Even though technical questions aren’t asked as often in product manager interviews, you should still be ready for them. This is especially true if youre interviewing at techy companies like Google.
Most of the time, these questions about product management are open-ended and could be about any subject or technical skill.
We’ve put together a list of 30 of the best technical project manager interview questions from big tech companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, LinkedIn, and more to help you do that.
If you want to land an exciting and lucrative job as a technology product manager, nailing the interview is key. Tech PM roles come with great responsibility – you oversee entire product lines and make decisions that can make or break a company.
They want to know that you have the technical knowledge, leadership skills, and long-term vision to be in charge of product development. That means you’ll have to really wow them during the product manager interview.
Whether you’re a seasoned PM or just starting out interview prep is crucial. Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the most common technical and behavioral interview questions for product managers with tips to help you give winning responses. With the right preparation, you’ll be poised to ace your next big PM interview.
Why Tech PM Interview Questions Matter
In a PM interview, the questions are meant to see if you’re a good fit for this one-of-a-kind role that combines business, technology, and design. Some key areas interviewers will evaluate include:
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Technical Expertise – Do you have the hands-on experience with data, systems, and tools to lead technical development?
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Product Vision – Can you set a strategic product roadmap aligned to company goals?
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Leadership Skills: Can you tell cross-functional teams how to carry out your product strategy?
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Problem-Solving – When faced with PM challenges, can you think critically to find solutions?
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Communication – Are you able to clearly convey complex technical details and strategies to stakeholders?
With product managers serving such a critical function, the interview process is rigorous. Preparing for a wide range of technical and behavioral interview questions is the best way to demonstrate you have what it takes to excel as a PM.
8 Common Technical PM Interview Questions
Let’s start by looking at some of the more complex technical questions you may encounter:
1. How would you go about understanding an unfamiliar technology or product architecture?
This tests your ability to quickly get up to speed on new tech and products. Outline your process for building knowledge, such as reviewing documentation, examining existing code or hardware, speaking with engineers, and hands-on experimentation.
Example: I would start by reviewing available documentation to gain a high-level understanding of the product’s architecture and technical components. Next, I would have in-depth sessions with the engineers to discuss their areas of the codebase or hardware design. I’d also spend time reviewing code, making API calls, and testing the actual product first-hand to further solidify my technical understanding.
2. How would you diagnose performance problems or bugs in a technology product?
Since PMs oversee complex technical products, interviewers want to ensure you have the debugging skills to address issues. Discuss processes like identifying patterns in user complaints, reviewing logging data, running performance testing, and replicating bugs.
Example: First, I would review analytics dashboards and user feedback channels to identify the most common types of errors or performance lags being reported. I would work with QA to replicate these issues, while also thoroughly testing the app/product myself. Reviewing application logs would provide further clues on precisely where and when problems occur. For particularly complex bugs, I would collaborate with engineering leads to hypothesize potential causes and conduct targeted code reviews.
3. How would you evaluate technology options for a new product or feature?
PMs must constantly evaluate technical approaches to deliver innovative products. Share how you would research options, prototypes concepts, weigh tradeoffs of different tech stacks, consider feasibility, and make recommendations.
Example: I would start broad technology research to identify all potential options, leaning on my knowledge of industry trends and emerging tools. I would work with engineering to assess the feasibility of prototyping a proof of concept for one or two top options. We would collaboratively discuss the pros and cons of each technology choice based on factors like development timelines, scalability, cost, performance and compatibility with existing infrastructure. With thorough research and prototyping, I could provide a data-driven tech stack recommendation.
4. How would you balance agility with stability in managing technology products and systems?
This question tests how you would navigate the constant tension between releasing new features at speed while maintaining system stability. Highlight strategies like incremental development, extensive QA testing, and using maturity models.
Example: To balance agility and stability, I would advocate an incremental development approach, where smaller enhancements get released in rapid sprints vs. giant, monolithic releases. I would also implement comprehensive test automation to catch regressions. Monitoring production KPIs would allow assessing feature impact without compromising stability. I would manage rollouts gradually, starting with internal users. With small, continual enhancements that get thoroughly tested before full exposure, we could achieve speed and reliability.
