How To Answer It
The easiest way to answer here is to approach it as a behavioral question and give a specific example of a time when you planned and implemented a new process .
You might say:
Since my last two roles have been at startups transitioning from their early stages to more stable long-term growth, Ive often been tasked with creating streamlined, standardized processes where there previously had been scattered ad hoc approaches. For example, in my last role, we were getting a lot of questions from freelancers and contractors about their payments. Plus there was some feedback that they were never sure who to send what info to and when. Theyd get frustrated when they received random follow-up requests for more info weeks later that delayed them getting paid. I was involved with the projects these freelancers were working on and was getting wind of their irritation. A couple even stopped taking new projects from us.
The accounts payable team ended up being able to cut down the amount of time they spent dealing with freelancer payments almost by half, freelancers were getting paid faster in most cases and always knew what was going on, and we were able to increase our retention and focus on our other goals. In short, it made everyones lives easier.
Amazon Program Manager Strategy
- Explain the Amazon Web Services Business Model
- How can Amazon improve its logistics to aid buyers and sellers better?
- What aspects do you need to look at to enter new markets?
- Name some unexplored markets Amazon can target.
- What are our thoughts on the products Amazon should start manufacturing and selling on its platform?
- What would your price approach be for Amazon Prime?
- How would you improve user subscriptions for Amazon Prime? Tell us about some strategies that come to your mind.
Amazon Program Manager Behavioral Questions
Behavioral questions test your responses to workplace situations and your ability to handle tough environments at work.
- Tell us about a time when a project failed despite towering efforts from your and your team.
- Tell us about a time when you had to collaborate with multiple teams to drive a client project.
- Tell us about a time when a project affected your work-life balance.
- Tell us about a time when a colleague didnât respond appropriately to work-related requests.
- Tell us about a time when you resolved a conflict between two team members.
- Tell us about a time when you had to impart crucial learnings from a project to your entire team.
- Tell us about a time you missed a project deadline with reasons and how you managed it.
To see more behavioral questions and get tips on how to answer them, read this article on commonly asked.
For questions specific to Amazonâs Leadership Principles, a crucial aspect that features in Program Manager interviews, check out these . Youâll also find useful tips to answer these questions effectively.
Don’t Miss: Questions To Ask A Cfo In An Interview
What Were The Communication Challenges On Your Last Project
As a project manager, youll need to communicate with your team for all projects effectively. Communication challenges will arise nobody expects that this wont happen. What the interviewer wants to see, however, is how youve handled these challenges in the past. It needs to be evident that even with communication issues, you were still able to work with your team effectively. For example, perhaps instead of being able to have face-to-face meetings when necessary, you were able to put together webchat meetings. Think of a time when something like this happened and how you dealt with the communication challenges efficiently to ensure that the project outcome was still a good one.
As A Program Manager How Do You Reinforce The Companys Goals And Objectives Within Your Team
A program manager must provide clear direction and guidance to their team not only about their ongoing projects but about the company’s larger goals and objectives. The purpose of the question is to evaluate the candidate’s ability to communicate the company’s direction and vision to their team. What to look for in an answer:
- Ability to understand the company’s goals and objectives
- Communication skills to relay critical information to their team
- Interest in creating a culture of open discussion
Example:
“It’s important that I provide clear direction to my team of the overarching goals and objectives of the company. To do this, I hold regular team meetings to review both the company and program goals and the progress we’re making.”
Read Also: Questions To Ask Cfo In Interview
Dedicated Pm Interview Question Practice
When prepping for interviews, the rubber has to meet the road.
Don’t put off sitting down and drilling yourself on likely questions – across the all the skill types likely to be tested: analytics, technical, strategy, product design and culture fit.
There are a ton of ways to do this. You could ask a friend to quiz you. You could use Google products like Gmail, Docs, Photos, Search, etc. and make up sample questions for yourself. Or you could use a dedicated interview prep tool like RocketBlocks, which includes interview drills and sample answers from expert PMs.
Interview Questions For A Technical Program Manager
This is a loong post, but if you already have an interview lined up . Else continue reading Ohh where do I start? Over the last 6 months or more I have been in the process of being interviewed and I have also interviewed several candidates . It has been a very interesting journey, to say the least. Which is why I thought it would be a good idea to write this post on Interview Questions for A Technical Program Manager. I have learned a lot about what and how one should prepare for technical program manager interviews the various types of questions involved and the different types of jobs out there. To begin one needs to first understand the various types of Technical Program Manager roles out there.
