PM interview frameworks & tips
The interview starts with a broad user problem, and your goal is to guide the conversation to build a great product that addresses it, by asking questions and making choices.
This interview tests your ability to prioritize, identify the correct tradeoffs and set your team up for success. As a PM you need to create logical frameworks to make decisions against.
This post highlights my learnings from preparing for Product Manager (PM) roles and accepting the position of a PM at Yelp.
Recent essays
It became clear that not all feedback is created equal: while some feedback is vital to achieving alignment, others are mere suggestions. I realized that I needed to identify the blocking feedback that needs to be addressed before moving forward. By doing so, I could move faster and achieve alignment quickly. At first I used my understanding of my partners’ priorities to filter the blocking feedback. While I did see some success, I often missed critical feedback or focused on the wrong aspects.
I often get asked about the product culture at Facebook and what stands out for me. While team-level micro-cultures make it hard to generalize at Facebook’s scale, one thing I believe is true across the company is that building great products is everyone’s responsibility, not just that of PMs.
The first time I prepared for PM interviews, I realized how hard it is to remember stories and details from your past. After that, I began documenting stories regularly while they were fresh in my mind.