FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

PRODUCT MANAGER
INTERVIEW
AND HOW I ANSWERED IT!

PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

Disclaimer:
I only provided sample questions, opinion, and answers
based on my previous interview experiences. Sometimes I
failed, but most of the times I got the offer, so use this tips
at your own risk!

PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

0 GENERAL TIPS
General tips to answer the Product Manager interview
questions are:
1. Do not panic and think the question through.
2. Start your answer by asking why.
3. Clarify the problem and ask for additional
informations.
4. Request for time to prepare your answer.
5. Write the answer down first to keep it clear and
structurized before explaining it.
6. Be honest with your answer.
7. Do what you usually do as a Product Manager.
PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

1 GUESSTIMATE QUESTION
Guesstimate is one of popular questions asked at PM
interview, especially at startup companies.
The question requires you to estimate something based
on guesswork and calculation.

My notes
Product Managers are facing big unclear problems in daily basis. I believe, this
question is a representative of it. So, let’s show the interviewers how we define
the key challenge and tackle it!

How I answer it
I often answer this question by using divide and conquer method. I also lay
many assumption before getting the estimation number.

PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

1 GUESSTIMATE QUESTION
Example 1. How many elevators is in the building?
Start with why why should I calculate it?
Clarify the problem building level, floor size, employee number [...]
Chunk it elevator per employees-floor, elevator per floors [...]
Assumption 1 elevator per 50 employees, 1 per 20 floor [...]
Edge Cases executive elevator, freight elevator [...]
Summarize based on that, there should be XXX elevators in the building.

Example 2. How many red cars in Indonesia?

Start with why why should I calculate it?
Clarify the problem Indonesia size, population, gdp [...]
Chunk it red car %, average car per family, average family income [...]
Assumption 5% red car from overall, 1/10 car per family, 100k families [...]
Edge Cases luxury cars, repaint [...]
Summarize based on that, there should be XXX red cars in Indonesia.
PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

2 FAVOURITE PRODUCT
You’re asked to describe your favourite product, with
follow up challenge to improve it!

My notes
I think this question is all about thinking framework, especially on product
iteration. Product managers should be able to probe problems and discover
improvement opportunities.

How I answer it
First, I elaborate what I love about the product. After that, I answer the second
question with list of all my pain points. If any, I will also provide the business
opportunities. Next, I analyze the problem and come up with solution ideas.
Finally, if needed, I plan the solution delivery by doing prioritization. I always try
to relate it directly to customer & business.
PS: I personally find this question easy because I use the product all the times.
PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

3 FAVOURITE PRODUCT
Example. What is your favourite product and why?
Honest answer My favourite app is XXX, comparing to other e-wallets, it has
the best UX. It is super clean and easy to use [...]

Example. What will you do to improve it?

Pain point & opportunity Recently, the app is running so slow. There is also no
food delivery on the app, so I can not stop using other e-wallets [...]
Analyze & ideation I assume the recent poor performance is caused by many
new services, that I will never use. I believe, if we only provide popular mini
services with option to install other mini services, it will give better user
experience for users [...]
Prioritize & Plan Using effort vs result, I think we should go with kill the under
performed services solution first and continue with optional services install as
MVP. This improvement, I believe, will increase app performance, reduce user
complaints, and in the end increase the user satisfaction [...]
PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

4 REVIEWING PRODUCT
Instead of being asked about your favourite product,
you’re demanded for reviewing the company product.

My notes
Apart from testing the same product management essence, I think this
question also test the readiness of PM. PM should come prepared. Also,
personally I think it is one good habit of PM to review other products
periodically.

How I answer it
Before the interview, I do proper research about the company. I attempt to
learn more about it: goal, mission, etc. For the product exploration, if I never
use it before, then I install and give it a spin. Next, I seek to understand the
current values, user pain points and improvement opportunities. Just like what
I do with previous question!
PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

5 NEW FEATURE
You’re expected to handle the new product feature of the
company and to provide a complete roadmap.

My notes
This question variation is the hardest to answer due to lack of time and
research. However, it also has the same core like previous two. Personally,
I hate this question. I believe this is quite unethical and I feel like being used by
providing free ideas. Well, that is just my opinion.

