Google PM Interview Guide
Read our guide on what to expect in the Google interview and tips on how to prepare.
Google PM Interview Guide
What's a Google Product Manager (PM)?
One of the many reasons Google consistently brings innovative, world-changing products to market is because of the collaborative work of their PMs. As a Product Manager, you'll work closely with engineers to guide products from conception to launch. You'll bridge technology and business by designing services people love, while working with teams across Google like Engineering, Sales, Marketing and Finance. You'll be responsible for guiding products throughout the execution cycle, focusing specifically on analyzing, positioning, packaging, promoting and tailoring solutions to all the markets where Google does business. With eyes focused squarely on the future, you'll work closely with creative and prolific engineers to help design and develop technologies that improve access to the world's information. You'll have a bias toward action and will break down complex problems into steps that drive product development at Google's speed and scale.
What product would I work on?
Google Product Managers are hired as product “generalists” who match any of our evolving product lines. In the later stages of the hiring process, Google identifies a team that matches your interests and background.
General PM Interview Tips
Product Insight and Design - Begin by thinking about user experiences from the customer's perspective. Recognize the importance of even the smallest product details in producing great results. You should be as comfortable with sketching a wireframe for a designer as you are with explaining your reasoning from a business standpoint.
Example interview questions:
- How would you improve Google maps search?
- If you were to build the next great feature for Google Maps, what would it be?
- How would you monetize YouTube more effectively?
Product Strategy - Gain familiarity with Google's competitive landscape and vision for the future, the mobile market, the ad market, and internet and technology in general. Be able to discuss long-term product roadmaps and strategies to increase market share.
Example interview questions:
- If you were Google's CEO, would you be concerned about Microsoft?
- Should Google offer a DoorDash competitor?
Analytics - As a Product Manager, you should be fluent with numbers, able to validate and effectively present data, and articulate your analyses. You should be comfortable using metrics and data to make decisions. This role requires decision-making from A/B test results, writing SQL queries, and/or running scripts to extract data from logs.
Example interview questions:
- How many queries per second does Gmail get?
- How many Google Home products sell in the US each year?
- How do you know if a product is successful?
Craft and Execution - In order to prepare, you should think critically about the tactical things an excellent PM would do. Try to put yourself in the shoes of the scenario at hand and describe to the interviewer the exact steps you would take in that situation. The interviewer is trying to understand if you are able to execute at the high level that Google expects you to perform.
Example interview questions:
- What sections should you include in your product requirements document?
- How would you convince your engineering team to pivot in a new direction?
- What steps would you take if a key metric you were tracking changes by 10%?
Interview Process
Recruiter screen, phone interview, and on-site interviews are the three stages of the Google PM interview process. Candidates typically receive feedback from phone interviews in a week or two. The time it takes to get your on-site interview results could be up to two weeks. Once you pass the on-site interview, you can anticipate that the actual signing and negotiating of the offer will take longer as you complete the necessary paperwork.
Recruiter
A recruiter will call you to find out why you want to work as a PM at Google. Why do you want to be a product manager at Google? Have a compelling answer to this question ready. Your answer should demonstrate your enthusiasm for Google and its products, as well as your own Googleyness (read on to learn more about Googleyness).
Be ready to discuss your prior experiences. You will be evaluated on your communication skills and prior experience during this call. The recruiter will also be looking for signs that you'll make a good colleague and won't be a hassle to work with.
Phone
Following that, a current Google PM will conduct a phone interview with you. You will have roughly 45-50 minutes to answer a product, estimation, or analytical question, and then you will have 5-10 minutes to ask questions of your interviewer.
Homework Assignment (APM Only)
If you are applying for the Google Associate Product Manager program, you will be asked to complete a homework assignment in 2 hours. Usually, a product-related question is asked. Complete the assignment just as you would any other product-related interview question. Clearly explain your strategy and any assumptions you made in order to reach your conclusions.
On-site
You will advance to the final on-site interview if you pass the phone interview. 5 rounds make up a typical on-site interview: 4 product/analytical questions, 1 technical question. However, you might get a different mix based on your prior performance. For instance, you might be given another analytical question if you did poorly on an analytical question in the previous round.
Always be prepared for a question to shift and lead to a different kind of question. For instance, a question about the product could be followed by an analytical question during an interview.
Your interviewers will give you enough time to use the restroom or get some water in between sessions. Each interview will last about 45 to 50 minutes, plus an additional 5 to 10 minutes for you to ask any final questions of your interviewer.
Nail the PM Interview at Google!
Schedule a 1-hour call with one of our Experts. We will conduct a PM interview modelled after real questions asked at Google! We can provide tailored feedback so you can learn to ace the interview.
