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| Notes on "Cracking the PM Interview" (2008) | ||
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| [Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology](https://www.amazon.com/Cracking-PM-Interview-Product-Technology/dp/0984782818). Gayle Laakmann McDowell & Jackie Bavaro. 2014-03-04. | ||
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| If you're applying or interviewing at a well-known company then refer to company-specific notes in Chapters 3 & 6. Also execute procedures in Chapter 10. | ||
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| ## The Product Manager Role | ||
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| _(Chapter 2)_ | ||
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| A Product Manager (PM): | ||
| - is like a mini-CEO, but does not have direct authority | ||
| - need to lead teams without authority | ||
| - uses vision and research | ||
| - advocates for the customer | ||
| - main liaison between all other roles | ||
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| Product Life Cycle: | ||
| 1. research & planning | ||
| 2. design | ||
| 3. implement & test | ||
| 4. release | ||
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| Research & Planning: | ||
| - determine what to build next | ||
| - propose roadmap | ||
| - get people on-board | ||
| - become expert on feature | ||
| - define success, e.g. OKRs | ||
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| Design: | ||
| - depends on shipped vs. online software | ||
| - determine spec: | ||
| - goals | ||
| - use cases | ||
| - requirements | ||
| - wireframes | ||
| - states | ||
| - internationalization, security, etc. | ||
| - responsibilities varies across companies (ask during your interview) | ||
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| Implementation & Test: | ||
| - track progress | ||
| - track and aide efficiency | ||
| - lower implementation barriers | ||
| - prioritize | ||
| - gather feedback | ||
| - report bugs | ||
| - dogfood | ||
| - run usability studies | ||
| - A/B testing | ||
| - identify most important issues and iterate feature design | ||
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| Release: | ||
| - ensure smooth launch | ||
| - run through launch checklist | ||
| - ensure support team is ready | ||
| - prepare for all things that could go wrong | ||
| - announce launch | ||
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| Types of products: | ||
| - shipped | ||
| - online | ||
| - consumer | ||
| - B2B | ||
| - early stage | ||
| - mature | ||
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| MYTHS about Product Management: | ||
| 1. PMs are Project Managers | ||
| 2. PMs are in marketing | ||
| 3. You can't become PM right out of college | ||
| 4. PMs just write specs | ||
| 5. PMs just set up meetings | ||
| 6. PMs should build exactly the customer asks for | ||
| 7. PMs set dates | ||
| 8. PMs are the boss | ||
| 9. Ideas are more important than execution | ||
| 10. You can say "That's not my job" | ||
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| ## How the PM Role Varies | ||
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| _(Part of Chapter 3. Sections pertaining to specific companies and startups should be reread if those roles are being considered)_ | ||
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| - transparency (between teams) | ||
| - ratio of PMs to Engineers | ||
| - high -- more collaboration | ||
| - low -- greater ownership | ||
| - product strategy | ||
| - bottom up (engineers) | ||
| - top down (executives) | ||
| - company culture | ||
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| ## Transitioning from Engineer to Product Manager | ||
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| _(Sparse portion of Chapter 4 relevant to me, head of engineering)_ | ||
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| Customer Focus: | ||
| - talk to them | ||
| - support tickets | ||
| - user stories | ||
| - practice describing features from the customer's point of view | ||
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| Think Big: | ||
| - can you tie benefits to fundamental human needs? | ||
| - brainstorm with disregard to reality | ||
| - write down your practical objection, then keep going | ||
| - find a teammate to play the practical pessimist role in brainstorming | ||
| - write yourself a reminder to always think big | ||
| - start your feature planning by writing the press release | ||
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| Embrace Persuasion: | ||
| - need to master both data and charisma | ||
| - "I've looked at all of the numbers and I really believe this is the bet we need to make." | ||
| - credibility is the currency of PM role | ||
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| Be prepared for unexpected differences between roles: | ||
| - work is less tangible | ||
| - you become a focus point for criticism | ||
| - you don't have time to do it all | ||
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| ## Tips and Tricks for Career Advancement | ||
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| _(From Chapter 5. Definitely something to reread if you're new to this career path.)_ | ||
