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Program Manager Interviews

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Program Manager Interview Questions

Program managers are responsible for overseeing several company projects that are connected by a common goal. Employers are looking for candidates who excel at people management and conflict resolution. Interviewers will want to know about your leadership and multitasking skills, so come ready to discuss a time you were able to successfully motivate a group to meet an imminent deadline or any experience diffusing issues between coworkers.

Top Program Manager Interview Questions & How to Answer

Question 1

Question #1: What are the warning signs a program might be at risk?

How to answer
How to answer: Interviewers want to know you can identify and solve problems. When answering this question, explain potential risks to a program, as well as how to eliminate these risks with problem-solving skills.
Question 2

Question #2: What is the difference between a program manager and a project manager?

How to answer
How to answer: You want employers to know you have a strong understanding of the job description. If asked this question, explain the key differences between program managers and project managers, including the fact that program managers take a more strategic approach to their position. Go on to explain the strategies you would use if you were hired for the position.
Question 3

Question #3: How do you keep a program on track?

How to answer
How to answer: The duties of a program manager include pacing the team, keeping up with deadlines, and solving problems. An interviewer may be interested in how you resolve conflict in the workplace to keep things on track. They may also want to know your planning process, how you stay organized, and how you communicate with team members.

20,592 program manager interview questions shared by candidates

This was a non-technical/ non-programmer role. There were no trick questions, The phone screen questions were specific to the program. The on site interview was five 45min back to back interviews, with a break for lunch. The questions were 100% behavioral based that are intended to be related to Amazons leadership principals. The "trick" to getting through these is to come prepared with SPECIFIC examples and how YOU contributed. I cannot stress enough to come prepared with examples.
avatar

Senior Program Manager

Interviewed at Amazon

3.5★
Jun 7, 2018

This was a non-technical/ non-programmer role. There were no trick questions, The phone screen questions were specific to the program. The on site interview was five 45min back to back interviews, with a break for lunch. The questions were 100% behavioral based that are intended to be related to Amazons leadership principals. The "trick" to getting through these is to come prepared with SPECIFIC examples and how YOU contributed. I cannot stress enough to come prepared with examples.

Telephone Interview was more situational: Tell about a situation where you had to deal with something and how did you handle it, what was the outcome? Onsite interview was mostly related to prior experience, not sure how the remaining onsite interviews would proceed
avatar

Senior Technical Program Manager

Interviewed at Amazon

3.5★
Oct 22, 2018

Telephone Interview was more situational: Tell about a situation where you had to deal with something and how did you handle it, what was the outcome? Onsite interview was mostly related to prior experience, not sure how the remaining onsite interviews would proceed

Nothing specific stands out - if you've ever done a PM interview (either give one or taken one) with any big company, you know the kind of questions you'll get. "Tell me about a time things didn't go as expected", "tell me about a time you had to take an unpopular position", etc. There were two "design a solution" questions, but nothing specific (nothing like "what specific HW would you use" or "what language would you use" - remember, TPM role, not Engineer role). They were of the form "how would you do x if your customer asked you for it". Since they were things I hadn't done before, I tried to think of all the things I would need to know, learn, ask, and figure out to implement the solution. Amazon makes a difference between a Technical PM and other PM's, so YMMV if it's not a TPM role.
avatar

Senior Technical Program Manager

Interviewed at Amazon

3.5★
Feb 4, 2017

Nothing specific stands out - if you've ever done a PM interview (either give one or taken one) with any big company, you know the kind of questions you'll get. "Tell me about a time things didn't go as expected", "tell me about a time you had to take an unpopular position", etc. There were two "design a solution" questions, but nothing specific (nothing like "what specific HW would you use" or "what language would you use" - remember, TPM role, not Engineer role). They were of the form "how would you do x if your customer asked you for it". Since they were things I hadn't done before, I tried to think of all the things I would need to know, learn, ask, and figure out to implement the solution. Amazon makes a difference between a Technical PM and other PM's, so YMMV if it's not a TPM role.

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