Practice with an Expert!General Interview Tips
Explain - Google wants to understand how you think, so explain your thought process and decision making throughout the interview. Remember they're not only evaluating your technical ability, but also how you solve problems. Explicitly state and check assumptions with your interviewer to ensure they are reasonable.
Clarify - Many questions will be deliberately open-ended to provide insight into what categories and information you value within the technological puzzle. Your interviewers are looking to see how you engage with the problem and your primary method for solving it. Be sure to talk through your thought process and feel free to ask specific questions if you need clarification.
Improve - Think about ways to improve the solution you present. It's worthwhile to think out loud about your initial thoughts to a question. In many cases, your first answer may need some refining and further explanation. If necessary, start with the brute force solution and improve on it — just let the interviewer know that's what you're doing and why.
Practice - Stay current with tech trends and innovations by reading relevant news articles and blogs. Understand who your users are. Become comfortable working with frameworks. Integrate these topics in mock interviews.
Nail the PM Interview at Google!
Schedule a 1-hour call with one of our Experts. We will conduct a PM interview modelled after real questions asked at Google! We can provide tailored feedback so you can learn to ace the interview.
Practice with an Expert!Non-technical interviews
Getting ready for your interviews
This guide will help you understand how to prepare for the non-technical portion of your interview so you'll be ready to show us what you've got. When you meet with your interviewers, they'll be assessing you on not only your technical skills but also on how you get work done and collaborate with others. Interviewers will use a mix of behavioral and hypothetical questions to assess:
- Leadership: Be prepared to discuss how you have used your communication and decision-making skills to mobilize others. This might be by stepping up to a leadership role at work or with an organization, or by helping a team succeed even when you weren't officially the leader.
- Googleyness: Share how you work individually and on a team, how you help others, how you navigate ambiguity, and how you push yourself to grow outside of your comfort zone.
As you answer your interviewer's questions, ask yourself if your responses include examples that show how you:
- Demonstrate initiative.
- Exhibit introspection and self-awareness.
- Can be open about your failures and talk through examples of what you've learned from them.
- Lead and support a team, including conflict management.
- Are passionate about what you've done.
What's a behavioral question?
A behavioral question looks at how you've handled a specific challenge in the past to assess if you'll be a good match for the role. Sample requirements include:
- Communication
- Decision making
- Initiative
- Organization
- Time management
- Flexibility
- Leadership
- Problem solving
Behavioral questions usually start with phrases such as “tell me about a time when” or “give me an example of” or “describe a decision you made.” Interviewers are looking for examples of what you have done and how you have done it. They may follow up with more probing questions such as, “what did you do then?” or “what was the result?”
Examples of behavioral questions
Describe two specific goals you set for yourself and how successful you were in meeting them. What factors led to your success?
Things to consider for your answer:
- Your objectives—be clear on those up front.
- Reasons you chose those particular goals.
- Any measures you set up to track progress.
- Obstacles you overcome and things learned along the way.
Things to consider for your answer:
Tell me about a time when you failed to meet a deadline. What did you fail to do? What did you learn?
- The root cause.
- How you applied what you learned in future projects.
What's a hypothetical question?
While behavioral questions assess your past performance, hypothetical (also known as situational) questions evaluate how you would handle a challenge you may not have encountered yet.
Questions often begin with “Imagine that…'' and are designed to assess your thought process rather than “right” or “wrong” solutions. Google does not ask brain teasers, but instead Google wants to know how you would approach a typical problem scenario that is related to the role or that Googlers have faced in the past.
Examples of hypothetical questions
Imagine you are in charge of organizing the grand opening of a new Google office in Bangalore, India. What steps would you take to plan this event?
Things to consider for your answer:
- The objective of the event, and measurement of success.
- Who will be invited to the event.
- Logistics around the event, set-up, location, timing.
- Stakeholders to involve in the process.
General tips for success
- Listen carefully. Rephrasing questions or asking for clarity is okay, as is telling the interviewer you want time to collect your thoughts .
- Be concise. Make sure you're answering the question and not using a prepared example that isn't applicable or related to the questions.
- Highlight your strengths. Think in terms of examples that will showcase your top selling points.
- Don't worry about giving the right answer. The interviewer will be looking to see the thought process versus the answer itself. Expect follow-up questions.
- Come prepared with thoughtful questions (e.g., team priorities, culture, etc.).
Nail the PM Interview at Google!
Schedule a 1-hour call with one of our Experts. We will conduct a PM interview modelled after real questions asked at Google! We can provide tailored feedback so you can learn to ace the interview.
Practice with an Expert!