Netflix Product Manager Interview (questions, process, prep)

In this guide, we’re going to cover everything you need to know to prepare for product manager interviews at Netflix.

Information on Netflix job interviews is quite hard to find online, especially for the PM position. The few candidates who share their experiences typically stress how much emphasis Netflix places on their culture guide during interviews.

One thing not in doubt is that PM interviews at Netflix are extremely competitive. Aside from culture fit questions, you’ll face in-depth and challenging questions over the course of at least four to ten different interview rounds.

Thankfully, the right preparation makes all the difference. 

Below you’ll find an overview of the interview process, example questions, how to answer, and a preparation plan.

• Role and Salary
• Interview Process
• Interview Questions
• Culture
• Behavioral
• Product design
• Other
• Interviewing Tips
• Preparation Plan

Let’s get started.

1. Netflix Product Manager Role and Salary↑

Before we cover your PM interviews at Netflix, let's take a quick look at the role itself.

1.1 What does a Netflix Product Manager do?

Product managers at Netflix are responsible for ensuring that the streaming company’s primary product, content, reaches its members worldwide in a seamless and highly personalized way. 

As a product manager at Netflix, you will need a deep understanding of the fusion between technology and entertainment and a drive to deliver and advance the engaging customer experience that Netflix is known for.

Applying to a product manager position at Netflix allows you to explore different specializations. Some specializations include advancing the company’s portfolio of core products and features, driving growth, scaling internal engineering platforms, and expanding innovation or overseeing new products. 

1.2 How much does a Netflix Product Manager make?

Based on the computations from Glassdoor data, the estimated average salary of a PM in the US is 23% higher than the estimated average salary of a Netflix PM in 2024. 

Location also plays a part in the difference in salary based on Glassdoor data. To compare:

• Netflix India PM: est. average of $35k/year
• Netflix Brazil PM: est. average of $97k/year
• Netflix US PM: est. average of $126k/year

Looking at the current Netflix PM job postings, you’ll find salary ranges for different PM positions in the US. According to the job postings, Netflix relies “on market indicators and considers your specific job family, background, skills, and experience to determine your compensation in the market range.” 

Below you can see the estimated average salary of the different product manager levels at Netflix US, as of early 2024, based on comparably.com data:

Ultimately, how you do in your interviews will help determine what you’ll be offered. That’s why hiring one of our ex-FAANG PM interview coaches can provide such a significant return on investment.

And remember, compensation packages are always negotiable, even at Netflix. So, if you do get an offer, don’t be afraid to ask for more. If you need help negotiating, consider booking one of our salary negotiation coaches to get expert advice.

2. Netflix Product Manager Interview Process↑

The interview process for Netflix PMs generally takes about three to six weeks to complete.

Here’s a quick overview of the steps you may face along the way:

• Resume, cover letter, and referrals
• Recruiter phone screen 
• Hiring manager phone screen
• On-site interviews 
  • With cross-functional leaders
  • With internal team partners/leader

Now we’ll cover each of the steps we listed above in more detail, so you can get a better idea of what to expect and how to prepare.

2.1 Resume, cover letter, referrals

Step one is getting the interviews. For that, you’ll need a quality resume that is tailored to both PM positions and Netflix more specifically. If you have yet to apply, you can optimize your documents by using our product manager resume guide and getting FAANG recruiters or PMs to review your resume.

As with most companies, it can also be helpful to get an employee or contact at Netflix to refer you to the recruiting team. In our experience, the most straightforward way to do this is to contact Netflix employees you share connections with directly on LinkedIn.

2.2 Recruiter phone screen

Next, you'll usually start your interview process by talking to an HR recruiter on the phone. They are looking to confirm that you've got a chance of getting the job at all, so be prepared to explain your background.

Netflix takes culture-fit more seriously than most other companies. As a result, you’ll need to show your enthusiasm for their mission and answer questions like "Why Netflix?" or "Tell me about yourself". Review the Netflix culture guide before this call to increase your chances of advancing to the interview stage.

If you’re unsure about what steps are ahead in the interview process, take this opportunity to ask any clarifying questions about what you can expect.  The recruiter will be your point of contact for the rest of the interviews. 

2.3 Hiring manager phone screen

After talking to the recruiter, your next will usually be with the hiring manager. Be ready to go more in-depth on your product knowledge than you did on the recruiter phone screen. Expect the following types of questions which we’ll cover in detail in section 3: culture, behavioral, product design, and others.

2.4 Onsite interviews

If you pass your hiring manager phone screen, you’ll move on to the onsite interviews. These may take place in Netflix’s offices or virtually, over video call.

2.4.1 With cross-functional leaders

One of your on-site interviews will likely be with leaders from teams you’ll be working with, depending on the PM specialization you’re applying to. For example, if you’re applying to a Technical PM post, expect to have an interview with one of the Directors of Engineering. This may come in the form of a panel interview or a 1:1.

