Is this the type of person you want on your team now and in the future? What was that process? I generally prefer examples to hypotheticals, but I will often ask a candidate to brainstorm a problem related to the role. The Product Manager Interview, 4th Edition contains a whopping 167 actual questions and answers that you can practice for your upcoming product management interviews. When asking these questions, interviewers mainly assess your problem-solving process, or how you approach the problem. Explain the benefits of keeping the price and what a buyer would get for it. With 164 practice questions, you'll see what the best PM interview responses look and feel like. Offer bad suggestions to see if they speak truth to power and have confidence in their decisions. How would you write a value proposition for a product? Some potential challenges associated with a remote PM interview include: These challenges are another reason why you should partake in a handful of mock interviews. Q. and reflective about opportunities for growth and improvement? While spontaneity and quick math are great skills to have, they don't really constitute a meaningful percentage of a product manager's output. Knowing what to expect in an associate PM interview allows you to prepare for anything and everything that comes your way. 3 reasons you should spend time onsite with customers as a product manager. This is a good way for the interviewer to ratify their assessment of a candidate's strengths and weaknesses. . Alfonso Fiore something we were also talking about last week! Miscellaneous. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Purpose: This question type tests your creative problem solving ability, analytical thinking, and communication skills. Pertinent to Professor Danas and the You books recommendations, I use the same questions in every interview, questions aligned to the roles key needs. You can review thousands of interview questions. Very well put out. In answering this historical example/skill question, the candidates example project involved quickly building and launching an offering that was the CEOs idea and mandate. The Product Management career has become more competitive than ever in recent years, so I created a list of 100+ of my favorite Product interview questions, answer strategies, and video walkthroughs to help aspiring PMs. Fortunately, when you know what youre doing and how you want to present yourself, its easier to kick your stress to the side and perform at your peak. Q. "Describe the role of the product team in your business' category" or "How do you manage a team of product managers, what did you previously do wrong?". e.g. Is this candidate interested in product management because shes a user-centered builder, or because she wants to add Product Manager to her resume? Finance: American Airlines, Best Buy, JetBlue. This skill evaluation question lets the interviewer deep dive into the example about the candidates displayed competencies, e.g. While it's critical to prepare for any and every question that could come your way, it's also good . Thats why the follow up question is important can she imagine a different way of solving the problem? What aspect of working as a product manager is the most exciting, in your opinion? Here are different ways the conflict question is asked: These three questions arent all the questions to ask, theyre just the most important ones according to this set of product leaders. In todays world, most associate product manager interviews are completed remotely. Free interview details posted anonymously by MediaMath interview candidates. For each Product Manager level at XO Group, we evaluate. Getting the Product Manager interview right matters, its a critical part of the broader hiring process (including references, exercises, etc.) Exclusive and practical insights that enable the agile community to succeed. Is the candidate aware of best practices of collaborating, getting details right, performing tests, understanding users, etc. They should give candidates the thrill of the chase, and the satisfaction of invention. Summarizing the common critical elements of good interviewing: This approach, and the thoughtful research needed to use this approach, provide an excellent starting point for hiring any role, product managers or otherwise. While, In many ways, preparing for a product manager interview with a startup is the same as an established, In many circumstances, 10 days can feel like a lifetime. I generally start with these two will and skill questions, then walk through other standardized questions that cover key role competencies that we havent covered yet. You hope to ace your interview from start to finish, but thats not easy to do. Give the candidate freedom to make reasonable assumptions. Interview Math, 2nd Editionprovides over50 practice problems and answersto help job seekers master quantitative interview questions including: If you're interviewing at one of the highly sought after positions below, you'll need to master these interview math questions: Management Consulting: McKinsey, Bain, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, Marketing: General Mills, Google, Hershey, Software Engineering: Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Finance: American Airlines, Best Buy, JetBlue. From the creator of the CIRCLES, AARM & ESTEEM Methods, The Product Manager