Operational Program Coordinator Interview Preparation Guide

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Simply describe your experience in detail. For instance, how you’ve directed and monitored the requirements and progress of short term IT projects with limited personnel. You can also elaborate on how you’ve ensured that products and services answered your client’s specifications within the allocated resources and framework.

A coordinator typically produces feasibility studies for project ideas. He then plans project progress: sub targets and tasks, goals, milestones, etc. Personnel planning means distributing responsibilities between the assigned employees in the most effective way.

The position mainly exists to serve as a liaison among client and service providers, to develop the client’s idea on a fixed budget and to support the clients and organization throughout the project planning till operational implementation

Definitely, I am available to work whenever the project requires me to

During the first year of my career, I was assigned a conference coordination involving 50 local delegates. Just a week before the big day, number of delegates was doubled and international speakers and facilitators were included in the guest list. The budget was raised but due to pressing time it was very challenging to arrange travel and stay including visa clearances of international partners. However I managed it and the conference went exactly the way client wanted

This allows the interviewer to see your approach to project management and to gauge your organizational skills.

"First, I would specify the objective of the project and the end result we are hoping for. Second, research is conducted to better understand how to reach that end result. Next, a list is made to lay out the steps required among the team. Lastly, based on that list I will delegate out tasks dependent upon the skill set of each team member. In order to achieve maximum results and bring the project to completion, it requires using the strengths of your team to your advantage."

I would consider myself one of the visionaries of a team. I am not only able to monitor the progress of a project, I also notice the skills and abilities of my teammates. I use this knowledge to encourage and assist my teammates and motivate them when need be. This helps to ensure the proper completion of the project.

Give a positive answer no matter what happened at your last job. Don’t mention that there are issues with management or their products as this is only your opinion. Don’t spend a lot of time on this question as you may give the interviewer reason to doubt your story.

Don’t supply multiple reasons for leaving; just keep it to one simple reason. If you are still working, it’s okay, just tell them. But if she asks why you did leave the job before this one and so on, then see the answer below.

Remarkable interpersonal skills, ability to negotiate and working out conflict resolution in a win-win manner are three positives that have always supported me in this role

The purpose of reviewing project proposals is to determine time frames and limitations and figuring out project procedures and staffing requirements. It is important to review project proposals because this activity provides us with information on how to handle resources for each stage of a project to ensure that deadlines are met properly.

No need to worry here if you did not complete your college work. Many people don’t finish and for a variety of reasons. Timing could be an issue for them, but they plan to revisit college in the future.

If you are applying for an entry level job that requires a college degree, then you may have to demonstrate why you are still the best person for the job and demonstrate why your skills are just as good if not better than a college graduate.

There are two sides to every story, so in handling conflict I try to understand both sides of the issue. I weigh all of the facts and consider the effects of possible resolutions. I then implement the resolution that I believe will be best received. I share the plan with all parties involved, including proper means for its implementation. I then monitor the implementation to ensure its effectiveness.

If at all possible, tell the interviewer of a job that is similar to the one for which you are applying. Don’t tell the interviewer that you liked your last job because you could wear jeans everyday and you’re applying at company that has a formal dress code.

“My last job offered me the professional and creative freedom to perform my job in the best way that I saw fit. This freedom was not just handed down to me; I had to earn it by proving to my manager that I really understood our business and company goals.”

☛ Imagine you have to schedule and plan a conference from start to finish. What things would you consider and what steps would you follow?
☛ What would you do if an internal client were bothering you with insignificant questions while you had an important task to finish?

☛ This role involves managing multiple objectives simultaneously. How do you manage your time and prioritize tasks?
☛ Recall a time you made a significant contribution to a program
☛ Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a co-worker. How did you handle it?
☛ Describe a time you perceived there was a lag in the execution of a program task. What did you do to fix it?

☛ How has your background prepared you for this role?
☛ How do you think you can contribute to this position?
☛ What’s your experience with budgeting/bookkeeping?
☛ What kind of technology tools/software should a program coordinator be familiar with? How proficient are you in using them?
☛ Do you have experience in dealing with diversity? How do you increase diversity awareness?
☛ What’s your experience with fundraising?
☛ Rate your skills in creating proposals/presentations on a scale of 1 to 10

1. Tell me about yourself?

2. What are your biggest strengths?

3. Why did you leave your last job?

4. What are your career goals for after school program coordinator?

5. Why do you want to work here?

6. What are your greatest weaknesses for after school program coordinator?

7. What do you know about our organization?

8. What kind of salary are you looking for after school program coordinator?

9. Why should we hire you?

10. Do you have any questions?

It is important to apply quick and creative thinking when dealing with uncertainties in a project. Team members may not get along and funding may stop – it is up to us to ensure the efficacy of a project by employing tolerance, tact and flexibility.

Make sure you don’t place blame on you or your co-workers because it will just be your opinion and that’s not what the interviewer is looking for. Your answer has no bearing on whether you will get the job or not. Think of a failure that happened early on in your career and discuss how you have bettered yourself since.

Describe a project you worked on and what the expected outcome was. Then explain what really happened and that you learned from that experience. This takes what is expected to be a negative answer and turns it around into a positive one.

This may sound like a trick question, but be honest with your answer. However, be sure to avoid bad mouthing others or admitting to something that is a fundamental basic of project management. Also, focus more on how you fixed the situation versus what went wrong.

"In my previous role, I managed a team with a new employee. My team and I made the mistake of assuming the new employee would know how to seamlessly work around our existing process. After some time, I realized he was slightly confused. I called the team together in order to explain how we work and his specific role on this project. Also, I described how I envisioned each aspect coming together to form a cohesive and successful outcome."

Sometimes, I feel I am too much of a perfectionist. I am not pleased by things, themes, and arrangements easily and this trait burdens me at times more than the project would if my standards of work were in the same plane with the client’s expectations which are almost always less than what I expect of the project

Even if you think there is no one single skill that is the most important, name just one.
The interviewer simply wants to see how you think and express yourself. So be short and to the point. An example of one important skill for a project coordinator is multi-tasking, being able to juggle many tasks simultaneously. Or you can talk about teamwork since a coordinator must be able to cooperate with many teams at once and ensure coordinated action between them.

Project coordination is complex work. There are deadlines to meet and many people to liaise with during any given work day. Typically, a work day is characterized by both uncertainty and an element of surprise.

Through my previous positions I have cultivated strong project and personnel management skills. I have managed myself and various teams in the completion of various projects and marketing campaigns. I understand the importance of organization, proper administration and teamwork to the success of any project, and those are things that I strive to implement in each project I lead. I also have received training in and have strong experience with negotiations and issue resolution, and I utilize this knowledge, as well as my other skills, to be an effective manager.

Project management has three main phases. The preliminary phase involves understanding the project requirements after meeting with the clients and setting a budget. The second phase is that of planning and time line development and the final phase involves implementation of the plan