Project manager interview questions

What this hire must get done

Write the scorecard before you interview, then hire against it. Set the bracketed targets from your own numbers.

What to tell candidates before the interview

Say the hard parts plainly. People who wouldn't stay drop out early, and the ones who stay knew what they signed up for.

• Show them a real week: how many active jobs they'd carry, how many site visits, and how much of the day goes to calls, texts and email with customers and subs.
• Read them the hours from your posting, including the early starts when there's an inspection or a delivery and [any Saturday walk-throughs].
• Tell them families often live in the home during the work, and the project manager is the person they call when the kitchen is torn out or an inspection fails.
• Say what any bonus rides on, such as job profit, on-time finishes or customer ratings, and that changes are signed before the work, even for favorite customers. If they'll drive a company vehicle, say when you check driving records.

How to run the interview

1. Same questions, same order. Ask every candidate the questions below and the same follow-ups. It is the only way to compare people fairly.
2. Two interviewers. An owner or manager and someone who does the work. Take notes on what the candidate says, not on how you feel about them.
3. Score right after each answer. 5 sounds like the strong answer, 3 like the mixed one, 1 like the weak one. Use 2 and 4 for answers in between.
4. Rate alone, then compare. Compare candidates question by question, and talk only after everyone has scored. Big gaps are worth a conversation.

1. Technical · Handoff and planning

   A salesperson hands you a signed contract for a job you've never seen. Walk me through everything you do before you order material or put a crew on the schedule.

   It shows whether they find the gaps in a sold job before the crew does.

   Follow-ups

   • What do you look for that the salesperson may have promised but not written down?
   • What do you do when the customer hasn't picked finishes yet?
   • What does the customer get from you in writing after the handoff?

   5Strong

   Reads the contract, drawings and selections, walks the site with the salesperson, then meets the customer. Confirms scope, exclusions, allowances, lead times, start date and payment schedule in writing. Turns spoken promises into a change order or written exclusion, and orders long-lead items once selections are signed.

   3Mixed

   Reads the contract and sets a start date, but relies on the salesperson's memory for what was promised, or orders material before every selection is final.

   1Weak

   Calls the customer to set a start date and finds the gaps when the crew does.

2. Situational · Subcontractors and schedule

   On a basement finish, your HVAC sub and your electrician both show up [Monday] to rough in the same ceiling, and each says the other should have waited. What do you do?

   Trades tripping over each other cost days, and the answer shows whether the project manager fixes the cause or only the morning.

   Follow-ups

   • Who goes first, and how do you decide?
   • What do you do about the day the other sub just lost?
   • What would stop this on your next job?

   5Strong

   Decides on site, usually the least flexible runs first, like ducts and sloped drain lines, with wiring last. Gives the second sub other work or a firm return day, and tells the customer if dates move. Then fixes the cause with a weekly look-ahead schedule every sub confirms.

   3Mixed

   Settles it fairly that morning, but doesn't change how subs get their dates, so it happens again.

   1Weak

   Lets the subs sort it out themselves, or has both work in each other's way.

3. Behavioral · Subcontractors and schedule

   Tell me about a subcontractor you dropped from your list, or nearly dropped. What happened?

   Every project manager depends on subs; you want one who deals with a bad one early and in writing, not one who quietly absorbs the rework.

   Follow-ups

   • What did you see first, and what did you say to them?
   • What did it cost the job, and who paid for the fix?
   • What do you ask of a new sub before their first job?

   5Strong

   Names the sub and the problem, with dates and photos. Raised it directly and early, put expectations in writing, gave a fair chance, then stopped using them with a backup lined up. Now checks license, insurance and references, and tries new subs on smaller jobs first.

   3Mixed

   Fixed the jobs by bringing in another crew, but never told the sub plainly or wrote it down, and kept them on the list too long.

   1Weak

   Blames the sub without ever having told them, or still uses them because they're cheap and always available.

4. Situational · Scope and money

   On a bathroom remodel, the homeowner asks your crew lead to add an outlet and move a light while the walls are open. The lead says it's a quick one and wants to do it today. What do you do?

   Small add-ons done on a handshake are where margin and trust leak out of a job.

   Follow-ups

   • What does the customer hear from you, and when?
   • What does the crew do in the meantime?
   • When, if ever, would you let work start before the signature?

