According to the career website Aha!, the role of product manager is, in effect, the CEO of a product—and is “responsible for the strategy, roadmap, and feature definition of [a particular] product or product line.” In addition, the product manager should be familiar with “marketing, forecasting, and profit/loss responsibilities.”
A plethora of product management jobs are available—and for millennials, our natural technological inclinations can only boost credentials. Normally, when I provide interview questions and answers, the answers are straightforward—especially if based on a particular form of coding, such as CSS. However, the questions here, the first set of which is provided by LinkedIn, are fairly open-ended and opinion-based—therefore allowing for different potential answers. Multiple examples of answers will be presented, and are useful as a guide.
Q: Why do you want this product manager job?
A:
- You love customer support because you thrive on human interaction
- You feel aligned to the company mission
- You are skilled at problem solving and crisis management
Q: What challenges are you looking for in this position?
A:
- You are motivated by all challenges
- You have met challenges in previous positions
- You can utilize particular skills/experience gained via previous jobs and education in order to effectively handle challenges
Q: What is your biggest weakness?
A: In answering this question, the LinkedIn story advises using “small flaw” answers, such as “I sometimes get sidetracked by details” or “I’m not patient when co-workers don’t understand my ideas.” These answers point out strengths in the midst of weaknesses—while you may be distracted by details, you are detail-oriented. Although your patience when explaining your ideas leaves little to be desired, it is a result of your exuberance related to the aforementioned ideas.
The next set of questions—while also open-ended—deal with application of your skills as well as knowing and understanding your target market for a product. They are provided by venturegrit.com.
Q: How would you design _______ – example: a line of sunglasses for babies?
A: Touch on a possible prototype, mappings and how to cover the cost of the product. The example products used for such a query are very specific to a certain group of people, such as babies or senior citizens—who have limited or no mobility.
Q: Tell me about a product you like and use frequently. Why do you like it?
A: Discuss why you like the product (in the realm of the company’s market), what features you would add/remove, how you could improve the product and what features you would be sure to keep and add should you become the product manager for that product.
Q: Who is the target customer? Why?
A: Think back to our sunglasses for babies example—but other examples may not be so easy. Very often we millennials are the target market, especially as far as tech products are concerned. If discussing the product in your answer to the above question, YOU are part of the target market.
Q: Would you change the pricing? Why?
A: Again, return to your product that you like and use frequently—and understand that you may have to ask some of your own questions before you arrive at an answer. Determine an approximate cost of building such a product—and if it’s not manufactured by the company you’re interviewing for, research your choice product before hand in the knowledge that you will have to give examples.
Q: How many ideas can you think of to grow the number of users and revenue for this product?
A: Still speaking of your choice product—and assuming you’ve done the research—the author of this question indicates that the question is meant to test your “divergent thinking and awareness of what it takes to deliver a successful product.” Keeping that in mind, form your answer based on your research—as well as research on the competition. Study where your product has succeeded and failed as well as where the competitor has succeeded and failed.
Q: In an area you’re passionate about, talk me through how you would come up with a new product to build.
A: Finally diverting from your choice product, you should “be focused on identifying and validating the problem set and how you would engage with customers on problems with the product and proposed solutions.”
Q: How did you know what not to build?
A: If you’re trying to sell a product in an area in which you’re passionate, it’s very easy to get carried away and not notice flaws in your design—as I often say to my co-workers, “it makes sense in my head.” Separate your passion and remember practicality. The guide indicates that “knowing what not to build is critical—a good candidate does this implicitly by focusing on the minimum viable product.” In other words, don’t overcomplicate—and don’t let your passion for the area let you overcomplicate it.
While there are several more questions that could be asked of you in a product manager interview—and you could have different answers in mind considering the open-ended nature of the questions, practice for an interview with these questions. And be sure to study up on the company—as well your product of choice and the company’s products.
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