Hiring Managers - Gauging Exp

Do you hire PM's for Technical Skills or PM skills?

Solid project management skills are much more important and harder to find today, than the specific technical skills related to the project.

For example, many project managers in the medical technology and construction fields have successfully made the transition to running technology projects.

On the other hand, we have all seen excellent technical people fail when moving into managing projects very similar to the ones they have successfully worked on as team members the past.

So our advice is to hire for Project Management skills - the project technical lead can get the PM up to speed on technical issues.

When Hiring Project Managers how do you Gauge Experience?

Past experience is the best indicator of future performance. When looking at resumes, interviewing candidates, and checking references, probe for specific project management experience.

Many people will list project management on their resumes when in fact they were managing a very small project team indeed: Themselves. Get the details on project scope. A good project manager will at least roughly remember the dollar value of the projects they have managed, as well as the size of the project teams.

Someone who answers, "I wasn't really involved in the budget side of things," or throws numbers at you that don't jive (like a three-person team pulling off a $10 million project) may be overreaching.

Here are some valuable background questions you can use to help you determine if this is a good candidate for your project.

What methodologies have you successfully used in the past?

Someone who enumerates the names of software packages in response to this question or replies with, "None of the canned ones work for me, so I use a methodology I personally developed" is probably using smoke and mirrors. Pass on this candidate.

What documentation do you find most useful in managing your projects?

A candidate who lists GANTT charts or PERT charts in response may not have the depth you are looking for. Don't immediately count them out, but probe more deeply, asking them why those documents are helpful.

Can you describe a project that went bad?

Experienced project managers have all had projects with problems. If they can't relate a story, be wary. In fact, how project managers responded to problems is perhaps the best indicator of their skill.

Tell me about a time when you were surrounded in chaos.

How they respond to chaotic situations can tell you a lot. Some meticulously organized people melt down, and thus would probably not be good candidates. Others step up and impose organization on chaos, and they may be very strong candidates indeed.

Good project managers have strong communications skills. To determine how well a candidate communicates, you might ask:

Tell me about a time you had to deliver bad news to someone.

Look for answers indicating that they approached the communication directly, without beating around the bush.

Tell me about a situation when you didn't feel like your message was getting across.

Look for people who are good about communicating details without extraneous information, as well as people who are good about "closing the loop." This ensures that their communications are both heard and understood.