The Trade Desk Product Manager Interview Questions
& Process

A recruiter hit me up first to chat about what I was looking for and gave me the lowdown on the company. After that, the interview process was kinda weird. I first chatted with a product leader from one area, then another product leader from a different area. The first chat was 45 mins, but the second was only 30 mins, so we didn't get to cover much. I didn't hear back for about a week, then they told me they were going with someone else and that the team thought I wasn't technical enough. Super surprising since I never had a technical interview and barely had any time to talk with them!

So it began with a quick screening, followed by an initial chat with the hiring manager where they wanted to get a feel for my background and general knowledge of what the role entails. After that, there were 4 more interviews: one with a technical peer from software engineering, and the other three were with different PMs. Most interviews mixed experience-based, hypothetical, and behavioral questions. There was usually also time for a more casual chat and some good discussion on various topics. Everyone was really nice and approachable, even when they were challenging me, it was still fun. Big thanks to James Budnik, the recruiter, who was super friendly and managed to coordinate everyone's schedules around Christmas.

I hit apply online and after about a week, I got a call from the recruiting manager for a 45 minute chat about my background and technical skills. The next day, I had another hour long interview with the hiring manager, who is the Principal Product Manager. We dove into the details of the job, what they expect, the company culture, and my experience. A couple of days later, I had a video call with the GM of Product. We had a high-level chat about software, my background, their team, and the industry. Finally, the day after that, I went in for a full day of interviews with four people, including the CTO, VP of Engineering, and two other senior folks. It was a bit intimidating, but it was more about seeing if I'd fit in with the team rather than testing my technical skills. Although, the VP of Engineering did give me a quick test on how I'd handle a current UI problem with the platform.