Product managers are some of the most important people for any company. They are responsible for coming up with product ideas, developing them into products, and ensuring they align with their vision.
We have created a list of the best product management and product manager interview questions with sample answers. It will help you to prepare for your following interview.
The product manager interview process is similar to marketing managers or customer service representatives.
If you are a recruiter/ hiring manager, hire someone who can do a good job and align with your company’s overall mission and objectives.
So rather than asking specific questions about the product, you’ll want to ask questions about how they think and what their motivations are.
You can start by asking general PM interview questions such as:
Table of Contents
Product Manager Interview Questions
About Career & Skills
What led you to pursue a career in product management?
I decided to pursue a career in product management because I love understanding what consumers want, creating products that meet those needs, and then seeing the final result.
What are some common obstacles for new product managers?
Some common obstacles for new product managers include lack of internal knowledge, poor leadership skills from superiors, etc.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
The most challenging part of my job is dealing with difficult stakeholders and ensuring their requirements are met while staying true to the product vision.
How do you stay user-focused?
The best way to stay user-focused is by constantly talking to users and getting feedback. I also like to create prototypes or wireframes early on in the design process to understand how users will interact with the product.
What’s the difference between leadership and management?
Leadership is more about setting the vision for a product, whereas management ensures that people are executing on it.
30+ Leadership Interview Questions to Ask Managers
What are your thoughts on design thinking?
Design thinking is a great way to develop innovative solutions to problems. It involves considering all possible angles and prototyping early on to get feedback from users.
Share with me some ideas which you implemented to help consumers?
One of the best ideas I’ve ever had was a product that would help people manage their time more effectively—creating a time management app that can track time spent on different tasks.
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How do you say no to people?
The best way to say no is by explaining why it won’t work and sharing the next best step if they still want to pursue things further.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to read, cook, and spend time with my family and friends.
Market Research
What are some strategies for market research?
Some common strategies for market research include focus groups, surveys, interviews, trending products, news, etc.
What are some strategies for improving or maintaining market share?
One strategy for maintaining market share is to make sure you’re offering new products frequently enough so customers don’t see your brand as stagnant, but not too often because they won’t have time to adapt.
Product-Related
How do you think about onboarding new users to your product?
Onboarding new users to a product can be tricky. You want to make sure that they can understand how to use the product without having to read the instructions, and you also want them to feel engaged and excited about using it.
How would you come up with a product vision?
I would develop a product vision by talking to users and important stakeholders to understand what they want and then creating a strategy to meet those needs.
What are some common pitfalls in product development?
Some common pitfalls in product development include rushing to market too soon, not correctly considering user feedback, etc.
What are the types of product marketing?
The three main types of product marketing are awareness, consideration, and conversion.
What is the positioning of a product?
Positioning is how you want your product to be seen by consumers. It’s the mix of features, benefits, and values that make up the perception of a product in the consumer’s mind.
What is the key to an exemplary user interface?
The key to an exemplary user interface is ensuring that it’s intuitive, aesthetically pleasing, easy to use, a tool guide, and a help section.
How do you know if a product launch is successful?
A successful product launch meets the company’s goals and has a good return on investment.
How do you know if a product is well designed?
There are a few key factors to consider when determining if a product is well designed. One is how intuitive it is- does the average person understand how to use it without reading the instructions? Another consideration is how aesthetically pleasing it is and whether all features work as intended.
What’s your favorite stage of working on a product lifecycle?
My favorite stage of working on a product lifecycle is seeing it go from an idea to a reality. I also enjoy getting user feedback and seeing how people use the product, which gives us more insight into future product developments.
How would you redesign our existing product?
I would first try to understand why the current version of the product is failing. Then, I’d research what similar products are doing and see how they distinguish themselves from competitors.
What are some common ways to improve product adoption?
Some common ways to improve product adoption are increasing the product’s visibility, providing more support and training, and making it easy for users to adopt.
What’s your process for creating a new release?
My typical process involves:
- Coming up with an initial idea or plan.
- Testing it out with some users.
- Getting feedback.
- Refining it until it’s ready for release.
How do you prioritize features?
I typically prioritize features by how important they are to the overall vision of the product and how much impact they’ll have on users.
What are some common issues that can occur during production?
Some common issues are shipping products late, running out of inventory, and product defects during production.
How do you prioritize bugs?
I prioritize bugs based on severity, how many users are affected, etc. I also look at product usage patterns that may have caused the bug to be avoided in future releases.
Feedback Related
How do you know if your users are satisfied with your product?
One way to know if your users are satisfied with your product is by requesting feedback surveys. You can also look at engagement metrics, such as how often people use the product and how long they’re spending on it.
