Guide to Preparing for PM Interview

“More than 40% of companies are planning to hire product managers in 2022” – Career Karma

Impressive salaries, the authority to make crucial business decisions, and a respectable job – this is what comes to the minds of many when they hear the term “product manager”.

However, the reality is completely different from what anyone believes. Product managers do enjoy autonomy in making crucial business decisions but it all comes with certain responsibilities.

Before one desires to handle the mantle of a product manager, they have to pass through many hurdles. These hurdles test their ability to not only handle responsibilities but also the pressure that comes with the job. It is only after adequately preparing for the PM interview that they come out as the winner.

So, without further ado, let us understand how you can prepare for the role of a product manager without any hassle.

What do You need to Know Before the Product Manager Interview?

Before you decide to suit up and boot up for a Product Manager role, there are a couple of things to have clarity about. These include being aware of the roles and responsibilities of a product manager.

First, let us focus on the core skills every product manager should possess.

_{Skills Required to Get Hired As A Product Manager}

The job description of a product manager requires you to possess a wide range of skills.

However, the majority of product manager roles have a few key components.

_{Product Management Expertise}

To ace the product manager job interview, you need to possess a vast amount of knowledge about processes and methods for successful product development. As a product manager, you need to have in-depth knowledge of market research, strategies, budgeting, product development, launch, and reflecting on product feedback.

_{Emotional Intelligence}

Can you emphasize the customer’s pain points regarding a product? If the answer is YES! You are born to be a product manager. A high degree of emotional intelligence always makes great product managers. It gives you the ability to use a customer’s pain points for creating a great product.

_{Business Expertise}

Product managers are considered to be the CEOs of a product, but that is not entirely true. There are certain sets of business skills required of you to develop a product that helps the business generate profit.

_{Leadership Skills}

A product manager is not only responsible for product development. They have to oversee a team of professionals from different backgrounds and skills. Having leadership skills is not something that an organization will overlook while hiring you as a product manager. This is where preparing for a product manager interview in advance comes in handy.

_{Communication Skills}

As a product manager, the hiring manager checks your ability to convince the stakeholders, client, and development team about the potential of a product. This is where having exceptional communication skills can be a big help.

This is just the tip of the iceberg! There are certain responsibilities that you have to handle as a product manager.

_{Responsibilities of a Product Manager}

As a product manager, your responsibilities fall under 4 different categories:

_{Conduct Customer Research}

Every product that is in the stage of ideation must address a problem the user is currently facing. To understand these problems, you as a product manager should have an in-depth understanding of the customer’s likes and dislikes, market trends, and the competition.

Your responsibility as a product manager is to conduct extensive research for creating high-performance and quality products the user wants.

_{Develop Product Strategy}

After conducting customer research, you as a product manager understand the type of product to develop. The next step is to come up with an effective product strategy that contains the product vision, goal, and objective for bringing the product to life.

As a product manager, you also have to build a product roadmap to share a clear time of launch. It helps keep all stakeholders aware of what to expect from the product.

_{Communicate With Team Members & Stakeholders}

Product development teams often face roadblocks like budget and release issues when building a new product.

As a product manager, you have to work in coordination with business analysts, designers, and developer teams to deliver the best product. It is vital that you maintain good relations with the product management team.

A good relationship helps establish trust and lays the foundation for healthy communication with team members. It also lets you identify risks, issues, and find solutions for the same.

_{Evaluate Product Performance}

Being a product manager means you are responsible for collecting feedback from users about what they like or dislike about the product. Identifying gaps between the product and a user’s problem will guide you during the launch of the next product.

You have to create a process to receive ideas from customers and the business team. The product development team can help you handle this aspect.

Apart from knowing these roles and responsibilities, you should also get familiar with the process of product manager interviews.

_{How to Prepare for a Product Manager Interview?}

Remember, the product manager interview process varies from one organization to the next. It also depends on your level of experience, and the type of product manager role you apply for.

Still, when it comes to preparing for PM interview, there are a few common elements. Knowing these gives you an added advantage when sitting in front of the interview panel.

_{1. Get Familiar With the Interview Process}

Keep in mind, the interview process for a product manager varies from one organization to another. It also depends on the designation, and type of product manager required.

