Ask Dave #003 - What do Hiring Managers Look for in a Junior PM?

Hey Friends! 👋

If you’re applying for a junior product manager role, you might be wondering:

🤔 What skills do hiring managers actually look for?

🤔 How do they evaluate candidates?

🤔 What separates an Associate Product Manager (APM) from a Product Manager (PM)?

I’ve hired a lot of junior PMs, and I can tell you—there are a few things every hiring manager checks for. If you’re serious about breaking into product, this is what you need to know.

Let’s break it down.

Every Company Wants a Different Type of PM… But These Skills Are Universal

Every company has different expectations for PMs. Some focus on technical depth, others on business strategy, and some care most about UX and customer insights.

But when hiring managers evaluate junior PMs, they tend to look for the same core skills:

✅ Equivalent Experience or Education – A degree in a relevant field (not always required) or hands-on experience in a product-adjacent role.

✅ Understanding Product Discovery & Delivery – Knowing how to find the right problems and ship solutions effectively.

✅ Experience with Tech-Powered Products – Prior exposure to digital products, whether as a designer, engineer, analyst, or marketer.

✅ Cross-Functional Collaboration – Ability to work with engineering, design, sales, and customer success teams.

✅ Problem-Solving & Prioritization – Not all problems are worth solving. Can you identify the most impactful ones?

✅ Customer Engagement & Market Understanding – Do you understand your users? Can you translate insights into action?

Source: Marty Cagan at SVPG https://svpg.com/product-manager-job-description/

These aren’t just checkboxes—they show whether you can think like a real product manager.

The Two “Ticket to Play” Skills

When I hire junior PMs, I focus on two things first:

1️⃣ Product Sense (a.k.a. Product Intuition or Mindset)

• Can you recognize a good product?
• Do you understand why certain features work?
• Can you anticipate user pain points before they become problems?

Some people develop product sense naturally by being obsessed with great products. Others build it over time by analyzing, testing, and learning from real-world products.

2️⃣ Analytical & Strategic Thinking

• Do you set clear goals and define success metrics?
• Can you break down a problem into actionable steps?
• Do you make decisions based on data rather than gut feeling?

You can’t be an effective PM without these two skills. They are your “ticket to play.”

The Right Behaviors Matter Just as Much as Skills

And then I also look for: Do they have the right behaviors to be a product manager?

Because no matter how talented you are, if you don’t have the right perspectives and behaviors, it’s very hard to influence without authority. And influencing without authority is one of the most important parts of a PM role.

PMs don’t manage people directly—they lead through influence. If you can’t get engineers, designers, and stakeholders on board with your vision, you won’t be successful.

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What Hiring Managers Actually Assess in PM Interviews

Here’s what goes through a hiring manager’s mind when they’re evaluating a junior PM:

1️⃣ Product Motivation & Context Awareness

• Do you understand the company’s business model and market?
• Can you explain why the product exists and how it drives business success?

A PM isn’t just building features—they’re making business decisions. If you don’t understand the why, you’ll struggle with the what.

2️⃣ Target Audience Definition

• Can you define a clear customer segment?
• Do you understand why this audience is the right one to focus on?

A common junior PM mistake is thinking you’re building for everyone. Good PMs know who they’re building for—and just as importantly, who they’re not.

3️⃣ Problem Identification & Prioritization

• Can you spot real customer pain points?
• Do you know how to prioritize problems instead of trying to solve everything?

Customers have infinite problems, but not all of them matter. The best PMs focus on the ones that align with business goals and drive real impact.

4️⃣ Product Delivery & Execution

• Can you write clear feature specs?
• Do you understand the basics of agile development?
• Can you prioritize effectively and work within constraints?

Execution is everything. A PM who can’t deliver won’t last long.

5️⃣ Solution Development (a.k.a. Knowing What’s Feasible)

• Can you make technology-informed decisions?
• Do you avoid shiny object syndrome (e.g., adding AI just because it’s trendy)?

PMs don’t need to be engineers, but they do need to understand what’s technically feasible—and when to push back on bad ideas.

6️⃣ Data-Driven Decision Making

• Can you define product goals and KPIs?
• Do you know how to track progress and adjust strategy?

A great PM doesn’t just ship features—they measure their impact and iterate based on real data.

7️⃣ Trade-Off Evaluation & Prioritization

• Can you evaluate competing priorities?
• Do you use frameworks like RICE, ICE, or AARRR to make prioritization decisions?

PMs make trade-offs daily. Do you know how to choose what to build now, what to delay, and what to ignore?

The Soft Skills That Make You a Strong PM

Product Management isn’t just about strategy and execution—it’s about influencing without authority.

These behaviors matter:

✅ Confidence to take charge – PMs lead without formal power.

✅ Mastering product details – You need to know your product inside out.

✅ Making data-backed decisions – Gut feelings aren’t enough; you need proof.

✅ Customer obsession – Always focus on outcomes, not just solutions.

✅ Growth mindset – Keep learning, adapting, and improving.

If you can develop and demonstrate these behaviors, you’ll stand out in interviews.

Final Thoughts: Breaking Into PM Takes Time, But You Can Start Today

Breaking into product management isn’t easy—it takes 6-12 months of skill-building, experience, and strategic networking.

But the best time to start? Yesterday.

The second-best time? Right now.

📩 Want more answers to the most common PM questions? Subscribe to this newsletter, and if you have a question for next week, submit it here → 📥 Ask Product Dave

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