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Hiring program managers
Your guide to finding and hiring the right person for your organization
Top hard skills interview questions for hiring program managers
Give an example of a specific project where you identified project risk and were able to mitigate.
Why this matters:
Over the course of a major project or program, something can — and sometimes will — go awry. A good program manager is able to anticipate and identify these risks, and develop strategies to prevent them or mitigate the impact. A proactive mindset is crucial here.
What to listen for:
- Mention of assessing risk before a project begins
- Evidence that the candidate consistently analyzed the project’s health from start to finish to ensure that everything ran smoothly
What is the difference between a project manager and a program manager?
Why this matters:
Though the names sound familiar, project managers and program managers have vastly different jobs. Project managers handle and oversee the day-to-day execution of a project, while program managers provide strategic guidance to ensure that every project contributes to the company’s bigger goals.
What to listen for:
- Answers that emphasize the importance of communication, collaboration, and multitasking — three major tenets of program management
- Big-picture thinking, plus a high-level understanding of program management and operations
What do you think of change management? How do you approach it?
Why this matters:
When change is handled poorly, projects can be disrupted and team morale can take a hit. That’s why a robust change management strategy is so important, helping teams to weather any shifts in strategy, tools, or processes without jeopardizing the company’s goals.
What to listen for:
- Great answers that focus on selling the benefits of the change to the team so that everyone is on board with the new way of working
- Evidence that the candidate offers support and guidance rather than making demands
Top behavioral interview questions for hiring program managers
Describe the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced when managing a program.
Why this matters:
With this question, you’ll gain insights into the candidate’s resilience, professionalism, and aptitude for effective problem-solving. At the end of the day, the program manager is a strategist, so they need to be able to come up with alternative solutions if one strategy is proving to be ineffective.
What to listen for:
- Signs that the candidate is able to stay calm and determined in the face of adversity
- Evidence that they’re able to think quickly to solve the problem
- Whether they make use of creative solutions
Think about the last time you experienced a breakdown in communication. How did you right the ship?
Why this matters:
A program manager is effectively a communicator. They are tasked with both strategizing goals and processes and then disseminating that information effectively to the project managers and teams. Of course, things can sometimes be misinterpreted or forgotten. In that scenario, a solid program manager knows how to course correct, without getting angry or making anyone feel stupid.
What to listen for:
- Great answers that point to specific situations where there was a miscommunication and identify the cause of the mistake
- The candidate’s ability to explain ways they implemented processes to prevent a similar miscommunication in the future
Tell me about a time when you faced scope creep. How did you handle this situation?
Why this matters:
A project’s scope is defined by a set of objectives, deliverables, and specifications. Anything added after the project starts falls under the category of “scope creep,” leading to unsuccessful, over-budget, or delayed projects. The role of a program manager is to identify when this happens, keep an eye on culprits, and prevent projects from getting out of control. Often, this means the program manager has to be the bad guy.
What to listen for:
- Discussion of the candidate’s experience laying down the law and effectively communicating expectations to the team members and stakeholders
- The candidate’s ability to describe situations where they’ve reined in projects, communicating how to course correct and prioritize tasks
Top soft skills interview questions for hiring program managers
What does program success look like to you? How do you measure it?
Why this matters:
This open-ended question asks the candidate to consider the most important metrics for success. Answers will vary, but an ideal program manager will be data-driven and emphasize the importance of using quantitative measures of success in addition to trusting their experience and instincts.
What to listen for:
- Examples of methods to measure success both quantitatively and qualitatively
- An understanding of different metrics that may be important depending on the type of program, including cost variance, resource utilization, customer satisfaction
In the past, how have you dealt with team members who aren’t pulling their weight?
Why this matters:
If someone isn’t doing their job correctly or needs to be disciplined, it often falls on the program manager. A solid candidate has experience giving constructive feedback, communicating the issues, and implementing concrete strategies to solve the problem. They will also show that they’re not afraid of keeping team members accountable.
What to listen for:
- Nuance, delicacy, and empathy, which are important to being successful in this role
- Ways of maintaining respect and camaraderie among the team
How do you keep yourself organized?
Why this matters:
Program managers have to keep track of multiple projects — and often programs — at the same time.
What to listen for:
- Answers that provide very specific examples of the candidate’s organizational strategies
- Knowledge of program management tools they find useful — such as Basecamp, Google Workspace, and Trello — and the ability to explain why these tools are helpful
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