Roles vary and the teams needs vary on what type of skills they require. My goal in this post is to be as comprehensive as possible in what I believe a Technical Program Manager know and how he/she should prepare for the task ahead.
I believe one of the most important things is to talk to other tech PMs on what they do and how they do things on a daily basis. Network! Network with people talk to them understand the skills they use and figure out whats missing or what you are strong and are weak at. Read more on the Art of Networking.
Recent updates to this post
- 3/3/2020: Links to WhatsApp Design + Books on Scrum & System Designs
Recommended Reading: System Design
- System Design Questions & Answers Solutions to most commonly asked system design questions
Read Also: Interview Attire Women
Define Processes And Process Groups In A Project Management Framework
This project management interview question aims to understand your domain knowledge. In a project management framework, processes refer to the defined way of doing tasks for completing the project successfully. On the other hand, process groups are a collection of processes that are carried out at various stages during the project. Initiation, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Control, and Closing are the five process groups.
Example Google Strategy Questions:
- Why does Starbucks sometimes have coffee shops on both sides of the road?
- Google has invented a technology that can let you go back in time up to one minute. Once used, there is a recharge time of 24 hours from when you last time traveled before you can this technology again. Assume there is no way to further improve this technology to overcome the aforementioned restrictions on time traveled or recharge time. What can Google do with this technology?
- Groupon stock is trading at less than a tenth of its all-time-high. What do you think went wrong with the company and how would you turn it around?
- Pitch a company that you think Amazon should acquire.
Read Also: Interview Attire Womens
What Happens When You Type A Url Into A Browser
Of course, this kind of question doesnt have to focus on URLs and browsers it could cover any technical process, from turning on a phone to launching an app. The key is to walk the interviewer through a logical, step-by-step process.
Tips: Many candidates simply regurgitate what they read on the internet. A better approach is to interpret what youve learned, and share insights and experiences that prove you understand the technical process inside and out.
What If I Dont Have Any Formal Project Management Experience
Project management is a field where people skills can make or break a candidate. If youâre less familiar with the technical side of project management, emphasize people skills you have like leadership, communication, and organization. Even if youâre not a formal project manager yet, chances are good that youâve done some elements of project management in the past. Go through your experiences and find moments when youâve helped to improve, plan, or execute new processes.
And donât worryâif youâve landed an interview, your interviewer probably already knows that you donât have formal experience but sees potential in you. Convey your enthusiasm for the job and willingness to learn.
Read Also: Questions To Ask The Cfo In An Interview
An Overview Of Interview Structure Sample Questions And Company Culture
| Kenton Kivestu, ex-Google, ex-BCG, Founder at RocketBlocks |
Interview structure | Sample questions | Video mock interview | Culture
Microsoft’s renaissance is in full swing.
With Satya Nadella, the third CEO of Microsoft who was hand-picked by Bill Gates, at the helm the company has flourished. Morale is up, the company vision and product line is increasingly focused and market is taking notice – its stock nearly doubled since Satya took the reigns.
As a result, it’s no surprise that product management roles at Microsoft are a hot commodity.
In this deep dive, we’ll cover what to expect in the Microsoft product management interviews and how to prepare:
Day 25 Practice Pricing Questions
Tasks
Practice the following pricing questions, either on your own or with your practice partner:
- Pricing New Products
Goals
While Google has an affinity for case questions, you should spend some time preparing for traditional and behavioral questions. Google interviewers usually ask traditional icebreaker questions like Tell me about yourself and Why Google? However, behavioral interview questions like Tell me a time when you influenced a team is a newer occurrence. Googles HR department, since 2013, has asked its PM interviewers to ask more behavioral interview questions.
You May Like: What To Wear For An Interview Women
Day 28 First Try At Technical Interview Questions
Tasks
Attempt the following technical interview questions:
- 100-Story Building and Two Eggs
- Reducing Bandwidth Consumption
aGoals
Try some technical interview questions, with a focus on calming your nerves and approaching questions with open curiosity. The 100-Story Building and Two Eggs question is an example of an algorithm question. Reducing Bandwidth Consumption is an example of a technical architecture question.
Build Knowledge Of Google As A Business And Company Culture
Google products are ubiquitous. There is a good chance that if you’re reading this you likely used Google search to find it or a friend emailed it to your Gmail account.
Warning! Don’t delude yourself into thinking that usage equals thinking deeply about the products, features and business. If you’re interviewing for a PM position at Google, devote time to thinking about this.
