide better services to the public.

After you have answered the question you are likely to get a number of follow-up questions about any initiatives you have spearheaded that impacted the wider business.

Essentially the interviewer wants to see that you will care about the organisation as a whole and will be seeking to improve the organisations delivery ability rather than just getting on with your own role and tasks.

The best approach to answering this question

You will want to show the interviewer that you have a brain for business, that you understand the general principles of how your organisation makes money (or fulfills its goals if it is non-profit)

You need to explain to the interviewer what your role is, what your organisations goals are and how your function helps contribute to these goals.

Think about how your role impacts the bottom line.

Do you contribute to revenue?
Do you help to reduce costs?
Do you help the firm with their legal obligations?
Do you help in reducing risk?
Do you increase efficiencies?

Every role in an organisation helps push through its aims (if they didn’t the role wouldn’t last for long), in order to answer this question it is important you understand your role’s impact.

At first glance this question doesn’t lend itself to sharing examples but you still should slide some in if you can. Think of a time were you showed initiative and pushed through a change that helped multiple departments within your organisation and increased your firms operating capabilities.

How NOT to answer this question

“I am a salesman so without me the firm would not have any revenue”

While this answer is perfectly accurate it lacks nuance. Sure a company wants to sell product and therefore need salespeople, that much is obvious. A salesperson is also the company face of the product. The first impression most customers will have of a company is their interaction with the salesperson so they are also brand ambassadors.

The interviewee could have talked about how as a salesperson they are the first line in market research as they speak to customers regularly so they know exactly what customers want and need when it comes to their product.

The interviewee could then talk about how they collaborated with marketing or with the design teams to help boost sales.

“I only work in the accounts department. It is my responsibility to make sure our bills get paid so I don’t really have much of an opportunity to help the firm achieve its goals”

Every role in an organisation provides real value to the business. Sure sometimes it might be hard to see when your role doesn’t directly impact profits but rest assured your role provides value (or should on paper) to the business otherwise it would not exist.

In this example the interviewee works in accounts payable by the look of it. Their responsibility is to pay suppliers to ensure the business can continue to operate. Have you ever forgot to pay your internet bill? Imagine trying to run a business without internet.

Phone, water, electricity, wages, raw materials, contractors. The list goes on.

This person ensures the smooth running of the company without interruption. That is the core value of the role.

Plus also in that type of role I am sure they have managed to save costs for the business by negotiating better payment terms.

How does your current job fit into the overall business? – Example answer

“My company specialises in making bespoke furniture for business and domestic properties.

My primary role is as a domestic designer, meaning that I work with the customer to create their dream home and relay the proposals to the build team.

Even though I am not a sales person, I am the person who maintains contact with the customer the longest. I therefore understand and appreciate how my interactions with the customer leave a lasting impression and directly impacts how likely the customer is to recommend our company to others.

This is extremely important as referrals accounts for over 60% of our domestic clients and while domestic revenue falls behind business I know that it is one of the owner’s goals to increase our domestic market share.

Trying to increase customer satisfaction (and therefore chance of referral) I began looking at the customer journey and trying to improve it.

I realised that customers did not like having to deal with multiple people. In our old workflow the customer would have to deal with the sales person, the designer (me), the build team, the delivery team and the after sales support team.

I proposed – and gained approval – to modify this so that the designer (me) would be the sole contact point from the design phase all the way through to post sales. This meant the customer would only speak to 2 departments which most customers preferred.

There was also a side benefit realised. Because I was interacting with the other teams on the customers behalf errors dropped significantly as I fully understood the customer’s vision and could explain that to the teams.

Overall this initiative was a great success. Our customer satisfaction scores increased across the board, complaints dropped significantly and we saw an increase in referrals. All of these things directly helped the organisation with its sales goals and to get closer to its target market share.”

Opinion

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