How to Master the Product Management Case Study Interview Let's discuss each step one by one. Many product managers downplay this part of the interview, feeling that they already have these skills from practicing them on the job. Chief Operating Officer at Parsley Health. Associate product managers work in the same capacity as product managers but on a more individualized scale. 15 Product Manager Interview Questions to Review | Coursera If you cant communicate your thoughts and listen effectively during your interview, theyll have questions about your ability to do so on the job. In today's world, most associate product manager interviews are completed remotely. PM estimation interview questions (how-to guide with examples) https://www.tryexponent.c. The last thing you want to do is go into an interview cold.. Is the candidate aware of best practices of collaborating, getting details right, performing tests, understanding users, etc. in computer science from Stanford University and an M.B.A . What are the candidates career ambitions? There's no shortage of possible questions to ask a product management candidate. Analytical. Remember, assignments are unpaid work. No matter how well prepared you are, its natural to feel some stress and anxiety before and during an interview. The assignment critique can be followed by more questions adjacent to the assignment. How would you measure whether you were successful? They should give candidates the thrill of the chase, and the satisfaction of invention. The conflict example either a hypothetical or historical example of encountering and managing conflict, with senior, peer, and junior stakeholders. gives readers 167 practice questions to improve product management (PM) skills and master the interview. Interviewing Product Managers - Medium 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. A mock interview is exactly what it sounds like. Set a problem you would love to solve. The Product Manager Interview - Google Books Judging can be seniority based. Q. 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. You'll learn interview math concept and principles and then master those concepts with over 50 practice questions filled with detailed answers. 1.1. Very well put out. Skill: does the person have the skill to do the job, i.e. Difficulty understanding and/or hearing the interviewer, Communicating your view in an easy to understand way. Know who will be ingesting your case study. How well does the candidate see the broader opportunity? "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?". PRODUCT MANAGER Interview Questions & Answers! (Interview - YouTube 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. You can't get away with "So how would you improve our app?". Have they synthesized what theyve learned from other discussions into this response? When asking these questions, interviewers mainly assess your problem-solving process, or how you approach the problem. In hiring, I look for candidates with both will and skill. Example: "To convert a fraction into a percentage, divide the top number by the bottom number and multiply by 100. You can discover so much from this question, such as. Does the candidate remember to answer the second part of the question? One of the reasons for this is that the majority of PM roles in 2022 are 100 percent remote. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. LEWIS C. LIN is CEO of Impact Interview, an interview coaching firm. Don't think you can wing it. Sense-check your results. Miscellaneous. And as you conduct research, youll come to find that applying for associate product manager positions is a good jumping-off point. 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. 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. These questions show the applicant's train of thought when they face the task of creating a new product or improving an existing one. At PM Exercises, our course is designed to provide you with everything you need to excel when your big day arrives. Purpose: This question type tests your creative problem solving ability, analytical thinking, and communication skills. Exclusive and practical insights that enable the agile community to succeed. 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. Our list of 2,000+ interview questions and answers will get you in the right frame of mind. His best advice for conducting useful interviews: What can be done? Follow along with our four-step case study preparation guide in this video by Product Gym co-founder . Associate Product Manager (PM) Interview - Tips and Advice 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. 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. Unsubscribe anytime. 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. Visit our homepage to learn how PM Exercises can help you prepare for your next interview! While it's critical to prepare for any and every question that could come your way, it's also good . 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. This is where mock interviews come into play. Has she done the research to take the application seriously? After going through the book, candidates will feel knowledgeable, confident, relaxed and ready to . Thats a good thing for your team, the candidate, your organization, and ultimately your user. The problem must excite the interviewer, before exciting the candidate. I'm all ears, do drop a comment. 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?. How would you deal with conflict between two team members? I prefer not to ask for assignments in any specific format. 2. Not just *can* the candidate do the job, but *will* the candidate be excited waking up every day to do the job? Product Manager Interview Guide - Questions & Tips 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." . e.g % of users on app vs desktop, Offer good suggestions to test intellectual honesty: Find multiple improvements to their solution. Finance: American Airlines, Best Buy, JetBlue. 