Product Manager Skills Interview
Author:
Alycia Damp, PhD IRHRA Product Manager interview assessing key skills required for success. We've also included a few motivation and values questions to help you make the best decisions about your candidates.
Focus area:
Question
1
Why are you interested in making a career move to our company as Product Manager? How do you see this opportunity within the context of your career?
What does this question reveal?
Fit and motivation to join the company
Explore tips
- Is seeking an opportunity to grow by applying and developing multiple skills
- Wants to make a defined impact on others and the organization’s success
- Is motivated to add value to the company's culture and work environment
- Is passionate when discussing how this connects with their strengths/interests
Question
2
Communication skills are really important to this role. When it comes to that skill set, what aspect are you best at, and can you share an example of how you've done this in a previous role?
What does this question reveal?
Understand their strengths and how communication is critical to success
Explore tips
- Clearly highlights their specific strengths in communicating
- Shares key communication tactics (e.g. active listening, tailoring to audience)
- Uses evidence from past experience to justify their strengths
- Tailors response with examples relevant to the position and organization
Question
3
As a Product Manager, what tactics have you used in the past to communicate effectively with the engineering team?
What does this question reveal?
Communicate and work effectively with the engineering team
Explore tips
- Centers discussions around data and uses data to drive decisions
- Openly discusses challenges and emphasizes collaborative problem-solving
- Maintains regular communication and understanding the team's needs
- Tailors communication around product visions and user stories accordingly
Question
4
If we asked you whether our company should enter the [insert relevant product market] market, what factors would you consider, and what would you advise us?
What does this question reveal?
Use market information in product development/management
Explore tips
- Assesses the opportunity to gain market share (fragmented or saturated market)
- Determines whether market entry aligns with the company's mission and goals
- Analyzes whether the market reflects customer trends and preferences
- Conducts cost/benefit analysis and assesses existing versus required resources
Question
5
How would you go about defining success metrics for our organizations main product/service? What are some metrics you would suggest, and why?
What does this question reveal?
Align product strategy with business goals and company mission
Explore tips
- Discusses a process to define metrics (e.g. sets product performance targets)
- Ensures product metrics are aligned with business growth and success
- Discusses tracking customer retention, attrition, churn and lifetime value
- Emphasizes the importance of quality metrics to gauge ROI
Question
6
Tell me about a time you had to redesign a product/feature. What steps did you take and was the redesign successful?
What does this question reveal?
Execute product development tasks effectively
Explore tips
- Shows they can identify and understand how to improve a product
- Consults key stakeholders (customers, engineers, designers) to execute redesign
- Suggests testing different solutions before building them
- Shares evidence (e.g. metrics) to justify success of the redesign
Question
7
In your past roles, how have you balanced competing user requirements and tech requirements?
What does this question reveal?
Balance user and tech requirements
Explore tips
- Considers main business objectives and long/short term benefits of product work
- Shows they can understand user needs and analyze opportunity costs
- Works closely with/consults tech teams to deliver client requests
- Understands tech team incentives, needs and goals
Question
8
Talk me through some of the best working experiences you have had with UX designers, and describe why they were such positive experiences.
What does this question reveal?
Understand interdependencies between product and design and how to collaborate effectively
Explore tips
- Works with designers early to ensure product roadmap features are realistic
- Understands each role's professional strengths and weaknesses
- Discusses how design and product must be aligned on user needs and company goals
- Explains how design impacts the business goals of the company and product
Question
9
Tell me about how you have worked with cross-functional teams in the past to successfully bring a product idea to life. How did you collaborate with teams, and why was it successful?
What does this question reveal?
Work effectively with key product teams (design, engineering)
Explore tips
- Emphasizes the importance of synergy between key teams (design & engineering)
- Proactively holds roadmap sessions to align stakeholders and track progress
- Actively listens to others to solicit and incorporate ideas/feedback
- Communicates the business case for the idea to reinforce alignment in thinking
Question
10
Imagine you are unable to incorporate a product feature that was suggested by senior leadership because it would impede the user experience. How would you communicate this to gain support for your position?
What does this question reveal?
Achieve stakeholder alignment by justifying decisions in a tactful way
Explore tips
- Prioritizes user needs in driving product decisions with key stakeholders
- Shares evidence for how the feature would impede the user experience
- Suggests alternative features that achieve similar goals but do not impede users
- Solicits new ideas or feedback from others on alternative approaches
Question
11
Imagine a scenario where different teams are struggling to align on a product vision. How would you address the situation?
What does this question reveal?
Influence others to align product vision
Explore tips
- Considers the incentives, goals, and processes of each team
- Tailors communication and messaging to fit different teams
- Maintains transparency and focuses on common goals and company-wide objectives
- Proactively schedules product vision discussions with the teams
Question
12
Tell me about a time you had to make a tough prioritization decision when working on a product backlog/roadmap. What did you end up prioritizing, and why?
What does this question reveal?
Analyze competing items to make well-informed decisions
Explore tips
- Explains the overall goal and describes the competing priorities
- Shows they can use logical frameworks to assess scenarios (impact, cost, etc.)
- Discusses user versus business needs, needs overlap, and limitations
- Shows they know the importance of managing expectations at all levels and stages
Question
13
Tell me about a time you had to make a tough prioritization decision when working on a product backlog/roadmap. What did you end up prioritizing, and why?
What does this question reveal?
Analyze competing items to make well-informed decisions
Explore tips
- Explains the overall goal and describes the competing priorities
- Shows they can use logical frameworks to assess scenarios (impact, cost, etc.)
- Discusses user versus business needs, needs overlap, and limitations
- Shows they know the importance of managing expectations at all levels and stages
Question
14
Based on your past work history and professional experience, in what type of work environment were the happiest and most productive.
What does this question reveal?
Preferences for organizational culture and workstyle
Explore tips
- Discusses attributes that align with your organization
- References different organizational factors (people, place, work, etc.)
- Highlights the values that shaped the environment/culture
- Shares a story from past experience to support their claims
Question
15
What is one thing you wish I had asked you in our conversation today?
What does this question reveal?
Self-awareness of unique strengths and value-add
Explore tips
- Gives a response that is relevant to the role in question
- Justifies their suggestion by explaining their value-add
- Exhibits strengths that were not previously covered
