American Express is a globally renowned financial services corporation known for its exceptional customer service and innovative products. It has established a significant presence in the financial industry, offering a wide range of credit cards, charge cards, and travel-related services to both consumers and businesses.

As a Product Manager at American Express, you'll play a critical role in developing and implementing innovative products that meet customer needs and drive business growth. The interview process typically includes several stages, encompassing both technical and behavioral assessments to ensure candidates have the required skills and fit with the company culture.

This guide from Interview Query will provide you with valuable insights into the interview process, commonly asked questions, and tips to help you succeed. Let's get started!

Submitting Your Application

The first step is to submit a compelling application that reflects your technical skills and interest in joining American Express as a Product Manager. Whether you were contacted by an American Express recruiter or have taken the initiative yourself, carefully review the job description and tailor your CV according to the prerequisites.

Tailoring your CV may include identifying specific keywords that the hiring manager might use to filter resumes and crafting a targeted cover letter. Furthermore, don’t forget to highlight relevant skills and mention your work experiences.

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your CV happens to be among the shortlisted few, a recruiter from the American Express Talent Acquisition Team will make contact and verify key details like your experiences and skill level. Behavioral questions may also be a part of the screening process.

In some cases, the American Express Product Manager hiring manager stays present during the screening round to answer your queries about the role and the company itself. They may also indulge in initial technical and behavioral discussions. Common screening questions could include:

• Do you have any vacations coming up?
• Are you authorized to work in the US?
• What PM experience do you have?

The whole recruiter call should take about 30 minutes.

Technical and Behavioral Interviews

Successfully navigating the recruiter round will present you with an invitation for technical and behavioral interview rounds. These interviews are usually conducted through virtual means, including video conference and screen sharing. Questions in the technical interview might revolve around product design, backlog management, and user experience, such as:

• How would you design an app for teenagers?
• How do you manage a Product Backlog?

In the behavioral interview, you might be asked questions like:

• How do you manage risk?
• Tell me about a time you failed.

Each of these interviews typically lasts 45 minutes.

Conversational Interview with Hiring Leaders

The final stage typically involves a conversational interview with senior hiring leaders. This phase is more about assessing your fit within the team and understanding your managerial capabilities. It will likely involve situational discussions and may feel more like an evaluation than a traditional interview. Common questions might include:

• Tell me about your product management experience.
• Where do you see yourself in the future?
• How did you handle conflict in the team you worked before?

This interview round can range from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the depth of discussion.

Onsite Interview Rounds

Alternatively, if onsite interviews are part of the process, you may be invited to the American Express office to meet with multiple team members. These rounds can consist of various technical and behavioral assessments, including presentations if a take-home assignment was given. Discussions during this round may focus on your approach to developing a new product or how you prioritize multiple requests.

Quick Tips For American Express Product Manager Interviews

• Be Thorough with Amex Products: Understand the breadth of American Express products and be prepared to suggest improvements or strategies tailored to their services.

• Focus on Behavioral Competencies: Behavioral interviews will focus significantly on your past experiences and how you handle specific situations, so be ready to provide detailed examples.

• Highlight Your Strategic Thinking: Demonstrate your ability to combine strategic vision with actionable insights—this will be essential in responding to questions about product design and backlog management.

For more detailed insights and practice questions, visit Interview Query.

Typically, interviews at American Express vary by role and team, but commonly Product Manager interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.

• How would you determine what our next partner card should be? You have access to all customer spending data. How would you analyze this data to identify the best potential partner for a new partner card, similar to a Starbucks or Whole Foods Chase credit card?

• What are the Z and t-tests, and when should you use each? Explain the Z and t-tests, their purposes, the differences between them, and the scenarios in which one should be used over the other.

• How would you build a strategy to find the best businesses to reach out to? As a credit card company looking to partner with more merchants, you have 100K small businesses to choose from but can only contact 1,000. How would you develop a strategy to identify the best businesses to reach out to?

• Write a SQL query to select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department. Write a SQL query to select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department. If more than one person shares the highest salary, the query should select the next highest salary.

• What’s the difference between Lasso and Ridge Regression? Explain the key differences between Lasso and Ridge Regression, focusing on their regularization techniques and how they handle feature selection.

• When would you use a bagging algorithm versus a boosting algorithm? Compare two machine learning algorithms and discuss scenarios where you would prefer a bagging algorithm over a boosting algorithm. Provide examples of the tradeoffs between the two.

• Is a logistic model valid if a key variable has data quality issues? Assume a logistic model heavily relies on one variable, which has data quality issues (e.g., decimal points removed). Discuss whether the model remains valid and how you would fix it.

• What is the difference between XGBoost and random forest algorithms? Explain the differences between XGBoost and random forest algorithms. Provide an example of a situation where you would choose one over the other.

• Does increasing the number of trees in a random forest always improve accuracy? If you sequentially increase the number of trees in a random forest model, will the accuracy continue to increase? Discuss the implications.

• What are the Z and t-tests, and when should you use each? Explain what Z-tests and t-tests are, their purposes, and the differences between them. Specify scenarios where one test is preferred over the other.

What is the average salary for a Product Manager at American Express?

Q: What is the interview process like for a Product Manager position at American Express? The interview process typically involves multiple stages, starting with an initial phone screen with a recruiter, followed by one or more rounds of technical and behavioral interviews, and concluding with a final round with senior leadership. Each stage focuses on evaluating your past experience, technical knowledge, and cultural fit with the company.

Q: What types of questions can I expect in the interview? Expect a mix of behavioral and technical questions. Behavioral questions might include "Tell me about a time you failed" or "How do you manage risk?" Technical questions could range from "How would you design an app for teenagers?" to "How do you manage a product backlog?" Be prepared to discuss your past projects and how you approached specific challenges.

Q: How should I prepare for the American Express Product Manager interview? Preparation should include thorough research on American Express as well as brushing up on both technical and behavioral questions. Utilize Interview Query to practice common interview questions and scenarios. Additionally, familiarize yourself with Agile and user experience principles if you haven't already.

Q: What is the company culture like at American Express? American Express is known for valuing its employees and fostering a supportive work environment. The company places a high priority on teamwork, innovation, and employee well-being. American Express promotes an inclusive and collaborative atmosphere where your voice is valued.

Q: What are some key skills and experiences American Express looks for in a Product Manager? Key skills include strong business and analytical capabilities, experience with data-driven decision-making, strategic thinking, and excellent communication skills. Familiarity with Agile methodologies and modern user experience practices is also highly desired. Experience in the travel industry or with B2B products can be a plus.

The interview process for the Product Manager position at American Express is thorough and engaging, highlighting the company's commitment to finding the right candidates who align with its values and goals. The process typically involves several rounds that include both technical and behavioral questions, aimed at understanding your past experiences, problem-solving skills, and cultural fit. Interviews are often conducted by different members of the team, including directors and vice presidents, providing a comprehensive view of the role and the company's expectations.

Applicants have noted the professional and respectful nature of the interviews, with many stating that the discussions felt more like conversations than formal assessments. While some experiences highlight organizational challenges and longer-than-expected feedback times, many candidates appreciate the accommodating and responsive nature of the interviewers.

If you want more insights about the company, check out our main American Express Interview Guide, where we have covered many interview questions that could be asked. We’ve also created interview guides for other roles, such as software engineer and data analyst, where you can learn more about American Express’s interview process for different positions.

At Interview Query, we empower you to unlock your interview prowess with a comprehensive toolkit, equipping you with the knowledge, confidence, and strategic guidance to conquer every American Express Product Manager interview question and challenge.

You can check out all our company interview guides for better preparation, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Good luck with your interview!