Best Questions to Ask as a New Product Manager
Interviewing for a role as a Product Manager can be a stressful experience — while many of us are familiar with consumer products that we use every day, such as a Facebook or Linkedin, many product roles at new companies hiring early for a Product Manager may not fully have their product fleshed out or have an exact idea of how they define the role of a Product Manager. Having to simultaneously prove you can grow a product you’ve never seen while also helping define their Product culture is a lot of pressure.
The best way to get ahead of this is asking the right questions. I was lucky to find a great opportunity at my current company that had lots of processes in place for an incoming Product Manager but, in hindsight, have learned so much I wouldn’t have even thought to ask during my interview or in my first few months learning the role. In a role where so much is out of your control, having the answers to some of these questions can often be the bare minimum to meet a standard of competence.
Product Roadmap
- How far in advance is the product roadmap planned?
- How do ideas get on the roadmap?
- How often does the roadmap change?
- How much is the average budget for a new product feature?
- How much time does an average feature take for release?
- How are delays addressed for feature development?
- What is the company’s penchant for scope cuts vs. extended timelines?
Technical Expectations
- What is the relationship between a Product Manager and an Engineering team?
- How often is code released? How many code repositories are used?
- How is the testing evaluated by engineers? What role does a PM play?
- What systems are used to ensure successful release?
- What is the tech stack? What programs are used for applications? data? utilities? Devops? How much does a PM have to know in order to integrate well?
Business Development
- What does product discovery look like?
- Who talks to the product’s users the most?
- How often does a Product Manager talk to users?
- How often does a Product Manager get involved in a sales deal?
- How often does a Product Manager get involved in a go-to market strategy?
- How are feature requests from users prioritized?
- Are there any groups of users that are prioritized over others?
People Management
- Who does the Product Manager typically report to?
- How often should a Product Manager check in with parties that they do not report to?
- How long does it take for a Product Manager for onboard?
- How is a PM measured when a feature completely fails?
- How often does the growth of a feature play into the evaluation of a Product Manager?
The catch is that all these questions are fair game to ask in an interview — companies will be candid if they don’t have the answers and it will reflect even better on you as it reflects a keen curiosity about product that often comes from seasoned PMs. Again — I got lucky. I only had the answers to some of these and the answers I received later were very satisfactory. It’s never a guarantee.
If you’re a Product Manager and there’s a question I missed, would love to hear from you!
I’m a Product Manager based out of Washington D.C with interests rooted in product management, product marketing and the intersection of technology with social impact. I share insights around Product and career frequently on Linkedin or on Twitter at @kushaanshah. All opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.
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