5. How would you convince engineers to implement a technology change they are resisting?
PMs must be able to influence without authority. Share your strategies for winning over engineering teams who may be hesitant about major technical changes.
Example: First, I would have an open discussion to understand their concerns and resistance. I would ask questions, listen closely and acknowledge their perspectives. Then, I would work cross-functionally to build a case for the change – outlining business benefits, end-user value, and potential technical solutions to address concerns. Rather than mandate the change, I would aim to get the team onboard through collaborative planning and highlighting how we can achieve the technology update smoothly together. My focus would be building shared understanding.
6. What technology metrics would you track to measure overall product success?
This evaluates your analytical abilities to derive meaningful metrics and KPIs from technical data. Share examples of metrics that provide insights into product and business performance like system uptime, load times, feature adoption, quality defect rates, etc.
Example: In addition to business metrics like revenue and customer acquisition, I would track critical technical KPIs to gauge product success like: system uptime and latency to measure reliability and performance, feature usage data to determine adoption and engagement, quality metrics like bugs opened/closed and regressions to monitor engineering output and progress, and Net Promoter Score in relation to product changes to quantify end-user satisfaction.
7. How would you convince product and engineering teams to adopt new tools, frameworks or processes?
Driving change can be difficult, so interviewers want to know you can influence teams to embrace new ways of working. Discuss tactics for winning buy-in like demonstrating clear benefits, providing training, starting small with pilots, and highlighting examples of success.
Example: When introducing new tools or processes, I would first understand hesitancies and address concerns transparently. I would provide extensive training and resources to set teams up for success. Starting with small pilot groups allows demonstrating benefits before asking teams to fully adopt changes. I would put myself in the user’s shoes to ensure tooling/processes are intuitive. By promoting open dialogue, providing support, and focusing on eventual wins, I could gain buy-in.
8. How would you go about debugging a production issue or outage?
PMs are on the frontlines when major technical issues occur. Walk through your systematic approach to troubleshooting and resolving production emergencies, like reproducing errors, checking monitoring dashboards, calling emergency engineering meetings, escalating to leadership, and communicating progress.
Example: My first step would be contacting engineers to investigate the root cause, while checking health dashboards myself for anomaly clues. I would call an incident response meeting with senior engineers and developers involved to immediately brainstorm solutions while more junior resources continue investigating. If the outage escalates, I would loop in company leadership and provide constant updates on progress. Internally, I’d ensure all hands are on deck until the issue is fully resolved, with clear communication across teams.
5 Common Behavioral PM Interview Questions
Now let’s look at some typical behavioral questions that focus on your soft skills:
1. Tell me about a time you influenced product development without authority.
PMs have to be influential leaders. Share a story demonstrating how you directed engineering teams or internal stakeholders to make the right product decisions even when you lacked official authority.
**Example: Recently, our engineering team was resistant to add a key analytics feature I believed would greatly benefit product performance. Since I couldn’t mandate it, I arranged a workshop to demonstrate the business case. I highlighted how other PMs were using analytics to drive product success and had an engineer share a prototype. This collaborative approach got the team onboard and resulted in a high-value feature without friction.
2. How would you balance the needs of customers, executives, and engineering teams?
This complex question tests how well you can manage competing priorities. Illustrate your approach to balancing diverse needs through active listening, clear communication, and relentless prioritization.
**Example: Keeping an open dialogue with all stakeholders is essential to understanding varying needs. I would communicate transparently on how decisions get made, while setting clear priorities for engineering, whether through agile processes or a product roadmap. To balance executive goals with customer needs, I would collect data-driven user insights to back up my recommendations. My aim would be balancing diverse needs through transparency, decisive prioritization, and constant communication.
3. Tell me about a time you had to cut features or change direction. How did you communicate this?
Since PMs must constantly re-prioritize and realign projects, expect questions on
Listen & Take Notes
Before anything else, you won’t get very far in product management if you don’t pay close attention to your interviewer.
