DoorDash PM interview (questions, process and prep)

PM interviews at DoorDash are extremely competitive. You’ll face in-depth and challenging questions over the course of at least six different interview rounds.

Thankfully, the right preparation makes all the difference. So we’ve scoured the internet for interview reports from real DoorDash PM candidates, in order to put together this ultimate guide to DoorDash product manager interviews.

We’ll outline the company’s hiring process, interview questions, and key preparation resources to help you maximize your chances of success.

Here's what we’ll cover:

• Role and salary
• Interview process and timeline
• Example questions
• Product sense & design interview questions
• Strategy interview questions
• Behavioral interview questions
• Analysis interview questions
• Interviewing tips
• Preparation plan

Click here to practice 1-on-1 with PM ex-interviewers

1. DoorDash Product Manager Role and Salary↑

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

1.1 What does a DoorDash Product Manager do?

Product managers at DoorDash are responsible for building and scaling products aimed at the delivery app’s three user segments: customers, merchants, and dashers (users who offer their delivery service on the DoorDash app). 

DoorDash’s Product Team has a product structure built to serve these user segments’ varying needs as they interact with DoorDash. 

As a DoorDash PM, you may be in charge of building products to enhance DoorDash’s logistics, customer service, merchant experience, or coming up with new verticals to make DoorDash the app of choice for all types of experiences in a particular city. You may also be responsible for solving dasher-specific concerns, and building products to help them increase their earnings on the app.

In a Product Leadership interview, Kevin Fu, Senior Director of Product at DoorDash, said, “The most unique thing about DoorDash is how fast we move. Our product teams sometimes go from problem identification to MPV, to shipped in an A/B test in the span of a day. Moving fast is a mentality we have - how do we work most efficiently together to get something done today.” So as a DoorDash PM, you have to be ready to operate at this level of speed.

1.2 How much does a DoorDash Product Manager make?

Based on the computations from the Glassdoor data, the estimated average pay of a DoorDash product manager is 28% higher than other US PMs. The base pay average is $164k a year, and bonuses amount to $54k on average.

Below you can see the average salary and compensation of the different product manager positions at DoorDash, as of early 2024, based on Levels.fyi 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 DoorDash. 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. Interview process and timeline↑

The interview process for DoorDash 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 (1 interview, 30-45 mins)
• First round interview (1 interview, 30-45 mins)
• Onsite interviews (4 to 5 interviews, 30-45 mins each)

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 PM positions, and DoorDash more specifically. If you have yet to apply, you can optimize your documents 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 DoorDash to refer you to the recruiting team. In our experience, the most straightforward way to do this is to contact DoorDash 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.

Most recruiter screens are focused on culture fit and feature questions such as "Why DoorDash?" or "Tell me about yourself". But DoorDash also sometimes asks light product sense and design questions in that round.

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 First-round interview

After talking to the recruiter, you’ll move on to the first round interview. This interview is usually with the hiring manager and takes place over a phone or video call for 30 to 45 minutes.

You’ll get asked more behavioral questions, but also typical product management interview questions which we’ll cover in section 2: product sense and design questions, strategy questions, and analysis questions.

2.4 Onsite interviews

If you pass your first-round interviews, you’ll move on to the final, onsite interviews. These may take place in DoorDash’s offices or virtually, over video call.

You’ll usually interview with 4 or 5 different people from product, design, engineering and sometimes other teams, too. Each interview will last 30 to 45 minutes and cover a mix of behavioral and typical product management questions which we’ll cover in the next section.

3. Example questions↑

Below, we've compiled lists of real questions from DoorDash product manager interviews. To help you structure your preparation, we've organized them into four categories.

The question type breakdown is based on DoorDash PM interview reports mainly from Glassdoor.com.

• Product sense and design (54%, most frequent)
• Strategy (20%)
• Behavioral (19%)
• Analysis (7%, least frequent)

Now you've seen an overview, let's get into the first and most frequently asked question category: product sense and design.

3.1 Product sense and design questions (54%)

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

The questions they ask in this category are actually a lot more predictable than what we see at other companies. Here are some common themes you should prepare for:

• DoorDash asks a LOT of product improvement questions (e.g. improve product X), but very few pure design questions (e.g. design a clock for blind people)
• The following products also very frequently come up in questions: DoorDash, OpenTable, Turo, and Spotify
• The post-booking experience is also a very common topic in product sense and design questions at DoorDash as it’s a common challenge in service marketplaces. (Once the user has purchased, the marketplace loses control and the user experience is mostly in the hands of the service provider).

