Top Interview Questions for Product Manager
A Product Manager is someone who identifies the customer need and the larger business objectives that a product or feature will fulfill articulates what success looks like for a product, with the help of their team.
According to a Product School survey, 55% of product managers prefer working for small-to-medium enterprises.
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Hard Skills
Use these questions to identify a candidate’s technical knowledge and abilities
Soft Skills
Use these questions to assess a candidate’s personality traits and cognitive skills
What to look for while interviewing for a Product Manager?
The major skill required for a product manager is leadership skills, building roadmaps, among others. Therefore, look for a candidate who has knowledge of all these.
Here are some of the in-demand skills for a Product Manager
Role-specific skills to look for: Market research, customer interviews, product design, positioning and messaging, customer communication, building roadmaps.
Soft skills to look for Team spirit, leadership, problem-solving, communication, and organization.
Pro Tip: Always screen before you interview. Use Online Assessment to screen applicants for a Product Manager position before blocking your time for an in-person interview.
Questions to ask while interviewing a Product Manager
We have compiled a set of questions with the help of 70+ hiring managers at different organizations.
Top Role-based interview questions for Product Manager
How do you juggle between B2B and B2C market segments?
Purpose of this interview question:
An interviewer can ask this question to get to know the candidate’s understanding of markets and their management skills.
What to listen for:
- Top candidates would describe how they would build different roadmaps and strategies to juggle between B2B and B2C markets.
How do you know a product is designed well?
Purpose of this interview question:
Understanding what are elements need to be prioritized and planning to work on them accordingly is crucial to this job position.
What to listen for:
- Top candidates would show sensitivity to the specific requirements of a business’s product.
How would you introduce new product features to customers?
Purpose of this interview question:
This question is designed to measure the marketing strategies of the candidate and whether they propose appropriate steps.
What to listen for:
- Listen for the specific steps that would be required to introduce new product features to customers.
How to screen Product Manager for soft skills?
What skills do you think are necessary for this job role?
Purpose of this interview question:
Since software developers rely on a combination of technical knowledge and transferable skills to be successful. Therefore it is important for an applicant for this role to show the required skills.
What to listen for:
- Look for evidence of the required skills for this job role.
What are your salary expectations?
Purpose of this interview question:
This question is helps in understanding what the market is currently paying for certain qualifications, experience, and skills.
What to listen for:
- Top candidates would give the range of salary they expect.
Do you have any questions for us?
Purpose of this interview question:
The question is designed to know how interested the candidates are in your company.
What to listen for:
- Top candidates would ask questions and show interested in the job and company-related details.
Start Optimizing your Product Manager Hiring today
Find and hire talent with confidence. If your candidate doesn’t know the answer to the above questions and you’re hiring for a Product Manager position, then they’re probably not a great fit.
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