Searching for a product manager job? The best way to ensure you land the job is to properly prepare for the interview.
Before diving into the preparation for the product manager key questions, it’s important to understand what product managers do. Product managers help guide the full life-cycle of a product. They help develop the product, devise a plan for distribution, and the monitor the customer experience after launch.
Details for each product and industry will be different, but that basic understanding will help you in your product manager job search. To prepare for that job description, the following are the top product manager interview questions for a product manager interview.
Key Questions for a Product Manager Interview
1. What is a product that you absolutely love? How would you improve it?
This question helps the interviewer understand your knowledge on product management and development. A quality product manager will be able to describe with great detail why they love a product during the product manager interview.
A great product manager will also be able to find new ways to improve a product, even if they already love the product. Part of the overall responsibilities of a product manager is to continually innovate products to keep them fresh and help the product stay competitive.
2. How would you describe our product to a potential customer that is considering a cheaper competitive product?
When an interviewer asks a question like this, they are looking for multiple layers within the answer. Firstly, this questions exposes whether or not you have properly researched the hiring company’s products.
Also, it will help you highlight your skills at positioning a product against competitors. For example, are you able to accurately describe the value a product provides that justifies the higher price tag?
3. What is your process to manage a product launch?
While perhaps an obvious question to prepare for, be mindful of how you answer a question like this during a product manager interview. Instead of describing your product management style in general terms, be specific about how you handle a product launch.
For example, do you apply certain product methodology to your process? Do you have special skills or experience that set you apart from other product managers in the industry? How do you measure success? Answers to questions like these will help you better answer the umbrella interview question.
4. What is your strategy and experience in working with cross-functional teams?
A product manager has to interact with teams across multiple departments to ensure everyone reaches a shared objective. Therefore, communication and collaboration are perhaps the most important skills a product manager needs to possess.
This question will help you highlight how you interact with engineering teams, customer service teams, creative teams, and end users.
5.What is your least favorite thing about product management
Interviewers will often include a negative question like this to see how you respond. The purpose is two-fold. One, the interview wants to see how you describe and handle negativity in your job. Two, it provides an opportunity for you to more deeply detail just how much you understand about product management.
To provide a quality answer, be honest without being too negative. No job is perfect and saying something like, “I love everything about the job” will be a red flag to the interviewer.
Instead, present your least favorite aspect of product management as a way to highlight your skills. Perhaps you find it challenging to keep up with the extensive documentation, but you are willing to dedicate yourself to the details in order to get the reward of a successful product launch.
Conclusion
Product Manager interviews can be stressful, but with the right tools and preparation you can ace that interview with ease. For more interview tips, check out our career advice blog.
