cracking the product manager interview

Cracking the Product Manager Interview

Gayle Laakmann McDowell

2

Gayle Laakmann McDowell

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Author Interview Coach Interview Consulting

(CS) (MBA)

McDowell | CareerCup.com

What is a Product Manager?

Product Manager (“PM”)==

“Associate Product Manager” (Google, Yahoo, Facebook, etc.)

==“Program Manager”

(Microsoft)


What is a Product Manager?

• Manage the PRODUCT, not the PEOPLE• “Build a great product for the users”– Who are the users?– What are the features?– When will we launch?– How do we launch?– etc


The Perfect PM

Technical Skills+

Product Skills+

Industry Expertise+

Business Expertise


PM Skills

• No one is perfect!– What skills do you have?– What skills do you need?

Smart Gets Things Done

Strategy & Vision

Leadership

Customer Focus

Product Design

Analysis & Synthesis

Action Oriented

Prioritization

Project Management

Technical Skills

Communication

Strategy & Vision

Leadership

Customer Focus

Product Design


Action Oriented

Prioritization

Project Management

Technical Skills

Communication

ENGINEER

Strategy & Vision

Leadership

Product Design


Action Oriented

Technical Skills

Communication

MARKETING

Project Management

Customer Focus

Prioritization

Strategy & Vision

Leadership

Customer Focus

Product Design


Action Oriented

Prioritization

Project Management

Technical Skills

Communication

DESIGNER

Strategy & Vision

Leadership

Customer Focus

Product Design


Action Oriented

Prioritization

Project Management

Technical Skills

Communication

PROJECT MANAGER

Strategy & Vision

Leadership

Customer Focus

Product Design


Action Oriented

Technical Skills

Communication

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Prioritization

Project Management

Strategy & Vision

Leadership

Product Design


Technical Skills

Communication

BUSINESS ANALYST

Project Management

Customer Focus

Prioritization

Action Oriented


What good is an MBA?

• VERY mixed opinions• Be humble!• What else ya got?– Industry expertise?– Technical skills?– Business skills?– Product skills?


The Perfect PM

Technical Skills+

Product Skills+

Industry Expertise+

Business Expertise


So, tell me about yourself…


“The Pitch”

• 1 – 2 minute summary– Tell a [focused] story– Highlights– Interests

• KNOW IT! REHEARSE IT!

What’s your weakness?

CrackingThePMInterview.com -> Resources

Soft Questions



Goals of Your Answer

• Answer the question.• Deliver a good answer.• Communicate well.– Nugget First– S.A.R.: Situation, Action, Result


Preparing for Behavioral Qs

• Create Preparation GridJob 1 Job 2

Leadership

Challenges

Mistakes

Conflicts

Master 5 Key Stories


Structure 1: Nugget First

• Lead with your “thesis” / nugget– Grabs the listener’s attention– Gives them context for where you’re going.

A: I’m most proud of the way I re-architected the …

Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of?


Structure 2: S.A.R.

ituation

ction

esult

S

A

R

What was the issue?

What did you do about it?

What was the impact?


Know

• What did you do?• Why?• How?• What would you do differently?

Hard Questions



“Real” Questions

1. Product Design Questions 2. Estimation Questions3. Case Questions4. Technical Questions

Product Design QuestionsHow would you design an calculator for the blind?

What’s your favorite website?

Pick a Google product. How would you improve it?

Product Design Questions: Why?

• Communication & Structured Thinking• Ability to understand the user• Creativity• Business instincts / skills

Product Design Qs: Approach

1. Ask questions2. USERS + USE CASES + PROBLEMS + GOALS3. Solve problems

Use the whiteboard!

KNOW THIS COLD

Favorite…• Website• Mobile App• Physical Product• Company Product

• WHY• USERS• USE CASES• PROBLEMS• IMPROVEMENTS

Some favorites better than others.

Case QuestionsHow would you launch

Amazon in Turkey?

How would you pricea new ebook reader?

User sign ups dropped after launching a new feature. What do you do?

Case Questions• Problem solving

– Acquisition rates dropped. Why?• Strategy

– Should we do X or Y?• Marketing

– How would you market X to Y?• Pricing

– How would you price X?• Launching

– How would you launch X in country Y?• Brainstorming

– Name as many things you could do with X

Case Questions

1. Understand/define problem2. Structure3. Solve– Use instincts– Make reasonable assumptions

DRIVE THE INTERVIEW

Business Frameworks

• Customer Purchase Decision Making Process• Marketing Mix (4 Ps)• SWOT Analysis• Five Cs• Porter’s 5 Forces

But it’s not a test of frameworks!

Metrics

• User Acquisition– #, growth, active users, etc

• Activity– What are people doing?

• Money– Customer acquisition costs– Revenue– $ growth

Estimation QuestionsHow many tennis balls

can fit in an SUV?

How much money does Gmail make from ads every year?

How much do New Yorkers spend on electricity each year?

Estimation Qs: Why?

• Problem Solving

• Basic Quantitative Skills

Estimation Qs: How to Approach

1. Ask questions to resolve ambiguity– Don’t make assumptions (yet)

2. Outline / Structure Your Approach3. Break down the components– Assume numbers when necessary– State assumptions explicitly– Round numbers to make your math easier

4. Sanity Check– Do your numbers make sense?


CS Questions


Don’t Forget

• Show…– You can understand the customer– You can make good decisions– You can lead & motivate people– You can build the right thing


I could write a whole book on

this!


Other ResourcesCareerCup.com• Interview Videos• Resume Review• Mock Interviews

Or, follow me online at…• twitter.com/gayle• facebook.com/gayle• gayle.com• [email protected]• quora.com

cracking the product manager interview

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product design qs

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