How to Deal With Rejection in a Product Manager Interview

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You prepare for a product manager interview with the idea of “knocking it out of the park.” You hope that your performance leads to a second interview or a job offer. However, there’s no guarantee. Even if you impress the interviewer, it doesn’t always result in an offer. 

Rejection is a big part of the job search process. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it’s not the end of the road. Always remember that a PM job interview is a learning experience. You may get rejected, but the more you learn from the process the better chance you have of landing a job in the future. 

Rejection can take you down one of three paths:

• It can make you angry and/or bitter about the company. 
• It can disappoint you.
• It can motivate you to learn from the experience and improve your interviewing skills.

It’s okay to be angry and bitter. It’s also okay to be disappointed. What’s not okay is letting these emotions hold you down. Use them as motivation to do better the next time around. 

Find Out What Went Wrong

The only way to learn from rejection is to find out what went wrong. Once you know where you slipped up, you can practice accordingly to prevent the same from happening during your next interview. 

Here are three steps you can take to determine what went wrong:

1. Replay the Interview in Your Head

Before you ever hear back from the hiring company, replay the interview in your head to make note of what went right and what went wrong. Answer questions such as:

• How would you rate your overall performance?
• Which questions were you confident answering?
• Which questions confused you?
• Did you pick up on any non-verbal cues (good or bad) from the interviewer?
• If there is one thing you could change about the interview, what would it be?

Answering these questions — among others — provides you with an overall picture of the interview and your performance. 

2. Ask the Hiring Company for Feedback

This step is critical to dealing with rejection. Ask the hiring company or interviewer to provide feedback on the interview, including areas of strength and weakness. Let them know that any feedback they can provide will help you perform on your next PM interview.

Here are some tips to follow:

• Ask for honest feedback: You don’t want to hear the “filtered” version. You want honest feedback that you can use to improve your interviewing skills. Let the person know that it’s okay to be direct and to the point. 
• Ask via email: When possible, request feedback via email as doing so over the phone will put the person on the spot. Email allows the person to provide feedback as their schedule allows. And for many, it’s easier to share “unfiltered” feedback via email. 
• Talk about the future: Make it clear that the feedback you receive will be used to help you refine your interviewing skills. Additionally, share your thoughts on potentially applying to the company again in the future. 

Note: some companies have a policy against sharing information with job applicants. Even if the company says they can’t share why you weren’t hired, send an email to thank them for their time. State that you’re disappointed that you won’t get to work together, but that you’ll keep them in mind in the future. 

3. Ask the PM Community for Feedback

Even if the hiring company shares feedback, it never hurts to go above and beyond. And that’s why you should ask the PM community for feedback.

For example, at PM Exercises, you can share interview questions and answers to receive feedback from your peers. This is also a good time to see how other people have answered similar questions. 

Taking this one step further, sign up for mock interviews as a way to hone your skills. This is your opportunity to focus on areas of concern and receive feedback from an experienced product manager. 

Remain an active member of the PM community until you feel confident in your ability to ace your next interview. And of course, when possible, provide others with feedback and guidance based on your experience and knowledge. 

Final Thoughts

In a perfect world, you’d receive a job offer from your dream employer. You’d never have to deal with rejection and the feelings that accompany it. But in the real world, this doesn’t always happen. There’s a good chance that you’ll be rejected at least once before securing a position.

According to the Lehigh University Center for Career & Professional Development, “it takes 100-200+ applications to receive one job offer. In a further breakdown, you have an 8.3% chance of getting a job interview from a single job application. That means it takes 10-20 applications to get one interview and 10-15 interviews to get one job offer.”

While it’s not about quantity — quality should be your primary focus — the above is an indication that you have to accept that rejection is part of the process. If you’re not prepared for rejection, you’ll place unnecessary stress on yourself during an already stressful time of your life. 

Let’s finish with a few points to keep in mind as you tackle the interview process:

• You may be surprised at how much value you will get from asking for feedback. This allows you to realize how you’re approaching interviews, making it easier to adjust for the better in the future. 
• Keep refining your approach and skills until you get to a point where others — those in the PM community — share positive feedback. 
• Don’t burn bridges. Even if you’re left with a sour taste in your mouth, don’t burn any bridges. Form a good relationship with everyone you’re in contact with at the hiring company. This makes it easier to apply for a job in the future (and hopefully receive an offer).

If you’re just now embarking on the mission to land your first product manager job, start by taking our PM interview course. It’ll provide you with the foundation you need to confidently tackle your next interview.