Tell me about a time when a business user came to you with a project / problem that the current system did not support (or did not support very well). What was the problem and how did you handle it? - What was the result?

> 2. In almost every project, there are tasks that do not fall neatly into any team's responsibilities. Or, there are teams that need help -- everything from analysis, data conversion, html mockup, to QA. This position requires willingness and determination to learn and do whatever needs to be done to ensure project success.

Tell me about a time when you "filled in the gap." What was the situation and how did you handle it?

> 3. This position requires strong desire and ability to learn and use technology quickly.

Tell me about a technology that you had a lot of fun learning and using.

> 4. This position requires passion for great product.

Tell me about a product / project that you worked on. What did you like best about the product? What did you want to enhance?

> 5. This position requires passion for great customer service.

Tell me about a time when you provided great customer service. Who was the customer and what did you do for them?

> 6. This position requires strong ability to manage situations that are either real crisis, or possible crisis. Our team runs internal support, which means we receive and triage all reports of production problems.

Tell me about a time when you were in a crisis situation (in or outside of work). What was it and how did you handle it?

> 7. Sometimes, the fastest way to get a task done or to solve a challenge, is to do a bunch of grunt work -- perhaps because the software solution either isn't available or won't be available in time.

Tell me about a time when you ended up doing a bunch of work that was just plain manual, because that was what had to be done?

> 8. One of the most important strengths of our company, is that we encourage different ideas, feedback, and suggestions. Of course, this also means that we may end up with differences of opinions.

Tell me about a time when you and a colleague (someone as your level or more senior) disagreed with each other.

> 9. (For candidate with PM experience) Every business user has a project that is very important to them -- but, not every project is the most important, compared to other projects.

Tell me about a time when a business user comes to you with a project / idea / request that was important to them, but not quite as important as other projects in the company. What was the request and how did you handle it?

> 10. (For candidate with PM experience) Meeting the target delivery dates isn't always possible.

Tell me about a time when engineering tells you that they cannot meet the target date. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

> 11. (For candidate with PM experience) Deciding what bugs / enhancements to not work on, is one of our most important responsibilities -- Afterall, it doesn't take a PM to just pass on requests from one group to another.

Tell me about a time when you said "no". What was the situation and how did you handle it?

> 12. (For candidate with PM experience) All significant projects go through a phase of "total confusion" -- where the project vision, scope, and strategy are not clear to anyone.

Tell me about a time when you took a project out of the fog. What was the situation and what did you do?

> 13. (For candidate with PM experience) This position requires the ability to bring consensus and decisions to the table.

Tell me about a time when you made that happen. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

> 14. (For candidate with PM experience) This position requires the ability to communicate to many different types of audience.

Tell me an example when you successfully: - communicated requirements to engineering? - communicated issue status to Sr Management? - communicated system changes and enhancements to business users?

> 15. (For candidate with PM experience) This position requires deep understanding of our customers (engineering, sales, marketing, finance, etc), in order to help them get things done before a solution is available, and then to design the right solution to meet their needs.

Tell me about how you have "walked a mile in your customers shoes"?

> 16. (For candidate with PM experience) No software is "defect free".

Tell me about an upgrade / launch that you managed, that contained a significant defect that surfaced after the release.

> 17. (For candidate with direct reports) The most important responsibility of any manager is to help the team be as productive, effective, and successful as possible.

Tell me about an example (or two) of how you add value for your team.

> 18. Everyone has a project, story, experience that they would love to show off or talk about at an interview. But of course, the interviewer doesn't always end up asking the question that would bring that out.

Is there a question would you like me to ask you?