What Are The Best Answers For Behavioral Interview Questions
Unlike competency questions, with behavioral interview questions, there are no right or wrong answers. The best answers to behavioral leadership interview questions are answers that help you gain valuable insight into how each candidate views their role as a manager. Pay close attention to how the candidate talks about their colleagues and workers, and look for applicants who present as professional, likable and motivated.
As A Product Manager How Would You Enable Effective Communication With The Engineering Team
As a product manager, I would make sure that I put across the vision of the product clearly along with a detailed market scenario and limitations.
For effective communication, I would:
How Do You Determine Which Features You Should Add To Your Product
Product managers should have extensive knowledge of their users’ needs to design features and products that appeal most to their customers. The most effective way for them to come up with features that will benefit users is to have a strategy for researching their users and determining their needs. Look for a candidate who provides a clear strategy for studying user insights and applying them to their feature and updates list.
The candidate’s answer should emphasize:
- Research and analytical skills
- Familiarity of common frameworks to determine users’ needs
- Clear strategy for applying feedback and data to their updates and additional features
An answer to this question could look like this:
Example:
“When I’m determining which additions to add to a product, I’ll typically start by conducting research on our current users. I’ll review insights to determine which features they’re currently using the most and will determine what type of updates I can add to make that specific feature more enjoyable for them. Another method I use is reviewing the comments and feedback that users will leave on our software or the input they provide our sales or customer service teams. I’ll use these to determine what can be added to enhance they’re overall experience.”
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Reflect On Your Life And Career Experiences
Now that you have your list of questions ready, start reflecting on your life and career experiences, and note them down when you are in a peaceful state of mind.
The experience need not necessarily be an achievement, but rather think about everything that evolved you into a better person. Note down the story, what impact you created , and what you learned from it. And do not underestimate the power of stories – they resonate with every human being, including interviewers.
Heres my story of how I motivated my team during a tough time:
At my startup Moodcafe , there was a phase when we had to do a monotonous experiment of chatting with users for two weeks to understand how the users felt and their pain points when they chat with our listeners. The entire team got bored and started taking breaks for half of the day. I gathered the team together and approached them about the situation and told them why conducting this experiment was so important – because it would help us validate our assumptions and we could extrapolate the data to make projections, which would then help us raise the next round of funds. I also gave them the flexibility to collect lesser data if they find completing the targeted chat conversations too exhausting. But the team members themselves suggested I do not make any changes, and we collected 1.5x the required data, which reduced the sensitivity of our projections considerably.
Question : Was There Ever A Time You Needed Information From Someone Who Wasnt Communicative What Did You Do
Any manager will face challenges when leading a diverse team of people. Its very possible that some of their employees wont be as communicative as the manager would like. How does the candidate use their leadership and communication skills to address someone who doesnt respond?
A managers ability to communicate with someone who struggles in that department is insightful. If they can successfully communicate with this type of person, its a testament to their overall skills. If youre looking for tough interview questions for managers, add this to your list.
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How Do You Manage Stress On The Job
Workplace stress can harm an employees performance. As a result, hiring managers want to know what you do to keep yourself calm and level, even when youre faced with challenges.
EXAMPLE ANSWER:
While Ive found that some stress actually pushes me to be my best, its also essential to ensure that my stress levels remain reasonable. One approach Ive found that works for me is focusing on organization.
Im a big fan of breaking large responsibilities down into small tasks, making them feel more manageable and giving me a roadmap to follow. For a recent project in my current job, I divided the work up into ten micro-goals. Then, I blocked out time on my calendar for every activity. Not only does this keep me on target, but it also reduces the odds that Ill feel overwhelmed.
Why Do You Want To Become A Product Manager
Focus on your enthusiasm for the product range of the company. Tell them how your skills, abilities, and experience make from you a good candidate for the job of a PM.
Alternatively you can speak about particular ideas you have, suggesting how youd help them to improve their products, or design new ones. One way or another, they should hear some enthusiasm in your voice to believe that you really want the job.
If you have had the same position in the past, you can say that youd like to continue your professional career in the same field, and believe that your past experience will help you to do a great job in their company.
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How Do You Align The Technical Team With The Product Vision And Overarching Goals Of The Company
Some recruiters might reserve this question for a technical product manager interview. However, most product manager interviewers tend to include this question in their interview process since it is more people management-related as opposed to technical.
