Sophia Philippou on the one question to ask at the end of a product manager interview, and what the answer reveals about the role you're being offered.
Sophia Philippou, Perpetuate
You've reached the end of the interview.
The interviewer has driven the conversation, asked about your experience, challenged your thinking and explored whether you could be right for the role.
Then they turn it over to you:
"Do you have any questions for us?"
Of course you do.
This is where your natural curiosity should come through. Ask about the business, its goals, the Product / Growth strategy, the problems the team is trying to solve, how decisions get made, what this role will genuinely own and where it will be accountable.
But there is one question I think is particularly powerful to finish with:
The question
"Let's say I'm successful in getting the role, and we fast-forward 12 months. What would you want me to have achieved for the business by that point?"
It sounds simple, but the answer can tell you an enormous amount.
A job description tells you what you'll be responsible for.
This question tells you why the role actually exists.
There is a big difference.
"Own the roadmap", "work cross-functionally", "lead discovery" or "manage a team of Product Managers" might describe the work. They don't necessarily tell you what the business needs to be different because you are there.
The answer starts to reveal the real brief.
I spend a lot of time working with companies before a Product search begins, getting underneath what they really need from the hire.
One of the most important questions is: what does this person actually need to achieve?
Because two companies hiring a Head of Product can need completely different people.
The same applies when you are the candidate.
If you ask what success looks like 12 months from now and receive a clear answer, that is useful information. It suggests there is some alignment around why the role exists and what good looks like.
If three interviewers give you three completely different answers, that is useful information too.
And if nobody can really answer it? Also useful.
There is another reason I love this question.
It gives you the opportunity to listen to their answer and connect it back to something you have already done.
Imagine they say:
"In 12 months, we need this person to have brought much more clarity to our Product strategy, improved prioritisation and got Product, Engineering and Sales aligned around where we're investing."
You now have an opening to say:
"That's interesting, because it sounds very similar to the environment I inherited at X. When I joined, the teams were pulling in different directions, and one of my first priorities was…"
You are no longer talking about your experience in the abstract.
You are showing them how your experience translates to their problem.
And that is ultimately what a good interview should establish.
Particularly at senior Product level, an interview shouldn't just be a company assessing whether you can do the job.
You should be assessing the opportunity just as carefully.
So bring all your curiosity to the interview.
Ask the questions that matter to you.
But before you finish, try this one:
"If we fast-forward 12 months and you're really happy you hired me, what will I have achieved for the business?"
Then listen carefully.
The answer might tell you more about the opportunity than the job description ever could.
Sophia Philippou leads Perpetuate's Product practice.
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