Best ways to prepare for a product manager interview

Posted by Hanarry Anderson on February 27th, 2019

Article: Product manager interview questions are known to be complex and specific. That is one of the major reasons why most candidates look for resources online to prepare for a product manager interview. Experts recommend aspiring product managers to read ‘Cracking the PM interview’ and ‘Lean Startup’ in order to get a better understanding of how to build good products. These books would also lay a strong foundation for thinking about how you can come up with an idea, test and validate that idea, publicize it in the market and then make the necessary improvements in it. This knowledge is important for every candidate before a product management interview.

Besides the theoretical knowledge, you should also focus on getting practical knowledge through involvement with industry-specific websites and media. LinkedIn groups are also a great way to form networks and connect with experienced professionals in the same field. Networking your way into an interview helps you to already know the latest trends and practices of that particular organization or industry. This, in turn, helps you answer interview questions more intelligently.

Product manager interview questions

Most questions revolve around what your role and responsibilities would be as product manager. A product manager interview generally consists of questions revolving around the following traits:

1. Understanding of design, functionality and areas of improvement for any given product in a particular industry
2. Creative thinking, communication skills and marketing or persuasion abilities
3. Systematic and simple solutions focused on teamwork for any given problem
4. Focus on customer needs and a complete understanding of requirements of a minimum viable product
5. Why do you want to work with that particular organization? Why are you personally interested in the company’s core product line?

All these traits and the skills required to answer product manager interview questions intelligently can only be cultivated within yourself via practical experience aimed at gaining insight into the industry you will be working in.

In conclusion

As an aspiring , your resume can also be compared with a product that you need to sell to the organization hiring you. Your chief task in the interview would be to suitably represent your product in the market, and in order to do this, you need to critically analyze your own resume while building it. This helps you to step into your customers’ shoes and understand what they are looking for and how you can fulfill those needs and add value to their organization. Once you get this basic concept, you will be able to crack every product manager interview with ease.