How can you show your understanding of the market and customers in a product manager interview?

Review press releases, trading statements, news pages, vision statements and business core values on business website and analyse customer sentiment from social media, customer reviews and forums. It can reveal: - How the company positions itself in the market. - Innovations and strategic direction of the company. - Companies responses to market shifts or industry trends. - Companies commitment to its customers and the value it prioritises. It can help with understanding how companies values align with customer needs and expectations and in identifying areas where the company might need improvement to better cater customer demands. - Showcase a proactive approach toward understanding customer experiences and sentiments.

Find as much online/public information as possible about the company, their market share and presence, their user base, competitors and whether they are in blue or red oceans. One good practice I also find particularly helpful is to map the TAM, SAM and SOM. This provides a nuanced understanding of the product's user base size and also helps you to scope the problem better.

While frameworks and tools are helpful, they shouldn't be relied on too heavily. Some argue that relying too much on frameworks can limit creativity and critical thinking. However, if used correctly, they can provide structure and a common language for discussing complex issues.

Providing real examples on how you think about the problem, customers, and market is very important during a Product Manager(PM) Interview. I often see candidates “jump to answer the question” - that’s not the goal for a PM interview, they are different. If I was asked - “what are some of the biggest challenges & opportunities within the marketing tech space” during an interview - my first response would not be to list all the challenges/opportunities. I’d start with: “First, let’s take a step back and discuss the marketing tech space” I’d callout - State of the market - Key Problems - The Players - Who is doing it right and give examples - Challenges & Opportunities The goal is show your thought process during a PM interview.

As a recruiter for product management roles, I've found that asking the right questions is almost as important to me as getting the right answers. In fact, I often remember candidates more for the questions they ask than the answers they give. Making better questions is one of the hardest parts of the job as a PM. It shows a lot about how a person thinks and approaches problems. Given that product managers often face huge uncertainty and many 'unknown unknowns' in their jobs, the ability to ask better questions is an indicator of how they might navigate complex situations

Hold back from rushing to the answer—ask lots of clarifying questions first! Get all the details from the interviewer to shape your response. If it's fine with them, feel free to make assumptions and build your answer from there too.