Behavioral Interview Questions for Project Engineers

Project engineers identify, plan and implement projects with organizations. The scope of this field is extremely broad. There are a number of common elements to project engineering roles, and these elements are often assessed with behavioral interview questions.

A behavioral interview targets specific situations the job seeker is likely to encounter in the role and asks for examples of a similar experiences. The questions usually follow a “Tell me about a time when you…” format.

• Tell me about a time when you led a large capital improvement project.

• Tell me about a time when you managed the acquisition of new equipment.

• Tell me about a time when you planned a facility expansion.

• Tell me about a time when you redesigned a process.

• Tell me about a time when you made improvements to the plant layout.

• Tell me about a time when you designed a new product.

• Tell me about a time when you redesigned the packaging of a product.

• Tell me about a time when you added automation to a process.

• Tell me about a time when you had trouble debugging a new piece of equipment.

• Tell me about a time when you reduced the utility costs in a facility.

• Tell me about a time when you changed a process to reduce material handling.

• Tell me about a time when you managed a project that came in under budget.

• Tell me about a time when you managed a project that exceed budget.

• Tell me about a time when you led a project that fell behind schedule.

• Tell me about a time when you delivered a project ahead of schedule.

• Tell me about the most successful project you managed.

• Tell me about a project that was a major failure.

• Tell me about a time when you failed to plan an essential step in a project.

• Tell me about a time when you delegated effectively.

To be prepared to answer these questions in an interview, you need have examples of specific projects you have managed. You do not need a project for every question. A selection of projects touching on a range of experiences will allow you to adapt to almost any question.