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| - ship great products | ||
| - get some launches under your belt | ||
| - become the expert | ||
| - find teams where you can pick up new skills | ||
| - pick the company where you'll learn the most | ||
| - choose a growing company | ||
| - find a manager who believes in you | ||
| - focus on your own efficiency | ||
| - understand how your role fits into the company | ||
| - help your team with something tangible early on | ||
| - work on something that's important to your team and the company | ||
| - take on cross-team or company-wide tasks | ||
| - define and measure success | ||
| - don't let your team do unimportant work | ||
| - don't just do what's asked of you -- get the job done | ||
| - demonstrate you can consistently deliver work at the next level | ||
| - find mentor(s) | ||
| - build credibility | ||
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| ## Resumes | ||
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| _(From Chapter 7)_ | ||
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| The 15 Second Rule: Resumes should be optimized for 15-second skim. | ||
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| Rules: | ||
| 1. Shorter is Better | ||
| - stick to the highlights | ||
| - only use 1 page but maybe a little longer for > 10 years experience | ||
| 2. Bullets (Not Blobs) | ||
| - < 3 lines long | ||
| - no more than 50% of bullets >= 2 lines | ||
| 3. Accomplishments (Not Responsibilities) | ||
| - "You were a success because ... " | ||
| - focus on impact | ||
| - _quantify_ accomplishment | ||
| 4. Use a Good Template | ||
| - don't be fancy | ||
| - use a good template with adequate (but not wasted) whitespace | ||
| 5. Don't Skip the Best Stuff | ||
| - what did you _not_ include? | ||
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| Attributes of a Good PM Resume: | ||
| - is itself a product | ||
| - concisely describes company if not well known | ||
| - demonstrates these skills: | ||
| - passion for technology | ||
| - initiative | ||
| - leadership | ||
| - impact | ||
| - technical skills | ||
| - attention to detail | ||
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| What to include: | ||
| - Objectives: NO | ||
| - Summary: Rarely | ||
| - Skills: As needed | ||
| - Awards: Yes (but make them meaningful) | ||
| - Activities: Sometimes | ||
| - Projects: YES | ||
| - Website URL: Yes | ||
| - Social Media Accounts: Maybe | ||
| - College Details: Sometimes | ||
| - GPA: Nah | ||
| - Online Courses: Yes | ||
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| ## Cover Letters | ||
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| _(From Chapter 9)_ | ||
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| Elements of a Good PM Cover Letter: | ||
| - short (~200 words) | ||
| - shows passion | ||
| - demonstrates skills | ||
| - matches company culture | ||
| - well written | ||
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| The Cover Letter Template: | ||
| - address: "Dear ...," | ||
| - opening paragraph: introduction, what position are you seeking? | ||
| - second paragraph: discuss how your background makes you a good fit | ||
| - third paragraph: explain why you're excited for this role | ||
| - "thank you" | ||
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| --- | ||
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| ## TODO | ||
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| 10. Company Research | ||
| - The Product | ||
| - The Strategy | ||
| - The Culture | ||
| - The Role | ||
| - The Questions | ||
| 11. Define Yourself | ||
| - "Tell Me About Yourself" (The Pitch) | ||
| - "Why do you want to work here?" | ||
| - "Why should we hire you?" | ||
| - "Why are you leaving your current job?" | ||
| - "What do you like to do in your spare time?" | ||
| - "Where do you see yourself in five years?" | ||
| - "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" | ||
| - Sample Strengths | ||
| - Sample Weaknesses | ||
| 12. Behavioral Questions | ||
| - Why These Questions Are Asked | ||
| - Preparation | ||
| - Follow-Up Questions | ||
| - Types of Behavioral Questions | ||
| 13. Estimation Questions | ||
| - Approach | ||
| - Numbers Cheat Sheet | ||
| - Tips and Tricks | ||
| - Example Interview | ||
| - Sample Questions | ||
| 14. Product Questions About the Product Question | ||
| - Type 1: Designing a Product | ||
| - Type 2: Improving a Product | ||
| - Type 3: Favorite Product Preparation | ||
| - Tips and Tricks | ||
| - Sample Questions | ||
| 15. Case Questions The Case Question: | ||
| - Consultants vs. PMs | ||
| - What Interviewers Look For | ||
| - Useful Frameworks | ||
| - Product Metrics | ||
| - Interview Questions | ||
| 16. Coding Questions | ||
| - Who Needs To Code | ||
| - What You Need To Know | ||
| - How You Are Evaluated | ||
| - How To Approach Developing an Algorithm | ||
| - Additional Questions | ||
| - Solutions | ||
| 17. Appendix | ||
| - Ian McAllister: Top 1% PMs vs. Top 10% PMs | ||
| - Adam Nash: Be a Great Product Leader | ||
| - Sachin Rekhi: The Inputs to a Great Product Roadmap | ||
| - Ken Norton: How to Hire a Product Manager Amazon Leadership Principles | ||
| 18. Acknowledgements | ||
| - Gayle Laakmann McDowell | ||
| - Jackie Bavaro |