Interview, 4th Ed. Product Management Exercises helps you prepare for your product manager interviews with tons of great material provided by PM experts and its over 100,000 members. In addition to filtering the questions by company such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon you can do the same by question type. Show your clear thought process, technical skills, and how you would communicate with the buyer. Let's discuss each step one by one. Here are some examples: We aren't looking for amazing answers here, but we are looking for the candidate to pass a minimum quality level. Map out your calculations. Xiaodi, 1stDibs asks the candidate to describe her ideal environment to thrive in and what she needs to succeed to evaluate the candidates introspectiveness and to match the candidates ideal environment against 1stDibss. Evaluators especially look for collaboration skills and use of user data and insights to work through conflicts. I can generally also guide the conversation to cover all of the roles competencies. Associate product managers dont earn as much money as PMs, but that doesnt mean theyre underpaid. Thus while hiring product managers, assignments are a great tool to judge a candidate's problem solving and communication skills. Take notes regarding your performance, go back to the drawing board, and regain your confidence before your next interview. "For only $20 more, you get at least $100 more worth of features with this product. There are plenty of other jobs to apply for. Product sense / product design. Its also easier to maintain your confidence throughout the interview even if youre stumped. Does the candidate understand the role? With each session, youll become more comfortable with the way you carry yourself and how you communicate with the other party. Case Interview Questions for Tech Companies, 71 Brilliant Salary Negotiation Email Samples. HOW DO I PREPARE FOR A PRODUCT MANAGER INTERVIEW?If you watch this managerial and management interview training video, Richard will explain what you need to do in order to pass.WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT IN A PRODUCT MANAGER INTERVIEW?Expect a list of questions that assess your understanding of a product manager role, including managerial and leadership capabilities.WHAT IS A PRODUCT ROADMAP?A product roadmap is a visual summary that essentially maps out what needs to be done in order to achieve the product objectives. In today's world, most associate product manager interviews are completed remotely. The assignment critique can be followed by more questions adjacent to the assignment. The conflict example either a hypothetical or historical example of encountering and managing conflict, with senior, peer, and junior stakeholders. In Who, Geoff Smart and Randy Street offer an approach that starts by articulating a positions mission, outcomes, and competencies. In addition to the six skill areas above, several also called out: In addition to competencies, I also evaluate if the candidate would be motivated by the positions mission, users, team, structure, and growth opportunity. For instance, here are some common product design-related questions: The more potential questions you review, the more comfortable and confident youll be as you move through your interview. Cracking the PM Career: The Skills, Frameworks, and Practices To Become a Great Product Manager 0984782893, 9780984782895 390 103 7MB Read more Shirley Chisholm: The Last Interview: and Other Conversations (The Last Interview) 9781612198989 Technical. Type 1: Product design and/or improvement questions. A mock interview is exactly what it sounds like. Tell me how youd describe our product to someone who wanted something similar, but only much cheaper?Q. The assignment must have 3 clear sections: Context, problem, and the solution's desired result. On my follow up about what he wished he could have done differently, he was able to articulate how he wouldve changed the strategy (great!) You can also expect the person interviewing you to provide feedback. "Describe your product's stack" or "Tell us how a feature you built works, and how metrics are tracked", Macro: Here we are judging their ability to think deeply. How would you improve Facebook Groups? Tell us how you'll incorporate data into your role. When sharing any ideas for improvement, connect your suggestions with their customer's pain points. This historical example has limitations especially the companys and product organizations setup and the candidates earlier career maturity. You will receive the first chapter in your inbox momentarily. How to answer product manager estimation questions . Skill: does the person have the skill to do the job, i.e. But to make sure you hit on the main points every interview should cover, these . Since they work as a product manager, they know what it takes to move into this role. Mental Math. Maybe you struggled to convey your career goals. Lewis was named by CNN as one of the "top 10 job tweeters you should be following." He has also been featured on FOX, ABC News, San Francisco Chronicle, The Atlantic, The Telegraph, and Business Insider. No matter how well prepared you are, its natural to feel some stress and anxiety before and during an interview. The hiring manager observes how the applicant prioritizes, what they do in the absence of complete information, and how they would evaluate