Be sure to actively listen when being asked your interview questions.
While your interviewer is explaining the problem, make sure to take notes and look them in the eye often.
Once youve heard the interview question, resist the urge to jump straight into an answer.
Its always best to ask clarifying questions before going any further.
You never know; you may have missed a crucial detail required for a great answer.
Also, as a product manager, you should always ask questions to make sure you understand the job. You should do the same during the interview process.
Your interviewer will always be happy to provide additional clarification on their expectations, so take advantage of that.
For example, you could ask:
- Is the product being made for a certain group of people?
- How many users are expected to use this product?
- Will the product be sold in the United States or other countries?
However, if the question is straightforward or you dont have any other questions, you should always clarify.
Just say something like:
“So, youre asking me to _____. Is that correct?”
Now, its not quite time to jump into your answer yet.
You won’t believe it, but taking an extra 10 to 15 seconds to gather your thoughts and think about your answer can make it much better.
You may feel like you need to answer right away because everyone else is, but do yourself a favor and think about it first.
After briefly thinking through your answer, youll be ready to start structuring it.
An unwieldy or disorganized answer wont impress your interviewer, so this is an important step.
And dont just keep this structure to yourself. Talk it out before diving in. Doing so will allow your interviewer the opportunity to redirect you if necessary.
There will often be a whiteboard available, especially for technical product manager interview questions. We recommend that you use it.
Now, weve gotten to the meat and potatoes.
Youre finally ready to dive into and explain your solution. Be sure to talk out and explain your thought process along the way.
Its also a good idea to continue using the whiteboard extensively as you go along.
While explaining your answer, you need to periodically stop and check-in with the interviewer.
Sometimes, candidates will miss an essential expectation or need to be redirected, especially with technical product manager questions.
Dont sweat it if this ends up happening. Just remain calm and confident and pivot as needed.
Last but not least, youll need to summarize your answer.
No need to go on and on in this step. Just take 30 seconds to reiterate the main points of your solution.
Sample Answers to Technical Product Manager Interview Questions
A product management candidate could answer this product manager question something like this:
“There are three main tech trends that have changed the world and will continue to do so in the years to come.”
These are:
- Artificial Intelligence
- The Internet of Things
- Cloud Computing
Artificial intelligence and machine learning will without a doubt be the most important tech trends of the next ten years.
Artificial intelligence is being used more and more by businesses in almost every field. The machines’ ability to learn will continue to change almost everything in tech and beyond.
A second big trend is the huge growth of the market for “smart” or “Internet of Things” devices, which will last for another ten years. Along with the advances in artificial intelligence that were already talked about, the Internet of Things will bring about big changes in many areas.
Finally, cloud computing has already produced remarkable technological transformations and will continue to do so. Cloud computing has mostly made it easier for more people and businesses to access and use data in ways that were too expensive before. “.
15 Common Technical Product Manager Interview Questions
FAQ
What to expect in a technical product manager interview?
What are the red flags for product manager interview?
What questions are asked in a technical product manager interview?
Most technical product manager interviews involve a mix of technical and behavioral questions. The technical questions may cover topics such as product design, software development processes, A/B testing, and data analytics.
What does a technical product manager do?
A technical product manager is someone who uses their technical or systems background to decide which products to create and develop for companies. This title describes the candidate or employee, rather than a job role. Learning how to answer technical product manager interview questions can help prepare you for your next job interview.
What are the most common product manager questions?
Next, let’s walk through answers to some of the most common product manager questions. “What’s your favorite product?” is a standard product design interview question. You should prepare to answer it in every PM interview you have. Your interviewer will likely press you for clarity on your favorite product.
How are technical product managers assessed during a technical interview?
Because technical product managers need to consistently evaluate tradeoffs in their day-to-day responsibilities, this will be part of how a candidate is assessed during the interview. When it comes to technical interview questions, there are typically many possible approaches to solving the problem.