2.4.2 With internal team members/leader

Your next on-site interviews will be with the members and leaders of the product team you’ll be joining if you succeed with your application. Apart from testing you on your product knowledge and culture fit, expect the PM team members to focus on how you work with others.

3. Netflix Product Manager Questions↑

Below, we've compiled lists of real questions from Netflix product manager interviews based on reviews on Glassdoor. We’ve also included a few common questions you can expect at most FAANG PM interviews. 

To help you structure your preparation, we've organized them into four categories.

• Culture questions
• Behavioral questions 
• Product design questions 
• Other

3.1 Culture questions

As mentioned, Netflix places a big emphasis on its unique culture. Candidates attest to this, and you’ll also find their culture guide highlighted on their job postings. 

A quick summary of Netflix’s core philosophy is “people over process”. Their most valued behaviors are judgment, selflessness, courage, communication, inclusion, integrity, passion, innovation, and curiosity. The culture guide goes in-depth into these qualities and the rest of the company’s philosophy of creating a “dream team”.

The most common advice for anyone applying to Netflix, whether it’s for a PM job or another position, is to read the culture guide and reflect on it. 

In a Business Insider article on how to get a job at Netflix, a former employee said, “You don't do yourself a favor if you trick the interview system to get in. ​​It's a really challenging place to work ... They don't just put it [culture deck] away when you get hired. It comes up all the time, in every meeting.” 

Reflecting on Netflix’s culture and being honest about what you like about it and your misgivings is a good opportunity for you to find out whether Netflix is the ideal work environment for you. Bringing up your honest feedback on their culture could also score you points in your interview, as Netflix puts importance on radical candor and feedback.

3.2 Behavioral questions

You can expect behavioral questions throughout the Netflix interview process. Your interviewers will use them to get to know you better, based on your past and most recent professional experiences, your motivations, and how you react to particular situations.

You can learn a step-by-step process for answering behavioral questions, and find many additional examples, by visiting our article on how to answer behavioral questions at tech companies. This guide primarily focuses on Meta/Facebook but can be applied to any company.

3.3 Product design questions

Netflix asks product design and product improvement questions to assess your product sense and user centricity. 

Both attributes are important in a PM, especially at Netflix, a company that’s always been known for its great product and UX, and its willingness to adapt, evolve, and innovate. Netflix's product management team’s key objectives revolve around providing personalized and seamless experiences across devices for members, so they can easily discover content they’ll love.  

If you'd like to learn more about answering this kind of question, then check out our separate guides on product design questions, product improvement questions, how to demonstrate product sense, and how to answer 'what's your favorite product?'.

3.4 Other

We’ve also seen estimation and product strategy questions come up in a few Netflix PM interview reviews online.

Netflix asks estimation questions to test your ability to work with numbers and understand the product market. Here’s an in-depth guide on how to answer estimation questions.

Product strategy questions are also a common feature of PM interviews for tech companies like Netflix. Prepare for them with this guide on how to answer product strategy questions.

4. Netflix Interview Tips↑

You might be a fantastic product manager, but unfortunately, that’s not necessarily enough to ace your interviews at Netflix. Interviewing is a skill in itself that you need to learn.

Let’s look at some key tips to make sure you approach your interviews in the right way.

4.1 Ask clarifying questions

Some of the questions you will be asked will be quite ambiguous. In those cases, you’ll need to ask clarifying questions to get more information about the problem and to reduce its scope.

Jumping straight in without asking questions first will be a red flag to the interviewer and will hinder your answer.

For instance, if you were asked, “What would be your 10-year strategy if you were CEO?” you can respond by asking some questions about the company’s current situation and any business objectives the interviewer may have in mind. This way, you’ll have a better understanding of what the company needs in the coming years and have more information from which to build a strategy.

4.2 Justify your choices

Netflix wants to see the reasoning behind your answer so make sure to justify each decision you make. You'll need to make plenty of trade-offs as you arrive at a solution, so be sure to call them out.

One of Netflix’s valued behaviors is judgment, in particular, “making wise decisions despite ambiguity”, “using data to inform your intuition and choices” and “making decisions mostly based on their long term, rather than near term, impact”. Keep these in mind when answering decision-related questions.

4.3 Be data-driven, but not too data-driven

Netflix is looking for product managers who can make decisions based on data and can judge everything they do by relevant metrics.

In an interview situation, it's okay to make assumptions because you might not have access to the facts and data. But you need to make it clear that in real life, you would seek out that data and that your approach would be highly data-driven.

That said, Netflix is also looking for PMs who are comfortable with some level of ambiguity. In her blog, “Netflix rejected me. I didn’t have this PM Skill”, Academy of PM founder Sondra Orozco shares that being “too data-driven” caused her to be rejected from a Netflix PM job. 

She writes, “I learned that day that product decisions often need to be made with imperfect data. So product managers must be able to deal with ambiguity and make good decisions in the midst of uncertainty.”

4.4 Demonstrate user empathy

Netflix wants product managers who can empathize with its users.

When answering a PM interview question, your first instinct should be to focus on the user. Identify who uses the product, why, and what the use cases are. Avoid designing a product based solely on personal preferences.