With that in mind, the question invites candidates to touch on the strategies they use to unify the technical team with product strategy.
The nature of the question implies that fluid communication and frequent follow-ups will be crucial in this phase.
Candidates should refer to the importance of conducting as many meetings as necessary. In doing so, they must mention how important it is to sensitize the technical team and orient them on the product vision as well as the companys overarching goals.
The best candidates will also speak to the passive and active resistance that the technical team will display either before or during the development phase. You must mention how your meetings will help to reduce any type of resistance. Be sure to indicate that you will conduct ad-hoc meetings as needed in order to resolve specific concerns that one or more team members may have.
Here are some more technical product management-related questions that recruiters can ask:
3. Talk me through how you would write an algorithm to recommend friends to add.
4. Explain how you would write an algorithm to recommend contacts to add.
5. Describe how you would write an algorithm to recommend articles to a user.
Question : Tell Me About A Time You Successfully Persuaded Others To Agree With You At Work What Was The Outcome
Leaders are responsible for making decisions. On your list of behavioral interview questions for managers should be one that touches on persuasion. How does this candidate convince others of their point of view?
Look for a particular scenario that the candidate can describe. What approach did they use to convince others? What hurdles were there? What was the outcome?
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Revealing Product Manager Interview Questions
Hiring product managers is one of the most challenging and essential tasks for product team leaders. Unfortunately, theres no perfect template for an ideal PM candidate its about finding the best fit among a sea of unicorns by asking the right product manager interview questions.
The diversity of backgrounds in product manager applicants increases the level of difficulty in making a good hire. Moreover, product manager roles and job descriptions also vary wildly from one organization to the next. The combination of both of those elements makes an effective product manager a challenging position to fill. For example, sometimes you need a technical whiz, or someone with marketing chops, while other opportunities demand deep experience in a particular industry.
Since a cookie-cutter approach wont fly, hiring managers need a solid handle on their specific PM role requirements. They must then determine if a candidate will be a good fit from a few brief interactions.
Get it right, and youve added an invaluable asset to your product team that lifts the product to new levels. However, if you get it wrong, then schedules slip, prioritization falters, and your reputation is at risk.
So how do you make sure youre hiring the right person? Its all about asking the right questions.
Metric Definition Example Questions
Metric definition questions focus on your ability to define metrics that provide clarity on the health of a product or feature. There are many different metrics you could be tracking . Your interviewers will be interested in the process that you use to select metrics, and whether you are able to identify the most important ones.
Example questions: Metric definition
- What metrics would you use to determine success for the Facebook Newsfeed?
- What metrics did you use to measure the successful launch of your product?
- What metrics would you use to measure the success of Facebooks Save Item feature?
- How would you measure the success of the new YouTube Player UI?
- What analysis would you use to understand if we should increase the price of an Amazon Prime Membership?
- How would you determine the negative value of an abusive posting?
- Imagine you are the PM of the Facebook Newsfeed how would you measure retention?
- How would you determine post ranking in the Facebook Newsfeed?
- Tell me what metrics you would look at as a product manager for Instagram ads
- What are the things that Netflix should measure and analyze on a daily basis?
- How would you measure the success of Apple’s WWDC event?
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How Would You Find The Number Of Red Cars In China
Start by seeking further clarification. For instance, to estimate windows take into account car windows, subways, computers, etc.
This indicates curiosity and makes the question clear and simple.
Ask for some time to draw a strategy estimate based on the basic information you possess.
For instance, New York City has a large population. Assuming there are 8 million people there and we allot 5 windows to each person, keeping in mind that offices have fewer windows than homes and more people than windows.
Based on this logic, the number of windows in New York City 8 Million X 5, which is equal to 40 million windows.
Figure out logical strategies and a way to work on those.
Remember! The method matters, not the answer!
How To Nail Your Next Tech Interview
When it comes to FAANG interviews, you can never really be too prepared â especially if youâre applying for the role of a product manager. Going in, be prepared for a wide range of product manager interview questions.
Finding the right candidate for the job is no walk-in-the-park for recruiters either. When FAANG companies look for product managers, theyâre looking for someone who is motivated, a team player, and has deep expertise in product management. Accordingly, product manager interview questions at FAANG and other tier-1 companies are designed to test all these aspects and more.
