How to prepare for a BIM Manager interview

So you’ve landed an interview for a BIM Manager role — congratulations! But if you think it will be all about Revit models and clash detection, think again. Today, the role is much more than modelling. It’s about leading digital transformation, structuring information flows, driving standards (like ISO 19650) and bridging teams.

In this article, I’ll walk you through what employers are really looking for, how to prepare with confidence (not guesswork) and how you can use your story to stand out.

Understand the role: What a BIM manager really does

The BIM-Manager roles span technical, process/information, and leadership domains. Think of it this way: a BIM Manager is not hired to use technology, but to make it work for others. A BIM Manager traditionally sits within a lead appointed party (for example, a design or construction organisation). That mindset shift alone can change how you answer every question. The role is central, and expectations are high, requiring strong managerial, technical, and communication skills. What does this mean for your interview?

• Be ready to talk beyond “I know the software”, you’ll need to show process understanding, governance and standards-alignment.

• If you can show how you’ve worked across teams, managed workflows, and implemented standards, you’ll be in a strong position.

Master the technical competencies

The technical foundation remains important. Interviewers will expect you to speak fluently about tools, workflows and how you apply them. Key areas to prepare:

• Authoring/coordination tools (e.g., Revit, Navisworks, Solibri) — know how you’ve used them.

• Model coordination workflows: How do you handle version control, clashes, federated models and updates?

• Naming conventions, data structures, metadata, Level of Information Need and other ISO 19650-based concepts.

• BIM competency is closely related with experience in complex projects — meaning your project history counts.

Interview tip: Prepare a project example where you improved a technical workflow (e.g., reduced clashes, improved data handover) and be ready to discuss the “why” and “how”.

If your experience is limited, don’t panic. Focus on demonstrating how quickly you pick up new tools or adapt to evolving workflows. Some employers value curiosity and adaptation as much as experience.

Show you understand information management & standards

Here’s where your focus on ISO 19650 and information management sets you apart. The role of BIM Manager may also evolve into an Information Manager, depending on the project context. Under ISO 19650-1 & 2, the Information Manager role is more strategic and standard - driven. It can be appointed by the client (appointing party) or delegated to a lead appointed party, depending on project setup. Information Managers should at least understand:

• The Information management documents/ resources (EIR, BEP, MIDP etc.), meaning the information delivery chain.

• CDE governance: how you set up, manage, secure and audit a Common Data Environment.

• IT/technology infrastructure, data exchange, protocols and workflows.

  
  

While the BIM Manager focuses on how the models are produced and coordinated, the Information Manager ensures how the information is structured, approved, and delivered. In many teams, these roles overlap — the most effective professionals can switch between both perspectives, linking technical coordination with information governance and ISO 19650 compliance.

Interview prep suggestions:

• Be ready to discuss how you aligned a BEP with an EIR, how you structured information delivery, and how you governed a CDE (who can upload, who can approve, how versioning is managed).

• Highlight a case where you enforced or improved compliance with ISO 19650, e.g., improved data handover, fewer RFIs, cleaner model audit trail.

• Use the language of standards: information requirements, acceptance criteria, asset hand-over, digital delivery.

Remember: standards knowledge isn’t about memorising clauses, it’s about demonstrating clarity, traceability, and control over how project data moves.

Prepare for Leadership & Change-Management Questions

The role isn’t purely technical. For you to succeed, interviewers will ask details about your leadership, communication and change-management skills. Key leadership criteria:

• Communication: Explain complex BIM/information concepts to non-technical stakeholders (clients, contractors, facilities teams).

• Vision and strategy: Show how you drive BIM maturity, champion standards, help teams adopt new workflows.

• Change management and stakeholder buy-in: How you got resistant team members onboard with new tools/processes.

Interview tip: Use the STAR method (Situation → Task → Action → Result). For example: “When I joined project X, they had no CDE. I led the selection and rollout, trained teams, achieved 20 % reduction in coordination errors, and handed over to facilities with full model/data audit.”Highlight metrics or outcomes where possible, this separates good answers from vague ones.

Experience Matters — back up your claims

It is well accepted in AEC that greater BIM project exposure correlates with higher competency levels. Yet early in my career, I thought experience meant “years in the field.” Now I see it differently: it’s the number of cycles of learning you’ve been through, meaning how many times you’ve improved a process, solved a problem, or helped others grow.

What you should do:

• Quantify your experience: number of projects managed, value, complexity, digital maturity level.

• Show progression: e.g., started as BIM coordinator, moved to managing IM workflows.

• Show how you faced issues and matured: maybe you inherited a project with zero BIM workflows, you introduced standards, improved data delivery. Employers are looking for stories where your input led to improvements.

Interview prep tip: Prepare 2–3 case study stories: what was the challenge, what did you do, what result followed.

Practical Preparation Checklist for a BIM/IM manager

Here’s your go-to list of things to tick off heading into the interview:

• Review the key clauses and concepts of ISO 19650-1 & -2.

• Prepare 2–3 project case studies — include your role, challenges, solutions, outcomes.

• Refresh your ISO 19650 vocabulary and key artefacts

• Prepare visuals (portfolio) if the interview format allows — a picture of your workflow, model screenshot, CDE diagram.

• Rehearse leadership stories with STAR structure, highlight one change management example.

• Prepare your own questions to ask the interviewer: e.g., “What is your current BIM maturity level?”, “How is the CDE governed?”, “How do you measure information-delivery success?”

• Know the company you’re interviewing for: their projects, BIM maturity, whether they operate to ISO 19650 or a national standard.

  
  

Bonus tip: Run a quick mock interview with a friend or mentor. Saying your answers aloud helps you refine your phrasing and spot weak examples before the real thing.

Closing with Confidence

This interview prep is your chance to move beyond being “just a model-coordinator” and position yourself as a BIM Manager / Information Manager who leads digital delivery, drives standards, and brings measurable value. Keep your stories focused, metrics clear, language standards-driven, and you’ll go in not just ready, but confident.

Interviews aren’t exams, they’re conversations about how you think, lead, and collaborate. Go in curious. Ask questions. Show you understand the bigger picture of digital delivery.

👉 Ready to strengthen your ISO 19650 knowledge and boost your confidence? Check out my ISO 19650 Course Bundle - designed to help you lead with clarity in your next BIM Manager role.

🖊️About the author: Nicoleta Panagiotidou is an architect, ISO 19650 specialist, and the founder of BIM Design Hub. She helps AEC professionals and businesses streamline their projects and enhance success through effective information management.

Breakwithanarchitect © 2025 by Nicoleta Panagiotidou. Licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Sharing is encouraged with credit and link to the original post, but full reproduction requires prior written consent.