But, every interview has some common elements. Knowing these will give you an advantage. Let’s start with the basics.

_Duration

The duration of the Product Manager interview depends largely on the organization. There are cases when the process takes 4-8 weeks to wrap up. There have also been instances where it took more than a month to finalize.

_{The Process}

The interview process requires you to submit the initial application, clear a phone interview with the company HR, and then with the hiring manager.

Remember, onsite interviews do not happen on the same day. This is the perfect opportunity for preparing for product manager interview and clearing the final round.

_{2. Understand the Different PM Interview Questions}

Since the interview for product management comprises multiple rounds. You will be asked a variety of questions from one of the categories below:

• Product Management

• Technical Product Management

• Product Roadmap

• Product Prioritization

• Product Design

• Product Analytics

• Product User

• Communication

• Cross-Functional Team

You need to prepare well to answer the questions from the above categories and excel in the product manager interview.

_{3. Do Mock Interviews}

Knowing the different questions and interview process of an organization is essential to preparing for PM interview. Unfortunately, this information is not enough for you to get the job.

To succeed in the interview, you will have to come face-to-face with realistic interview conditions to impress the hiring manager. For this, mock interviews are a great source of learning your shortcomings and strengths.

Here’s how you can do mock interviews.

• Practice By Yourself

An effective tip to help you succeed when preparing for PM interview is self-practice. You have to ask and answer the questions. Doing this gives you enough time to correct the small mistakes.

• Practice With Ex-PM Interviewers

The best way to ensure that you clear the PM interview is to practice with ex-PM interviewers. They are in a position to give you better feedback in comparison to friends or peers owing to the experience they possess.

Knowing a product manager can be a fantastic way to learn the type of questions to expect during the interview.

_{4. Decide Where to Apply}

Different organizations have different methods of conducting product manager interviews. So, it is vital that you choose a company that interests you the most.

After you have identified the organization, it is time to familiarize yourself with the company’s interview process and points of emphasis. Doing this helps you prepare according to the requirements of the organization.

Review questions and answers

As a product manager, you have to handle a variety of tasks, from understanding what the user wants to coordinating with the product development team.

The hiring manager would ask questions related to your work and understanding of the different product management practices. These questions include;

_{1. What Features Make a Product Great?}

The favorite question for hiring managers looking for an exceptional product manager. It offers them an insight into your knowledge about product design and development. Your answer to this question helps them know possible designs and modifications they can implement in the current or future product.

This question gives a good idea to the recruiter about how much you know about creating products that strike a chord with the target audience. So, when you answer this question, you have to keep in mind the 4 parameters that define a great product.

For this, a product must have;

• A USP that helps it stand out from the competition.

• Solve an issue faced by the target market

• Is easy to understand and use

_{2. What Changes Would You Recommend for Our Current Product?}

This question gives the recruiter an idea about how bringing you on board as a product manager would impact the company. They want to know your thoughts on the type of product that is best suited for the organization.

In case the organization does not have a product, you need to come up with a product proposal. On the contrary, if the company already has a product then you need to dive into its features which require a little bit of modification.

But, to answer this question you must possess in-depth knowledge of the company’s target market, its objectives, and product line. The important thing is you should describe what makes the product unique and how it will add value to the lives of the company’s target audience.

_{3. What is Your Favorite Tool to Manage Team Members?}

The goal of the interviewer behind this question is to know what tools or applications you use as part of your job as a product manager. Every candidate has their own set of preferred tools for managing team members.

The key to answering this question is in describing the app/tool you use. Then, you break it down how you use it for managing the product team members.

_{4. How Do You Plan to Align the Tech Team With the Product Vision?}

This question is mostly for those applying for a technical product manager position. However, interviewers do ask this question as it is more about people management as opposed to technical know-how. It is more about knowing what strategies you would use to unite the technical team with the product strategy.

You have to lay a bit of emphasis on the importance of day-to-day meetings. Do mention the importance of aligning the technical team with the product’s vision.  Explain how these meetings would help minimize the amount of initial resistance from the technical team before and during the product development phase.