the outcome. How would you deal with conflict between two team members? Can you see how and why the candidate will want to thrive in this role? Facebook. Ive articulated XO Groups key Product Manager competencies in this article defining the modern strategic Product Manager. Reviewing responses from other senior product leaders about their top Product Manager interview questions, most questions fell into three buckets: Perhaps I should ask this question more directly given its importance to other product leaders! Before we go into more detail, here's a quick overview of the best Product Manager interview books we would recommend: Cracking the PM interview (by McDowell and Bavaro) Swipe to Unlock: A Primer on Technology and Business Strategy (by Mehta, Detroja, and Agashe) Decode and conquer (by Lewis C. Lin) And 3 popular PM interview books we would . What would you do in the first 30 days of starting as our Product Manager? This question may seem innocuous, but it isn't. It lets the hiring manager learn some important details, including how passionate you are about your role and what about the job motivates you.. Does the role feel important and ambitious? In hiring, I look for candidates with both will and skill. For example, if you're interviewing at Google, expect questions spanning product design, product strategy, estimation, and more.. Answer: Discuss product features and do a basic cost-benefit analysis as best you can from your research. Unsubscribe anytime. Before getting into the actual assignment process, we need to establish if the candidate is really desirous of this job, or if they just applied on a whim. That said, interviewing is a different skill and requires . Junior PMs are allowed to ramble a little. does the person possess the key competencies to fulfill the positions responsibilities? Sense-check your results. He holds a B.S. gives readers 167 practice questions to improve product management (PM) skills and master the interview. The assignment must give the candidate a taste of the kind of problems that they would solve, if they were given the job. And given the central, facilitating roles of Product Management, PMs bring extra leverage to speed up or bust up the digital creation part of your organization. The candidate is expected to think deeply, and the interviewer is also expected to spend at least 15-30 minutes understanding their answers. His best advice for conducting useful interviews: What can be done? The assignment must have 3 clear sections: Context, problem, and the solution's desired result. Below are some of my Product Manager interview questions, as well as thoughts from other product leaders and hiring experts. Our course is broken down into 10 categories: With 50+ video hours and 100+ online lessons, youll gain the knowledge you need to master your PM interview skills. https://www.tryexponent.c. in computer science from Stanford University and an M.B.A . The candidate wanted to (and did) demonstrate strong execution, but missed the strategic thinking and user-research elements of modern product management. When you take these five steps, you position yourself for success. Example: if the candidate was better at tech than at usability, ask them to describe a user's expectations as they go through onboarding of the proposed solution. Behavioral. So ask candidates if the assignment happened to be, say, a paid consulting gig that had 30 days to plan for, what are the aspects of the assignmentthey would spend more time detailing. I love this question because I get a quick snapshot of the candidates skills and her self awareness of those skills. Product managers must be comfortable with data analysis since it's . If you don't see room for improvement, be honest. You'll learn interview math concept and principles and then master those concepts with over 50 practice questions filled with detailed answers. R0 is all about clearly articulating what your company has to offer, and understanding why the candidate is considering you. As a product manager candidate, a big part of the interview preparation process is becoming familiar with common questions and the best way to approach them. How would you create an effective product roadmap? Make sure you're interview-ready with Exponent's PM interview prep course. Hiring well requires asking the right Product Manager interview questions. Evaluating Skill: Top Product Manager Interview Question "Walk me through a successful major project you were heavily involved in, and tell me about your role throughout the project." . What do you think the biggest challenges youll face will be from a product management perspective? Cheers. How to Speak to a Facebook Product Manager Recruiter, How to Prepare for a PM Interview With a Startup, How to Prepare for a Product Manager Interview in 10 Days, How to Follow Up After a Product Manager Interview, How to Increase Your Confidence For Product Manager Interviews, How to Speak to a Google Product Manager Recruiter. When youre relaxed, its easier to connect with the interviewer on a personal level. You'll learn interview math concept and principles and then master those concepts with over 50 practice questions filled with detailed answers. Software Engineering: Goldman Sachs, Microsoft. Required fields are marked *. As the leader of a 50+ person Product organization, one of my biggest responsibilities is