Click here to view my video on the Top 3 Questions asked in Tech Startup Project Manager Interviews.

This is a timely topic considering the state of the job market. I want to talk today about the top three questions I was asked in project manager interviews at tech startups. 

To give you some background - I recently spent about five months in a job search. Yes, I was one of those who was thrown into the unemployment pool at the start of the pandemic. During that time I applied to more jobs and interviewed far more times than I ever have in my entire life. It was incredibly challenging, but gives me now what I would like to call “insider info” which I can share with you! 

I want to share the three questions I was asked over and over in interviews with different tech companies. If you are preparing for a project manager interview, or just want some insight into this field, then this post is for you! Keep in mind every interview is different and these questions are not guaranteed, but they certainly trended in my experience and I imagine would show up at some point in the majority of tech project manager interview processes. 

So here we go, the 3rd most asked question was:

3) How have you managed disagreement or conflict on previous teams?

Yes, this behavioral interview question is very common. I was asked some variation of it many times. 

Project Manager positions are quite people-oriented, which can be surprising to some. It’s especially important you can work with teams, communicate across departments, and manage conflict when it will inevitably arise in your meetings. Project Managers must possess these soft skills.

There’s many different approaches to managing conflict, so there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong answer, but do be sure to have a rehearsed example or two. Explain the situation succinctly, how you managed it, the outcome, and how you parlayed that into something positive.  

Onto the next. The 2nd most asked question was:

2) Have you worked with “such and such” technology? Or, Which project management systems do you have experience with?

Typically they are going to call out Jira as the specific application they are inquiring about. I’ve had companies ask specifically about Jira even when they don’t use it themselves and aren’t planning to anytime soon! It’s an unspoken standard in the tech project management world, and it does you some good to at least read up on it. 

With the vast array of project management software tools out there now, many companies are becoming open to those of us without direct experience in the Jira realm. If Jira isn’t in your work history, be sure to be able to talk about a comparable system. And if you don’t have experience with anything similar - take a crash course in Jira and set up a sandbox. I spent an afternoon doing just that, and at least now I can say I have used Jira. 

And the number one question I was asked in tech PM interviews was something along the lines of:

3) What’s your familiarity with Agile and Scrum? Can you tell us how you have worked with that in the past?

I’ve found Agile and Scrum get lumped together at most companies. Even though they aren’t the same thing, they are related in a way and tend to be paired, so keep that in mind. With this question, they are looking for whether you are educated about these concepts in general and also if you have worked directly with Agile teams. 

For Scrum, even if you aren’t a certified Scrum Master, they want to know if you have carried these responsibilities and are familiar with the ceremonies.

For Agile, it’s more about how do you approach managing projects. Are you used to managing in more of a waterfall fashion or have you worked with Agile teams and do you understand the concept of it? Again, they really want to know if you have direct experience managing teams and workflows functioning with Agile framework.

It may feel like a lot to include in your response, especially if it’s a phone screening, but because it is such a hot question, be sure to figure out a way to succinctly include all relevant details in your answer. 

I will say that everyone who asked me this also prefaced it with the fact they know every team has their own unique way of doing Agile, and that they aren’t looking for someone who is married to a certain way or even necessarily certified, but rather someone who is familiar with the framework and open to adapting as they see fit to the team. 

My suggestion is if you don’t know what Agile or Scrum are and you are trying to get a job as a tech project manager in startup or really any job in tech, please please please go out and learn about it because you will need to know. Even if the company isn’t into it, you will still need to know.

Second, if you don’t have direct work experience with these methods but you know what it is,  think about some ways in your life you have used these ideas. So even if you haven’t ever been a Scrum Master or you haven’t worked with an Agile team, but you’re very familiar with what it all means and you can apply it to other areas of your life with examples, then use that in your response. 

Those are my top 3!

I also want to send out a positive word to all those job searching right now. Stay with it, do something every day to move yourself forward, and I promise it will all work out! Speaking from experience, I can honestly say that with every iteration of my resume I learned something new about myself; with every interview I learned how to communicate a little better, and with every rejection I learned to find my worth in something larger than the job I applied for.

Good luck!