Cracking the Product Manager Interview

with Gayle McDowell

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Tonight’s Speaker

Gayle McDowell
Cracking the
PM Interview
Gayle Laakmann McDowell
Author, Cracking the PM
Interview
Hi! I’m Gayle Laakmann McDowell
(CS) (MBA)

<dev> </dev>

Acquisition Interview Hiring Consultant /

Author Interview Training
Coaching
Yes! Slides are online!

● go.gayle.com/PMprepslides

gayle@gayle.com
subject: PMprep
The many names of a PM
● Product Manager
● Associate Product Manager
○ Typically new grad
○ Rotation, training
● Project Manager
What does a PM do?
● 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?
The “Perfect” PM
 Technica
l

Leadership

The Perfect PM
Business &
Execution
Product

Industry
------ the ------
Perfect PM
------ is a ------

MYTH
What do you have? What do you need?

What do I assume?
 Customer Focus Action Oriented

Product Design
Technical Skills Prioritization

Analysis & Synthesis Communication

Project Management

Strategy & Vision Leadership

 Coding
Customer Focus Action Oriented

Product Design
Technical Skills Prioritization

Analysis & Synthesis Communication

Project Management

Strategy & Vision Leadership

 Marketing
Customer Focus Action Oriented

Product Design
Technical Skills Prioritization

Analysis & Synthesis Communication

Project Management

Strategy & Vision Leadership

 Design
Customer Focus Action Oriented

Product Design
Technical Skills Prioritization

Analysis & Synthesis Communication

Project Management

Strategy & Vision Leadership

 Project Management
Customer Focus Action Oriented

Product Design
Technical Skills Prioritization

Analysis & Synthesis Communication

Project Management

Strategy & Vision Leadership

 Customer Service
Customer Focus Action Oriented

Product Design
Technical Skills Prioritization

Analysis & Synthesis Communication

Project Management

Strategy & Vision Leadership

The MBA
● Some anti-MBA sentiment in SV

○ Be humble!

● Advantages:

○ Recruiting opportunities at big companies

○ Networking

○ “Checks off” the business skill box

Should I get an MBA?
● Highly dependent on where you go

● Don’t rely on it

○ Big companies: on-campus recruiting

○ Smaller companies: proactively recruit/network

● What else ya got?

○ An MBA isn’t enough

Behavioral Questions
The “Good Enough” Pitch
● Quick walk through

● Demonstrations of
success

● Prompt the interviewer

● Hobbies
The Great Pitch
● Tells an [engaging] story
● Sends a message. Who are you, really?
Addresses
● Great
The Pitchyour “stereotype”
 What have you
Who are you?
done?
Developing Your Stories: Strategy 1:

Job 1 Job 2
Leadership

Successes

Challenges

Mistakes

Conflicts
Developing Your Stories: Strategy 2
STRENGTHS: WEAKNESSES:

● Data driven ● Not detail oriented

● Risk taking
● Bluntness
● Thoroughness
● Sensitivity
● Empathy
● Impatient
● Grit
Goals of Your Answer

WHAT HOW
you say + you say it
Your Response Should:
● Answer the Question
● Deliver a Positive Message
● Be Well Structured
Well-Structured Responses

● State the “Nugget” First

● Situation, Action, Response
Nugget First

Q: What accomplishment are you

most proud of?
Structure 1:
NuggetA:First
I’m most proud of program
I set up to …
S.A.R.
Nugget + ...
S What was the issue?

A What did you do about it?

R What was the impact?

What’s the message?

3 Big Mistakes

● Too little action

● No message
● “We” instead of “I”
Diagram Your Stories
Story 1 Story 2
NUGGET

SITUATION

ACTION
What & Why & How
RESULT

THE MESSAGE

DO DIFFERENTLY
What about the ● Mistakes
bad stuff? ● Weaknesses
● Failures
-- don’t --
sugarcoat
--- the ---
bad stuff
What I’m Looking For

▶ If you’ll admit to bad stuff

What I’m looking
▶ If you’ve for
really failed
▶ How you respond to bad things
These stories can
make you look
--- BETTER ---
Looking Good Through Bad Stuff

▶ Be REAL
Weaknesses, Failures & Mistakes
▶ Be COMPELLING
▶ Be CHANGED
The best candidates connect
Product Design
 How would you design an
alarm clock for the blind?

What’s your favorite app? Why?

Pick a Google product.

