Product management is becoming an increasingly popular and competitive field as business becomes more reliant on technology and companies become more interested in data-driven product development. If you’re considering a career as a product manager but aren’t sure how to navigate the interview process, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to learn more about product management and the steps you can take to get your foot in the door in this lucrative industry.
Product Manager Interviews
The product management interview process varies slightly from company to company, but generally follows a similar 3-step timeline: resume submission, phone screening, and interview loop. First, the initial screening simply involves submitting your resume and cover letter. Second, the phone screening will take place in the form of a preliminary phone call with a recruiter who will likely ask you behavioral questions, as well as a few general product-related questions. Lastly, the interview loop typically consists of a set of 4-5 interviews where you will be asked product-related, behavioral, and technical questions.
If you’re coming from a consulting background, you may be wondering how product management interviews compare to consulting interviews. They are significantly more interviewee-led than consulting cases and are a bit more fluid. They always start with just one simple question, which the interviewee must answer fully on their own throughout the case (no exhibits or specific numerical information given). They’re a bit like market sizing cases, where there is no right or wrong answer—the companies just want to know how you think.
PM Roles
If you’ve done a quick Google search on roles within product management, you may be getting confused by all of the different position titles and responsibilities. The thing is, your exact role as a product manager varies greatly depending on the company. If you’re working for a large firm, you will likely be tasked to work on just one specific product—for instance, if you’re a PM at Google, you’d be working on something like Google Calendar, Youtube, etc.
Most companies follow the same general career path for their PM divisions, and therefore offer similar tiers of roles. The product manager career path begins with an entry-level role, typically called a PM 1 or an Associate PM. From there, product managers can move up to senior positions such as Senior PM, Director/VP of Product, and Chief Product Officer. These roles come with additional responsibilities and higher salaries. Check out our article on the product management career path for more info.
There are also a few more specialized product management roles, such as Group PMs, Growth PMs, Technical PMs. They are pretty self explanatory, so here’s a quick summary: Group PMs are responsible for a particular group of products, Growth PMs focus on the future growth of a product, and Tech PMs focus on the technical aspects of a product.
PM Required Skills
It may surprise you that most product management roles only require a bachelor’s degree. Having an MBA or a masters is a plus, but is not usually necessary for PM roles. Similarly, there is no universal job requirement in order to be qualified; however, this doesn’t mean your past job experience isn’t important. Your prior roles should demonstrate that you are a passionate problem solver who can work in an interdisciplinary environment, and indicate that you have an interest in product management.
With that being said, the skill requirements vary slightly depending on the company you are looking to work for. For instance, PM roles at Microsoft may require more technical skills since these roles require involvement with software—as a result, having past experience in a technical role is often preferred. Be sure to read the preferred qualifications on any job posting before applying.
Product Management Interview Questions
There are 3 broad categories of product management interview questions: behavioral, technical, and product-related. The number of technical questions you’re asked will depend on how technical the role is. You may be asked to write pseudocode, but you likely won’t be asked to fully code a complex problem. Here is a list of questions that you may be asked in each category during your PM interview.
Behavioral
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- Why do you want to be a product manager at Microsoft?
- What is your favorite product at [insert company] and why?
- How do you stay user-focused?
- Tell us about a time you failed. How did you handle it?
- Tell us about a time you used data to influence others.
Technical
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- You notice a sharp drop in user satisfaction for your product. What data would you analyze and what steps would you take to solve this issue?
- Users report a bug in our product. How would you collaborate with our engineering team to fix it?
- What key metrics would you track for a SaaS product?
- Our product’s website is having issues loading quickly enough, and customers have started complaining. Tell us how to make it load faster.
Product-Related
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- How would you improve [insert company product]?
- How would you increase adoption of [insert product feature]?
- Design a supermarket for the elderly population.
- Explain A/B testing to an eight-year-old.
- How do you prioritize your product backlog?
Product Manager Interview Tips
Understand the Product
It can be incredibly helpful to research the product design and development process in order to determine whether or not product management is something you would succeed in. The role of a product manager can involve some technical expertise, such as understanding UX design. If there is a specific company you want to work for, research their products and brainstorm various ways that those products can be improved.
Case Prep
Like consulting, product management roles often require applicants to go through a series of case interviews. Running some consulting cases can be a great way to brush up on your business acumen and problem solving skills. Check out our website for practice consulting cases, and stay tuned for some product management-specific interview prep!
Practice the STAR Method
Many companies with product management roles (for instance, Amazon) advertise the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), which is a structured approach to answering “fit” questions. It would highly benefit you to research and understand this method before diving into the behavioral product management interview. We recommend preparing 3-5 STAR stories that highlight the experiences you’d most like to share, particularly ones that showcase prior experience with product management. If you really want to stand out, try to incorporate quantifiable results into your answers to illustrate the magnitude of your impact (e.g. led a large team of 20 employees, improved production efficiency by 20%). Read our article on the STAR method for more tips.
How To Become A Product Manager
What’s the best way to approach becoming a product manager? Our experts at Management Consulted have a few tips:
Get Experience
As with most jobs, product managers with more experience tend to earn higher salaries. If you're just starting out in your career, look for opportunities to get involved with product development, such as internships or entry-level jobs. This could even involve having a side project, such as building your own app or website.
Develop Your Skills
The more skills you have, the more valuable you'll be to product management teams. Therefore, if you want to land a product management interview, focus on developing your skill set. Attend conferences and workshops, read books and blogs about product management, and get certified in product management if possible.
Start Networking
Try to network with current or past product managers who can provide their invaluable advice on getting into the field. Building these contacts can be incredibly helpful in developing connections within a company and having strong mentorship as you go through your interview process.
Product Manager Interview Coaching
Looking for a job in product management, but wishing you had someone to guide you through the process? Don’t fret—Management Consulted has expert interview and job search coaches who can help you navigate every step towards this lucrative career path. Book your first 1:1 session here.
Conclusion
Product management interviews don’t have to be intimidating. We recommend making an interview prep plan which you can stick to over the course of 2-3 months. Above all else, companies are looking for candidates who have strong customer empathy, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills—try not to get too bogged down by the technical jargon and focus on showcasing the best version of yourself throughout the interview process.
Additional Resources:
- Product Management: Overview, Skills, Interview Questions, & More
- Consulting to Product Management
- Product Manager Resume
- Product Manager Internship