Start by doing some prep!

Most people fail to prepare for their job interview. As well as researching the company, you need to find out who is interviewing you and then learn about them personally (from their LinkedIn or other profiles on the web). Then you will be able to relate to them in the interview, mentioning things you have in common to try and build an affinity with them. After all—people love people who have similar interests!

Next, research the most common interview questions and rehearse your answers to them. Chances are you’ll be asked questions like “so tell us about yourself” and “what are your strengths and weaknesses” so you need to have your answers to these questions well rehearsed if you’re going to win them over!

The kick-off

 On the day, arrive 15 minutes early and sit in the reception area. Focus on nothing but your breathing. Relax your entire body and ignore what’s going on around you. When you’re called into the room, start with a strong hand shake. Look them in the eye and have your body language front facing. Stand tall and look confident. Be very careful what you say in the first 2 minutes as they are crucial. You’ll be judged on your first impression so if you blab on about the traffic, then they could come to the wrong conclusion prematurely. So start out cautiously but positively, complimenting them on their premise and your experience so far.

Let them drive

Don’t jump straight into conversation. Instead, let them organize themselves and get settled in first. Then let them drive the meeting. If there is a pause or a break in conversation, don’t fill it. They are simply thinking about the answer to the last question or how to kick off the next question. They need this “thinking time” if they are to come to the right conclusion.

Answering questions

When you’re asked a question, always stop for 2-3 seconds before answering. This gives you time to gather your thoughts so you can answer well. Keep your answers short and to the point. Quote examples and reference people who can back you up. Give authority to your answers by quoting what you’ve done in the past and what you’ve learned along the way. They need to know that not only can you “do the job” but that “you’ve been there and done it before”.

The big finale

You need a confident finish at the end of the interview. So tell them how impressed you are with the company and how excited you are about the role. Briefly summarize how you can add value to the role and why you’re the best candidate. Tell them you’re really excited about it all and that you already have ideas for how you’ll achieve the targets set.

So it’s really all about confidence and showing them that you’re the best person for the role. Of course, to be the best candidate you need to be using the best toolset for managing projects, so sign up to ProjectManager.com to get your first 30 days free!

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By following the five steps listed below when preparing for and conducting the project kickoff meeting, the project manager will help ensure that the proper knowledge and planning is in place to get the project off on the right foot.

Gather all available project information

Someone somewhere came up with the concept for the project or closed a project deal with a customer.  All information that went into that process is needed by the project manager in order to properly prepare for the project kickoff meeting.  A statement of work, a high level project schedule, a list of necessary resources, and a price or draft project budget are items that should be available to the assigned project manager.  This project manager needs all of those items as they prepare to meet with the customer and get their own team ready to perform on the engagement.

Create a draft project schedule

If there is already a high-level project schedule available, that’s a very good start.  Sometimes that may be available from the customer with the project need or possibly a company account manager who made the sale to the customer has already created one.  The project manager must then take – or create if one does not exist – a draft detailed project schedule that shows understanding of key tasks, milestones, and deliverables on the project.  Taking a draft – but well thought out – project schedule into a kickoff discussion with the customer will help the detailed project planning process get started during the customer kickoff session.

Put together an initial project budget and resource plan

Along with creating a draft project schedule, it’s important that the same inputs go into creating an initial project budget and resource plan.  Knowing project budget needs and resource needs will enable the project manager to go out and request what’s needed to start the project and to continue to deliver on it successfully.

Create a formal presentation

It’s a good idea to create a formal presentation or slideshow to give to the customer in advance of the kickoff meeting and then use this same presentation to drive all discussion during kickoff.  This high level presentation will show key project dates and milestones from the project schedule, key resources that will be utilized on the project, how changes will be managed on the project, how project communication will flow, and how the project will be managed in general.  It’s important that this presentation give the customer an initial high level of confidence in your ability to deliver on the project while at the same time setting proper expectations of both the delivery team and the customer team for the future tasks on the project.  The goal is for each side to leave the kickoff meeting with a good understanding of what’s expected of them.

Set up the next meetings or phases for the project

Finally, as with any important meeting, agree on the next steps going forward.  Set dates and times for the next meeting or meetings and agree on solid dates for the next phase and upcoming milestones for the project and be sure to document these in a revised version of the project schedule that will be delivered to everyone following the formal project kickoff.

Balancing all those communication needs can be quite a challenge.  If it’s not done efficiently and effectively, the project manager may find himself with very frustrated team members and a customer who is uncomfortable with how the project is being run because they aren’t getting the news and status information that they require.

In order to ensure that your project continues to run smoothly and that your project contacts are aware of what’s expected of them and how things stand at all times, follow these five key practices in your projects.  Sticking to these five items will help ensure that you are communicating effectively and thoroughly with everyone involved in the project.

Create a project communication plan

A good project starts with some key planning documents created at the beginning of the engagement.  By creating a formal communication plan for your project you will lay the groundwork for all communication on the project.  All project participants will know what communication to expect and when.  A good project communication plan tells everyone who is primarily responsible for key project communication, when status reports will be delivered, when status meetings will be held, how and when formal calls will take place, and even how project emails should be handled.