How would you improve it?
What I’m Looking For
● Communication
● User Empathy
● Creativity
● Judgement
● Product Insight
How to Tackle
1. Define the user
■ Ask questions
■ Are there multiple users?
2. Discuss use cases, problems & goals
3. Design
4. Wrap-up
don’t forget the user
don’t forget the

USER
 ● Mobile App
What’s your
● Website
favorite __?
Never, ever walk into a PM interview ● Physical Product
without prepping these!
● Company Product
Know:
● Why do you love it? ● Who’s the competition?

● What are the alternative

● Who are the users?
products/solutions?
● Why do they love it? ● What issues are there?

How would you improve it?

show me insight.
 not all products
are created equal
Estimation Questions
How much money does Gmail
make in a year?

How many airplanes land

in a day?

How many golf balls can fit

in a bus?
What We’re Looking For

● Smarts
● Ballparking Skill
● Comfort with Numbers

It’s not at all about the final answer

How to Tackle
1. Ask questions to resolve ambiguity
2. Outline / Structure Your Approach
3. Break down the components
4. Sanity Check
How to Tackle
■ Do your numbers make sense?
 1.Asking Questions
● Define the problem
● Ask questions
● LOOK
How for ambiguity
to Tackle
● Make assumptions explicit
2. Outline/Structure Your Approach
● Be aware of other approaches
● Consider alternate sources
How to Tackle
3. Break Down Components
● Assume numbers when necessary
● State assumptions explicitly
● Round numbers to make your math easier
● Move along quickly!
How to Tackle
4. Sanity Check
● Do your numbers make sense?
● What if this number were accurate?

How to Tackle
How much money does
Gmail make in a year?
 1.Ask Questions
▶ Just in the US? Or Worldwide?
▶ Profit or revenue?
▶ Past
Step year? Or average
1: Ambiguous over history?
Information
▶ Gmail only? Or include Google Apps?
2. Structure Your Approach
1. Estimate # of Gmail users
2. Estimate annual clicks
○ Top clicks
Step 2: Side
○
Outline
clicks Your Approach
3. Estimate $ per click
○ Top clicks
○ Side clicks
3. Solve
Estimate # of Gmail users in the US
1. Assume 300 million people in the US.
■ Exclude 0 - 12 years old and 65 - 75 years old
■ → ~ 200 million
Step 3: Break
2. Assume down
80% of people use components
email
■ But 50% only use their work email acct
3. Assume 80% use a “major” email provider
■ Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL, etc.
… and so on …
4. Sanity Check
▶ Suppose you get US rev. = $5 billion.
▶ No, because…
Google’s annual revenue is ~$30 billion
Step 4: Sanity Check
■

■ $16 / US citizen (not just gmail users)

 ● Getting lost in
minor details
3 Big Mistakes ● Forgetting other
sources
● Crazy assumptions
 Case &
Miscellaneous Questions
 How would you launch
Amazon in Turkey?

How would you price

a new e-book reader?

User signs up drop after launching

new profiles. What would you do?
Lots of Types
● Problem solving ● Pricing

○ Acquisition rates dropped. ○ How would you price X?

Why?
● Launching
● Strategy
○ How would you launch X in
○ Should we do X or Y? country Y?

● Marketing ● Brainstorming

○ How would you market X to ○ Name as many things you

Y? could do with X
Generic Structure
1. Understand/define the ● Drive the discussion
problem
● Empathize with the
2. Structure
user
3. Solve
● Show insight
a. Use Instincts

b. Make reasonable
assumptions
Some Useful Frameworks
● Customer Purchase Decision Making
Process not a test of
● Marketing Mix (4 Ps)

● SWOT Analysis
frameworks!
● Five Cs

● Porter’s 5 Forces
Useful Metrics
▶ User Acquisition
■ #, growth, active users, etc
▶ Activity
■ What are people doing?
Useful
▶ MoneyMetrics & Knowledge
■ Customer acquisition costs
■ Revenue
■ $ growth
use your gut instincts.
If you forget everything else...
If you forget everything else...
▶ Know who you are
■ (and who we think you are)
▶ Focus on the user
If you forget everything…
▶ Structure your responses
I could write a
whole book on
this!
Other Resources
More Resources
Gayle.com

CareerCup.com

CrackingThe
CodingInterview.com
Or, follow me online
• facebook.com/gayle
• twitter.com/gayle
• gayle.com
• gayle@gayle.com
• quora.com
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