How to ace PM interviews?
Agenda
Question types
Interview Assessment
Preparation
Resources
Question Types
5 Types of Questions
Design
Strategy
Analytical
Technical Behavioral
Analytical
1. Estimations
1. Example: How many dentists in NYC?
2. Success metrics
1. Example: How to measure success of Facebook?
3. Metric troubleshooting
1. Example: Profit went down, what do you do?
4. Trade-offs
1. Example: Would you launch feature A or B?
Design
1. New product
1. Example: Design alarm clock for blind
2. Improve product
1. Example: Improve Google docs
3. Product for specific technology
1. Example: Design a teleportation product
4. Product preferences
1. Example: Your most or least favorite product
Strategy
1. Market entry/exit
1. Example: New product line for Amazon
2. Merger or Acquisition
1. Example: Should Facebook acquire Uber?
3. Pricing
1. Example: How do you price space travel?
4. Go to market
1. Example: Launch strategy for recipe app
Technical
1. System design
1. Example: Design Youtube system architecture
2. Explain a technology
1. Example: Explain ML to a 5 year old
3. Tech troubleshooting
1. Example: Latency has increased, what do you do?
4. Algorithms
1. Example: Design a sorting algorithm
Behavioral
1. Your story
1. Example: Tell me about yourself
2. Tell me a time…
1. Example: What’s your biggest failure?
3. Entry, exit, and future
1. Example: Why PM? What’s your 3 year plan?
Interview Assessment
Interview Assessment
Question type Assessment Criteria
Analytical
Clarification, >1 approach methods, breakdown, sanity check
Design
Clarification, high level goal, user segmentation, empathy,
creative solution
Strategy
Clarification, structure, logical steps, conclusive
recommendation
Technical Clarification, scoping, communication, loopholes, trade-offs
Behavioral Can you do a great job once hired in the new environment
Preparation
Interview Preparation
Steps Detail
Interview process Target company criteria
Evaluation
Identify weakest and strongest question types, study the
target company
1-2 weeks 2 hours daily practice, start from weakest through strongest
1 month mocks Mock interviews covering at least 20 mocks
Before interview Stop mocks, follow news, and relax
Resources
Resource Types
1. Study material
1. Product
1. Cracking the PM interview - Gayle Laakmann, Jackie Bravaro
2. Decode and conquer - Lewis Lin
2. Technical
1. educative.io - grokking the system design interview
2. Gaurav Sen Youtube Channel
3. Strategy
1. Stratechery
2. Interview questions
1. Exponent
2. Product management exercises
3. The product manager interview - Lewis Lin
3. Mocks
1. Stellar peers
2. Lewis Lin slack
3. Igotanoffer
Next video: Analytical - How to
answer estimation questions?

How to Ace PM Interview

  • 1.
    How to acePM interviews?
  • 2.
  • 3.
  • 4.
    5 Types ofQuestions Design Strategy Analytical Technical Behavioral
  • 5.
    Analytical 1. Estimations 1. Example:How many dentists in NYC? 2. Success metrics 1. Example: How to measure success of Facebook? 3. Metric troubleshooting 1. Example: Profit went down, what do you do? 4. Trade-offs 1. Example: Would you launch feature A or B?
  • 6.
    Design 1. New product 1.Example: Design alarm clock for blind 2. Improve product 1. Example: Improve Google docs 3. Product for specific technology 1. Example: Design a teleportation product 4. Product preferences 1. Example: Your most or least favorite product
  • 7.
    Strategy 1. Market entry/exit 1.Example: New product line for Amazon 2. Merger or Acquisition 1. Example: Should Facebook acquire Uber? 3. Pricing 1. Example: How do you price space travel? 4. Go to market 1. Example: Launch strategy for recipe app
  • 8.
    Technical 1. System design 1.Example: Design Youtube system architecture 2. Explain a technology 1. Example: Explain ML to a 5 year old 3. Tech troubleshooting 1. Example: Latency has increased, what do you do? 4. Algorithms 1. Example: Design a sorting algorithm
  • 9.
    Behavioral 1. Your story 1.Example: Tell me about yourself 2. Tell me a time… 1. Example: What’s your biggest failure? 3. Entry, exit, and future 1. Example: Why PM? What’s your 3 year plan?
  • 10.
  • 11.
    Interview Assessment Question typeAssessment Criteria Analytical Clarification, >1 approach methods, breakdown, sanity check Design Clarification, high level goal, user segmentation, empathy, creative solution Strategy Clarification, structure, logical steps, conclusive recommendation Technical Clarification, scoping, communication, loopholes, trade-offs Behavioral Can you do a great job once hired in the new environment
  • 12.
  • 13.
    Interview Preparation Steps Detail Interviewprocess Target company criteria Evaluation Identify weakest and strongest question types, study the target company 1-2 weeks 2 hours daily practice, start from weakest through strongest 1 month mocks Mock interviews covering at least 20 mocks Before interview Stop mocks, follow news, and relax
  • 14.
  • 15.
    Resource Types 1. Studymaterial 1. Product 1. Cracking the PM interview - Gayle Laakmann, Jackie Bravaro 2. Decode and conquer - Lewis Lin 2. Technical 1. educative.io - grokking the system design interview 2. Gaurav Sen Youtube Channel 3. Strategy 1. Stratechery 2. Interview questions 1. Exponent 2. Product management exercises 3. The product manager interview - Lewis Lin 3. Mocks 1. Stellar peers 2. Lewis Lin slack 3. Igotanoffer
  • 16.
    Next video: Analytical- How to answer estimation questions?