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

3.2 Strategy questions (20%)

DoorDash asks product strategy and prioritization questions to assess your overall strategy skills. 

In our analysis, we’ve seen a lot more prioritization questions reported than pure product strategy questions. Prioritization questions often come up as follow-up questions after product improvement questions. Once you’ve discussed various improvement approaches for a product, you’ll get asked to prioritize them.

3.3 Behavioral questions (19%)

You can expect behavioral questions throughout the DoorDash interview process. Your interviewers will use them to assess how much you align with the company’s mission and core values.

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 but can be applied to any company.

3.4 Analysis questions (7%)

DoorDash also asks questions to test your analytical skills. The main type of question we’ve seen candidates come across is metric change questions.

If you'd like to learn more, then check out our separate guide on metric change questions.

4. DoorDash Product Manager Interviewing Tips↑

You might be a fantastic product manager, but unfortunately, that’s not necessarily enough to ace your interviews at DoorDash. 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

DoorDash 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.

DoorDash favors candidates who can work with a sense of urgency as the company’s goal is always to “launch solutions quickly, test them, and make changes as needed”. It also has a “not either/or” culture–meaning, it always spurs its leaders to come up with solutions that balance speed and quality, “We’re not satisfied picking between options or sacrificing one thing for another,” as stated on the company’s Mission & Values page. Keep these in mind when explaining your choices.

4.3 Be data-driven

DoorDash is looking for product managers who can make decisions based on data and can judge everything they do by relevant metrics. “We take small ideas and help them grow using data and rigorous testing,” as stated in their values statement.

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.

As we’ve mentioned, DoorDash loves urgency in its candidates. Show your bias for action by not getting into analysis paralysis and always having a plan for testing after execution to show how you use data to serve your growth mindset.

4.4 Demonstrate user empathy

DoorDash wants product managers who can empathize with its users as a company that’s “customer-obsessed, not competitor-focused.”

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 three key users of DoorDash – the customers, merchants, and dashers – their pain points, and user journey on the app.

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, Doordash 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

It’s important to study any company’s culture guide when applying. Same goes for DoorDash which has very specific Mission & Values. When answering culture fit and behavioral questions, share stories from past experiences that align with DoorDash’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 DoorDash, 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.

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 DoorDash PM interviews.

5.1 Deep dive into the product/organization

As you can see from the questions above, it will be very difficult to secure an offer from DoorDash if you come to the interviews without having researched the company first. The questions will frequently center around real-life problems the DoorDash product team is facing now or has faced in the past.

So you’ll need to do homework before your interviews.

Here are some resources to get you started on the right track:

• DoorDash’s mission and values
• DoorDash’s financials
• DoorDash’s earning calls 
• DoorDash’s newsroom
• DoorDash statistics (by Business of Apps)

5.2 Learn a consistent method for answering PM interview questions

As mentioned previously, DoorDash will ask you questions that fall into certain categories like behavioral, design, strategy, and metric 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 blog articles:

• Product sense and design questions (54%)
  • Product design questions
  • Product improvement questions
  • How to demonstrate product sense
• Strategy questions (20%)
  • Prioritization questions
  • Product strategy questions
• Behavioral questions (19%)
  • How to answer behavioral questions at tech companies
• Analysis questions (7%)
  • Metric change questions

5.3 Practice by yourself or with peers

In our experience, practicing by yourself is a great way to prepare for PM interviews. You can start practicing alone, asking and answering questions out loud, to help you get a feel for the different types of PM interview questions. It will help you perfect your step-by-step approach for each question type. And it also gives you time to correct your early mistakes.

You can find free practice questions on articles like this one or YouTube. If you have friends or peers who can do mock interviews with you, that's a great option too. This can be especially helpful if your friend has experience with PM interviews, or is at least familiar with the process.

5.4 Practice with experienced PM interviewers

Finally, you should also try to practice product manager mock interviews with expert ex-interviewers, as they’ll be able to give you much more accurate feedback than friends and peers

If you know an experienced product manager who’s available to help you out, then that’s perfect! For most of us, however, it’s not easy to find the right person to make that happen, especially when you need multiple hours of practice. 

That’s why we’ve created a coaching service, where you can practice one-on-one with ex-interviewers from top tech companies. Learn more and start scheduling sessions today.