attracting, hiring, coaching, motivating, and retaining great Product professionals, primarily Product Managers and Designers. Expect to. Not just *can* the candidate do the job, but *will* the candidate be excited waking up every day to do the job? LEWIS C. LIN is CEO of Impact Interview, an interview coaching firm. that many of us get wrong without even knowing it. Chief Operating Officer at Parsley Health. Many product managers downplay this part of the interview, feeling that they already have these skills from practicing them on the job. Previously Product exec @ InVision, XO Group, Udacity, All You Need to Know About KPI in Project Management, How to develop your product vision using Amazons proven technique. Have they synthesized what theyve learned from other discussions into this response? It includes actual questions from top tech companies including: The book contains fully solved sample answers so readers can learn and improve. Will: does the person have the will to do the job, i.e. Don't think you can wing it. Before we discuss the ins and outs of an associate product manager interview, lets start with a few basics: With that out of the way, its time to focus on the five steps you can take to ace your next associate product manager interview. After going through the book, candidates will feel knowledgeable, confident, relaxed and ready to . PMs have 2 jobs: think and execute. How did you get to the decision to move forward? By following best practices of consistent, skills-based questions around career fit, historical skills examples, and conflict handling, youll set yourself up to bring the right people aboard your product team. There's no shortage of possible questions to ask a product management candidate. Even if you fall flat, you can use your experience to better prepare for your next interview. Matt from Workframe asks Walk me through a time where you figured out what to build. Know who will be ingesting your case study. Now, let's review the eleven product manager interview questions to reveal whether a candidate is a good fit for your position. Q. How to set a good assignment. The problem must be realistic, as discussed before. Maybe you struggled with a specific type of question. Does this position feed the persons soul? Since they work as a product manager, they know what it takes to move into this role. Interview question for Senior Business Analyst.Math cases and one product manager interview. Thats a good thing for your team, the candidate, your organization, and ultimately your user. Tell me what the job is youre applying for, and why its a great fit for your career., I learned this question from Mike Osier, COO at Chegg and former VP Ops at Netflix. While the problem is a thinking exercise, the writing and choice of presentation is a communication exercise. Many of us are so confident in an ultimately bad hire when we use a weak interviewing process. Propose these improvements and see how the candidate takes them. Other ways Product Leaders ask this question: Walk me through a successful major project you were heavily involved in, and tell me about your role throughout the project., If you were to change anything about the project, what would you have done differently and why?. The Product Manager Interview is the perfect complement to Decode and Conquer. With 164 practice questions, you'll see what the best PM interview responses look and feel like. It also gives you real-time insight into the candidate's communication and prioritization skills. Remember, assignments are unpaid work. With this in mind, theres one thing you need to remember: the interviewer will use your interview as an opportunity to determine how you carry yourself in a remote environment. Why do you want to work for our company as Product Manager? There are four things you need to handle to ace your case study interview prep: Understand the case study you are getting. This is great Abhishek Madan. Before Impact Interview, Lewis was Microsoft's Director of Product . I love this question as it accomplishes several goals while letting the candidate tell her story. Geoff Smart and Randy Streets well-regarded book Who: The A Method for Hiring, based on extensive hiring research, outlines a structured interviewing approach as well: (as part of a broader hiring approach). Give them a chance to hypothetically improve the assignment: As we discussed earlier, assignments are unpaid work. . Difficulty understanding and/or hearing the interviewer, Communicating your view in an easy to understand way. I asked several other Product Leaders for their top interview questions and key competencies. Managing conflict productively is near and dear to my heart, and I recommend the book Difficult Conversations to anyone interested in the topic. These questions show the applicant's train of thought when they face the task of creating a new product or improving an existing one. The problem must excite the . 