Hello there. My name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company PassMyInterview.com
and in this tutorial, I will teach you how to prepare for, and pass, a product manager
interview. It does not matter which organization you have your PRODUCT MANAGER interview for,
please do make sure you stay tuned and watch this tutorial from beginning to end because
I promise you I am going to make you the STAND OUT CANDIDATE during your interview! I will
achieve this by covering the following different elements during this tutorial. I'm going to
give you some good tips for passing your product manager interview. I am also going to give
you a number of sample product manager interview questions. These are common questions that
come up regularly during product manager interviews. I will also give you SUGGESTED ANSWERS to
tough product manager interview questions to help you prepare. I will tell you the qualities
the interviewer is looking for. And then, at the end of the presentation, I will give
you THREE QUESTIONS that I think you should ask the interview panel at the end of your
product manager interview. So, five really good, valid reasons for you to watch this
from beginning to end. Now, before I get into the content and teach how to pass your product
manager interview, a very warm welcome to this tutorial. My name is Richard McMunn.
That's me there in the center. I have been helping people to pass their interviews for
about 20 years now. I am a former fire officer and also a manager myself with many years’
experience and I always help you by giving you TOP-SCORING ANSWERS to the interview questions.
Please do make sure you SUBSCRIBE by clicking the red button below the video and also make
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I would also very much appreciate your support if you gave the video a LIKE -thank you very
much. That tells me that you enjoy the content. I will then spend more time creating it for
you. So let's get into the tutorial - the Product Manager Interview Questions and Answers.
Please take notes as I progress. The first thing that I want to cover quickly is the
QUALITIES that you need to demonstrate during your interview. So you have to be able to
manage and lead a team of people. It is likely there will be some questions based around
how you communicate and interact with teams of people both internally and externally,
and also your ability to handle conflict. You also have to have an eye for detail - great
attention to detail skills. Always maintain the highest standards possible, be capable
of resolving conflict within teams. You must have strong communication and interpersonal
skills because you need to build relationships and also be able to create and follow product
roadmaps and systems. So, within the answers that are going to come right now, I have covered
all of these different qualities to make sure you are the standout candidate. By the way,
if you want to connect with me on LinkedIn.com, I've put my ‘Linked In link’ in the description
below the video. It's always good to connect with like-minded people. OK. Let's get into
those product manager interview questions and answers. First question that I want to
cover is: Tell me about yourself and why you want to become a product manager? An important
tip for answering this question is, in your answer, list the skills, the qualities and
the experience you have that will be of benefit to the employer, and this is how to do it.
“I believe the skills, qualities and experience I have make me the perfect candidate for this
position. Throughout my career, I have continually learnt, developed and improved to point where
I now feel I am a highly competent and effective Product Manager. I want to become a Product
Manager because the skills, the qualities and the experience I possess are a strong
match for the person specification, which means I can hit the ground running and make
a solid, positive start as your Product Manager. I have great attention to detail skills, I
can manage and lead a team of people to achieve a company’s commercial objectives, I am
a strong communicator and I can also be relied upon to deliver all product-related tasks
and products on time and to the necessary standards.” That is a great answer! It shows
that you are confident in your own abilities. You are giving them loads of really positive
strengths and qualities that you have, and you are also explaining why you want to be
a product manager. Let's move on to the second question of our product manager interview.
Why do you want to work for our company as the product manager? So, here is my tip for
answering this question. In your answer, demonstrate you have researched their organization carefully.
And also give them THREE MAIN REASONS why you want to work for them as a product manager.
Here is my sample response to the question: Why do you want to work for our company as
a product manager? Here we go. “When I first saw this job advertised, I was attracted to
it primarily because the position is with your company. You have a good reputation within
this industry; people speak highly of you and I feel the standards, ethics and values
you expect from your staff, are a perfect match for my own. To answer your question
specifically, I want to work for your company for three reasons. You have ambitious plans
for the future, which I would like to be a part of. You will clearly support me in my
role as Product Manager, and finally, during my research I was hugely impressed with the
quality products you create and provide for your loyal customer base.” What I love about
that answer, is it shows that you have researched them and you are paying them compliments,
but also you are giving THREE REASONS why you want to work for them. And that demonstrates
to the interviewer that you really have thought about this carefully, and you are therefore
more likely to stay with them for the long term. Let's take a look at another product
manager interview question: Tell me how you'd describe our product to someone who wanted
something similar, but only much cheaper? So, tell me how you’d describe our product
to someone who wanted something similar, but only much cheaper? Explain how important it
is to really know the product in detail when communicating with customers or clients and
explain the product BENEFITS to the customer and then try to ADD VALUE where possible.