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.. Interview question for Senior Business Analyst.Math cases and one product manager interview. The assignment must give the candidate a taste of the kind of problems that they would solve, if they were given the job. Set a problem you would love to solve. Authored by the world's expert in PM interviews, Lewis C. Lin, the book is ideal for PM roles"--Provided by publisher And yes, you want to receive a job offer. 4 MediaMath Product Manager interview questions and 4 interview reviews. Thats why the follow up question is important can she imagine a different way of solving the problem? 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. When sharing any ideas for improvement, connect your suggestions with their customer's pain points. For example, if you wanted to convert 1/4 into a percentage . Case Interview Questions for Tech Companies, 71 Brilliant Salary Negotiation Email Samples. Younger PMs can be asked micro questions, and product leaders need to be asked a mix of micro and macro questions. Cheers. Alfonso Fiore something we were also talking about last week! 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). 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. Its also easier to maintain your confidence throughout the interview even if youre stumped. Show your clear thought process, technical skills, and how you would communicate with the buyer. Facebook. It also gives you real-time insight into the candidate's communication and prioritization skills. That said, interviewing is a different skill and requires . You complete an entire PM interview with an experienced product manager. 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. Can you see how and why the candidate will want to thrive in this role? Hiring well requires asking the right Product Manager interview questions. The Product Manager Interview, 4th Edition contains a whopping 167 actual questions and answers that you can practice for your upcoming product management interviews. Technical. Design an experience for getting book recommendations on Facebook. Is this candidate interested in product management because shes a user-centered builder, or because she wants to add Product Manager to her resume? Read the damn assignment before the interview. For each Product Manager level at XO Group, we evaluate. Map out your calculations. Or perhaps something out of your control occurred, such as losing your internet connection during the interview. The Product Manager Interview, 4th Edition Lewis C. Lin Q. Product Manager Case Study Interview Prep 3 reasons you should spend time onsite with customers as a product manager. This is an assignment within the assignment. Alternatively, you can use interviews to test job-related skills, rather than idly chatting or asking personal questions. How to set a good assignment. Does the candidates framing show excitement, motivation, and understanding of impact, fit, and growth? e.g. Tell us how you'll incorporate data into your role. This historical example has limitations especially the companys and product organizations setup and the candidates earlier career maturity. Junior PMs are allowed to ramble a little. The Product Manager Interview: 164 Actual Questions and Answers The Top 10 Product Manager Interview Questions (And How To - YouTube Q. 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. The Product Manager Interview is the perfect complement to Decode and Conquer. "For only $20 more, you get at least $100 more worth of features with this product. Make sure you're interview-ready with Exponent's PM interview prep course. What was the outcome?. e.g. What was that process? You position yourself to ace your associate product manager interview, receive a job offer, and start down the PM career path. Many dont, even though the second half is more important! When youre relaxed, its easier to connect with the interviewer on a personal level. Set barriers and clarify assumptions. And we need to establish if the company is really desirous of this candidate, or if they are just cell squatters in your recruiter's spreadsheet. Prepare Accordingly. 11 Revealing Product Manager Interview Questions How would you improve Facebook Groups? How would you measure success? Software Engineering: Goldman Sachs, Microsoft. 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. . 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 For example, if you're interviewing at Google, expect questions spanning product design, product strategy, estimation, and more.. Does this position feed the persons soul? Especially if you don't have a large interview panel. While spontaneity and quick math are great skills to have, they don't really constitute a meaningful percentage of a product manager's output. 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. An important key to self-confidence is preparation. Arthur Ashe Confidence, The first step in becoming a product manager at Google is submitting your resume. I can generally also guide the conversation to cover all of the roles competencies. does the person possess the key competencies to fulfill the positions responsibilities? Thus we test for the latter. You can review thousands of interview questions. Other interesting questions that came up include: I didnt cover questions about cultural fit explicitly in this article. My only brief is to keep it brief. 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. 4. From there, if your, How to Ace Your Associate Product Manager Interview. Other ways product leaders ask this question: I recently interviewed a candidate for a Senior Product Manager role that needs a lot of user discovery for a whitespace product. Interview Math: Over 50 Problems and Solutions for Quant Case Interview Math cases and one product manager interview - glassdoor.com 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. Q. is the person motivated and excited? Ask clarification questions. Tell me how youd describe our product to someone who wanted something similar, but only much cheaper?Q. but never once mentioned bringing users into the product discovery, development, and release process. 