5. By selecting an example in the candidates history instead of a forward-looking imaginary test case, the candidate shows what she actually did instead of what she could hypothetically do in an interview question and what points she chooses to bring up. After going through the book, candidates will feel knowledgeable, confident, relaxed and ready to tackle interview math questions. But even if you come up short, its not the end of the world. Authored by the world's expert in PM interviews, Lewis C. Lin, the book is ideal for PM roles"--Provided by publisher To view or add a comment, sign in If the candidate fails to motivate me with passion, or simply forgets to answer the second part of the question, Im likely going to pass on the candidate. Has she done the research to take the application seriously? For example, you wont create a product strategy, but youll work with others such as a PM, engineers, and product designers to see the product through completion. You can discover so much from this question, such as. Note you can ask a variant of this question in the negative as another way of probing skills and self-awareness Tell me about a product you worked on that failed, and what you learned.. The problem must excite the interviewer, before exciting the candidate. Associate product managers work in the same capacity as product managers but on a more individualized scale. Explain your answer clearly and succinctly, and provide an example if possible. Prepare Accordingly. Analytical. LEWIS C. LIN is the bestselling author of Decode and Conquer as well as Interview Math. If youre new to the wonderful world of product management, it wont be long before youre wondering where to get your start. Walk me through your accomplishment to understand a candidates displayed competencies (already covered). If you cant communicate your thoughts and listen effectively during your interview, theyll have questions about your ability to do so on the job. One of the reasons for this is that the majority of PM roles in 2022 are 100 percent remote. "The Product Manager Interview, 4th Ed. Employers might ask this question to determine your comfort level with basic math skills. What was the outcome?. How would you measure success? Judging can be seniority based. To pass this question, the user needs to answer both sections and sell me on how this role positions her to take over the world. And yes, you want to receive a job offer. collaboration, communication, detail orientation, user science, etc. How would you prevent hate, misinformation, or deep-fakes on YouTube? One option is to structure interviews so that all candidates receive the same questions, a procedure that has been shown to make interviews more reliable and modestly more predictive of job success. Round numbers and calculate. In this round we will discuss 3 things about the company: And we need to prod the candidate into telling us: Once we establish fit we move to a quick check of competency claimed on resume. To view or add a comment, sign in. Got a hot tip for improving the PM interview process? I'm all ears, do drop a comment. I prefer to give candidates at least 1 weekend to work on the assignment. Many people work in an associate product manager role before becoming a product manager. And different candidates have different capacities for unpaid work. 1.1. Ask clarification questions. gives readers 167 practice questions to improve product management (PM) skills and master the interview. Completing a structured PM interview prep course can be the difference between success and failure. Download Richard's 34 PRODUCT MANAGER Interview Questions and Answers PDF guide: https://passmyinterview.com/manager-interview/#productmanager #managerinterv. We recommend using a four-step approach to answer product estimation questions. e.g % of users on app vs desktop, Offer good suggestions to test intellectual honesty: Find multiple improvements to their solution. You will immediately receive the first chapter of Interview Math. Why are you interested in the job/company/industry to understand a candidates interests and ambitions. is the person motivated and excited? Is this role and the organization a good fit for the candidate, and vice versa? Your email address will not be published. With this question the interviewer gets to hear about the candidates past experience in a chosen high quality example it better be a good example! You can carefully work through our PM course several times. This article addresses some of the most useful ways for Product Leaders to approach interview questions, and how Product Managers can think about the most important messages to share when interviewing. Set a problem you would love to solve. You complete an entire PM interview with an experienced product manager. How to become a Visible Product Manager and be seen as a Source of Business Value, this article defining the modern strategic Product Manager, Create a job blueprint covering mission, outcomes, and competencies that the hiring process and interview questions align around, Perform rigorous short screening interviews evaluating fit against the blueprint using the same questions for all candidates, Conduct detailed in person interviews by the hiring manager with a walk through of a candidates past and future evaluating fit against the blueprint using the same questions for all candidates, Conduct focused interviews with other stakeholders to evaluate specific competencies from the job blueprint using the same questions for all candidates, (Bonus) This approach discusses tips for effective references using, you guessed it, a consistent set of questions for all candidate, Use a common set of questions every time (the book suggests specific questions), Continuously evaluate responses against the job mission/outcomes/competencies blueprint.

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