Here is my suggested answer to this product manager interview question. “First and foremost,
it would be vital that I have a thorough working and in-depth knowledge of your products. Whilst
communicating with the customer or the client, I would use previous testimonials, concentrate
on the positive product features and how these will benefit them, and also explain the costs
versus benefits element. For example, I would say: “This product is set at a price that
demonstrates its value in terms of the difference it will make to you, the end user. We have
not received one negative review from our customers who are using the product, and the
feedback we are receiving shows the benefits far outweigh the investment you would be making
by purchasing this product. We also provide outstanding support post-purchase for all
of our customers, so you would have the peace of mind that it will fulfill all of your needs
and requirements.” Again, what I like about that answer is it is positive in nature, but
you are actually saying to them… “This is what I would say.” You are thinking on
your feet and you are also demonstrating WHY their product is great and it is worth the
investment somebody is making. The next product manager interview question I want to cover
is: “How would you write a value proposition for a product? This is a tough interview question.
How would you write a value proposition for a product? And as a product manager, you need
to know this. So, my tips for answering the question is… when answering this product
manager interview question, follow a 4-STEP PROCESS to demonstrate you are knowledgeable
in value proposition. If you say, “there are four stages that I would follow”, that
demonstrates that you really do know what you're talking about, instead of sitting there
and, you know, thinking on your feet for a great answer. So, if you say there are four
steps I would follow that demonstrates to the interviewer, you do know what you're talking
about. Here we go. “I always write a product value proposition using a 4-step process.
Step 1 is where I list the BENEFITS of the product. Step 2 is where I write a brief description
of how each benefit ADDS VALUE to the product. Step 3 is where I identify what PROBLEM the
customer has, before ALIGNING the products BENEFITS to their problem and how it will
overcome them. Finally, step 4 is where I write down why our company is the PREFERRED
SUPPLIER for this product – and this is usually based on customer feedback, customer
support and also positive testimonials.” You can see the power there of answering that
interview question by having FOUR DIFFERENT STEPS that you will follow. And by using these
four steps, it makes it easier for you to remember this for your interview. Let's have
a look at another product manager interview question and answer. By the way, I hope you
are enjoying this? Hopefully, you can see the amount of work that I put into these videos.
Please don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and also hit that LIKE button. Thank you very much.
So, the next question is: How would you deal with conflict between two team members? This
is your opportunity to demonstrate effective management skills. Show you are capable of
dealing with conflict confidently and also by following a set tried-and-tested process.
Here is my suggested answer to the product manager interview question, how would you
deal with conflict between two team members? “Any form of conflict is unhelpful to the
team and to the productivity of an organization. Therefore, I would act decisively and confidently
to get to the bottom of the conflict quickly with a view to resolving it. I would speak
to both team members and encourage them to resolve the conflict between themselves by
engaging in open and honest communication. If this was not successful, I would facilitate
discussions myself, prioritize the areas of conflict and then put a plan in place to get
both team members back to full and engaging working capacity as soon as possible.” This
shows you have good management skills. You are able to deal with a situation. First of
all, by confidently encouraging them to sort it out themselves. If not, you will get more
involved. And that is the way to answer any interview question that is based on resolving
team conflict. Next question: What would you do in the first 30 days of starting as our
product manager? So we want to think about what we're going to do in this role before
we get the job, because that shows that you are really, really serious about working for
them, and you are enthusiastic about it. I can promise you’ll probably be the only
person who has prepared an answer to this interview question prior to going to the interview.
My tip is: have a plan in place already of what you intend doing within the role, once
you start. Be ambitious in your plan and provide evidence of how you will make an immediate
impact once you start in the role of product manager. Here is my suggested answer. “I
already have a definitive plan of what I would do if I become your Product Manager. I would
speak to you, the senior management team, to establish the short, medium and long terms
objectives of the company and how I would need to ensure the work I carry out as the
Product Manager is closely aligned to those. I would then identify potential products to
help us achieve our goals by carrying out market research, specifying key product requirements
and specifications, and also setting definitive timescales for completion and implementation.
I would also get to know my team and brief them on what the expectations were in regard
to their performance and how it should be aligned to the company vision and the financial
objectives. I would also look to develop effective marketing strategies for all products and
ensure there were effective systems in place to meet all of our objectives.” Whatever
answer you give to that question, make sure you have a number of things that you are going
to do. What I like about that answer is that you are saying I ALREADY HAVE A PLAN in place.
I would speak to you to understand the short, medium and long term objectives. I would then
make sure what I do is aligned to those. I would then identify potential products, the
key specs, specifications and the requirements and then timescales that's important for completion
and implementation. You'd get to know your team; then brief them on what the expectations
are and how their work should align to the company vision and the financial objectives.
And then develop effective marketing strategies and make sure they were systems in place.
And to be effective as a manager, in my opinion, you should always work to SYSTEMS. They work
brilliantly in any organization and also in any business. So that's a great answer to
that interview question! Let's take a look at another one. How would you create an effective
product roadmap? Now, you may already have experience of creating product roadmaps. I
will give you a sample answer to this, but make sure the product roadmap you use is relevant
to your own industry. A product roadmap is a visual summary that essentially maps out
what needs to be done in order to achieve the product objectives. A roadmap for your
product is a strategic guide, if you like, that determines how you intend to execute
the product vision. Here is my suggested answer. “There are 7 steps I would follow when creating
an effective product roadmap. STEP 1 is where I create a vision that is customer-centric.
