Transport for London Project Manager Interview Questions
& Process

A recruiter reached out about a Project Manager role at Transport for London. It seemed promising, and my qualifications fit, so I agreed to be considered. About a week later, I was invited for an interview at their St James's Park head office. There was some initial disorganization at reception; I waited a bit before they contacted the hiring manager and then waited again to be picked up. The interview took place in a rather run-down office with two interviewers: the hiring manager and another woman who barely spoke. The interview focused heavily on qualifications and documentation, overlooking my actual IT project experience and accomplishments. The main discussion points were about creating a RACI document and the methodologies I'd used. I felt it was a bureaucratic process to tick boxes, typical of a government organization, where they prioritized specific criteria over practical skills or experience. The interviewer seemed more interested in showing off his knowledge of general project management rather than anything IT-specific, which was surprising given the role. It felt like a waste of time since they should have screened for these qualifications beforehand. The recruiter couldn't explain why this happened.

I submitted an online application and then had an automated video interview. After that, I was invited to an assessment day which included a group exercise, a written exercise, a presentation, and an interview. The video interview was a bit unexpected, so I'd recommend practicing that format beforehand. The interview on the assessment day was pretty laid-back and lasted about 20-30 minutes. They asked general questions that were relevant to the role.

It was a pretty decent interview, but honestly, the feedback they gave felt totally made up and super generic. Like, why even bother giving feedback if it's not gonna have any real substance or actual thought behind it?