One helpful helpful exercise here is to consider how Google thinks of itself as a company. To do so, start by thinking about the overall Google organization .
Also Check: Questions To Ask A Cfo
Amazon Program Manager Interview Questions
Program Managers are responsible for setting goals and coordinating independencies for these goals, thereby playing a key role in the growth story of a product offering, service, or business process. Amazon hires talented Program Managers who can work cross-functionally, foresee and manage risks, allocate resources effectively, and build innovative strategies for the success of a project.
As such, Amazon has several teams that employ PMs either as Program Managers or Technical Program Managers. While Program Managers deal with the e-commerce non-technical side of the business, TPMs deal with the technical aspects of the companyâs products/services.
Also, read and for specific insights and guidance on Amazontech interviews.
Having trained over 6,000 software engineers, we know what it takes to crack the toughest tech interviews. Since 2014, Interview Kickstart alums have been landing 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 $933,000!
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 highs.
Hereâs what weâll cover:
One Of Your Team Members Is Asking For More Time To Complete A Task How Would You Handle This Situation
Situational questions like these are common in project management interviews. This is a chance for hiring managers to see your thought process and gauge how you think on your feet.
How to answer: As a project manager, youâll be expected to help team members that havenât been able to complete tasks on schedule in the interest of the project. Youâll want to know why the issue arose in the first place, and apply an appropriate fix. You might talk about adding another member if the team is feeling overloaded, implementing time buffers in the planning phase for certain tasks, or negotiating with a stakeholder for more time or resources.
Recommended Reading: Cfo Interview
Day 15 Getting Familiar With The Metrics Interview
Background Reading
- Read about the AARM framework in .
- Read metrics examples in to get familiar with metrics questions in an interview setting.
Exercises
Do the following metrics brainstorming exercises in The Product Manager Interview:
- Metrics for eCommerce
- Learn about common strategy question types.
- Figure out how to approach strategy questions using frameworks.
- See how the frameworks are applied to common PM strategy questions.
Ux Engineer Interview Questions
Read Also: How To Prepare System Design Interview
Project Manager Interview Questions On Customer Orientation
Project managers are responsible for understanding the need of the customer and responding in a timely, efficient manner in ways that meet customer expectations. They are also responsible for establishing and maintaining effective relationships and gaining the trust and respect of customers. Here are a few questions that are usually asked to gauge the candidate’s customer orientation:
Top 3 Program Manager Interview Questions
As with all interviews, the exact questions you face vary depending on the precise role. Every employer is different, so their needs, priorities, and preferences wont precisely match their competitors. However, certain ones are pretty common. Heres a look at the top three program manager interview questions, and some example answers.
Also Check: System Design Interview Prep
Who Is The Instructor
Mahesh Thakur is the Vice President of Product, ex- Amazon & Microsoft, and a former engineer with extensive background in high-growth B2B SaaS and B2C product portfolios. He has 20+ years of experience leading product, engineering, operations, design, and data teams in high-impact roles. He is the former CEO of PhotoWeaver. He teaches at Columbia, NYU, and is part of MG100 coaches.
Can You Explain The Differences Between Risk And Issues Also Name A Few Types Of Risks You May Encounter In A Project
Risks refer to an uncertain event or situation in the future that would bring a negative or positive impact on the project goals. Issues apply to any event or situation that currently impacts the project objectives. In other words, risk focuses on future events while issues are more of present occurrences. Issues are often considered negative, say a team member suddenly resigns from the organization. Risks would be either positive or negative. You can include a couple of examples to show the difference between issues and risks.
Don’t Miss: Best System Design Interview Prep
Learn About Google’s Culture
Most candidates fail to do this. But before investing tens of hours preparing for an interview at Google, you should take some time to make sure it’s actually the right company for you.
Google is prestigious and it’s therefore tempting to assume that you should apply, without considering things more carefully. But, it’s important to remember that the prestige of a job won’t make you happy in your day-to-day work. It’s the type of work and the people you work with that will.
If you know TPMs who work at Google or used to work there it’s a good idea to talk to them to understand what the culture is like. In addition, we would recommend reading the following resources:
How Do You Define An Ideal Project
This question, being one of the most important project management interview questions, intends to know the type of projects you would like to take up. By answering this question honestly, you open up an opportunity to manage projects that excite you or those in which you can excel. Your answer should include multiple points such as whether you like to work as part of a team or alone, the kind of deadlines you prefer, whether you are interested in innovative and creative projects or not, and more.
Don’t Miss: Questions To Ask A Cfo During An Interview
