“What is the best project you’ve ever worked on?” “Tell me about your least successful project.” “When you work on multiple projects, how do you prioritize?” These are just some of the questions you may face in any interview for a corporate role, related to working on projects. Compared to most other questions you will face, questions belonging to this group demand rather complex answers and explanations. A great one can easily win you a job contact, while a bad one can send you packing, regardless of your other interview answers. I will show you what to focus on, and how to prepare a perfect answer, regardless of whether you worked on any projects before, and whether they were a success or a flop. Let’s start!
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The Basics
- Most common interview questions belonging to this area: What’s the best and worst project you’ve ever worked on? What types of projects would you like to work on here? Have you ever worked on a project that was a failure?
- Less common questions belonging to the area: Tell me about a time when you delegated a project successfully? When you worked on multiple project, how did you prioritize? Tell us about your experience with similar projects. How would you define a perfect project?
- Out of 10 random jobs, in how many cases will this area be tested during the hiring process: 7/10. Anytime you apply for a corporate or small business role which entails project work, you will typically face multiple questions belonging to this group. Or you will face just one question (for example about the best project you’ve ever worked on), but they will ask you follow-up questions and the talk can eventually take long minutes before you move on to another part of the interview. You may actually face questions about projects even when you won’t work on any in your new job. Because the way you deal with projects, and with the challenges they present, tells a lot about the way you work in general, about your values and attitude to work.
- Difficulty: 5/5. This is a really tough one. Not only because it demands complex answers, but also because follow-up questions will often come after your initial answer. What’s more, there is a variety of questions you may face to start with. Make sure to read this article from beginning to end, including sample answers and my comments to each of them. Mistakes are very common here and I will try to analyze all of them. Good news is that once you handle these questions at least reasonably well, it can move you a lot closer to a coveted employment agreement.
- Main goals of the hiring managers with questions belonging to this area: Understanding your real level of experience in the field. Learning more about your attitude to work, and about the way you deal with various challenges while working on projects (multiple priorities, deadlines, working with other colleagues, setting and meeting goals, feeling overwhelmed, succeeding, failing, etc).
- Your main goals with answers to questions belonging to this area: Convincing the interviewers that you can handle working on projects with all challenges it entails. Demonstrating (on your past projects) that you have relevant experience and good understanding for the given field of business, or at least for your role in it. Showing some passion for the project work in their field.
7 sample answers
Sample answer no. 1: Talking about a project that was a failure:
Speaking honestly, I worked on many such projects in my life. I have always enjoyed venturing into the unknown, trying new things, innovating, experimenting. In my last job in sales I actually designed some new sales strategies, trying to capture leads on social media, such as Facebook groups. But I didn’t understand the platform well. After all my planning and implementation, I actually captured only a few leads, and they did not convert anyway. However, I failed to reach my goal, but I learned something new and improved my skills with social media. I believe I will benefit from it in my professional career down the road.
- Quick thin to notice about this one: Anytime you talk about failing, make sure to mention the lessons you learned, and how it actually helped you become better in what you do (“…I learned something new and improved my skills with…”).
Sample answer no. 2: Another example of failing in a project:
Successful people do not fail. They either succeed, or learn. This is my attitude to both work and life. Surely as a manager I failed to reach my targets repeatedly. If I always reached them, I would not be here interviewing for a job with you… But I did not consider it a failure. It would be a failure if I didn’t try hard enough, which was never the case. I tried my best, and it didn’t work out. Is it a failure? I would not say so. It’s a learning experience, something inevitable in a life of any successful man.
- Quick thing to notice with this one: Notice the attitude the applicant shows here. It is an effort that counts, not the eventual result (“I tried my best, and it didn’t work out. Is it a failure? I would not say so”). Interviewers love such attitude, because they want to hire people who try their best every day. However, the answer would be much better if the applicant added more details about the project: What goals they had, what went wrong, how did they face the challenges, and why they eventually failed. With such things missing, the hiring manager will either give them low score for their answer, or they will ask many follow up questions. None of that is an ideal scenario for you, and that’s why this isn’t a great answer.
