Why do PMs ask behavioral questions in interviews?
Inside the Hiring Manager's brain
Hi there,
In this issue I’d like to share a snippet from a session held by the lead instructor of our bootcamp, Abhi, Sr. Director of Product Management at Kasisto. It’s primarily about behavioral interview questions. Before we go into helpful frameworks to answer such questions, it’s important to understand why these questions are even asked in the first place.
But firstly, I’ve launched a Facebook group for all Product Band members, centered on the Product Management job search. This is a good way for you to reach out to us and other members for help and for us to share updates, videos, and other resources on a more frequent basis.
Why do hiring managers or PMs ask behavioral questions?
Behavioral questions are mainly about validating whether your skillset actually matches the product experience shared in your resume. Most of these questions go probe deep into your product experience. Probing into your personal impact and the impact you have on your team allows the interviewer to get a window into how you handle different situations.
It’s also a great way for them to tease out what kind of a PM you are. Are you someone that loves handling tough problems? Did you come up with creative solutions that allowed your product to get much further than competitors? Being very clear as to what actions you took in various situations and what larger impact it had on your team, your company, and even yourself is a great way of providing the information that the hiring manager seeks from you.
Finally, it’s also a way for them to evaluate your storytelling skills. Are you able to convey your point in a succinct manner while still having a structure to your response?
Here’s a short snippet -