Comments on: What questions should I ask on a product management job interview?

By: CJB

CJB — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:22:11 +0000

Thanks for posting the framework Steve. The most concise explanation of the role I have seen.

By: David Locke

David Locke — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:38:12 +0000

If it is a contract position, the interview is your last time to capture the client’s definition of success. Find out exactly how you will be graded, what they want you to do, what they consider to be success. They won’t have time to answer these questions after the interview.

You might want to determine where the company is on the technology adoption lifecycle, the hype cycle, and any other frameworks that you will use in your work.

If they didn’t like your predecessor’s work find out why. Don’t argue with their answers. Know where your line in the sand happens to be.

By: Product Management Reader: 8Jan09 | The Productologist: Exploring the Depths of Product Management

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:39:23 +0000

[...] What questions should I ask on a Product Management job interview [Good Product Manager] [...]

By: Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:29:49 +0000

Another suggestion is to take a copy of the Pragmatic Marketing Framework to the interview to guide your discussion. The frameworks lists all of the typical activities for product management. “Which of these activities are most important in this job?” You can easily see if they’re looking for a strategist, a technical product manager, or a product marketing manager.

If they already know the framework, it can serve as a shorthand for all of the activities for the job.

If they haven’t seen the framework before–altho that’s fairly unlikely–you’ll be seen as being a product management professional just by having the clarity on the role. More than one product manager has pulled out the grid and had the hiring manager pull out one too. It’s the secret handshake of product management.

If you don’t already have a copy, you can download it from http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/pragmatic-marketing-framework