36 project coordinator interview questions to find the right talent

Project coordinators ensure a project’s success through meticulous planning, resource allocation, and communication with team members and stakeholders. They are the linchpin connecting different teams and making sure everyone has the right resources and information to do their best work and deliver their work on time.

Hiring the right candidate will enable you to streamline processes and ensure the success of your projects. 

But how do you find the best person for the role? Evaluating candidates’ skills with the help of pre-employment skills tests and the right project coordinator interview questions is crucial for this.

If you don’t know where to start and which questions to ask, you’ve come to the right place. 

This article will help you figure out which skills you need to evaluate and how – and which questions to ask when conducting interviews.

How to evaluate a project coordinator’s skills

Resumes are not enough to evaluate a person’s skills. For the best results, we advise starting off with a project coordinator job description template, then combining skills tests followed by interviews. This will help you shortlist candidates based on their true competencies and abilities – and not just on the claims they’re making in their CVs.

Interviews can be a very targeted and insightful tool, but you should only use them towards the bottom of your recruitment funnel and with a limited number of applicants – otherwise, you risk stretching your hiring team’s resources too thin.

To assess a candidate’s practical project coordination abilities, you can use our Time Management, Problem Solving, and Communication tests. 

Then, you can invite the best candidates to an interview to evaluate their interpersonal skills, adaptability, and alignment with your organizational culture. You can also use targeted technical questions to see who truly has the right skills for the role.

Here are some pre-employment skills tests you could use when hiring a project coordinator: 

• Critical Thinking: Project coordinators and managers need to analyze information quickly and accurately. Find out who has the right critical-thinking skills for the role.

• Communication: Hire expert communicators with the help of this test.

• Project Management: Evaluate candidates’ ability to manage projects and achieve business goals. 

• Time Management: Make sure applicants can manage their time and that of their team efficiently. 

• Problem Solving: Assess candidates’ ability to analyze and respond to complex situations with changing priorities. 

• Leadership and People Management: Project coordinators need to have excellent people management skills, especially when working with cross-functional teams.

• Culture Add: Fill out a short survey to build a customized culture add test and see who shares your organization’s values and ideas.

Top 20 project coordinator interview questions and answers to hire the best

Below, you’ll find 20 interview questions for project coordinators, along with sample answers you can use to evaluate your candidates’ responses.

1. How do you prioritize your tasks when managing multiple projects?

Candidate answer:

Prioritizing tasks is a lot like solving a puzzle. 

First, I make sure I’m aware of all the project’s goals and deadlines. Then, I map out all tasks based on their impact and urgency, and divide them in four categories by using the Eisenhower Matrix: 

• Important and urgent: Those are the tasks that come first 

• Important but not urgent: I schedule these tasks after the urgent ones

• Urgent but not important: Those tasks are not critical to the success of the project but need immediate attention; I might delegate them to another team

• Not urgent and not important: These are last on my priority list; if possible, I eliminate them

2. What project management software are you familiar with?

Candidate answer:

I’ve tried many software tools. My go-to's are:

• Asana and Jira for task tracking

• Trello for project boards

• Slack for team communication

From experience, this tech stack helps keep everyone on the same page. I’m definitely open to learning new tools, though! 

3. Can you describe a successful project you have coordinated in the past?

Candidate answer:

I led a cross-functional team in launching a new product last year. I needed to make sure that the efforts of the design, development, and marketing teams were aligned and that everyone had the resources they needed to do a great job and deliver everything on time.

We needed to overcome some hiccups and be flexible with some of the internal deadlines, but managed to wrap up everything in time. The product received glowing reviews after the launch.

4. How do you ensure clear and effective communication within your team?

Candidate answer:

I believe maintaining transparency and open lines of communication is the best approach. For this, I use regular one-on-one and team meetings and encourage team members to voice concerns early on. I also make sure we’re keeping clear documentation at all times. 

5. Can you give an example of how you handle tight deadlines? 

Candidate answer:

During a website revamp, we were really pressed for time. So, I broke down the project into smaller tasks and set up a sprint system to accelerate progress. Regular check-ins and a bit of cheerleading kept the team focused. We managed to roll out the new site just in time for a big marketing campaign that was important for the company’s CEO. 

