Are you preparing for a job interview in the product management field but don’t know which questions to expect? Look no further as I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of product interview questions that cover a wide range of topics.
By practicing these questions repeatedly, I was able to secure several job offers during the layoff season. Preparing for these interviews and developing skills in answering them is crucial for any candidate seeking a product management or business analyst position. So, take some time to practice and be prepared for any question that may come your way in your next product management job interview.
On the list, we have questions regarding the following topics:
General
Product Management
Leadership & Teamwork
Behavioral
Analytics & Case Study
Technical
The Analytics & Case Study questions are not usually asked but if you are interviewing for an PM or senior position, you are likely to hear them. There are just a few types of analytical or case study questions, so if you prepare them carefully, you can smash them easily.
Estimation questions
You might hear a very weird question like:
Estimate the market size for electric bicycles in New York
Estimate the number of flights that take off from England between 6-11 AM
How many umbrella are sold in Tokyo in June?
How many high-end speaker are sold in the US in 2020?
How many ping pong balls can fit in a swimming pool?
The point here is to check your analytical skill, not to get the correct answer. Here’s how you can address this type of questions:
Ask clarifying questions: like how, when, where, what,… So that you can accurately understand the exercise
Pause and think about it: do not answer immediately. The interviewer is happy if you take 2-3 minutes to carefully think about the answer
Come up with a list of estimating parameters. Each parameter will narrow down the final number. Feel free to have assumptions during the estimation process. Some parameters I can think of: Population, Gender, Age, Marital status, Financial ability – Affordability, Profession, Region, Frequency,…
Walk the interviewer step by step through your estimation.
This question is designed to test your ability to narrow down on a complex problem. The example questions are:
What would you do if you see the traffic is suddenly down for 10%?
The conversion rate for feature X is significantly low (20%). How would you go about this issue?
The purpose here is to see if you are able to analyze the problem in a thorough and logical way, not to find out the exact issue. Here’s how you can address this type of questions:
Ask clarifying questions: like how, when, where, what,… So that you can accurately understand the exercise
Pause and think about it: do not answer immediately. The interviewer is happy if you take 2-3 minutes to carefully think about the answer.
Narrow down the problem by asking the interviewer
Is there any problem with the analytics tool?
Is there any problem with the way we calculate the metrics?
When exactly did the issue start and end?
Did it happen to a specific group of user?
Did it happen to a specific location?
Did it happen to during specific time?
This is an example showing how I analyze the problem and find the root causes
This is also an analysis question. Here are a few example trade-off questions:
Should we focus on adding new features or improving existing ones?
Should we prioritize developing a mobile app or optimizing for mobile web?
Should we include a free trial with limited features, or have a paid-only model with full features?
If you are Instagram PM, would you make the User Story last 24 or 48 hours?
When facing such trade-off decisions, you can use the following framework to make a data-driven and informed decision:
Identify the goals: Firstly, define the problem clearly, and what you’re trying to achieve. By doing so, you will ensure everyone is aligned on the problem and the priorities.
Gather relevant data: Collect data from various sources to help inform the decision, such as customer feedback, user research, competitive analysis, and business metrics.
List and weigh the pros and cons: Make a list of the pros and cons of each option, considering the data you’ve gathered. Next, make a table with these pros and cons, including the expected impact, time, user experience, and business value, and weigh each impacted department.
Prioritize criteria: Identify the most critical factors in making this choice, like impact on user satisfaction, revenue potential, ease of implementation, and overall impact on the product.
Evaluate the trade-offs: Consider any trade-offs between the two options, and consider how they impact the success of the product. See if there are any variables that you could change to reduce or eliminate the negatives.
Make a decision: After considering all of the above points, make a decision based on your top priority criteria and have a clear reasoning that supports your decision. Make sure to communicate the decision with your team, outlining your thinking and the decision you have made, and the steps that will be taken following that decision.
You can learn more about this type of question here:
This is a question to test your Product sense. Here are a few examples:
Design an app for ordering food at a restaurant.
Design a fitness app for senior citizens.
Design an e-commerce site for selling shoes online.
Design a website for finding and booking vacation rentals.
Design a health app for tracking medication schedules.
When answering these types of questions, you can use the following framework:
The goals: Start by understanding the overall business objectives, company goals, and project constraints. Define what success looks like for the product and what key metrics it needs to meet.
Understanding the user: Firstly, identify the target users, and understand their needs, motivations, and preferences. Conduct user research or gather user personas to get a better understanding of the users.
Identifying the problem: Define the problem to be solved, and identify any existing pain points or unmet needs that your product could solve.
Brainstorming features: Once you have a clear understanding of the users and the problem, brainstorm a list of features and functionalities that could address the problem.
Prioritizing features: Use a prioritization framework such as impact and effort, RICE scoring, or KANO model, to determine which features will provide the highest impact for your users and for the company.
Creating a prototype: Create a rough prototype of the product to visualize how it should look and function, this step can be done in pen and paper or using any of the digital tools like Figma, Sketch, etc.
Testing your product: Conduct user testing of your prototype with a subset of users to gather feedback and insights. Gather user feedback and data to make future iterations and improvements.