How I answer it
There is nothing special to do here except adding research on company
strategy and recent news before the interview. Sometimes, I find the job
description on the ads, provide me with super helpful information about this
question.
PS: Maybe next time when being asked this question, I will ask them to offer me the contract first.
PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

6 TIME MACHINE PROBLEM
Fantasy question about going back in time to do
something different, where most likely, the selected event
is either your biggest success or failure.

My notes
Retrospect is also one of the skill needed by Product Managers. I believe, this
question is for us to show how we always striving for perfection and never
settling for good enough.

How I answer it
First, I explain about the success story. After that, list all of the challenges and
anything that went south. Next, I continue with providing the lesson learnt and
ideas of what should I did differently. In the end, I close it with expected result
from the changes I’ve planned to do.

PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

6 TIME MACHINE PROBLEM
Example. What is your biggest success in your career?
Honest answer It is when I helped XXX to become the first e-wallet with 100%
QRIS availability. It did not only helped us complying to government rule, but
also opening the offline payment service to a larger market [...]

Example. If you can go back in time, what will you do

differently?
Challenges It was so exhausting. There were many last minute changes due to
wrong assumptions in the early phase [...]
Did differently I think If I could go back in time, I would like to do problem
clarification, get the clear requirement first, and minimize the assumption [...]
Improvement impacted By getting a clear requirement ASAP, we could avoid
many resources wasted due to ambiguity. We could also deliver the project
more comfortably [...]
PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

7 CREATIVE THINKING
Unusual questions of edge cases that force you to think
out of the box.

My notes
Product Managers also need both critical and creative thinking. By answering
this question, I can display the later skill to the interviewers.

How I answer it
Adding to the general tips, my special take on this problem is to exhaust all of
the solution possibilities before converging and deciding the optimal solution.

PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

7 CREATIVE THINKING
Example. How do you design a watch for blind people?
Start with why why should do I it?
Clarify the problem target market, product scope, platform [...]
Pain point blind people can not see and the usual watch could not work for
them [...]
Analysis but blind people still has other senses they can use to get the
information about time [...]
Ideation audible watch, braille watch [...]
Keep it coming integrated watch with white cane, smart watch installed on the
glasses, app with virtual assistance [...]
Converge from practicality pov and effort needed, audible watch is more
feasible option to go from the start. In parallel, we could also continue to
iterate on the white cane integration idea [...]

PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

8 TRAP REQUEST
They asked you to do something, but there is something
fishy about it. So, be cautious for the hidden agenda!

My notes
I figure that a great Product Managers have a product sense: to doubt, to
reason, and even to deny an unfavor or an unviable demand. I assume that this
question is used to probe it.

How I answer it
If you already followed my general tips, then it should be enough. Special for
for this case, I also put pressure more on getting the reason and additional
information about the request. Next, if the information clear my doubt, I will
continue with the same approach like previous problems. In another way, If I
am still uncertain, I will reject the request and try to come up with better
alternatives.
PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

8 TRAP REQUEST
Example. You’re a new PM of BNB popular app. As your
boss, I want you to develop new feature of car rental!
Start with why why should I do it?
Clarify the problem company goal, previous research, target market [...]
Analysis I believe that the market research does not support the idea. Also, the
feature itself is not in line with the company north star or vision [...]
Alternatives (-) rather than building a car rental services, we should iterate
more first on taxi service between airport/station/terminal to the bnb [...]
Alternatives (+) or if the company still eager to go with the car rental service, I
believe it is the best for us to develop it under new app rather than put it as
feature under the main app. However, to do it, I still need to be convinced by
doing thorough research on the correlation between bnb & car rental,
especially on main user persona: tourist [...]

PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

9 DATA DRIVEN
You’re asked to do something and it is implied that data
play important role there!

My notes
I feel that great Product Managers should have a data-driven mindset. This
question is, I believe, used by interviewers to find out how we collaborate data
in every occasions, especially on product management related activities.