Status reports and project schedule updates

At the heart of every good project is a status report that is well planned and easy to follow.  This status report should also serve as the primary communication method for the regular customer status meeting or phone call.  The project communication plan will indicate the general status report format and when it will be delivered.  The recommended delivery frequency for project status reports is weekly and it should coincide with the weekly formal project status meeting with the customer.

Likewise, the project manager will update and deliver a revised project schedule each week that will be delivered with the project status report and serve as an additional item for review during the formal project status meeting.

Emails and calls

The project manager needs to be efficient at using emails and short phone calls to get up to date project information out to project team members and the customer.  Some things just can’t wait till the next project status meeting and that’s what emails and phone calls are for.  Likewise, project team members should be educated on how to communicate effectively with the customer, when necessary, through the use of phone calls and emails because timing of information is critical to the success of the project.

Status meetings

Customers like to have up to date information and a chance to discuss status formally with the project manager and project team.  The best setting to accomplish this is through regular formal status meetings or status conference calls.  Ideally, these should be scheduled every week at a regular time.  It’s important to ensure that all key project team members are available in order to allow for the best possible discussion and to help ensure that the customer is well satisfied with project participation and attentiveness to their needs.

The weekly project status report and revised project schedule should serve as the primary basis for discussions during this formal project status meeting.  The project manager will adhere to the schedule in the project communication plan and deliver the status report and revised project schedule at least one day in advance of the status meeting to ensure the most productive status discussion possible.

Follow-up minutes

Finally, to orchestrate the best possible understanding and comprehension of details and responsibilities, the project manager or other assigned project team member should be responsible for delivering follow-up minutes from any key project meeting that happens.  At the very least, this needs to include the regular project status meeting.  Thorough follow-up minutes help ensure that task responsibilities assigned and decisions that were made during meetings are not lost and will be carried out appropriately.

Because of the modern way a business operates today, the position of senior project manager is only in larger organizations. This is due to the lean methodology that most manufacturing business follows today. The necessity to do more with less has made this position a rarity.

When the position of Senior Project Manager is needed, it is largely a supervisorial position that overseas all of the projects that are currently underway at a facility or number of facilities. Because the responsibilities are so large and the consequences of not performing their tasks have a significantly larger financial impact on a business, most of these senor managers make the most out of the available project management tools.

The usage of the newly available project management tools allows the Senior Project Manager to monitor all of the different project under their supervision with real time accuracy. These same monitoring programs will also categorize all the data that is inputted into the systems details and organized report on any subject matter about the projects can be easily assembled with just a few clicks of the mouse. The larger and great in number the project there are, the more this program and its abilities will be appreciated.

In most cases the Senior Project Manager will be reviewing the different project plans that are being submitted for approval. It is their responsibility to know what should be present and what will work at the facility under their guidance. Knowing how to use the project management office program is a requirement today because of the vastness of details that are to always be included in such a document.

The senior project manager position is not for everyone. It has a great deal of responsibility that is placed on their shoulders after years of commitment along with making the correct decisions at the right moments of chaos during past projects.

Another critical part of the project manager job is in the creating of the project plans so the team members will know all the information they will need to do their jobs in the project. The creation of all the plans needed are many so experience in the business field of interest is a must for the manager to be able to do their job in an efficient manner.

For a person to do the responsibilities of the project manager job in an efficient manner, they must make the most use of the project management tools that are available. For the creation of the necessary project plans, this must include the project management templates. This is a great tool that is both a useful guide and as a professional looking document by its automated formatting.

Not only do all 11 different processes plans need to be created by the person with the project manager job but all the communications with the third party vendors. These too, should make use of the project management templates so the forms being sent out are professionally looking and consistent in their nature.

Consistency and reliability are the trademarks of a person that has filled the position of a project manager job. This is a job that cannot be given to a fresh college graduate because of all the multitasking that is required along with the experience to know what to do when an obstacle is in the path of the schedule.

The project manager job is not for everyone. To fill this position takes a great deal of dedication to the ob and the company they work for. Loyalty to go above and beyond is part of the daily business routine of the good project managers.

In most cases the main revenue streams of a business is from multiple production lines that are of a very large scale. This requires a senior project manager to oversee them all so a coordinated response can be made on the proper dispersments of raw materials along with monetary funds.

The senior project manager will oversee the day to day operations of all the different revenue streams to make sure they are on schedule. When a slowdown occurs, they are also there to initiate an investigation into the root cause of the problem so it can be resolved this time and in the future.

Another responsibility of the senior project manager is to have a review protocols for the different revenue streams under their supervision. This allows for improvements to be noted and implemented along with the identification of waste.

A senior project manager might be in charge of one large plant or oversee many different installations if the corporation has them. They must visit and inspect the different lines of production to help ensure the schedules can be met on the deliverables at each production line.