Sample answer no. 3: A better answer about a project that was a failure, from a financial analyst:
I remember one demand forecast that went completely wrong. My employer paid the price, losing money in the process. But it was my mistake, and I admit it. What happened is that I underestimated certain market indicators, and was too optimistic in my analysis, predicting much greater demand for a certain product in the summer months. The company bought stock and proceeded accordingly, but my predictions were wrong and at the end of summer we ended up with a lot of stock that we could not sell during autumn or winter. But I prefer not think about it much. It happened, I learned my lesson, and would not repeat the same mistake again. Time to move on…
- Quick thing to notice here: This one is much better than the previous one, since the applicant describes what the project was about, explain the mistake they made and why they made it, and accept responsibility for it (“…it was my mistake, I can admit it”). They also show the impact it had on the business (“…we ended up with a lot of stock that we could not sell during autumn…”), and also show a good attitude explaining that they already got over it and moved on.
Sample answer no. 4: Talking about the best project you’ve ever worked on:
I remember a great example from my last job in ABC Corporation. We were a team of roughly twenty people working on an improvement of a process related to garbage collection and recycling. My role wasn’t fairly technical–I was responsible more for compliance and documentation. But I really liked the project, for various reasons. First of all, we had a great team in place. People supported and encouraged each other, and feedback flew freely in all directions. You could feel that most people were passionate about what we were doing. Secondly that when we faced challenges and deadlines we worked as a team and eventually overcame each challenge. I also learned a lot in the project, and took my understanding of compliance to another level. Last but not least, we improved the efficiency of the given process by 70%, which is a huge improvement in this segment. All in all, it was the best project I’ve worked on, and I sincerely believe I will benefit from it in my new job with you.
- Quick thing to notice here: A good answer overall. The applicant gives a clear description of the project, their role in it, things they liked and learned in the project, and also the eventual result they achieved with the team. It is nice that they give credit to other team members (“People supported and encouraged each other…”). Sure enough, some follow-up questions may come here, such as what challenges exactly they faced, whether there were any conflicts between team members, etc. Make sure to prepare for such questions, especially when you describe the project in a similar way to this candidate–a rather idealistic one.
Sample answer no.5: Answering a question about working on projects with no previous experience:
I am just trying to get my first job with you, and have no previous experience working on projects. Still young enough to experience some big successes or failures, things that will shape me and teach me the most important lessons. However, you can be sure that I can admit making a mistake, can take responsibility for my actions, and will try to learn from my failures, and not dwell too much on my successes. And while this is an excellent company and you have a renowned training program for new hires, some failures will inevitably come. That’s the way it works in human life and I am ready for it.
- Quick thin to notice about this answer: While the applicant demonstrated maturity and shows good attitude to project work in general (“…can take responsibility for my actions… learn from my failures…not dwell too much on my successes”), the answer is very vague, and they do not mention any project in particular. This is a mistake. Even with no previous experience, you certainly worked on some projects at school, or even in your personal life. Even on such a project one can demonstrate their ability to meet deadlines, to deal with challenges, to cooperate with other people. When we inquire about projects, we really want to hear about the projects you’ve worked on. Vague answers just won’t do the trick here…
Sample answer no.6: Talking about delegating a failing project to someone else:
In my last job I had to delegate a failing project, one in which I made many mistakes. The goals were not set properly to start with, and we did not understand our target group well. We tried to help homeless people in the the area to reintegrate into life, and to find jobs. But our methodology was not correct, and we eventually didn’t succeed with a single person, as long as I was on a team. When I was about to delegate the project, I really had to overcome my ego. It wasn’t easy explaining all mistakes I made to the new project manager, and to give an honest report on other people on the team. But I managed to do it, and also I am still open to any help they may need, be it on a phone call, or even in person.