I always focus on the needs of the customer and how the product will benefit them or solve
a specific problem. This is essentially the WHY for the product. STEP 2 is where I will
collate inputs from key stakeholders and experienced members of the organization. STEP 3 is where
I will create the strategic themes and objectives of the product and determine the specific
features required. These will be set in conjunction with the customer requirements we had identified
in step 1. STEP 4 is where I will determine the product teams needed – the teams may
include the product creation team, a marketing team, the front end team, the back end team
and also an analytics team. STEP 5 is where I would set the timeline for product completion
and brief the teams on what we need to achieve and how we are going to do it. STEP 6 is where
we will allocate resources and provide support to all team members during the creation stage.
Finally, during STEP 7, we will complete product testing, product launch and effective marketing.”
That again, by using a number of steps, demonstrates that you have experience of creating product
roadmaps, but you are also good at managing product roadmaps and putting things in place.
And you will notice that that roadmap follows a LOGICAL SEQUENCE of what you would do, and
most importantly, it is focusing entirely on the customer. The WHY for the product.
Next question. What do you think the biggest challenges you'll face will be from a product
management perspective? This is assessing your understanding of the role, and how challenging
the product management role can be. Because as you and I know, being a product manager
is a challenging role, but it’s also assessing how you feel about those challenges and what
you will do to overcome them. So my tip is, think about the challenges you will face from
a product innovation and marketing perspective, as opposed to anything related to communicating
with stakeholders or third party contractors, etc. And then state how you will overcome
the challenges in your answer. What I'm saying there is, do not say the challenges I would
face would be dealing with difficult members of my team, or communicating with senior managers.
Don't say anything related to that! Talk about product innovation, marketing strategies,
but then more importantly, how you will overcome them. I think this is a brilliant answer to
this interview question. Here we go. “The biggest challenge will come from creating
effective product roadmaps without having the input from customers or without being
able to conduct the right level of market research when the product creation timelines
are very tight. I also feel the challenge with be in regard to developing the right
products for our customers based on the fact innovation and customer needs are constantly
changing. As a product manager, it is my responsibility to always be a few steps ahead at all times.
I actually find these and other challenges the most rewarding aspect of being a product
manager, and I feel I have the tenacity, resilience and expertise to overcome them and develop
outstanding, customer-centric products.” That's a great answer because you are identifying
some of the more ‘higher-level challenges’ you will face as a product manager. But you're
actually saying there that you find these and other challenges the most rewarding aspects.
I love challenges that come along in my business, and I find that I am at my best when I'm faced
with different kind of challenges. And that's where I get the most job satisfaction from.
But what I like about that response as well, is I say, I feel I have the tenacity, the
resilience and the expertise to overcome them and develop outstanding products. So you are
ending that response on a POSITIVE note. I said at the start about the questions to ask
in your product manager interview. What are they? So, at the end of your interview, they're
going to say to you. “OK. Thank you. Do you have any questions for us?” Now, a lot
of people will say… “No, it's OK. You've covered everything during the interview!”
but I think that is the wrong thing to do. I think you need to ask some questions that
demonstrate you’re enthusiastic and you are also focusing on the organization and
what they need from the product manager. This is what I would ask if it was me at a product
manager interview. “Yes. I'd like to ask you a couple of questions, please. What has
frustrated you about product managers who have worked for you previously?” So this
is this is quite a clever question because you are trying to find out the things that
have frustrated them about previous product managers. Now, they might say, to be honest
with you, they've been brilliant! You know, they've been really good. Somebody has moved
on, but they've been very good. So then you could say, “What are the highlights of previous
product managers?” Try to find out what works for them. Second question: “What are
the plans for your company from a product creation aspect, over the next five to 10
years?” That question is clever, because it plants a seed in their mind that you are
thinking of staying for a long period of time, which is attractive to any employer. And then
also: “How much involvement do you currently have with your customers when developing new
product ideas?” So, how much involvement do you currently have with your customers
when developing new product ideas? You are then demonstrating that you understand how
important it is to INVOLVE THE CUSTOMERS as much as possible in the product creation strategy.
Please do stick around for just a few more seconds. I have 34 Great Answers to Manager
Interview Questions. If you click that link in the top-right hand corner of the video,
it takes you through to my website. Here, let me quickly show you: PassMyInterview.com.
This guide is brilliant for any manager interview. I recommend you get a copy of it. There are
34 questions. Now, I'm not saying to prepare for all of these, but there's lots of challenging
questions. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? What would be your 90 day plan
once you start as our product manager? What's your biggest weakness? How do you manage an
under-performing member of staff? At the very least, click that link and go through to that
page in the top right hand corner where you can prepare for those questions. But I have
literally provided you with top-scoring answers to all 34 of those questions. My advice is
to get a copy of that guide in addition to the ones that I've provided you with here
today. If you have any questions, please put them in the comments section below the video.
I'll be more than happy to answer them for you. Please don't forget to SUBSCRIBE. Thank
you. Also hit the like button. I appreciate your support and I wish you all the best for
becoming a product manager. Thank you very much for watching. Have a brilliant day!