What do you screen for in product interviews that other product leaders don't screen for?

I personally bias toward PMs (or aspiring PMs) with a creative mind, whether that's shown through actual background experience in a creative field, or a highly creative or unconventional response to a question asked in the interview process. I find creative types (often with liberal arts degrees) to be highly effective PMs and leaders due to a common ability to connect dots and find problems and solutions others may not see or understand.

This is not a requirement for a product role, but I do think it's somewhat unique compared to what typical PM hiring managers screen for.

I really enjoy working with people who are incredibly proactive / take initiative types who are naturally curious and motivated to solve hard problems. What typically correlates highly with this profile is a person with quiet confidence and intrinsically motivated to make a difference to customers. I screen for this profile as much as I can.

I look for candidates who demonstrate curiosity and structured thinking during product interviews.

Curiosity is an essential trait for PMs because it helps them stay up to date on industry trends and understand the needs and motivations of their users. In interviews, I screen for candidates who are curious about the product and its users and who can ask thoughtful questions and delve deeper into the problem space.

Structured thinking is also vital for PMs because it helps them break down complex problems into smaller, more manageable parts and approach problem-solving logically. I look for candidates who can approach problems in a structured way, using frameworks or models to guide their thinking and analysis.

To assess for curiosity and structured thinking, an interviewer might ask the candidate to describe a problem they faced in a previous role and how they approached solving it. This would show how the candidate demonstrates curiosity and structured thinking in practice.