5 essential traits of successful product management candidates
Successful product managers have the ability to work cross-functionally on the product creation process. The role blends elements of engineering, design, marketing, sales, and business development, which can make the hiring process challenging. The perfect candidate may be hard to nail down, but these interview questions can help.
1.Process-oriented
Product management is a highly dynamic role that involves many big and small decisions. Strong candidates know how to streamline the many tasks associated with building and launching products. They also have a compulsion to test new ideas and refine old ones to get ahead of the competition.
What to ask: Walk me through a time that you shipped a product, from concept to launch.
A good answer:
We started by aligning the team on business goals and user needs in order to define the product vision. I collaborated with the engineering and UI/UX design teams to lock down a strategy, then presented the concept to key executive stakeholders. Using their feedback, we narrowed the focus, got buy-in, and began to build our product roadmap, defining and finessing the features and functionality, and triaging must-haves to make the launch date.
What works:
? An indication that past experience and performance can lead to future success
? Ability to influence enthusiasm and get buy-in from key colleagues and teams
? Understanding of task prioritization and the trade-off for future phases to maintain momentum
2.Proficiency
Having a strong technical background gives product managers (PMs) the skills necessary to communicate product details to engineers and customers alike. While technical competency can make for a dynamic, adaptable PM, keep in mind that their primary role is to develop a product’s vision and strategy, not its technical build. Be aware of the line between engineers and product managers so as to avoid hiring someone who’ll attempt to command technical decisions and implementation.
What to ask: Tell me about a product that’s exceptionally well designed. What makes it great?
A good answer:
I’ve always loved the elegance and simplicity of the classic watercooler. It operates through pure gravity, requires no electricity or moving parts to function, has red and blue buttons to indicate hot and cold water, respectively, and the bottle itself shows much water is left. Newer models don’t require you to punch the tab before loading the jug. Modern watercoolers overcomplicate the features with bells and whistles that don’t serve the core functionality. The functional design of a watercooler is, I think, highly undervalued.
What works:
? A thoughtful, detailed approach to commending a product from a user’s perspective
? Emphasis on function over frills, and insights into other products for contrast
? Frame working the thought process around core product principles, rather than listing features
3.Strategic-thinking
Effective product managers wear multiple hats and can work a problem from multiple viewpoints. They tend to play devil’s advocate for other teams, anticipating questions and requests, surfacing innovation hiding in plain sight. Hiring these types of visionaries reinforces strategy, intention, and ingenuity.
What to ask: What’s the best way to interface with customers?
A good answer:
In my last role, I was product lead at a subscription service e-commerce company in the clothing business. My team got feedback from sales that our customers felt our clothing lacked options. Our merchandising team expanded their style variety, but the complaints kept coming in. So I connected directly with our customers, and discovered that variety wasn’t the real issue – they were looking for more control in managing the styles showing up in their subscriptions. Ever since, I try to meet with key customers quarterly, if not more regularly, to get a direct, in-depth understanding of their needs. I also maintain an open line of communication with account managers to get real-time feedback. Listening is the key to building a more robust product that supports customers’ needs.
What works:
? Willingness to empathize with customers’ pain points and to take action on constructive feedback
? Values transparency and accessibility through dialogue between the customer and company
? Connects the importance of a strong product to overall business success and customer satisfaction
4.Analytical
By knowing which data points to track, PMs with great analysis skills can make profitable product decisions. With so much data at their fingertips, candidates should demonstrate an ability to triangulate approaches between business strategy, sales, and product roadmap. Good PMs make it their mission to continually question theories and prove (or disprove) hypotheses.
What to ask: How did you use data to make an informed decision about a product?
A good answer:
Last quarter, the team had to decide between updating an existing feature or adding a new feature, both high-demand customer requests. To decide which initiative would be most valuable to the company, I measured the lifetime value of customers who requested the update and the lifetime value of the customers who requested the new feature. Since the feature update was requested by higher-value customers, we tackled the update first. I monitored each group's usage of the features and found that the update had a better overall impact on the business, increasing the lifetime value of all customers.
What works:
? A clear vision of goal and definition of metrics to track progress
? Supplementing qualitative analysis with quantitative research to understand the implications of each option
? Ability to articulate the impact of data to key stakeholders and provide a rationale for focusing on particular success metrics
5. Leadership
Product managers are decision-makers who motivate and lead an organization-wide team. In building a holistic product experience, a PM is responsible for ensuring that a company can market, sell, and support whatever it releases. Since PMs typically don’t have direct-line authority over people who aren’t on their team, their ability to command and influence is earned. Leadership and interpersonal skills are a must.
what to ask: Tell me about a time you experienced team disagreement. What happened and what did you learn from the experience?
A good answer:
In one of my first PM roles, the company was young and we didn’t have a lot of customers, so there wasn’t much data to back up the team’s various hypotheses for creating new features. We were all pushing for our “great idea,” but no one could agree on which to move forward with. We decided to build lightweight versions of three features, measuring engagement between three segments of our audience against a control group. I tracked the data for eight weeks to understand what was worth our investment. In certain instances, when the team isn’t gelling on a single idea, it helps to let the data drive.
What works:
? Demonstrates emotional intelligence by acknowledging outlying factors challenging the team’s momentum, rather than personal agendas
? Embraces difficulty as an opportunity to address customers’ needs and measure feedback
? Versatility in adapting the approach to problem-solving with the team
Source: LinkedIn Interview Questions Generator.