Decode and Conquer: Answers to Product Management Interviews

by Lewis C. Lin

The product management case interview is tough. It combines interview questions that would otherwise appear for positions in disparate disciplines, including project management, product design, software engineering, management consulting and marketing.

To start the interview, you really just need answers for the four bolded questions: what is it, who is it for, why do they need it, and how does it work?

If the interviewer refuses to answer your clarifying questions, make an assumption based on what you know. Then, give the interviewer an opportunity to correct you, in the event he thinks differently about whom it is for or how the product works.

Interviewers routinely ask individuals what metrics they would evaluate to understand success of a product, how they would interpret test results and what actions they would take based on the data.

The interviewer is assessing whether the candidate understands metrics that relate to the overall business goal and whether they can drive the A/B testing process.

make the decision that’s in-line with the corporate strategic goal. Ask