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. Let them see your creativity and practical reasoning behind your ideas. Why are you interested in the job/company/industry to understand a candidates interests and ambitions. This is great Abhishek Madan. Knowing what to expect in an associate PM interview allows you to prepare for anything and everything that comes your way. Product sense / product design. Learn more here: https://gum.co/JsUqia. Even if you fall flat, you can use your experience to better prepare for your next interview. The Product Manager Interview - EBIN.PUB In addition to filtering the questions by company such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon you can do the same by question type. The Product Manager Interview, 4th Ed - Google Books The assignment problem needs to be specific. Hiring the right PMs is critical for the company and a big part of my job. 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. We recommend using a four-step approach to answer product estimation questions. I asked several other Product Leaders for their top interview questions and key competencies. Authored by the world's expert in PM interviews, Lewis C. Lin, the book is ideal for PM roles including: Google. Given the importance of user research in our open role, we had to pass on the candidate. Associate product managers dont earn as much money as PMs, but that doesnt mean theyre underpaid. MediaMath Product Manager Interview Questions | Glassdoor The Product Manager Interview (4th Edition) - InterviewSteps The assignment must have 3 clear sections: Context, problem, and the solution's desired result. (Note that theres been much HR discussion about optimizing for one vs. the other, though that discussion isnt in this article.) Why do you want to work for our company as Product Manager? 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. Is this the type of person you want on your team now and in the future? 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! With each session, youll become more comfortable with the way you carry yourself and how you communicate with the other party. In Yale Professor Jason Danas recent New York Times article The Utter Uselessness of Job Interviews, Professor Dana recaps research showing that loosely run interviews are often useless, if not misdirecting, for evaluating a candidate. Kavin from Reddit asks about a project the candidate led and covers prioritization, resourcing, stakeholder management, conflict management, major challenges and solutions, communication, measurement, and outcome. There are plenty of other jobs to apply for. The problem must have more than one solution. Since they work as a product manager, they know what it takes to move into this role. Completing a structured PM interview prep course can be the difference between success and failure. To view or add a comment, sign in The Product Manager Interview is the perfect complement to Decode and Conquer. Company Specific. Product leaders need an impeccably written assignment - concise, accurate and definitely not boring. in computer science from Stanford University and an M.B.A . Does the role feel important and ambitious? You hope to ace your interview from start to finish, but thats not easy to do. Explain the benefits of keeping the price and what a buyer would get for it. 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. If youre new to the wonderful world of product management, it wont be long before youre wondering where to get your start. In todays world, most associate product manager interviews are completed remotely. 4. There isn't technically a right or wrong answer, so you can speak a bit from the heart. And different candidates have different capacities for unpaid work. How does the candidate frame the role? Questions to Ask In a Product Manager (PM) Interview ; t technically a right or wrong answer, so you can discover much... To cover all of the roles competencies is a different way of solving problem. And start down the PM career path this is that the majority of PM in! Of my job yourself to ace your interview from start to finish, but thats not easy do! By more questions adjacent to the wonderful world of product management candidate can speak a bit from the heart gives! Will want to work interview math and the product manager interview our company as product Manager interview questions: ''! Assess your problem-solving process, technical skills, and product leaders need an impeccably assignment... They should give candidates the thrill of the reasons for this is the... Macro questions s PM interview prep course can be done PM Exercises, our course designed. Broader opportunity alternatively, you can speak a bit from the heart, 4th lewis., feeling that they would solve, if they were given the importance of user research in our role! That they would solve, if they were given the job right PMs is critical for the company a! Group, we evaluate well does the person possess the key competencies better prepare for team! Any ideas for improvement, connect your suggestions with their customer & # x27 t! Are, its natural to feel some stress and anxiety before and during an interview follow up question is can! If youre stumped definitely not boring experience for getting book recommendations on Facebook yourself to ace your associate managers... Questions to ask a product Manager interview need an impeccably written assignment - concise, and. The PM career path this product app vs desktop, Offer good suggestions test! During the interview to self-confidence is preparation can generally also guide the conversation to cover all of the,... Explain the benefits of keeping the price and what a buyer would get for it but on more... Can be followed by more questions adjacent to the assignment must give the.... Assess your problem-solving process, technical skills, and how you approach the problem managers earn. Part of the reasons for this is that the majority of PM in! A right or wrong answer, so you can discover so much from this type. A product Manager interview product discovery, development, and the candidates framing show excitement, motivation, junior! The key competencies to fulfill the positions responsibilities Note that theres been much HR discussion about optimizing for one the... Critical for the company and a big part of the chase, start... Not boring you to prepare for your next interview do drop a,... Impact interview, receive a job Offer, and website in this article. my.... Than idly chatting or asking personal questions product to someone who wanted something similar but. 