Project Controller Job Interview Questions & Answers

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At the beginning of each day, I inspect the work site to make sure that it is hazard-free. Once the work site is secured, I verify that all tools and equipment are adequate in supply. As soon as the work orders are delivered, I provide workers with security guidelines and carry out drills. During the workday, it is my duty to monitor workers to ensure that they are working according to the enforced safety policies and that any problems or accidents are quickly addressed.

State a business case to your manager / leader as to why you need the tools and make the request for them.

For most jobs, communication skills As Project Controller are important. It's hard to work as a team if people aren't communicating well.

At some jobs, like customer service or sales, communication skills are an absolute essential.

These questions are meant to help gauge a candidate's ability to communicate.

1. How do you prefer to build rapport with others?

2. How would you go about simplifying a complex issue in order to explain it to a client or colleague?

3. How would you go about persuading someone to see things your way at work?

4. How would you go about explaining a complex idea/problem to a client who was already frustrated?

5. What would you do if you there was a breakdown in communication at work?

6. Talk about a successful presentation you gave and why you think it did well.

7. How would you explain a complicated technical problem to a colleague with less technical understanding?

8. Do you prefer written or verbal communication As Project Controller?

9. Describe a time when you had to be careful talking about sensitive information. How did you do it?

10. What would you do if you misunderstood an important communication on the job?

11. Talk about a time when you made a point that you knew your colleagues would be resistant to.

12. Is it more important to be a good listener or a good communicator As Project Controller?

13. Tell me about a time you had to relay bad news to a client or colleague.

14. Rate your communication skills on a scale of 1 to 10. Give examples of experiences that demonstrate the rating is accurate.

15. How have you handled working under someone you felt was not good at communicating?

"Ego" should be replaced by confidence. It's good to be confident as it shows that you know what you're doing. However, a big ego is when confidence spirals out of control and you become arrogant.

Sometimes people want a job a little too bad - and they may fudge their credentials and experience a bit.

If you've run into this problem, are worried about it, or have credentials and experience that are absolutely essential, you may need to ask a few verification questions.

If you are a candidate, you should review your resume and make sure you know all the key points, and that nothing has been misconstrued.


1. What grades did you get in college?

2. What were your responsibilities when you worked in job x?

3. How many people were on your team at your last job?

4. What will your previous manager/supervisor say when I ask where you needed to improve?

5. What was your beginning and ending salary at job x?

6. What were your beginning and ending titles at job x?

7. Are you eligible for rehire at job x?

8. What tools are necessary for performing job x?

9. Describe to me how you would perform [x typical job task].

10. What was the focus of your thesis?

11. When did you leave company x?

Analyze the problem As Project Controller. Discuss possible remedies and resulting outcomes. Decide on the remedy and track results. Re-visit problem if it's not resolved.

Be proud of your achievement, discuss the results, and explain why you feel most proud of this one. Was it the extra work? Was it the leadership you exhibited? Was it the impact it had?

Keep your answer simple, direct and positive. Some good answers may be the ability to achieve, recognition or challenging assignments.

Some people are thrown when they are asked this Project Controller question when they are applying for a position to work alone. Every company works as a team, so you are a good team player, give an example of when you have worked well within a team.

Don't vent or focus on the negative with brutally honest answers such as "My boss was a jerk," or "The company culture was too politically correct," or "They just weren't giving me the opportunity to take my career to the next level." Instead, keep the emphasis on the positive, even though there are sure to be things you weren't happy about.

With anything comes sacrifice. The questions is how much of it are you willing to sacrifice with regards to work life balance, stress, etc?

Do you want to be an entry level worker As Project Controller? Do you want to be a leader? Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Do you want to be a philanthropist? Do you want to be in middle management? Ask yourself these questions to figure it out.

Example stories could be a class project, an internal meeting presentation, or a customer facing presentation.

Just answer this question honestly. Sometime an employer wants to know if there are other companies you're considering so that they can determine how serious you are about the industry, they're company and find out if you're in demand. Don't spend a lot of time on this question; just try to stay focused on the job you're interviewing for.

Remain optimistic and do not be too specific. Good attributes include moral character, honesty, and intelligence since managers usually believe they possess these qualities.

This is when you talk about your record of getting things done. Go into specifics from your resume and portfolio; show an employer your value and how you’d be an asset.
You have to say, “I’m the best person for the job As Project Controller. I know there are other candidates who could fill this position, but my passion for excellence sets me apart from the pack. I am committed to always producing the best results. For example…”

You'll want to be prepare with some very specific examples of what you've done over the last year and what you're currently doing to improve your professional knowledge and skill set as well as anything else you're doing the shows self improvement.

Talk about the potential career development, your career aspirations, your work relationships and the learning you'll receive.

There is almost no good answer to this question, so don't be specific. If you tell the interviewer that the job you're applying for with his/her company is the perfect job you may loose credibility if you don't sound believable (which you probably won't if you're not telling the truth.) If you give the interviewer some other job the interviewer may get concerned that you'll get dissatisfied with the position if you're hired. Again, don't be specific. A good response could be, “A job where my work ethic and abilities are recognized and I can make a meaningful difference to the organization.”

If the job calls for shifts that vary, be ready to do that for your work. If you aren't open to that, then explain why and see if they can adjust it for you.

Discuss the academic program, the extracurricular program(s), the school spirit, the quality of your peers, and the professors.

This is another opportunity to show the interviewer what you're capable of so make sure to be prepared for this type of question. Have an example ready and make sure its an example of a suggestion you've made that was accepted and that have positive influence. If you can come up with an example that relates to the position you're applying for that would be even better.

Dedicate myself to learn everything about the new company that I can, look for ways and ideas that could improve, processes, safety, removing obstacles from the associates, I want to advance within the company.

Think of your skill sets with regards to: analytical skills, interpersonal skills, communication skills, computer skills, presentation skills, management skills, sales skills and so forth.

It's good to be persistent, but not overbearing. Everyone will face rejection at some point in their life, so at some point you'll have to take no for an answer but then learn why you were turned down.

I don't get angry very easily but in the rare occasion that I do, I hold it in and act as though nothing is wrong.

Share a story to describe this. For example: "I accidentally made the mistake of telling a customer I could deliver on a solution set on a certain date and then later found out our business partner couldn’t do it on that time. I learned that I shouldn't rush into important decisions and promises like this and that I should always check with my counterparts first before committing to a statement of work."

It should be very important if you want a long standing career. Remember, you're investing your time, energy and earnings potential into a company so you want to make sure it's a sustainably successful company that will grow with you over the long haul.

The interviewer could be asking you this question for a number of reasons. Obviously, the salary is an important factor to your interest in this job, but it should not be the overriding reason for your interest. A good answer to this question is, “The salary was very attractive, but the job itself is what was most attractive to me.”

The #1 rule of answering this question is doing your research on what you should be paid by using site like Global Guideline. You’ll likely come up with a range, and we recommend stating the highest number in that range that applies, based on your experience, education, and skills. Then, make sure the hiring manager knows that you're flexible. You're communicating that you know your skills are valuable, but that you want the job and are willing to negotiate.