Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to interview for several senior Product Manager roles. After going through multiple interviews, I noticed a pattern in the questions being asked, and I thought it would be helpful to share them here on my blog for those preparing for similar positions.
The questions I encountered typically fell into four main categories:
By sharing these insights, I hope to provide a useful resource for fellow product managers looking to advance their careers. So, here are are questions:
Technical Questions
- Can you explain the product management structure in your current organization?
- Describe the complete process of building a product or feature in your organization, starting from prioritization. How do you gather and write requirements, manage stakeholders, and gather feedback?
- How do you prioritize requirements in your product management process?
- What information do you typically include in a Product Requirements Document (PRD) or Business Requirements Document (BRD)?
- Can you explain one feature you developed that you love the most in your product? What were the challenges faced during development, what problem does it solve, and which KPIs do you track to measure its success?
- Walk me through the end-to-end process of product management in your company, from roadmap creation to release management.
- Who is responsible for creating the product roadmap in your organization?
- Who do you report to, and what is the overall structure of product management in your organization?
- How do you collect and prioritize requirements? What sources or channels do you use for this?
- What metrics do you use to measure the success of a feature? Can you name three important metrics and explain how they are tracked?
- How do you gather feedback from your customers to improve your product?
- Can you explain how you write a PRD? What information do you include, and which tool do you use for this?
- When integrating two systems, how do you gather and manage data? Specifically, how do you handle data collection, field mappings, transformation, and error handling?
Case Based Questions
- How would you approach designing an ATM specifically for blind users? What features and functionalities would you prioritize? What factors would you consider, and how would you document these requirements?
- How would you leverage AI to address key challenges in the healthcare sector? Can you provide specific examples or use cases?
- You need to design a plug-and-play plugin for GDPR compliance to delete all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data. What are the key acceptance criteria for this plugin?
- Uber has shown 40% decline in usage in last 1 week and 20% decline in last 2 days. How do you conduct a Root Cause Analysis (RCA)?
Behavioural Questions
- Can you provide an example of a situation where you failed? What did you learn from that experience, and how did it change your approach in the future?
- How do you handle conflict with a team member? Can you share an example of a time when you managed a disagreement effectively?
- How do you approach conflict management within your team? What strategies do you use to resolve disagreements constructively?
- How do you manage change within a team or organization, especially when there is resistance from others? Can you provide an example of how you have successfully navigated such a situation?
- What is your leadership style? How do you motivate and lead your team to achieve their goals?
- What kind of support do you need from your manager to be successful in a new role?
Domain Specific Questions
When preparing for domain-related questions, it’s important to be ready for both broad and in-depth inquiries specific to your industry. For example, in the life sciences industry, you should be well-versed in current trends, challenges, and innovations. Additionally, consider preparing for questions about the future of your domain, such as:
- How will emerging technologies, like AI, impact your industry?
- What strategies can be implemented to increase efficiency in current processes or products?
- What opportunities do you see in the current landscape of your industry, and how would you capitalize on them? By anticipating these types of questions, you’ll be better prepared to demonstrate your knowledge and insight into both the present and future state of your field.
If you have any comments, feedback, or requests, please feel free to connect with me on Twitter at @HighOnDataPro. And if you liked this post, don’t forget to share it with your network!