- Quick thing to notice about this one: A decent answer, clearly describing the reasons why they delegated the project, the way they proceeded, and the challenges they faced while doing so (” …It wasn’t easy explaining all mistakes I made…”). However, the question is about delegating the project, and the applicant speaks more about failing. In my opinion, they should focus more on the delegation process: the materials they prepared, how they described the work done so far and the challenges lying ahead, how long the transition to a new project manager took, and so on. Pay attention to the exact questions of the hiring managers. There are a lot of things they can inquire about when it comes to project work. And you should answer the exact questions they ask, instead of talking about something different just because it seems important to you.
Sample answer no. 7: Answer to “What types of projects would you like to work on here?”:
To be honest I do not really mind, as long as it is the field of kitchen furniture design. That’s my specialty and something I would like to dedicate myself to. It is also the reason why I apply for a job with you. I like most pieces in your catalogue, though I see areas for improvement with some, for example ABC and DEF tables. And while I’d love working on dining tables, I am ready to give my best to any project you assign me to.
- Quick thing to notice here: Notice that they picked particular products from a catalogue of the company that they see area for improvement with (“…I see areas for improvement with some, for example ABC and…”). That’s a very powerful answer and a clear indication that they studied the job description well and did their homework. It is also nice that they show some flexibility and willingness to work on any projects the company assigns them to, within their specialty (kitchen furniture design). A good answer overall.
Advanced information
Mistakes people make while answering questions about project work in the interviews
- Lack of details about the projects. Definitely the most common mistake here. When we ask about your work on projects (best or worst, successes of failure, delegation or multitasking), we are interested in details. Goals you set, challenges you faced, numbers you reached or failed to achieve. What’s more, numbers and details add credibility to your answers and make it much easier for us to imagine the given projects. Many job applicants speak very vaguely about the projects they worked on, or focus more on results than the process. That’s a big mistake. In the better case scenario, we will give them follow up questions. In the worse case scenario, they will simply score very few points for their answer.
- Limiting project work to employment only. Another very common mistake. People apply for their first job and quickly dismiss any question about working on projects saying that it is their first job application. However, everyone worked on some project at school, or even in their personal life (check the picture at the beginning of this post). Obviously school or personal projects aren’t as complex as projects you’ll work on at work, but you can still demonstrate the same things on them (your attitude to work, the way you cooperated with other people and handled challenges, the way you dealt with eventual success or failure etc).
- Not being prepared for follow-up questions. I remember instances from interviews when a single question about a project a candidate worked on before evolved into a twenty minute long discussion… We analyzed various challenges they faced, why they did what they did, we talked about other team members, and so on. In many cases it was a decisive part of the entire interview. Make sure to think carefully about 1-2 most important projects you’ve worked on in your life so far. Analyze them in detail, think about each step you take, replay it again in your head. Doing so should help you avoiding this mistake, a mistake that would prove extremely costly in your interview.
Few points from the perspective of the hiring managers/interviewers
- In some cases this is a decisive part of the hiring process for us. A past project you’ve worked on and all details you share about it often tells us more about you than your answers to all remaining questions combined do. Especially when there is room for follow-up questions. Keep it on your mind and do not underestimate this one.
- We always care about your values and attitudes. Most job candidates do not realize the truth of the interviews: You talk about WHAT and HOW, but people sitting opposite to you try to figure out WHY. When you talk about things you did on this or that project, we try to understand who you are as an employee. Why you approach situation A in this way and not in another one? At the end of the day, all your talk helps us to understand you both as en employee and as a human being–with your values and attitude to work. It matters for us much more than whether you succeeded or failed while working on any project.
7 keywords to remember when answering questions belonging to this area
- HOW matters more than WHAT, WHY matters even more than HOW, details and numbers help with both credibility and imagination, best project is the one you learned the most working on, you can demonstrate the same things on a project from school or even from your personal life, prepare for many follow-up questions, relevancy.
So that’s it! You’ve just covered area no. 18 out of 25 areas that cover 99% of questions you may ever get in the interviews. Just 7 areas left! Check the next one: Showing initiative, or go back to homepage for the full list of 25 areas and pick one you want to learn about and practice right now.
