Choosing the right project manager is essential; this is the person who is going to lead your team, coordinate your resources, anticipate and solve problems, hit your deliverables, and get results. Hopefully! Take hope out of the equation, and know you’ve got the best person for the job. A little due diligence during the interview process can help you select the right candidate.

Never underestimate the value of a good question. Following is a list of queries that will help you get at the value that a project manager will be able to bring to your organization.

1. In 30 words or less, what is your unique selling proposition? (This enables you to find out what they think is unique about them – without a long, rambling dialogue.)
2. What would you say are your unique abilities?
3. If I asked a group of peers to describe you, what would they say?
4. If I asked a group of your subordinates to describe you, what would they say?
5. What project or business implementation strategy has been your biggest failure, and why?
6. What would you have done differently to change the outcome?
7. How would you define your leadership style, and how does this relate to how you manage projects?
8. What strengths do you bring to the project manager role?
9. What do you consider key elements in delivering a successful project?
10. In terms of the key project management processes – initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing – which ones do you do best, and why?
11. Which phase do you need to work hardest at in order to improve, and why?
12. What are you looking for from the project or program manager in order to be successful? What help are you looking for to be successful?
13. Are you more comfortable with IT or business processes?
14. What role would you prefer to play?
15. Provide me with example that will demonstrate your ability to be politically savvy.
16. Do you have personal philosophy regarding project management? Can you give me an overview?
17. What tools do you employ to monitor the ongoing health of a project?
18. Which tools are most important?
19. Explain one successful project you have managed and why it was successful?
20. What are the most important elements of a risk plan, and why?
21. What are most important elements in defining and controlling scope?
22. Give me example of when a client/project sponsor made a decision you didn’t agree with, and how you handled that.
23. How would you handle severe conflict between two team members?
24. Do you know about the triple constraint on projects? If so, describe it to me?
25. Give me an idea of the size of some of the projects you’ve managed in terms of budget, resources duration and scope.
26. Please give me the names of three individual sponsors who will act as a reference for you in your role as a project manager.

Number 26 is absolutely essential. Put a star next to that one; you need to talk to the senior people who have seen the project manager at work and who have an insider’s view of the results he/she was able to achieve.

In interviews, a lot of people ask situational questions, which are great. But you want to dive deeper into chemistry and the candidate’s ability to articulate strengths, weaknesses, and what it is that they’re going to bring to the project. The mechanics and tools are just the table stakes; even more important is how they manage, how they lead, how they put those mechanics and tools into play.

When I interview for project managers, I ask these questions in varying order. If I have five people to speak with, I compare them based upon their responses to the same questions. It’s a way to use the same measuring tape to see what you’re getting. This isn’t meant to be a checklist; you’ve got to listen carefully to the answers before moving on to the next question! But it does give you a good guide and can help you make the best choice for your project and team.