15 Product Manager Interview Questions Recruiters Commonly Ask

When heading for a product manager’s role, it is essential to be mindful of the interview processes, what is asked during the interview and how to prepare for them. Going for an interview unprepared might lead to uncomfortable pauses between answers. Even, you might miss out on covering all the important points in an answer, which might decrease your chances of getting a job offer. So, before we dive into common product manager interview questions, it’s important to understand what employers are looking for.

Apart from excellent interpersonal skills and strategic thinking, employers are looking for product managers who can adapt, think, and act on their feet. They are looking for aspirants who can oversee the product design and development process and streamline communication between the brand and its customers.

Common Product Manager Interview Questions and their Answers

Product managers perform several tactical and strategic duties that ensure the smooth completion and execution of the product management process. Therefore, interviewers ask aspirants many technical and behavioural questions to test their capabilities. Below are some common product manager interview questions and answers asked by recruiters.

1. What are the Indicators of a Well-Designed Product?

A well-designed product is aesthetically appealing, unique, easy to use, and solves common problems. Besides, a good product must always be adaptive and enhance user experience. However, what distinguishes a good product design from an excellent one is form and function.

2. What is the Difference Between a Project Manager and a Product Manager?

Product and project managers work closely on the same initiatives, but in most cases, they have different responsibilities.

A project manager is responsible for planning, executing, and monitoring a project(s). They lead teams, define project objectives, communicate with stakeholders, and see a project from start to closure.

On the other hand, a product manager is responsible for ensuring that the product management process is carried out seamlessly. Their primary goal is to oversee a product(s) throughout the product life cycle (PLC).

Pro-tip: While answering this product manager interview question, you can also discuss the meaning of product and project; and state examples of why people get confused between a product manager and a project manager.

3. Describe the Importance of a Well-Defined Strategy in the Product Management Process.

A well-defined strategy provides product teams with the guidance and support required throughout the product life cycle (PLC). It also ensures the proper implementation of skills and resources throughout the process. Moreover, a product strategy gives a clear view of the design process, tools and techniques used to collect customer feedback, and the marketing mix used for product promotion, ultimately improving overall product management.

4. What Product Management Tactics will you Undertake for a Product Launch?

There are many tried and tested product management tactics that ensure successful product launches. Here are the top product management tactics:

• Study and understand the target audience before the product launch, which helps product teams to develop a product that matches their customer requirement.
• Product testing in a small group before the launch. This type of testing helps product teams gather first-hand customer feedbacks, which can be used in product development and other stages.
• Stand unique from the competition by offering a unique value proposition.

5. What do you Think is the Primary Responsibility of a Product Manager?

Product managers are an integral part of the product team. Here are some of the vital roles and responsibilities of a product manager:

• Formulate strategies aligning the businesses’ vision and goals
• Develop product from scratch
• Evaluate product ideas and implement them
• Conduct market research to understand the customer’s needs and wants

Other common product manager interview questions:

6. What do you like about our company’s products? Are there any suggestions you would like to put forth?
7. Why do you want to become a product manager?

Product Manager Technical Interview Questions and Answers

Here are some frequently asked technical product manager interview questions during the interview round.

8. What Aspects of the Product Management Process do you Love the Most?

Product management is a complex process, and aspiring product managers need to hone their skills in the below-mentioned areas to make a successful career in the field.

• Product discovery
• Product analysis
• Product development
• Product roadmap
• Stakeholder management
• Pricing modelling

9. What Technical Skills do you Endorse, and How Would you Tackle a Technical Hiccup?

A great product manager must possess a unique blend of hard and soft skills. While hard skills are job-specific skills or knowledge gathered through education or hands-on experience, soft skills are personality traits and interpersonal skills that characterise a person’s relationship with other people.

A product manager requires soft skills like excellent interpersonal skills, organisation skills, strategic thinking, and critical thinking. On the other hand, these are the technical or hard skills every product manager requires:

• Data analytical skills
• Knowledge of SQL language
• Well-versed in A/B testing
• Knowledge of agile product management
• Market research abilities

10. How Would you Handle a Budget-Cut Situation?

A budget cut may scare any product manager because it heavily affects the product management process. However, with experience comes expertise in dealing with difficult situations like budget cuts, dynamic business environments, and competitors.

Note: While answering this product manager interview question, emphasise your ability to prioritise important tasks. It will help the recruiters understand that you will get work done no matter what.

Product Manager Behavioural Interview Questions and Answers

In this section, we will be looking at commonly asked behavioural-based product manager interview questions.

11. How do you Keep your Team Motivated?

Product managers are often referred to as the ‘CEO of product teams.’ They are responsible for activities associated with team management such as employee motivation, the delegation of duties, monitoring team members’ performance, and more.

Here are some ways in which you can keep your team motivated:

• Make them feel important
• Set difficult goals
• Offer frequent feedback
• Share a clear and detailed vision
• Offer opportunities for development

Recruiters frequently ask this question to understand if you can fit into their company’s culture. Therefore, while answering this question, demonstrate your knowledge of different ways to motivate your team.

12. How do you Tackle Low-Performing Team Members?

A product manager handles a team of skilled and experienced product management executives, engineers, and designers. They delegate responsibilities and monitor team members’ performance from time to time.

Whenever an employee performs poorly, a product manager must talk about their performance with them and suggest ways to improve the performance.

Interviewers ask this question to test the capabilities of an aspiring product manager to solve problems related to team management. Therefore, share your previous experience of dealing with low-performing team members while answering this question.

There are other behavioural product manager interview questions frequently asked by interviewers, such as:

13. How will you convince engineers to incorporate a unique feature in a product?
14. How do you solve a conflict between team members?
15. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Bottom Line

By now, you must have understood that product manager interviews can be challenging. Mastering a product manager job interview demands more than revising theories associated with the field.

It requires you to think through your answers to questions you are likely to be asked in the job interview ahead of time. Make the most of these product manager interview questions to stand out from the crowd.

You can also take a look at our step-to-step guide for a job interview and tips on how to ace a job interview. Additionally, you can consider gaining certification in product management tools and methodologies, including project management, A/B testing, and analytics. Besides enhancing your career prospects, these certifications will help you hone the skills needed to become an excellent product manager.

Emeritus has partnered with institutes like IIM, ISB, XLRI, and IIT to equip you with the advanced skills and knowledge required to excel in the field. Joining our product management programmes will prepare you to build a product that is fit-to-market products and prioritises customer needs.