Additional Situational Product Manager Interview Questions
| Please recall a situation when a project went wrong. How did you regain control? |
| Please recall a situation in which you disagreed with a teammate. How did you resolve the conflict? |
| What is your leadership style or philosophy? |
| Do you have any experience trying to build or motivate a team? |
| Whats your approach to communicate your product strategy? |
| How do you communicate and gain buy-in on your roadmap from other team members? |
| Is consensus always your goal? |
| Whats your approach to dealing with customers and users? |
| Is there a difference between leadership and management? |
| As a new Product Manager, how do you establish yourself with development/engineering teams? |
Product Manager Interview Questions For Amazon
So, you are interviewing for a Product Manager role at Amazon. We are not surprised. It is one of the most in-demand jobs at the 1.6 trillion-dollar company. However, as lucrative as the role is, the competition is equally fierce.
Cracking an Amazon Product Manager interview is quite challenging. To take you a step closer to landing a PM role at Amazon, we are here today with an exclusive list of 30 Product Manager interview questions asked at Amazon. Along with these questions we also have some Amazon-approved interview preparation tips for you.
This list includes interview questions on product design, operations, launch, technical, guesstimate, and analytics.
Lets Say You Get A Budget Cut How Would You Tackle Such A Situation
When creating a new product, prioritization matters a lot.
In fact, the ability to prioritize tasks is often included in the required skillsets of TPM job descriptions.
A sudden budget cut can hamper progress and force development teams to cut corners.
However, it can also encourage creative thinking.
To gauge where the candidate stands, the recruiter might pop this question during the interview.
Not only will this help tell about the candidates mindset, but also their ability to deal with executives.
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Final Interview Remote Onsite
The final interview had a total of 5 rounds and it was split into two days to accomodate my schedule.
Round 1 Sr. Software Engineer : in this interview, I was asked to do a systems design for a particular application. It involved me coming up with various systems components, discussing tradeoffs, and talking about some algorithms.
Round 2 Principal TPM: the interviewer asked a lot of specific questions to gage my understanding of product management.
Round 3 Sr. Manager hiring manager : Interview with the hiring manager was delightful. She asked me on my culture fit and previous experience collaborating with various teams.
Round 4 Sr. Manager : The other two rounds honestly felt repetitive as there were several questions that have been already asked previously. I honestly felt a little tired of my own answers.
Round 5 Sr. TPM
Advanced Product Manager Interview Questions
Examples of Product Manager interview questions that some of the top tech companies ask candidates include:
| Think of a product you used today. What did you like about using it? What would you change? |
| Think of a product you hate to use. How would you improve it? |
| Please give an example of a tech trend to watch. |
| Give us your view on leadership. What makes a strong leader? |
| Think back to a time when you had a difficult problem to solve. How did you tackle it? |
| Have you ever made an unpopular decision on the job? What happened? |
| What innovation are you most proud of? |
| Think back to an example of a professional failure. What did you learn? |
| Explain your approach for improving X product? |
| Explain your approach to design X product for Y people? |
| Think of a real-world example of a competitive move a company has made recently. Give us your opinion on the move. |
| Define the concept of protocol. |
| What is typical page load time distribution on desktop, and how does it compare to mobile? |
| Choose any digital app or product. What would you do to improve it? |
| Whats your approach to optimizing the production process on a production chain? |
| Whats your approach to motivating users to return to use an app every single day? |
Previous
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How To Answer Amazoninterview Questions
While you could just jump into the fray, memorize a few Amazon interview questions and be done with it thats not the best way to go about things.
Sure, you might be ready to handle specific questions. But, if something unexpected comes up, you might be caught flatfooted. No one wants that.
Instead, you need to take a different path. Think of it this way how does a brave knight ensure they come out ahead? By honing their skills and developing a winning strategy, thats how.
With the right techniques and overall strategy, you can face off against unanticipated questions. Youll be able to parry any potential blows and delivering some impressive strikes yourself.
Now, exactly how you need to prepare can and will be a bit nuanced. After all, there is a slew of positions at Amazon, and each one involves something different. If you want to get ready for your Amazon interview, then you need to take that into account.