The senior project manager is also the focal point to mitigation of all the risks and issues that have or could impact the revenue streams of the business. It is their responsibility to reduce or eliminate their impact so the revenue streams stay profitable.

In most instances the senior project manager is also the contact point for customer relations for each designated project line that has a single or limited number of clients. These are usually large scale and involve a great deal of revenue which must be handled correctly and efficiently so the production is not interrupted or the orders are not canceled.

The senior project manager is a very responsible position within a company that requires a person that has an attention to detail above the average person. Their professionalism can be the difference in a business pulling in a profit or downsizing.

Before the computer was used as an integral part of the business plan, the project manager job was at time overbearing and very difficult to manage. Most of the time, this position was used to delegate a majority of the work to others then overseeing their progress. This has now changed.

The project manager job now incorporates the use of a computer to do a number of tasks that use to be assigned to other members of the project team. With the introduction of the project management office program, even more tasks are now being completed by the manager. This is due in part by the management tools this type of program gives the manager to use.

The management tool that sees the greatest use by the project manager job is the project management templates. These preformatted documents assist and guide the manager thru the steps necessary to properly document the project plan in its entirety. This frees up the project team to do other tasks that help the project progress thru the execution phase of the project life cycle and onto to its completion.

The project manager job also includes the scheduling of all the tasks. This too can now be done by the project templates. This allows for the manager to know who is doing what, when and where so the time table can be checked to ensure the project is on schedule to make its needed completion date.

While the project manager job still has a great deal of supervision to it. With the aid of computers, they are able to monitor the progress and keep the entire project on track no matter what obstacles fall into the path of the projects progression. While these tools and the computer will never replace the project manager, they do allow them to do more in less time to make the projects under them run more efficiently.

The focus of a project manager must be on making the most of what is available to them. This has to include every aspect of the job that includes the efficient management of resources, the procurement of necessary materials, and the proper handling of the budget. Because this job entails a great number of responsibilities, the proper use of project management tools is essential to complete the assigned tasks efficiently and correctly.

These tools that are available to the project manager include more than project management templates to help plan the different procedures of the project, but also the monitoring of the project’s different components during the execution phase. Knowing where the predicted bottlenecks in the production phase are important, but actually seeing them as they occur is critical to preventing them from doing harm to the project’s progress. A project management program that has a dashboard as part of the monitoring procedures is very helpful with this problem.

The dashboard is a management tool that the project manager uses to instantly see at what stage each of the different components are at during the execution phase of the project, along with where that particular part of the project should be. This will allow the manager to visualize which part of the project is on time, and where more manpower is needed to meet the scheduled time line for the project.

The availability and proper use of the many project management tools by the project manager is just as important as the project itself. The more a manager can do in the limited allowable time makes for an effectively running organization. This, in most instances, saves money that will then be added to the profitability of the business they work for.

Within this new project manager role, most in this position have needed to look for new ways to help do their jobs properly.  The use of computers and the available programs is one that many have decided to turn to when looking for assistance. For many in the industrial or manufacturing settings, the use of project management software is the current trend.

With the use of project management software and the tools they contain, the project manager role is made significantly easier.  Just like with any position in industry, the right tools for the job make doing the task easier and more efficient. The greatest time saver in this tool box is the project management templates.

The templates make the project manager role simplified by not only having preformatted forms ready to be filled out, but also as a guide. The running of a project today is highly complex. This includes all the responsibility for the successful planning, execution, monitoring, controlling the quality of the deliverable and the completion of every component and phase of a project.

With such a complexity involved in every project a project manager role is so great that at times it is hard for them to keep a grasp on every single element they are responsible for. By utilizing the project management program, the organization of all the tasks is made simpler.

When all is said and done the greatest project manager role is to keep the project on course to fill the objective the plan was originally design to attain. With the proper monitoring and evaluation, this can be achieved.

This is a project manager role and responsibility along with many other aspects. No one can be expected to do this alone anymore. This is why the use of project management software programs is being used. They reduce the load and improve the efficiency of the managers so they can accomplish more with less.

Today a project manager does not need to go it alone in their job. To assist them there is the digital assistance that a project management software package has to offer. With the manager’s responsibilities so vast, a program that has many templates to assist in the planning and execution of the plan is advantageous.

One area a project manager must be good at is in public relations. They are often the person who is seen as the human representation of a project. Knowing how to hold themselves and have the knowledge of the project is essential to give a good impression as possible stake holders for future investment in other projects.

One of the latest ways the project manager is capable of being informed on the latest happenings is with project manager software that has online collaboration abilities. This allows all team members to give input and data when it is asked and not having to live with the delay of waiting till they return to the office.

To assist in the information gathering that is needed a project manager can utilize the dashboard programs that are available in project management software packages. This type of program can be customized to fit the specific needs of the manager and their project. This is usually with the use of graphs that show where the project is along with the schedule to see if the project is staying on the right path.

This type of program is just one tool a project manager can utilize to assist them with their job. As a leader, the best possible use of the available tools on hand is one of the many trademarks this type of leader should exhibit.