HOW TO HIRE THE RIGHT PROJECT MANAGER – THE TOP 4 QUESTIONS TO ASK

Most companies, both large and small, come to a point where they need a Project Manager (PM).

This “need” for a PM often stems from an upper management level individual at an organization simply saying, “It’s the right thing to do!” without truly understanding the capabilities of the Project Manager and why they need one in the first place.

A Project Manager’s main objective is to service an area of expertise which may not currently exist within a company’s current employee structure. For an example, a capital investment firm which is looking to update its technology system and has employees that are highly skilled in IT, finance, accounting or business development, but are not trained in how to manage a large tech refurbishment project aside from their regular job.

That’s where project managers come in.

At EPS, a reoccurring problem we see are with companies who know they need a project manager – they just don’t know why. This leads to possibly hiring the wrong fit for the job – as a result, the project could run over budget and behind schedule due to lack of communication and understanding.

Here are four important questions to ask yourself when hiring a Project Manager:

1. What is your vision for the prospective project? Does your staff understand what you intend to do, and are they onboard?

The directive to setup a new project may come from upper management, however, it doesn’t mean the company’s employees are equipped to lead every major project for the company.  Certainly the stakeholders have an idea of what goals they would like to achieve, but they may not understand what and how the project needs to be setup and executed successfully. Hiring a project manager will helps define the scope of a project while setting realistic goals for budget and project completion times.

 

2. How well is the Project Manager’s job description organized?

A concise, clear job description is paramount to attracting the right kind of individual. Taking the time to create a targeted job description will save you headache during the hiring process. Using general phrases like “excellent communication skills” and “team player” simply won’t cut it.  Using actual project details will allow the candidate to asses your expectations against their own capabilities in a more effective manner – before they reach the interview.

 

3. How specific should the requirements be for a Project Manager?

As mentioned above, sharing details about the project at hand is important – but being too specific about what skills project manager should have could hinder rather than help in the hiring process.

They say, “A good PM’s knowledge is a mile wide and an inch deep.” Including the prerequisite of knowing certain PM softwares that can often be similar in nature, but have branding or tiny program nuances that vary across company and industry. These highly technical sounding softwares can make certain qualified candidates shy away instead of apply. This means that an outstanding project manager, who could do amazing things for your company, could simply learn one of these often user-friendly softwares once hired and within a short amount of time

 

4. Is hiring a Project Manager as an employee better than hiring a consultant position?

Both Yes and No. The employee vs. consultant project manager on-boarding decision can be made using the following checklist:

• Project duration

If a PM is needed for a short term versus and long term it’s likely best to hire as a consultant where the PM is able to charge hourly rather than salaried

• Breadth of skills

How technical are the skills required by the PM? If a project can only be spearheaded by someone with a niche skill-set, chances are you may need them after project completion, as updates and issues arise with the program model- therefore full time is a viable option

• Level of Responsibility

A PM consultant will who will take ownership of responsibility for the project and one who will simply manage the process and escalate high-level issues to the client are items to be considered when choosing to hire someone on an hourly basis versus full time

 

Why EPS Works

EPS offers assistance in the detailed processes of project management: creating work breakdown structures, cost estimating, baseline control budgets, cost forecasts, cash flow analysis, quality control, planning, scheduling, and change management procedures. We partner with you to achieve the desired output.

 

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