   5Strong

   Has the lead hold off, prices it that day, and gets a signed change order with the price and any date change before the walls close. Checks the permit, and that a licensed electrician wires it where required. Only work to stop damage or make something safe starts unsigned.

   3Mixed

   Has the lead hold off and gets the change order signed before any work, but prices it days later, so the walls sit open, or never tells the customer how it moves the finish date.

   1Weak

   Lets the crew do it free as a favor, or bills it at the end with no agreement.

5. Technical · Scope and money

   With a job half built, walk me through how you can tell whether it will come in on budget.

   A project manager who only sees cost at closeout can't fix anything; you want one who forecasts.

   Follow-ups

   • What's on your weekly cost report for a job?
   • Which line usually runs over on your jobs, and how do you catch it early?
   • What do you do when a job is going to lose money no matter what?

   5Strong

   Tracks the estimate's budget by line: labor hours, material, subs, permits. Weekly, compares actual plus committed cost, like open orders, against budget and percent complete, and forecasts cost to finish. Warns the owner early, bills every signed change and feeds lessons back to estimating.

   3Mixed

   Compares money spent against budget each week, but leaves out open orders and cost to finish, so overruns show up late.

   1Weak

   Finds out at closeout, or waits for the bookkeeper's report.

6. Situational · Scope and money

   On a water-loss rebuild, the adjuster's estimate leaves out lower cabinets your crew says are wet and swelling. The homeowner says, "You're the expert, go fight the insurance company for us." What do you do?

   Insurance jobs need a project manager who documents the scope well without negotiating the claim, which in many states only the homeowner or a licensed public adjuster may do.

   Follow-ups

   • What do you send the adjuster, and how?
   • What do you tell the homeowner about whose claim it is?
   • What happens to the cabinets while you wait?

   5Strong

   Keeps the drying going, sends the adjuster moisture readings, photos and line items, and discusses the estimate's facts. Tells the homeowner the claim is theirs to settle, directly or through a licensed public adjuster. Doesn't negotiate for them or offer to cover the deductible. Gets the cabinet decision signed.

   3Mixed

   Documents the damage and stays out of the negotiation, but leaves the homeowner guessing: no word on their options, like talking to the adjuster or hiring a public adjuster, and no signed decision on the cabinets.

   1Weak

   Argues by phone with no documentation, promises to handle the claim for the homeowner, or offers to waive the deductible.

7. Behavioral · Customers in the home

   Tell me about a job where the family lived in the house during the work and things got tense. What happened, and what did you change?

   Dust, noise and a torn-out kitchen wear on any family; the project manager decides whether that turns into a bad review.

   Follow-ups

   • What had you agreed with them at the start about work hours, dust and which rooms they could use?
   • How often were you in touch, and how?
   • How did the job end, and how do you know?

   5Strong

   Had set expectations in writing at the start. When tension came, met in person, owned the company's part, made a specific fix like better dust walls or a set update time, and kept it. Can say how it ended: paid on time, a review or a referral.

   3Mixed

   Calmed each flare-up as it came, but never set expectations up front, or settled things with discounts.

   1Weak

   Blames the crew or the customer, or handed the family off to the salesperson or owner.

8. Situational · Inspections and closeout

   The framing inspection fails [Tuesday] for a missing header and fire blocking. Drywall is booked for [Wednesday], and the family is hosting relatives in [two weeks]. Walk me through what you do today.

   Inspection failures happen; the answer shows whether they protect the job's record or cover the problem with drywall.

   Follow-ups

   • Who do you call first, and in what order?
   • How do you find out why it was missed?
   • What do you tell the family?

   5Strong

   Reads the correction notice, asks the inspector if anything is unclear, has the framer fix it and books the reinspection. Moves the drywall crew instead of covering work that hasn't passed. Tells the family that day with the new dates. Adds a walk before every inspection call.

   3Mixed

   Fixes it and rebooks quickly, but the family hears only when they ask, or no one looks at why it was missed.

   1Weak

   Lets drywall go ahead over the failed work, or blames the inspector.

9. Behavioral · Inspections and closeout

   Walk me through the last job you closed out, from the final walk-through to the final payment. How long did it take?

   Closeout is where finished jobs sit unpaid; the answer shows whether the project manager runs it or waits it out.

