What To Do If You’re Stumped by a PM Interview Question

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.

Even if you make all the right moves when preparing for a PM interview — such as reviewing potential questions and partaking in group practice — you could still find yourself stumped by a question (or questions) when your big day arrives.

As frustrating and stressful as it may be, it doesn’t have to put you in a bad light. There are many ways to approach this situation, including the following:

1. Grab a Glass of Water

This is a natural way to buy yourself a few seconds to formulate your thoughts. Before you answer, simply say “excuse me” and take a drink of water. While doing so, quickly run the question through your mind in search of a starting point.

Once you know where to start, you can begin to answer the question with hopes that your knowledge and practice kicks in. 

2. Ask for a Minute

There’s nothing wrong with this. Don’t be shy about saying “give me a minute to think about that” or “can I have a minute to formulate my thoughts”?

This is much better than stumbling on your words or dancing around the question. When you’re open and honest, the interviewer is likely to grant your request. Additionally, it shows that you want to answer the question in the best way possible.

3. Own It!

Don’t make it a habit, but it’s okay to own up to the fact that you don’t have an answer off the top of your head. You could say “that’s a very interesting question and I’ve never thought about it that way.”

The key is to show that you’re comfortable with ambiguity and conversing your way through the question and answer. This is not a bad thing as nobody knows everything. Your interviewer understands this and your honesty will come off as genuine. 

4. Turn the Table

This sounds a bit aggressive for a PM job interview, but if done the right way it’s the perfect strategy for buying time and collecting your thoughts.

Turning the table on the interviewer generally means asking a question of your own. Consider one of the following:

• Can you explain your question a bit more to ensure that I understand what you’re asking?
• I’m not 100 percent clear on what you’re asking. Could you explain it again so I can see where you’re coming from? 

Any variation of these questions is also good enough. Your goal is to make it sound like you know what you want to say, but that you first want to verify so that you can share the perfect answer. 

5. Take the Question Off Track

This is a tricky one, as you don’t want to make it obvious that you’re skirting around the question. The best approach is to use filler words. Try something like “that’s such a good question and a few answers come to mind.”

Use that to take the conversation slightly off track while you gather yourself. You can then transition back to the question at the appropriate time.

6. Argue Both Sides

Explain to the interviewer that there are two ways to answer their question, but that you need more information to decide how to best move forward. This allows you to argue for the side that the interviewer is thinking about, showing them that you think their perspective is valid. At the same time, you’re implying that you can’t commit to their perspective because there might be something they’re missing. This shows your intelligence. It shows that you’re thinking about the question from different angles.

Final Tip

When you’re stumped by a PM interview question, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed. But you can’t let that show through. You must remain calm and approach the situation in a balanced and collected manner.

Don’t panic. Don’t blurt out something you’ll regret. This gives the impression that you can’t handle the stress of the question. And with that, it’s easy for the interviewer to assume you won’t be able to manage the stress of the product manager position you’re applying for. 

Summary

The best way to deal with this challenge is to avoid it altogether. Doing so means preparing for your PM interview to the best of your ability and never accepting an interview until you’re 100 percent sure that you’re ready.

At PM Exercises, we have all the tools you need to prepare for an interview. Start by reviewing our collection of 2500+ practice questions. From there, sign up for a group practice session while also considering individual coaching.

There’s no guarantee that you’ll never be stumped by a PM interview question, but proper preparation will give you the confidence you need to succeed.