As part of your prep, think hard about the different kinds of users across Netflix’s device ecosystem and be prepared to divide them into segments.

4.5 Check in with your interviewer

Interviewers differ in their willingness to provide hints. Some may wait for you to ask about customer or product details, while others expect you to make assumptions on your own.

Gauge this by asking a direct question or specifying your assumptions. If the interviewer tends to offer specifics, they’ll engage. If not, limit additional questions to demonstrate your ability to make decisions independently.

4.6 Answer methodically by using a framework

Like other tech companies, Netflix wants you to solve a problem methodically. You can use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) framework when answering behavioral questions.

We also recommend the BUS (Business objective - User problems - Solutions) framework for answering product insight questions and the SPSIL (Situation - Problem - Solution - Impact - Lessons) framework for behavioral questions.

4.7 Don’t get stuck in a framework

As we just said above, frameworks are extremely helpful. However, some of our successful candidates have mentioned that excessive reliance on frameworks may hinder your performance.

During the interview, trust your instinct, and don’t be afraid to deviate from the framework if needed. A framework is there to help you craft a better answer, not make you twist your answer to fit the framework.

4.8 Center on the company’s core values

We cannot stress enough how important it is to study Netflix’s culture guide. When answering culture fit and behavioral questions, share stories from past experiences that align with Netflix’s core values. When designing a product or a strategy, consider how your answer aligns with these values.

4.9 Treat the interview like a conversation

Keep in mind that the interview is a two-way discovery process. While the interviewer assesses if you’re a good fit for Netflix, you’re also evaluating if the company aligns with your aspirations and preferences.

4.10 Save questions and feedback for your interviewer

You’ll have a few minutes to ask your interviewer questions as the interview wraps up. Arriving without questions may suggest a lack of interest in the company or the role.

Prepare thoughtful questions that go beyond what you could have found out online. You can ask about career growth opportunities or specific ways of working in the company. It's your chance to showcase genuine curiosity and investment in the conversation.

Similarly, Netflix loves it when candidates challenge the company. Come prepared with feedback about Netflix in general – whether it’s an item on the culture guide, a feature of the streaming platform, their global strategy, or even their selection of programs. 

As Valarie Toda, vice president of talent acquisition at Netflix, said in the Business Insider article on how to get a job at Netflix, "Come with questions, challenge our thinking." 

This is in keeping with an item on Netflix’s culture guide: “We do not seek to preserve our culture—we seek to improve it. Every new employee helps to shape and evolve the culture so we find new ways to accomplish more together.”

 5. Preparation plan↑

Now that you know what questions to expect, let's focus on preparation. 

Below, you’ll find links to free resources and four introductory steps to help you prepare for your Netflix PM interviews.

5.1 Deep dive into the product/organization

As you've probably figured out from the example questions listed above, you can't become a PM at Netflix without being familiar with the company's products and its organization. You'll therefore need to do some homework before your interviews.

Here are some resources to help you get started with this:

• Netflix Culture
• Netflix Product Strategy: A 2020 Case Study by Gibson Biddle (Previous VP of Product at Netflix)
• Netflix Techblog
• Netflix Annual Reports and Proxies

5.2 Learn a consistent method for answering PM interview questions

As mentioned previously, Netflix will ask you questions that fall into certain categories like culture, behavioral, design, strategy, and estimation questions. Approaching each question with a predefined method will enable you to build strong interview habits.

Then, when it comes time for your interviews, these habits will reduce your stress and help you to make a great impression.

If you’re just looking for a jumping-off point, you can start learning about the different question types you’ll need to master in the following PM interview guides:

• Behavioral questions
• Product design questions
• Product improvement questions
• Favorite product question
• Strategy questions
• Estimation questions

Once you’re in command of the subject matter, you’ll want to practice answering questions. But by yourself, you can’t simulate thinking on your feet or the pressure of performing in front of a stranger. Plus, there are no unexpected follow-up questions and no feedback.

That’s why many candidates try to practice with friends or peers.

5.3 Practice with peers

If you have friends or peers who can do mock interviews with you, that's an option worth trying. It’s free, but be warned, you may come up against the following problems:

• It’s hard to know if the feedback you get is accurate
• They’re unlikely to have insider knowledge of interviews at your target company
• On peer platforms, people often waste your time by not showing up

For those reasons, many candidates skip peer mock interviews and go straight to mock interviews with an expert. 

5.4 Practice with experienced PM interviewers

In our experience,  practicing real interviews with experts who can give you company-specific feedback makes a huge difference.

Find a Netflix product manager interview coach so you can:

• Test yourself under real interview conditions
• Get accurate feedback from a real expert
• Build your confidence
• Get company-specific insights
• Learn how to tell the right stories, better.
• Save time by focusing your preparation

Landing a job at a big tech company often results in a $50,000 per year or more increase in total compensation. In our experience, three or four coaching sessions worth ~$500 make a significant difference in your ability to land the job. That’s an ROI of 100x!