Construction Manager interview questions and answers

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Construction Manager Interview Questions

Construction Managers typically have a university degree in a field like civil engineering or architecture. Deep industry knowledge is important as they are usually involved in a project from the conception phase. Industry expertise can be assessed by asking role specific questions.

An experienced construction manager will be familiar with the key people, processes and materials needed to complete a project. Find out if they have the experience and the hard skills needed by asking role specific questions.

A construction manager must oversee a large amount of interrelated or independent tasks. Therefore, look for skills that they can use to that end such as time management, budgeting, planning, leadership, and coordination. Strong negotiation and problem-solving skills are also critical for this role. Evaluate these skills through behavioral and situational questions.

Operational and Situational questions

• Imagine that the project you are supervising is starting to fall behind schedule or exceed the project’s budget. What actions would you take?
• What would you do if some of your workers were not using the necessary safety equipment? How would you handle it?
• Picture a conflict between an in-house engineer and an independent subcontractor. How would you resolve it?
• What would you do if a subcontractor was trying to change the terms of their contract in order to raise their compensation?
• Imagine that a tradesperson or worker disregarded your instructions for their part of the project. How would you respond?

Role-specific questions

• What factors would you consider before negotiating contracts or rates?
• What are the first steps of planning a construction project?
• How do you prioritize the necessary tasks of a project?
• What licences are needed to begin a construction project? How would you obtain them?
• As a construction manager, which project management tools do you prefer and why?
• How do you structure a team for a construction product? Describe your criteria for hiring them.
• How do you know when a construction project is well-executed? What do you look for in quality control?

Behavioral questions

• Describe your approach to leadership.
• Describe a time when you had to negotiate the budget for a construction project. What was the result?
• Describe the most successful construction project you have directed. What did you do that made it so successful?
• Tell us about a project that you planned. Include details about budgets, processes and deadlines. What actions did you take to receive approval? What was the result?
• Tell us about the biggest obstacles you have encountered during a project. What steps did you take to resolve them?
• Have you ever had to manage two or more projects simultaneously? How did you succeed?
• Have you ever experienced conflict with superiors? How did you handle it?