Interview Questions for Product Managers

Several months ago I spent a lot of time interviewing potential Product Manager and Lead Product Managers to head up a product team. Listed below are some common interview questions along with some that I hand crafted for the particular PM jobs being advertised at the time. There are no right or wrong answers for most of the questions. The purpose is to find out how a person will operate under different scenarios. I hope these questions will help any one who is preparing for a job interview as a product manager or going for a promotion to a Senior, Lead or Head of product Management position. Periodically I’ll post possible answers or should I say possible thought processes that your future employer could be looking for.

1. Where do you see yourself in three to five years time?
see Where will the product manager be in 3 years time? for my thoughts on how you could answer this question.


2. Why do you want this job?


3. What’s your greatest achievement to date?


4. How do you see the web (or the market space your in) 3 years from now?
   Read Where do you see your product in two years time? for two mini case study answers.
   
   
5. How would handle a senior business stakeholder that demands more than you can deliver with in a certain timeframe?
   # One thing not to do is to exercise your freedom of speech - but to think of all the possible options - read Interview answer to questions regarding demands on development resource for an outline answer to this interview question.
   
6. You, and your team, were involved in a successful launch of a new product that exceeded business expectations during its first phase - what would you do?
   # Read Interview Question: How Do Product Managers Handle Success? for a suggested answer.


7. What is more important to you: being liked or being respected? Why?
   
8. How do you handle stress? Read Product Managers need to reduce and handle stress
See link above for tips on handling this type of interview question.


9. Do you believe in processes? Is there ever a time when you think it’s acceptable to break an agreed process?
Read: 7 things the Product Manager needs to consider when bypassing processes


10. How do you keep up with new and emerging technologies and how do you access and get to understand their usefulness to your product range? see: How do Product Managers Keep up with Technology? for a suggested anwer and how others have Product Managers have answered this question.
    
11. Tell me about a project you have run or a product you have managed through its life cycle? Read How do you demonstrate that you can manage products for my thoughts on this question.


12. What would you do if you went to a high level business meeting with directors the CEO and other senior stakeholders… viewed a power point presentation on a new (on-line) product. The presentation concluded by annoucing that we aim to launch this new product in two months time?
    Read How Product Managers can push back at an interview for a suggested answer.