_{5. What are the Most Important Inputs You Take Into Account When Designing a Product Roadmap?}

The interviewer is interested in knowing the things you consider while creating a product roadmap. The right product roadmap describes the technology that will come in handy during the product’s development phase.

Knowing how you can create a product roadmap helps the company know the level of your product management skills.

_{6. Tell Me About Your Product Prioritization Framework.}

One of the most important skills you should keep in mind when preparing for a product manager interview is product prioritization. 

You can share the framework that will help the company develop a product that not only helps them grow as a brand but also solve the problem of the customer.

_{7. What Changes Will You Make to the Product to Maximize its Functionality and Efficiency?}

The hiring manager wants to know a direct method you can best improve a product. To answer this question, you need to keep in mind two things – functionality and efficiency.

You answer this question by offering suggestions related to a product’s functionality and efficiency. Try to share product upgrades that will positively impact customer retention and user engagement.

What is the Process By Which You Gather Feedback From the Product User?

A favorite among hiring managers looking for a good product manager. Answering this question offers them an insight into what they need to leverage customer data to improve the product.

A major factor that affects the user feedback process is the type of product you are collecting data on. However, you have to focus on stating the importance of using statistical and qualitative data.

It is time for you to take a look at a few sample questions you might be asked during the product manager interview.

_{Product Manager Sample Questions}

Given below are some questions you might get asked during the product manager interview.

Keep in mind, some of these questions are aimed at knowing how you would handle unexpected scenarios.

• What type of customer research do you conduct?
  
• How do you develop product strategy?

• What factors do you consider to develop a product roadmap?

• What product development methodology did your previous organization follow?

• How do you decide which features to include in the product update?

• How do you manage everything from feature to conception to launch?

• Tell me about the most successful product you have launched. What made it successful?

• How do you know if a product launch was successful?

• Can you share a lesson from your last product launch?

At times, even after doing everything when preparing for a Product Manager interview, there are still a few doubts in your mind.

Tips to Ace Product Manager Interview

To help you ace the product manager interview, given below are a few simple tips.

_{1. Focus on Impact Driven Approach}

From the resume to the answers you provide to the interviewer, always focus on the impact you created rather than just the business task. Key metrics like revenue and KPIs are key business performance metrics.

However, the interviewer is more interested in knowing how you managed to move the needle in favor of the product whether you were on a PM or non-PM designation.

_{2. Solve Problems with Intent}

The most commonly asked questions in a PM interview are problem-solving questions. The hiring managers want to know how you handle an unexpected situation. It is more about catching you off guard and coming up with a situation never experienced before.

But, before you answer these questions, take a pause and organize your thoughts. Doing so will help you come up with a solution to help the organization achieve its business aim.

_{3. Combine Analytical Reasoning with Assumptions}

The hiring managers will ask analytical questions during the product manager interview. You have to take into consideration the logic and knowledge you got from real-world experience. 

Keep in mind, the interviewer wants to know how you break a big problem into smaller pieces.

_{4. Be Authentic With Behavioral Scenarios}

Situational / Behavioral questions are an important part of a product manager interview. One surefire way for you to ace these questions is by remaining authentic and speaking from experience. Never form stories as that will make the interviewer doubtful.

However, if you have not faced a situation that the interviewer wants to know about, think twice before answering. Your answer can come from experiences from college or personal life.

_{5. Curiosity Always Wins Over Knowledge}

Always be curious to know about your role in the organization. Do ask follow-up questions to understand more about your responsibilities, and how performance is measured.

Ask the hiring manager about the KPIs used for tracking against and the mentorship offered to a new product manager. You should have a genuine interest in the products and services offered by the organization.

The process of preparing for PM interview requires utmost preparation and alertness on your part. This guide will help you develop both to ace the interview without any hassle.

Prateek Abhilashi Member since September 6, 2022

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Prateek Abhilashi, born in New Delhi loves to write content for different genres. He started the journey to be a content writer during his graduation days back in 2007. He has 6 years of experience in writing on different genres including Travel, Health, DIY, and technology. Presently he is writing content for SaaS-based brands. When not writing, you can find him watching movies or planning a solo travel trip.

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