Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology. Gayle Laakmann McDowell & Jackie Bavaro. 2014-03-04.
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.
(Chapter 2)
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
Product Life Cycle:
- research & planning
- design
- implement & test
- release
Research & Planning:
- determine what to build next
- propose roadmap
- get people on-board
- become expert on feature
- define success, e.g. OKRs
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)
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
Release:
- ensure smooth launch
- run through launch checklist
- ensure support team is ready
- prepare for all things that could go wrong
- announce launch
Types of products:
- shipped
- online
- consumer
- B2B
- early stage
- mature
MYTHS about Product Management:
- PMs are Project Managers
- PMs are in marketing
- You can't become PM right out of college
- PMs just write specs
- PMs just set up meetings
- PMs should build exactly the customer asks for
- PMs set dates
- PMs are the boss
- Ideas are more important than execution
- You can say "That's not my job"
(Part of Chapter 3. Sections pertaining to specific companies and startups should be reread if those roles are being considered)
- transparency (between teams)
- ratio of PMs to Engineers
- high -- more collaboration
- low -- greater ownership
- product strategy
- bottom up (engineers)
- top down (executives)
- company culture
(Sparse portion of Chapter 4 relevant to me, head of engineering)
Customer Focus:
- talk to them
- support tickets
- user stories
- practice describing features from the customer's point of view
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
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
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
(From Chapter 5. Definitely something to reread if you're new to this career path.)
- 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
(From Chapter 7)
The 15 Second Rule: Resumes should be optimized for 15-second skim.
Rules:
- Shorter is Better
- stick to the highlights
- only use 1 page but maybe a little longer for > 10 years experience
- Bullets (Not Blobs)
- < 3 lines long
- no more than 50% of bullets >= 2 lines
- Accomplishments (Not Responsibilities)
- "You were a success because ... "
- focus on impact
- quantify accomplishment
- Use a Good Template
- don't be fancy
- use a good template with adequate (but not wasted) whitespace
- Don't Skip the Best Stuff
- what did you not include?
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
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
(From Chapter 9)
Elements of a Good PM Cover Letter:
- short (~200 words)
- shows passion
- demonstrates skills
- matches company culture
- well written
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"
- Company Research
- The Product
- The Strategy
- The Culture
- The Role
- The Questions
- 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
- Behavioral Questions
- Why These Questions Are Asked
- Preparation
- Follow-Up Questions
- Types of Behavioral Questions
- Estimation Questions
- Approach
- Numbers Cheat Sheet
- Tips and Tricks
- Example Interview
- Sample Questions
- 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
- Case Questions The Case Question:
- Consultants vs. PMs
- What Interviewers Look For
- Useful Frameworks
- Product Metrics
- Interview Questions
- Coding Questions
- Who Needs To Code
- What You Need To Know
- How You Are Evaluated
- How To Approach Developing an Algorithm
- Additional Questions
- Solutions
- 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
- Acknowledgements
- Gayle Laakmann McDowell
- Jackie Bavaro