6. What methods do you use to estimate project costs?

Candidate answer:

I break down the project into smaller components and then estimate costs for each, considering both direct and indirect expenses. I often use historical data from similar projects as a benchmark. 

To help decision-makers, I present a detailed cost-benefit analysis and assess the return on investment (ROI) for different scenarios. This helps define a realistic budget and also ensures that stakeholders understand the financial implications of their decisions.

7. How do you manage and allocate a limited budget?

Candidate answer:

I prioritize project activities based on their impact on project goals and allocate funds accordingly. Managing a tight budget requires the right strategy, i.e. investing in the most important areas and finding cost-effective solutions for less critical tasks. 

Regular budget reviews are also key. They help me monitor spending and make timely adjustments. 

8. What methods do you use to evaluate project risks?

Candidate answer:

I’ve developed my own methodology for risk evaluation. First, I brainstorm with the team to identify risks. Then, I use the probability-impact matrix to prioritize them and focus our efforts where we need them most. I also use scenario planning – it prepares the team for different outcomes and ensures we have contingency plans in place. 

9. How do you handle changes to the scope of the project?

Candidate answer:

Changes to the project scope are often inevitable. 

First, I document and review all requests and estimate the way they’ll impact the project’s deadline and budget. Then, I run them by stakeholders to make sure we all agree on our priorities and the trade-offs between additional requests and project constraints. Then, I discuss the changes with the whole team to implement them. 

10. Can you describe a time when you had to negotiate a project’s terms or resources?

Candidate answer:

I remember working on a content marketing project where resource constraints were impacting our ability to find contractors who could deliver the quality we needed. 

I discussed the project with the marketing director and explained how additional resources could increase the project’s ROI and help us achieve our yearly marketing objectives. I focused on explaining the mutual benefits rather than on making demands and managed to secure the necessary resources. 

The blog content we produced then is still driving lots of traffic to this day. 

11. What KPIs do you use to measure the success of a project?

Candidate answer:

I rely on a mix of key performance indicators (KPIs) to get a holistic view, such as: 

• Cost performance index (CPI) 

• Schedule performance index (SPI)

• Planned hours vs. time spent

• Quality of deliverables 

• Client satisfaction

• Return on investment (ROI)

• Profitability

Balancing quantitative and qualitative KPIs provides a nuanced picture of project success, ensuring we're not just meeting deadlines but also delivering value.

12. You inherit a project that is already off-schedule and over-budget. What do you do? Describe your strategy, step by step.

Candidate answer:

Inheriting a difficult project is challenging but with the right approach, I’m often able to turn things around. 

First, I conduct a thorough audit to understand the root causes of the delays and budget overrun. Next, I prioritize project tasks, focusing on high-impact, urgent items. Communication is key, so I realign expectations with stakeholders and give regular updates. I also make sure to implement the right control measures to avoid further deviation. 

Lastly, I look for opportunities to optimize resources and processes, ensuring the project gets back on track without compromising quality or objectives.

13. How do you ensure that project goals align with the overall objectives of the business?

Candidate answer:

It all starts with clear communication with key stakeholders. I make sure to understand the business strategy and objectives, which enables me to define the project’s goals in detail. 

Regular meetings and proactively asking managers for feedback help me make sure we’re on track and that business objectives haven’t changed in the meantime. 

14. How do you manage change in large-scale projects?

Candidate answer:

When working on big projects, I always aim to establish a clear change management process upfront, in which I define how changes are proposed, evaluated, and implemented. 

This means that whenever someone proposes a change, we can quickly analyze its impact, decide whether we should go forward with it, and make sure we have the right resources to implement it successfully – without slowing down everyone’s work. 

15. What’s your experience with Agile or Waterfall methodologies?

Candidate answer:

I have extensive experience with both.

Agile is my top choice for projects where adaptability is crucial. It helps me work well in fast-paced environments and foster a culture of continuous improvement. 

Waterfall offers a linear approach that I find valuable for projects with defined stages and milestones. The discipline and clear documentation it requires are beneficial in managing complex projects with stringent requirements. 

