What are your favorite PMM interview questions?

These are some of my favorite interview questions.

• What is your favorite product?

• What interested you in this company/ space?

• Walk me through [project/ launch] on your resume. What tactics did you use? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

I also like to give a case interview question as well, usually a variation of "Here is a new tech product. How would you go about planning and executing a launch?" I like this better than a take home assignment because it showcases expertise and is more similar to brainstorming sessions in PMM.

• What are you looking for in your next role?

• Tell me about a time when you created positioning for a new solution. What was the process you took?

• Tell me about a time when you navigated a challenging stakeholder.

• What is your approach to learning a new industry?

• Tell me about a time when you launched a solution. What did you do to make the launch successful?

• (And I always ask for writing samples!)

I just joined a new company recently as a Senior Product Marketing Manager and, before that, I interviewed for several well-known tech brands (and got to the final stages with most of them). Here are the most common questions I got, split by interview stage:

Stage 1 -- HR Screening:

1. Walk me through your career progression to date.

2. Why are you looking for a new role?

3. What drew you to our company?

4. How would you describe your ideal team culture?

5. What's your availability to start a new position?

Stage 2 -- Hiring Manager Deep Dive:

1. Tell me about a recent product launch you managed. Did you get the expected results? Why? 

2. How have you pivoted when plans changed mid-launch?

3. How do you work with Product Managers?

4. How do you prioritize your work when everything seems urgent?

5. What research methodologies do you use to better understand customers?

Stage 3 -- Panel/Team Interview:

1. Have you faced conflicts with colleagues? How did you handle them?

2. How do you build relationships with key stakeholders?

3. How do you manage communication across different time zones?

4. What's your process for getting alignment when teams have competing priorities?

5. Tell me about a time you had to adapt your communication style for different audiences.

Stage 4 -- Senior Leadership (CMO/VP):

1. Why our company/this role specifically?

2. What metrics do you believe are most important for measuring PMM success?

3. Tell me about a failed/successful launch and what you learned from it.

4. How do you see our product differentiating from [specific competitor]?

5. Describe a situation where you had to influence without authority.