How did you use user feedback to shape your product roadmap?
After getting feedback from users, I typically look at the most significant pain points and prioritize features that will address those issues. I also like to consider how feasible the changes are and how much impact they’ll have on users.
How do you ask for feedback from users?
I usually conduct surveys or interviews to gather feedback from users. You can also check out other metrics, like how often people use the product and how long.
How do you handle customer support inquiries?
I typically handle customer support inquiries by researching the issue and providing a solution or workaround if possible. If not, I’ll escalate it to the appropriate team and follow up with customers until we find a solution or identify another avenue for support.
Analytical Interview Questions
Describe step by step how you would solve problem X.
What are some common issues that can occur during production?
How do you use advantages and disadvantages to make a decision?
Where does this feature fit within the overall vision of the product/company?
Do we have enough information about our users to make these changes? What other information should I consider before making them happen?
Vision Related
Where does this product fit within our overall product strategy?
How do you see this product evolving?
What’s the long-term vision for this product?
Google Product Manager Interview Questions
- How would you improve Google Maps?
- How would you improve YouTube?
- How would you improve Google Search?
- How many queries are answered by Google per second?
- Build a product to buy and sell antiques on the internet?
Facebook Product Manager Interview Questions
- How would you improve would Facebook pages?
- What’s your favorite feature on Facebook, and why?
- How would you do if you had to redesign the Facebook newsfeed?
- How would you improve Facebook advertising?
- What are some common ways to measure user engagement on social media platforms?
Amazon Product Manager Interview Questions
- How will Amazon drone delivery service work?
- What’s your favorite feature on Amazon, and why?
- What would you do if Amazon ran out of inventory?
- How would you do if you had to redesign the Amazon website?
Linkedin Product Manager Interview Questions
- What’s a product you wish that Linkedin had?
- Where do you see the company going in five years?
- What’s your biggest challenge with Linkedin right now?
- How would you improve the company culture here at Linkedin to be more innovative?
- How would you improve the Linkedin newsfeed to make it more relevant?
- What do you think about Google+ and how might it affect Linkedin?
Twitter Product Manager Interview Questions
- How would you improve the way Twitter displays tweets?
- What’s your favorite feature on Twitter, and why?
- How would you improve Twitter?
- If you had to redesign Twitter, how would you do it?
- How would you use data to improve the user experience on Twitter?
Apple Product Manager Interview Questions
- If you were given a million dollars to design a product for Apple, what would it be?
- Where do you see Apple in five years?
- What’s your favorite feature on Apple and why?
- What’s the biggest challenge with Apple right now?
- How would you improve customer service at Apple to make it easier for people to get help when they need it most.
- If you had a billion dollars, how would you use it to expand your business even further than what is possible today?
Other Product Manager Interview Questions
- How would you improve the product that you’re interviewing for?
- What are some features of your favorite product?
- What’s a product that you think is terrible and why?
- What are some features of your favorite product, and why do you like them?
- How would you improve this product to make it more user-friendly?
- Design a product to cut down on coffee shop lines. How does it work?
- Which features of the legacy platform do you anticipate will be most challenging when migrating to our new system. Why?
- What is your experience with product design?
- What is your experience with user research?
Amazon Product Manager Interview Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I prepare for a product management interview?
There are many ways to prepare for an interview, including reviewing job descriptions, studying product management concepts, practicing product management interview questions, etc.
How do you introduce yourself in a product manager interview?
One possible way to introduce yourself in a product manager interview is by saying your name, job title, and what you do. You can also talk about your product experience and how you became interested in product management.
What do employers look for in a product manager?
Employers look for some qualities in a product manager, including good communication skills, an understanding of the market and customers, creativity, etc.
What are the five primary skills a great product manager must possess?
The three primary skills a great product manager must possess are
Creativity
The ability to come up with new and innovative ideas.
Decision Making
The ability to make sound decisions on time.
Communication
The ability to communicate effectively with various audiences, including customers and co-workers.
Leadership
The ability to influence others by creating a shared vision and motivating people.
Data Analysis
The ability to make decisions based on data from various sources, such as research studies, surveys, etc.
Read more on HBR how to become a great product manager
Do product managers need to code?
It’s unnecessary for product managers to code. PM should understand how coding works to communicate with developers and technical teams and understand what’s going on with the product.
What is the average salary of a product manager?
The average salary of a product manager typically falls in the range of $80,000 to $150,000.
Conclusion
To be a successful product manager, you need to have some skills, including communication, leadership, decision making, and data analysis. You should also be familiar with the globalized market and how it works. I hope these interview questions for the product managers will help you learn more about product management. Thanks for reading!