How do you make sure youre ready for YOUR Amazon interview? Start by reading the job description for the position. In that handful of paragraphs, youll find a ton of specific, actionable information about what the hiring manager is looking for in a perfect candidate.
For example, the list of must-have skills you find on most job descriptions reflects their priorities. Those keywords or qualities you see over and over? Yeah, those fall into that category, too.
MIKES TIP:
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Amazon Product Manager Interview Questions
Massive tech companies like Amazon have tons of products that require several product managers working together. Everything from Amazon Prime, Amazon Web Services , and Kindle require multiple product managers. You can check out Amazon product manager interview questions submitted by employees on Glassdoor to get an idea. The following list is a summation of all the Amazon product manager interview questions, including various phone and site interview questions. It can be hard to nail your dream job at Amazon down, but you can prepare for it effectively. If youre interested in learning the skill to excel in an Amazon product manager position, check out our certification courses below. Its best to decode and conquer each type of question before going for your interview.
What Are Your Two Main Product Management Principles
Hiring managers may ask this question to learn the philosophies you follow and the product manager training youve had. Your answer can show what values you hold for quality, leadership and production.
Example:In my opinion, the two most important principles in product management are utility and reliability. When mentoring my teams, I like to stress that if a consumer needs a product and they find something they can use for a long time into the future, then weve done our job right.
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Amazon Product Manager Interview Process
The interview process for Amazon Product Managers, both PMs and TPMs, essentially consists of three main rounds:
Letâs look at each of them in detail:
1. The Initial HR Screen
This is the first stage where a recruiter from Amazonâs human resources will get in touch with you to ask you some pertinent questions about your skills and experience. The recruiter will assess if your experience and skills align with the Product Manager role in question. You could be asked to submit an updated copy of your resume in this round. After the HR screen, youâre called for the Phone Screen Interview.
2. The Phone Screen Interview
Senior employees from the product team usually conduct the Phone Screen Interview. A hiring manager is appointed to lead the recruitment effort and will most likely be part of the team youâll potentially be joining.
In the Phone Screen, youâll mostly be asked a bunch of behavioral questions and questions on specific projects youâve worked on in the past. Interviews for Technical Product Managers can involve a few technical questions on algorithms, design, or database management .
In the lead-up to your on-site interview, youâll be asked to submit one or two essays on challenging projects youâve worked on in the past or what your biggest learnings from past roles have been.
Recruiters will get back to you about a week after your Phone Screen Interview if youâre shortlisted for the on-site interview.
Organized Around Leadership Principles
Each interviewer will be focused on assessing the candidate’s fit with their aforementioned Leadership Principles. While every leadership principle might not be explicitly tested over the course of the interviewers, you’ll likely be thoroughly tested on a large chunk of them.
For PM candidates, two interviews are typically product design focused and will dive into the three of the product-oriented principles: Think Big, Invent and Simplify and Dive Deep.
Another interview will likely be focused on testing Amazon’s most famous principle: Customer Obsession. And a fourth interview will be focused on testing how a candidate collaborates with others, digging into principles like Disagree and Commit and Earn Trust.
Finally, the last interview will likely dig into one of the more nuanced principles: Are right, A Lot. You can expect the “bar raiser” to dig into this topic.
In any case, you should still be familiar with all of the Amazon 16 leadership principles, including:
Customer Obsession This is Amazons favorite question principle when it comes to interviewing product managers. The interviewers will want to know whether you put customers in the first place, as everything is designed to earn and keep their trust.
Ownership This principle helps Amazon interviewers to see whether the people theyre hiring are long-term thinkers and never compromise for short-term gains. You need to prove that you dont have a thats not my job attitude.
Product design
- Invent and Simplify
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Example Amazon Bar Raiser Questions:
- Tell me about a time you had to trust your gut when making a decision? Were you comfortable making that decision? How did it play out?
- What do you do when you don’t have enough data?
- How do you stay organized?
- Tell me about the best customer experience you’ve shipped.
- Do you regret any product decisions you made? Is there a product you worked on that you still think about how you could have improved?
