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Product Management Interviews

What is your favorite product management interview question and the best answer you've heard?

11 Answers

Carta Sr. Director of Product Management • February 3

My favorite interview question was asked by a hiring manager ~8 years ago when I interviewed for an Associate PM position at MuleSoft. I was asked the following: "Imagine humans decided to take the moon and put it through a giant chopper/grinder. The mass that comes out of the chopper is being d......Read More

1365 Views

What's a typical product manager career path?

5 Answers

Anton Kravchenko

Carta Sr. Director of Product Management • February 3

There are different paths that each product manager takes, but the common ones I've seen are: 1. Joining a tech company as an Associate PM or an intern straight from college. For college grads, I suggest starting by connecting with other product managers (e.g. via LinkedIn) to better understand......Read More

1836 Views

As a hiring manager, what do the best product management candidates have in common?

12 Answers

Mamuna Oyofo, MBA

Shopify VP of Product • February 9

My personal take is that when I am speaking with strong product candidates, I can see a few qualities shine through in their story. For me, those are: 1. They are constant Learners/curious They are constantly asking questions and actively listening. They are readers and constant consumers of i......Read More

1239 Views

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

2 Answers

Brandon Green

Buffer Staff Product Manager • November 7

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)......Read More

914 Views

What are the key questions you like to ask and why? How would the proper answers to your questions look like?

2 Answers

Lizzy Masotta

Shopify Senior Product Lead • July 26

What are your greatest hits? You really can’t avoid the “tell me about yourself” question in any interview you do and every candidate should be prepared for this question. I like to put a twist on this question and ask “What are the greatest hits of your resume?” Translation: Instead of giving......Read More

604 Views

What is the most important thing you've learned about interviewing?

2 Answers

Lizzy Masotta

Shopify Senior Product Lead • July 26

1. Tell the interviewee what they want to hear up front Who are you? What type of interview is this? How long will this last? Will I be able to ask questions? What's the next step after this? 2. Don’t ask leading questions. For example: “How do you work with engineering” gives away ......Read More

828 Views

What are some of the most common red flags you've come across either on a candidate's resume or initial interview that you'd advise future product managers to avoid?

2 Answers

Lizzy Masotta

Shopify Senior Product Lead • July 26

Interview Red Flags 1. During a Product Case Interview – If your interviewer is having to guide you through each section or prompt you with several follow up questions, that’s not a good thing. 2. If a candidate clearly has never used the product (hint: always sign up for the produ......Read More

858 Views

Do you generally recommend that candidates go 'above and beyond' in preparing for interviews by? In which situations do you recommend this approach or not?

1 Answer

Brandon Green

Buffer Staff Product Manager • November 8

I think going "above and beyond" is a totally subjective thing; it is up to each individual what is above their baseline of preparation for an interview. But - here are a list of things I think are table stakes, that every PM candidate should do at a minimum to prepare: * Know the company you'r......Read More

826 Views

What are the most common mistakes you see candidates make during an interview for a product management position?

3 Answers

Lizzy Masotta

Shopify Senior Product Lead • July 26

There are 2 main types of interviews for Product Management roles: 1. Product case interviews 2. Behavioral interviews (by cross functional partners like UX or Engineering, or by the hiring manager) With either interview type, the surest path to failure is when a candidate shows up and wa......Read More

1061 Views

For PM interviews, what are helpful resources you'd recommend and types of questions to prepare for from both hiring managers and cross-functional partners?

2 Answers

Lizzy Masotta

Shopify Senior Product Lead • July 26

There’s a ton of literature published on PM interviewing - frameworks, types of questions, types of interviews, etc. Your time is best spent introspecting, not obsessing over all the interviewing content. Memorizing frameworks won’t help you ace an interview. The more you know yourself, your s......Read More

824 Views

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