   Follow-ups

   • How was the punch list written, and who signed it?
   • What did the customer get from you at closeout?
   • What made it take longer than it should have?

   5Strong

   Did a crew walk-through first to clear their own misses, then walked it with the customer on one written list both signed. Finished it by a set date, closed the permit, handed over warranty papers and invoiced the same day. Knows how many days it took to get paid.

   3Mixed

   Got the job done, but the punch list kept growing over several visits because no one list was signed, or the final invoice waited.

   1Weak

   Can't say how long it took, or final payment sat for weeks over small items.

10. Situational · Site safety

    You stop at a job in a [1940s] house where young children live. The demo crew is tearing out painted plaster with no plastic up, and someone is dry sweeping. What do you do?

    Lead dust in an older home can harm the family and break federal rules; the project manager has to stop it, not just notice it.

    Follow-ups

    • What do you do in the first five minutes?
    • How do you find out whether the lead rules apply to this house?
    • What do you check about how the job got to this point?

    5Strong

    Stops the work and keeps the family away. Treats the paint as lead until a certified renovator tests it, has that renovator set up containment, and cleans with a HEPA vacuum and wet wiping. Tells the family plainly, writes it up, and checks why handoff missed the house's age.

    3Mixed

    Stops the work and has it set up lead-safe before anyone restarts, but doesn't tell the family what happened or look into why handoff missed the house's age.

    1Weak

    Lets them finish because they're almost done, or doesn't see a problem.

Work exercise: rework a job packet

Hand finalists a made-up packet for a [kitchen remodel]: a one-page scope, a line-item budget, a [four]-week schedule, start dates for two subs, a customer email asking to add under-cabinet lighting, and a supplier notice that cabinets will arrive [six] days late. Give them [40] minutes to produce a revised schedule, a change-order note and the message to the customer, then [ten] minutes to walk you through it.

Use made-up materials, never real customer work, and keep it to the time shown. Follow your own safety rules for anything hands-on.

Reference check questions

Tell finalists you'll call a former manager, and get their permission first. Ask about what they did, not whether they were nice.

• Tell me about one of their jobs that ran over budget or past its date. When did you first hear about it, and from whom?
• When customers asked for extra work, was it signed before the crew started? How often did you find out after?
• How did customers rate their jobs at closeout, and how long did final payments take compared with your other project managers?
• How did they handle safety on sites they ran, including subcontractors' crews? Would you give them your biggest job again?

Questions to skip, and what to ask instead

Ask only what the job needs. Questions that touch age, health, family or pay history can break federal, state or local law, even when you mean well.

• SkipHow are your knees? You'll be up ladders and in crawl spaces.

  AskDescribe the field duties from your posting in the same words to every finalist, such as [walking job sites, climbing ladders and checking work in attics or on roofs]. Then ask if they're able to do that work, with or without reasonable accommodation.

• SkipWhat were you making at the last builder?

  AskAsk how they were paid there, such as salary, a bonus on job profit or a vehicle allowance. Then give the pay for this job, [range and bonus plan], and ask how that fits what they need.

• SkipInspection days start at [6:30 a.m.]. Who gets your kids to school?

  AskInspection and delivery days start at [6:30 a.m.], and [some Saturdays] include a walk-through. Will that schedule work for you?

• SkipOur crews are young. Will they take direction from someone your age?

  AskTell me about getting a crew or a sub to follow a plan they didn't make.

Common mistakes when hiring a project manager

• Hiring a big-builder project manager for small jobs

  A project manager from a large commercial builder may be used to a superintendent, an assistant and an owner's rep between them and the work. At a home service company they'll order material, write change orders and talk with homeowners every day. Ask about jobs your size, and use the exercise.

• Hiring the project manager customers love because nothing costs extra

  Some project managers keep customers happy by doing small changes free. Their reviews look great and their jobs lose money. Weigh the change-order question and the reference about signatures as heavily as the customer stories.

• Taking an OSHA card as proof of a safe site

  OSHA calls its ten-hour and thirty-hour courses voluntary training, not a certification. Some states, cities and employers do require the card, but it only shows they sat the class. Ask what they've stopped on a job site, such as work at a roof edge with no fall protection, and ask references the same.

Project manager interview FAQ