- If you had to cut one of Amazon’s products, what would it be?
- Name a company Amazon should acquire.
How Did Hiring Change After Covid
Given the current conditions, its no surprise that hiring changed after COVID-19. Thankfully, Amazon is one of the few companies that did well economically during the pandemic and continued to expand.
However, one thing that has changed is the way the Amazon Product Manager interview will be done. Since offices are closed, the in-person aspect of the interviews is now virtual.
Amazon has a very detailed page with regards to how virtual interviews work. Before you have your Amazon Product Manager interview, make sure you read their instructions and that their recommended software video conferencing works on your computer.
We know that while the expectations are identical, virtual interviews differ significantly from in-person interviews. Check out the Product Gym guide to video interviews dominate your virtual interviews.
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Additional Technical Product Manager Interview Questions
| How do you define market opportunity in a business plan? |
| To build your product roadmap, what inputs do you use? |
| What is a product you cant live without? How would you improve it? |
| Please explain how you managed the roadmap for a product in the past. |
| Define machine learning. |
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Gear Up For Your Next Product Interview
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Our expert instructors are highly experienced professionals who are hiring managers at top tech companies. Practicing mock interviews with them and scheduling 1-on-1 sessions will undoubtedly benefit you and stand you in great stead for your next big interview.
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Phase One: Before The Interview
The first item on your list should be making sure that your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile are ready for the recruiter. You will need a Product Manager resume to show the companies that you are professionally aligned with what they are looking for.
If you are not sure where to start with writing your resume check out this video for some tips:
The second item is expanding your network and focusing on talking to more FAANG recruiters to increase your chances of getting a Product Manager interview at a high-profile company. Given the current competitive landscape, you will likely need a personal connection.
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Amazon Program Manager Interview Questions
Questions asked in Amazonâs Program Manager interview are broadly based under the following categories:
- Behavioral questions These questions constitute about 49% of the questions asked at the interview
- Strategy-basedquestions These types of questions constitute 14% of the questions asked
- Other questions These questions make up for 27% of the questions asked and are mostly based on Amazonâs leadership principles and past projects
Introductory Call With The Hiring Manager
The call lasted about 20 minutes. The hiring manager called me on my phone number and we started off by briefly introducing each other. Then she went on by talking about the role and responsibilities. Then she asked me about where I was located and if I was able to relocate to either Seattle or Boston. Lastly, I asked her a couple of questions. She concluded by asking me to formally apply for the role via Amazon jobs.
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What Does Frugality In The Workplace Mean To You And How Do You Demonstrate A Commitment To Frugality
Frugality is one of Amazons core principles, so theres a decent chance youll face a question like this, particularly if youre trying to land a management position. Essentially, you need to show how you save money, time, or other resources while working without sacrificing outcomes.
EXAMPLE ANSWER:
To me, frugality in the workplace involves seizing opportunities to save money, time, and resources while achieving the desired result. I demonstrate a commitment to frugality regularly when I work. For example, in my last job, I discovered that an alternative software solution would not only cost less but also had additional features that would boost efficiency. As a result, I spoke with my manager about the option and arranged a demo at their request, which ultimately led to the company switching to the new system. In the end, the savings were fully realized, boosting productivity while also reducing a key expense.
If A Team Member Wasnt Pulling Their Weight What Would You Do
Amazon is a team-oriented environment where everyone is expected to do their fair share. However, that doesnt mean all employees perform at the same level.
With this question, the hiring manager wants to know the steps youd take to remedy the issue. You can discuss an example from your previous experience or treat it as a hypothetical if the situation hasnt arisen for you before.
EXAMPLE ANSWER:
While I havent experienced this personally, I do have a strategy for addressing a colleague that wasnt handling their responsibilities fully. First, I would speak with my coworker privately about the work, primarily to see if there was an obstacle causing a problem and if I could offer any assistance. If so, Id do what I could to help.
Second, if speaking with my colleague didnt resolve the issue, I would arrange to speak privately with our manager. Id use a fact-based approach to describe the problem, as well as steps I took to try and resolve it. At that point, I would follow my managers lead regarding what came next, offering support if I was able.
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