How to Ace Your Associate Product Manager Interview

Hey there! Want to land your dream product manager job? We’ve got you covered.

Check out our 2,500+ product manager interview questions database with answers from expert product managers.

If you’re new to the wonderful world of product management, it won’t be long before you’re wondering where to get your start. And as you conduct research, you’ll come to find that applying for associate product manager positions is a good jumping-off point.

Before we discuss the ins and outs of an associate product manager interview, let’s start with a few basics:

• Many people work in an associate product manager role before becoming a product manager.
• Associate product managers work in the same capacity as product managers but on a more individualized scale. For example, you won’t create a product strategy, but you’ll work with others — such as a PM, engineers, and product designers — to see the product through completion. 
• Associate product managers don’t earn as much money as PMs, but that doesn’t mean they’re underpaid. Expect to earn anywhere from $55,000 to $100,000+ depending on the company and location. As you move from associate PM to PM, your salary will also increase. 

With that out of the way, it’s time to focus on the five steps you can take to ace your next associate product manager interview.

1. Review Potential Interview Questions

This is where it all starts. Knowing what to expect in an associate PM interview allows you to prepare for anything and everything that comes your way. Our list of 2500+ interview questions and answers will get you in the right frame of mind.

In addition to filtering the questions by company — such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon — you can do the same by question type. This includes estimation, metrics, product design, product improvement, problem-solving, product strategy, and execution among others.

If you have a particular area of concern, focus more time on this type of question. For instance, here are some common product design-related questions:

• How would you design a bicycle renting app for tourists?
• How would you prevent hate, misinformation, or deep-fakes on YouTube?
• How would you improve Facebook Groups? How would you measure whether you were successful?
• How would you improve Facebook Pay?
• Design an experience for getting book recommendations on Facebook. How would you measure success?

The more potential questions you review, the more comfortable and confident you’ll be as you move through your interview. 

2. Take a PM Interview Prep Course

Completing a structured PM interview prep course can be the difference between success and failure. At PM Exercises, our course is designed to provide you with everything you need to excel when your big day arrives. 

Our course is broken down into 10 categories:

• Product sense
• Execution
• Analytics
• Strategy
• Technical
• Behavior
• Tips
• Assignments
• Company guides
• Office hours

With 50+ video hours and 100+ online lessons, you’ll gain the knowledge you need to master your PM interview skills. 

3. Practice the Real Thing

You can review thousands of interview questions. You can carefully work through our PM course several times. And while both of those steps are critical to your success, there’s no replacement for practicing the real thing. This is where mock interviews come into play.

A mock interview is exactly what it sounds like. You complete an entire PM interview with an experienced product manager. This allows you to determine what you’re good at and what you need to improve. 

You can also expect the person interviewing you to provide feedback. Since they work as a product manager, they know what it takes to move into this role. 

4. Prepare Accordingly

In today’s world, most associate product manager interviews are completed remotely. One of the reasons for this is that the majority of PM roles in 2022 are 100 percent remote.

With this in mind, there’s one thing you need to remember: the interviewer will use your interview as an opportunity to determine how you carry yourself in a remote environment. If you can’t communicate your thoughts and listen effectively during your interview, they’ll have questions about your ability to do so on the job.

Some potential challenges associated with a remote PM interview include:

• Internet, hardware, or software issues
• Finding a quiet place
• Difficulty understanding and/or hearing the interviewer
• Communicating your view in an easy to understand way

These challenges are another reason why you should partake in a handful of mock interviews. With each session, you’ll become more comfortable with the way you carry yourself and how you communicate with the other party. The last thing you want to do is go into an interview “cold.” 

5. Relax – It’s a Learning Experience 

It’s easier said than done but don’t turn your interview into a “life or death” experience. Yes, you want to perform well. And yes, you want to receive a job offer. But even if you come up short, it’s not the end of the world. There are plenty of other jobs to apply for. 

When you’re relaxed, it’s easier to connect with the interviewer on a personal level. It’s also easier to maintain your confidence throughout the interview — even if you’re stumped.

No matter how well prepared you are, it’s natural to feel some stress and anxiety before and during an interview. Fortunately, when you know what you’re doing and how you want to present yourself, it’s easier to kick your stress to the side and perform at your peak.

Even if you fall flat, you can use your experience to better prepare for your next interview. Maybe you struggled with a specific type of question. Maybe you struggled to convey your career goals. Or perhaps something out of your control occurred, such as losing your internet connection during the interview.

You hope to ace your interview from start to finish, but that’s not easy to do. In fact, it’s almost impossible. Take notes regarding your performance, go back to the drawing board, and regain your confidence before your next interview. 

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it. When you take these five steps, you position yourself for success. You position yourself to ace your associate product manager interview, receive a job offer, and start down the PM career path. Visit our homepage to learn how PM Exercises can help you prepare for your next interview!