How I answer it
First, check my previous sharing session about Data Driven PM! I explained
essential guide how to become a Product Manager with data-driven mindset.
To answer the question, I basically start with the same steps like before.
However, I also define the data needed, for example metrics. Then, I use the
same data for deciding my next action and so on.

PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

9 DATA DRIVEN
Example. You’re a PM of ABC vaccine. How do you know
that your product is effective and ready for launching?
Start with why why should I do it?
Clarify the problem company goal, target market [...]
Pain points ABC virus is spreading fast with high mortality rate [...]
Vaccine effectiveness based on the pain points, the effective vaccine should:
increase patient immunity to the virus, reduce infection level, with a little to
none side effect [...]
Business metrics total injection, sales, distribution cost [...]
Hypothesis the vaccine will increase the immunity to the virus XX%, reduce the
infection level YY%, and if still infected, reduce the severeness ZZ% [...]
Test it I plan to do A/B testing to confirm the hypothesis. If it is proven, I can
say confidently that the vaccine is ready for launch phase. If not, than we
should go back to the lab, improve it, and test it again [...]
PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

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10 LOGICAL PUZZLE
Different with previous questions, this kind of question
have the correct answer which need fitting logical
thinking to achieve it.

My notes
To be able to solve complex problems, one of skills needed by Product
Managers is logical reasoning. I recognize that this question is one of the way
for interviewer to check it.

How I answer it
First, same like before, I do the same things: asking for reason, clarifying the
problem, and putting assumptions if needed. Then, I analyze the problem using
all knowledge I know: statistic & probability, logic thinking (modus
ponen-tolen), etc. Usually, I find the correct answer there. If I can not, then I try
to think out of the box.
PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

10 LOGICAL PUZZLE
Example. A Russian gangster kidnaps you. He promises
to release you if you play a puzzle roulette with him.
Basically, he will shoot you twice and if you’re survive, you
are free to go. He puts two bullets in consecutive order in
an empty six-round revolver. He spins the gun and points
it at you. Luckily, the first shot is blank. He asks you: do
you want to spin it again or not? Why?
Start with why why should I do it? Will I face this kind of situation later? [...]
Analysis the first shot is blank, so the probability for the second shot will be
blank too = [ooXXoo, oooXXo, ooooXX]/[oXXooo, ooXXoo, oooXXo, ooooXX] =
3/4 [...]
Summarize I choose to spin the revolver again to give me a survival rate
increase from 3/4 to 5/6 [...] PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

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11 BRAIN TEASERS [BONUS]
Uncommon and funny puzzles that most of the times
need unusual solution too.

My notes
This type of questions are being popularized by Google back then. Currently, I
believe that interviewers start ditching it because we can easily google the
answer. Still, it is quite challenging and amusing at the same time.

How I answer it
In overall, I use the same approach like logical puzzle to solve this. However,
most of the times, I just do my best to answer this tricky questions.

PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

11 BRAIN TEASERS [BONUS]
Example 1. What is the best description to put on
dictionary for ‘recursive’?
Answer see recursive.

Example 2. A man pushed his car to a hotel and lost his

fortune. What happened?
Answer he is playing monopoly.

Example 3. A man was walking in the rain. He came

home all wet, but not a single hair on his head was wet.
Why is that?
Answer he was bald.

PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN

12 CLOSING STATEMENT
There are many other questions that I didn’t put in here,
such as: “Why do you want to work with us”, “Tell me
about your strength & weakness”, and etc. I choose not to
do it because I found it too general and I think you can
learn it better from others.

I really hope this cheat sheet could help you on landing

your Product Manager dream job!

Again, disclaimer:
I only provided sample questions and answers based on my previous interview experiences,
sometimes I failed, but most of the times I got the offer, so use this tips at your own risk!

PART OF SERIES: LANDING A JOB AS PRODUCT MANAGER!

GURUN NEVADA DHARAN