An interview is the first chance to showcase one's potential in front of recruiters. Every field requires a specific skill set that one needs to accumulate and show a glimpse of in their interview. Certain skills and questions must be mastered if one wants to be the best candidate to become a product manager in a well-known organisation.
There are certain product manager interview questions which are common yet tricky to answer. This article presents the most common product manager interview questions that one needs to master and also inculcate certain skills to enhance one’s behavioural and technical presentation.
Read on to get a brief idea of the various product manager interview questions that may be asked and the way one needs to answer them. Also, get an idea of the skills that recruiters are looking for in an effective product manager. If you want to prepare for product manager interviews, you should also enrol in product management courses.
Top 10 Product Management Questions
Hiring managers often ask a common set of questions to identify whether the candidate is a perfect fit for the company or not. The role of a product manager is dynamic, as he has to perform various tasks based on the company and the product line. One needs to be positive and specific about the answers and should focus more on the experience and skills that make them an efficient product manager.
Knowledge-based questions for product managers in an interview
The most common product management questions are as follows:
- What aspects of product management do you find the most exciting?
- Tell us about a time when you had to build or motivate a team in critical situations.
- What do you think the working day of a product manager looks like?
- Tell us about your team, the people you work with and the way you work with them.
- How closely does the product manager work with engineers?
- How would you explain product management to a five-year-old kid?
- According to you, what are the least interesting aspects of being a product manager?
- How would you prioritise resources when you have two important things to do but cannot do both of them?
- How would you improve the functionality of a particular product?
- How do you know if a product is well-designed or not?
These technical, knowledge-based questions allow the recruiters to have an idea of the product manager skills the candidate possesses. Basic knowledge is a must for every candidate. One needs to have a strong foundation of product management principles and answer questions with proper reasoning.
Behavioural questions in an interview for product managers
Some of the product manager interview questions based on behavioural matters are stated as follows:
- Tell me about a challenging situation that you faced while working with your team and how you dealt with it.
- How do you interact with users or customers?
- How do you cope with product failures or poor feedback and what do you do to make it a success?
- How do you influence someone?
- Tell me about a situation where you have committed a mistake, and what did you do to make it right?
- Do you make data-driven decisions? If yes, then how do you use the data?
- If the opinions of your seniors conflict with one another, then how do you decide which opinion to implement?
- What methods have you used to interact with the target audience?
- What is the best way to work with executives?
- How will you motivate your team to stick to a schedule and complete a particular task within a timeline?
These behavioural questions help recruiters to understand the leadership and teamwork abilities of a candidate. It gives them an idea of how a candidate behaves when faced with a challenging situation or when confronting a circumstance where he has committed an error.
How To Answer Product Management Interview Questions?
The type of questions asked in an interview depends upon the type of company and its recruiters. Some companies will dedicate their entire time to asking product management questions, however, other companies may provide the interview within a few parts while the first part of the interview is dedicated to assessing product management skills and the other part of the interview, examining the candidates, overall personality and behaviour.
However, there is the CIRCLES framework that is used for creating product sense questions. This framework helps candidates to answer The questions logically. The framework can be explained as follows:
- Comprehend the situation: one needs to ensure that one understands the situation and user requirements, asking questions to do away with any ambiguity in the interview prompt.
- Identify the customer: One needs to make the point clear who the target audience or user segment is, and who will have the most amount of benefit from that particular product.
- Report the customers' needs: after the product has been purchased by the customers, one needs to focus on the issues that the customers are facing while using the products and what they can do to make the user experience better.
- Cut, through prioritisation: at the time of the interview, one needs to prioritise the potential solutions by considering various parameters like feasibility, the urgency of the situation, and impact on consumers, which collectively shows the decision-making skill of the candidate.
- List solutions: prepare for product manager interview questions by brainstorming the most possible solutions and practically presenting them, keeping product goals and customer needs at the highest priority.
- Evaluate trade-offs: the candidate needs to weigh the pros and cons of every solution before putting it forward in front of the recruiters. It will showcase their critical thinking ability by examining various parameters of resource constraints, benefits, target audience, potential risks, etc.
- Summarise the recommendation: Provide a clear conclusion for each solution, followed by proper reasoning that shall be accompanied by feasibility, customer experience, impact on its long-term product goals and so on.
Conclusion
To become a successful product manager, it is important to have both knowledge plus behavioural skills. One needs to be technically sound in the field of product management and have an idea of customers' tastes and preferences. On the other hand, one should also have behavioural abilities that allow them to work well under critical situations while handling an entire team.
The Professional Certificate In Product Management by IIT Roorkee and Imarticus Learning can help you to have a greater understanding of what product management is, and what approaches to be taken while working in this field.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the core skills required for a product manager?
Product managers need strong analytical, strategic thinking, communication, and leadership skills to succeed.
What kind of questions can I expect in a product manager interview?
Be prepared for questions about your product management experience, problem-solving abilities, market analysis, and strategic thinking.
How can I practice for a product manager interview?
Practice answering common product manager interview questions, research the company and its products, and prepare to discuss your product management experience.
