Securing a program manager position at top tech companies through effective interviewing and cultural fit

¶ … interviewing successfully is your ability to respond appropriately and well to the questions asked during the interview.

Why should I hire you?

I firmly believe in the saying: "love what you do and you will never work a day in your life." In my case, what I love is feeling as if I have made a contribution with my efforts to the workplace. I set high standards of excellence for myself and I am always trying to satisfy these standards or exceed them. I like feeling that I am making a contribution to an organization that is meaningful and lasting.

Why are you applying for this position?

I am applying for this position because I believe I can be an asset to your firm and my personality and work style are uniquely compatible with the challenges demanded of a program manager. I wish to be part of a workplace which has a team-based approach to solving problems and managing projects.

Why are you interested in working for our firm?

I am interested in working for your firm because of the ways in which you challenge your employees, yet nurture them and mentor them. I seek to grow both as a person and as an employee and I believe I will be uniquely poised to do so at your firm, if I am given the opportunity.

Q2. Research 3 companies and provide a marketing plan to secure a job for a program manager

One of the top companies to work for today is Google: "our Program Managers and Technical Program Managers lead complex, multi-disciplinary projects, ushering projects through the entire lifecycle - managing schedules, identifying risks and clearly communicating goals to project stakeholders" (Program management, 2013, Google Jobs). Google's team-based workplace environment and the trust it invests in its employees (engineers are allowed to pursue their own, independent projects during company time) makes it one of the most in-demand workplaces for recent graduates. Other innovative companies include the Internet shoe merchant Zappos and the social networking company Facebook.

Marketing one's self as a candidate to these top companies requires more than simply a good degree, experience, and impressive credentials (although all of these are important). All of these companies emphasize that candidates fit well into the culture of the office. A Google employee must be 'Googly' -- in other words, someone who can think outside of the box and is creative, innovative, and loves his job enough to spend his life on the Google 'campus.' Google is structured more like a college than a workplace, with its free meals, fitness classes, and on-site amenities. Zappos likewise stresses the social atmosphere of its program management in a manner that makes the company more than a mere workplace: "Visit the Project Management team and you might think you've stepped into a coffee shop with their commercial grade espresso machine and comfy couches, but you'll also see how they act as the 'Central Point of Communication' on large and small initiatives" (Project management team, 2013, Zappos).