16. Tell us about a project where you had to work with a cross-functional team.

Candidate answer:

I led an app development project with a cross-functional team that consisted of engineers, designers, and marketers. By aligning everyone around a shared vision and setting clear, collaborative goals, we were able to launch an app that customers loved. 

17. How do you handle conflicts within your project team?

Candidate answer:

Conflict is natural; what’s important is how you handle it. 

I address conflicts head-on and set up open discussions to understand everyone’s perspectives. I encourage team members to focus on the issue and adopt a solution-oriented mindset; I help direct the discussion towards finding a common ground and a potential way out. In fact, I believe that when managed well, conflict can lead to growth and innovation. 

18. Can you tell us about a project that did not meet its objectives? What did you learn?

Candidate answer:

Once I helped coordinate the launch of a new software feature that fell short of its user adoption targets. The experience taught me the importance of accounting for user experience and engagement throughout the project, not just post-launch. 

We adjusted our approach in the future to include user feedback loops during the development phase and to roll out new features progressively to observe user behavior in the process.

19. How do you coordinate projects with remote teams?

Candidate answer:

The two key elements that enable me to manage remote teams successfully are effective communication and the right technology. 

In terms of technology, I use Slack and Google Meet but have also used Microsoft Teams in the past. For project management, I use either Jira or Trello, depending on the project’s needs.

In terms of communication, I set up regular check-ins with the team and make sure everyone is aligned on our common objectives and has the resources they need to succeed. I set clear expectations from the start, communicate any changes to the project’s timeline or scope, and let everyone know that I’m open to their feedback and suggestions. 

With larger teams across multiple time zones, regular meetings can be a challenge; in this case, I prioritize asynchronous communication. If needed, I organize two or three sessions for the different time zones. 

To kick off a large project, I might use a team-building activity for remote teams; these help a lot with employee engagement and improve the overall performance of the team.

20. How do you balance the needs and expectations of multiple decision-makers?

Candidate answer:

Managing multiple decision-makers involves active listening and diplomacy. I ensure that I understand everyone’s needs and organize regular meetings to help align everyone’s expectations with the project’s progress. 

Clear communication about project constraints is vital, too. It's all about finding a middle path that aligns with the project goals.

16 additional project coordinator interview questions you can ask applicants

Below, you’ll find a list of 16 additional interview questions for project coordinators you can ask to evaluate your candidates’ skills. 

• Describe a situation where you had to adapt your leadership style to the team.

• How do you ensure that project deliverables meet your organization’s quality standards?

• How do you ensure compliance with industry regulations in your projects?

• Describe your approach to mentoring junior team members. 

• Tell us about a time when you experienced a significant setback. What did you do to overcome it? What did you learn?

• How do you ensure continuous improvement in project processes?

• Describe a project where you had to deal with organizational politics. How did you navigate it?

• Tell us about a situation where implementing a new technology or software improved the outcome of a project.

• How have you used data analytics to track project progress and performance? What tools did you use?

• What strategies and tools do you use to monitor and control the project's progress, schedule, and costs?

• Have you used generative AI to help with project coordination? How exactly do you use it?

• Can you walk us through your process of setting up and managing workflows for new projects?

• Describe a time when you had to update a workflow to resolve a recurring issue.

• How do you ensure that your processes are aligned with the standards and best practices of the business?

• What's your approach to ensuring clear and effective communication within a diverse project team?

• How do you leverage different communication channels to keep everyone aligned with project goals?

Hire the right project coordinator, bias-free

The role of a project coordinator is important for many organizations. You wouldn’t want a bad hire to make your processes less efficient and reliable, so it’s important to find the right person for the job on the first try. 

Combining customized pre-employment skills tests and interviews can expedite your project coordinator recruitment process and make it more objective. Skills assessments enable you to filter unqualified candidates early on so that you can focus only on the best talent when conducting interviews. 

Now that you have the best project coordinator interview questions and answers, you simply need to check out our test library and start building your next talent assessment to hire the best. 

Sign up for a free demo to talk to one of our experts – or try out our free plan to see why over 10,000 companies have trusted TestGorilla to streamline their hiring processes.