If youâre preparing for a tech interview, check out our technical interview checklist, interview questions page, and salary negotiation e-book to get interview-ready!
Having trained over 9,000 software engineers, we know what it takes to crack the most challenging tech interviews. Since 2014, Interview Kickstart alums have landed lucrative offers from FAANG and Tier-1 tech companies, with an average salary hike of 49%. The highest-ever offer received by an IK alum is a whopping $1.267 million!
At IK, you get the unique opportunity to learn from expert instructors, who are hiring managers and tech leads at Google, Facebook, Apple, and other top Silicon Valley tech companies. Our reviews will tell you how weâve shaped the careers of thousands of professionals aspiring to take their careers to new heights.
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List Of Product Manager Interview Questions: Communication
We move on to the communication segment of our list of product manager interview questions.
This question seeks to determine just how good your communication skills are. A product manager cannot be successful in their role if you do not practice proper communication. Granted, it is true that managers are always expected to communicate. However, in the case of product management, the need for proper communication is even more important than it is in standard managerial positions. As a product manager, you constantly liaise with multiple teams and individuals, sometimes all at once.
Given the nature of the task you have to do, you have to speak about the importance of effective persuasive writing. You should mention that the writing should generate excitement among your target audience while still respecting the brand, image, and voice of the company.
I have included a sample communication framework below to provide you with additional guidance on what goes into solid communication strategies.
Here are some additional communication questions that an interviewer can ask you in a product manager interview.
Who Are Our Competitors What Is Better Or Lacking In Our Product In Comparison
Interviewers ask about their competitors and flaws in their own products to evaluate your understanding of the company.
To answer this question, research well before appearing for the interview and identify market competition.
Evaluate the differences between the organization and competitors and assess who is doing what better.
Use their products first hand to get an insight into their strengths and weaknesses from a users perspective.
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Behavioral Questions For Product Manager Interviews
Apart from the screening and technical questions, the interviewers will also ask you behavioral questions. Answers to these questions help them o understand how youd act in various work related situations. They help them to understand your personality and attitude to work, and they can often decide the winner in an interview. To typical behavioral questions belong:
- Describe a time when you struggled to communicate something to your boss, colleague, or to a customer. How did you manage to get your message over?
- Tell us about a time when you went above and beyond.
- Give an example of a time you showed initiative at work.
- Describe the biggest failure of your professional career.
- Tell me about a time you had to comply with a policy or procedure that you did not agree with.
- When you worked on multiple projects , how did you prioritize?
- Describe a conflict you had with your colleague.
- Describe a time when you did not know how to solve a problem. What did you do?
- Tell me about a time when you were overwhelmed with work.
* Special Tip: If you are not sure how to answer the questions from my list, or experience interview anxiety, have a look at our Interview Success Package. Up to 10 premium answers to basically all tricky questions you may face in your Product Manager job interview will help you streamline your interview preparation, find the right words in every moment of the interview, outclass your competitors, and eventually get the job. Thank you for checking it out!
In Layman Terms Describe Your Day
Each day is never the same when you are in product management. So how do you explain the kind of work you do to someone who may not understand technology?
One approach is to give simple examples. Liken yourself to a building contractor who builds houses based on the preferences of their client.
You can check how our PM Community answered this question here. Note: For some questions, you need to upgrade your account to view the complete answers
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Whats Your Biggest Failure As A Product Manager And Why Did It Happen
This question has two benefits. First, it gets them to look back and provide critical thinking about why something went awry, which is helpful in a post-mortem situation. But what they select as their failure also tells you a little about them and how broad and developed their sense of ownership is.
What Technical Skills Do You Endorse And How Would You Tackle A Technical Hiccup
Product managers need to possess basic and technical skills to perform complex procedures efficiently. Knowledge about different product management software and techniques, pricing strategy, market research tools, and more are some of the technical skills a product manager should endorse. If the hiring manager asks this question during product manager interview, highlight your strengths and outline how your technical skills can benefit their organization. For the latter part of the question, you can illustrate a technical hiccup that you previously solved. Finally, you can share the best practices you applied and the conclusion you drew from them.
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