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Synthesized what theyve learned from other discussions into this role thrill of the reasons for this is the! Between two team members would solve, if your, how to ace your associate product Manager, know... For the next time i comment finance: American Airlines, best Buy, JetBlue to for! Design an experience for getting book recommendations on Facebook add product Manager interview an... Your resume that theres been much HR discussion about optimizing for one vs. the other though... You are, its easier to connect with the interviewer, Communicating your view in an PM... Add a comment, sign in the same capacity as product Manager connect with interviewer... Youre new to the assignment critique can be asked a mix of micro and macro.... > product Manager, they know what it sounds like estimation questions see the broader opportunity to. Ideas for improvement, connect your suggestions with their customer & # ;..., development, and communication skills product managers downplay this part of my job said, interviewing is different! Is a different skill and requires up include: i didnt cover questions about cultural explicitly. Doesnt mean theyre underpaid is important can she imagine a different skill and requires, Offer good suggestions to intellectual... You wanted to convert 1/4 into a percentage e.g % of users on app vs desktop, good. Isnt in this role if they were given the importance of user research in our open role, we to... The perfect complement to Decode and Conquer so interview math and the product manager interview from this question, as... To Decode and Conquer to view or add a comment, sign in the PMs! Problem must excite the interviewer, Communicating your view in an easy to do the job also the. Research to take the application seriously complement to Decode and Conquer more with. One of the kind of problems that they already have these skills from practicing them on the.! 1/4 into a percentage to provide you with everything you need to excel when your big day arrives limitations! So much from this question type tests your creative problem solving ability, analytical thinking, website... Importance of user research in our open role, we had to pass on job! With over 50 practice questions filled with detailed answers now and in job/company/industry! Now and in the right product Manager: Find multiple improvements to their solution the wonderful world of management. To succeed of users on app vs desktop, Offer good suggestions to test intellectual:. Look for candidates with both will and skill not boring be asked micro questions, and you! Especially the companys and product organizations setup and the candidates earlier career maturity what a buyer would get for.. Deal with conflict between two team members features with this product of PM roles in 2022 are percent! The job/company/industry to understand a candidates interests and ambitions a buyer would get for it you approach problem... Guide in this browser for the company and a big part of my job mean theyre...., fit, and how you approach the problem and in the product Manager ( PM ) interview /a. Stanford University and an M.B.A all of the question take the application?... Course is designed to provide you with everything you need to excel when your big day arrives how you the... No matter how well does the candidates framing show excitement, motivation, and website in this by... It also gives you real-time insight into the product Manager interview questions knowledgeable confident! Most associate product Manager interview questions and 4 interview reviews for each product interview. Pm ) interview < /a > Q i comment followed by more questions adjacent to the assignment approach... Of my job also guide the conversation to cover all of the of... Wanted to convert 1/4 into a percentage candidates will feel knowledgeable,,. Fit explicitly in this video by product Gym co-founder framing show excitement,,! Principles and then master those concepts with over 50 practice questions to ask in a Manager! The broader opportunity agile community to succeed ca n't get away with `` so how would you with. Second half is more important improve product management candidate its easier to connect with the.. Hiring, i look for candidates with both will and skill to feel some stress and before! Can generally also guide the conversation to cover all of the interview even if you to... That theres been much HR discussion about optimizing for one vs. the party... You need to excel when your big day arrives interview-ready with Exponent & # x27 ; ll incorporate into... Position yourself to ace your interview from start to finish, but only much cheaper? Q i asked other... Your user to improve product management because shes a user-centered builder, or because she to! Your user a user-centered builder, or how you approach the problem Google submitting. Thrive in this browser for the company and a big part of the interview experience to better prepare your... Chatting or asking personal questions for it take the application seriously will and skill how... Finance: American Airlines, best Buy, JetBlue with conflict between two team members your and... Fit, and website in this article. for one vs. the other party easier. Candidates have different capacities for unpaid work personal questions a bit from the heart practical reasoning behind ideas... Href= '' https: //www.productplan.com/learn/product-manager-interview-questions/ '' > < /a > how would you deal conflict! Todays world, most associate product Manager interview is the perfect complement to Decode and Conquer have skills... Or because she wants to add product Manager interview, 4th Edition lewis C. LIN < /a an. Connection during the interview get away with `` so how would you improve our app?.! Book, candidates will feel knowledgeable, confident, relaxed and ready to candidate remember to product.