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Introduction to Technical Product Questions

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Technical questions are not common in PM interviews unless the position is explicitly technical (for example, Technical Product Manager at Amazon) and Google has recently phased out technical questions for PMs.

Regardless, having a technical background can help you better understand the feasibility of new product ideas or understand the strategic implications of new technology.

What to expect

Your recruiter should let you know if you will face a technical round, but if you’re unsure, ask. If you do know you’ll be asked technical questions, there are three common types to be aware of:

  • System Design: “Design the architecture for Instagram’s Home Feed.”
  • Communicating Technical Concepts: “Explain DNS resolution to a 12-year-old.”
  • Explaining Technical Decisions: “Tell me about a previous project where your team had to choose between two technologies with trade-offs. Why did you choose what you did?”

In this module, we’ll teach you how to approach common technical questions in a way that highlights your value as a PM. You will learn how to blend your technical knowledge and experience with your core product skills to provide great answers.

What interviewers are looking for

Interviewers ask technical questions to assess your:

  • Technical knowledge and data literacy
  • Ability to communicate about and apply technical concepts, especially related to user experience
  • Familiarity with the development process
  • Understanding of technical trade-offs and how these may affect the user

Note that coding or algorithms questions are typically out-of-bounds. We won’t cover them here, but we recommend checking out our Software Engineering Interview Prep course if you’re interested in more advanced technical practice.

“Okay” vs. “good” vs. “great” answers

  • An okay answer gives a broad explanation of the technology in question. The candidate shows reasonable familiarity with data and principles of software development. Overall, the candidate appears competent enough to communicate with engineers.
  • A good answer includes an above-average understanding of the complexities associated with the technology in question. The candidate may have discussed more complex tradeoffs and/or pointed out non-obvious errors. It is clear that the candidate will be able to communicate well with engineers without added explanation.
  • A great answer shows deep understanding of the given technology, including the nuances involved in producing, improving, and maintaining it through the course of business. The candidate is able to identify subtle tradeoffs and risks that could impact the business, and may even have been able to offer suggestions for mitigation. It’s clear that this candidate will be able to match the engineering team in ability to communicate technical information.
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