Questions To Ask - [Product Manager Interview]

Article Highlights

• In any interview, remember that you're not just being evaluated; you're also assessing if the company is the right fit for you.
• Asking thoughtful questions can help you gain clarity, demonstrate your thoughtfulness, and ultimately determine if this is the right opportunity.

In most interviews, you’ll be given some time for questions. Take this opportunity to get insight into the role, and importantly demonstrate you’re curiosity and thoughtfulness.

Here are some example questions to ask:

• What is the interview process like? (Here, you want to find out what happens at each stage so you can be prepared)
• Can you tell me about the company culture?
• Who does this role report to? (That’s your boss)
• What is the makeup of the team? (You want to know the size of the team, the roles and how they work together?)
• Can you describe how the product organization has changed over time?
• What’s the product stack? (Your role may encompass two or more company products)
• What is your leadership style? (Ask this to your boss)
• How important is PM to the leadership team? (For some companies PMs are a tool and for others, PMs are the hub for business and technology)
• What PM skills are you missing or need more of? (Once you know this you can leverage your strength with the particular skill)
• How do you perform customer research?
• What tools do you use for analytics?
• What is the roadmap for this product?
• How are your teams organized? (Some companies organize on business problems, products or even by functional organization)
• What qualities are most important to be successful in this role? (These are the qualities you need to amplify in your interviews)

Bonus:

The following questions are designed to present your interest in the role and highlight how your experience matches. So, they serve the purpose of gathering information and increasing your chances of moving on to the next stage. Be careful to be sincere as it’s very easy to come off as overselling.

• I saw on Google reviews that you have a 4.5 stars rating. That seems hard to get. Can you explain how you have such good reviews?
• I see on Glassdoor that your company’s rating has been steadily climbing for the last few months. Did you make any major changes to improve culture?
• I heard your CEO on CNBC talking about doubling-down on privacy. How will this affect the product/role?
• I noticed in the latest update of the app you simplified the UI. What has been the feedback so far?
• In the job description, it mentioned that the role requires someone with a deep understanding of Fintech. I’ve been working in Fintech for the last five years and learned about everything from regulation to compliance. What aspects of Fintech are critical for this role?
• You mentioned that the team was missing product marketing skills. I’ve had to build and market my previous products and have experience with Mailchimp and Mixpanel. What tools do you use?
• I saw on Twitter that trial users want a longer trial period than three days. I have experience with freemium models so wondering if you’ve considered increasing trial times.