Describe your regular rhythm: weekly support ticket reviews, monthly user interviews, quarterly on-site visits - show it is a habit, not a one-off.
Look for multiple channels: regular user interviews, support ticket reviews, NPS analysis, session recordings, dogfooding where possible, customer advisory boards. Best candidates have a systematic practice rather than ad-hoc customer contact.
Customer empathy is non-negotiable for PMs. Red flag: candidates who only look at dashboards. Good sign: candidates who can name specific customers and their pain points.