"Strong Hire" vs "Hire" Rating | Top 10 Tips for Product Manager Interviews

Summary

In this Liftoff PM interview lesson, Mark Rose shares his top 10 tips for acing product management interviews. He emphasizes the importance of having robust frameworks, compelling content, strong verbal narratives, and a user-centric mindset. Mark also highlights the need for demonstrating problem-solving skills, strategic prioritization, leadership and influence, execution ability, cultural fit, and technical expertise. His insights aim to guide interviewees from a good 'hire' to a standout 'strong hire', with practical advice on preparation and presentation.

Takeaways

• 📈 Mastering Frameworks: A strong candidate demonstrates proficiency with frameworks, using them naturally and crisply to articulate their thought process.
• 💡 Rich Content: The content of your answers must be compelling, coherent, and well-thought-out to engage the interviewer and stand out as a strong candidate.
• 🎭 Product Management Theater: A strong hire captivates the interviewer with their presentation skills, turning the interview into an entertaining experience.
• 🚀 Vision and Strategy: Presenting a clear, compelling product vision and strategy that makes the interviewer consider purchasing the product is key.
• 🧠 User-Centric Mindset: Emphasize deep customer empathy and understanding of user pain points to demonstrate a strong, user-focused approach.
• 🔍 Problem-Solving Skills: Show your ability to make trade-offs and prioritize effectively by presenting quick and simple rubrics to address complex issues.
• 💼 Leadership and Influence: A strong hire exhibits leadership not just within their team, but also across different teams and stakeholders, inspiring collaboration and buy-in.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Execution Ability: Demonstrate a track record of delivering complex projects with multiple teams and integrations, showcasing your ability to bring products to market.
• 🤝 Cultural Fit: Align your experiences and values with the company's culture, and use authentic stories from your past to connect with the interviewer on a deeper level.
• 🛠 Technical Expertise: A strong hire has a deep understanding of the technical aspects of product development and can engage effectively with engineers and designers.

Q & A

What is the significance of having a strong framework during a product management interview?

A strong framework is crucial as it demonstrates the candidate's ability to structure their thoughts and present them in a clear, organized manner. It shows that the candidate is well-prepared and can handle different types of questions effectively.

How does one differentiate a good framework from a strong higher framework?

A good framework is solid and well-structured, while a strong higher framework is not only those things but also crisp and natural. It should come off effortlessly, without the interviewer feeling like the candidate is reading from a script.

What role does content play in earning a strong higher rating in product management interviews?

Content is essential; without strong, coherent, and well-thought-out content, a framework is empty. The content needs to be compelling enough to make the interviewer consider the candidate's proposed product or strategy as something they would like their company to build.

How can a candidate demonstrate a user-centric mindset during an interview?

A candidate can demonstrate a user-centric mindset by focusing on pain points, empathizing with the user, and presenting solutions that genuinely address these issues. The candidate should act as if they are the user, winning the 'Golden Globe' for product management in understanding pain points.

What is the importance of problem-solving skills in a product management interview?

Problem-solving skills are vital as they allow the candidate to show their ability to make trade-offs, prioritize, and strategize effectively. Strong problem-solving skills can lead to a strong higher rating by showcasing the candidate's capability to make simple, clear, and compelling decisions.

How does one exhibit leadership and influence in a product management role?

Leadership and influence can be shown by providing clear examples of past instances where the candidate has demonstrated these qualities. A strong hire will not only lead their direct team but also inspire and influence cross-functional teams and leadership.

What does execution ability mean in the context of a product management interview?

Execution ability refers to the candidate's capacity to bring ideas to fruition, deliver complex projects on time, and ensure that the final product meets the desired value propositions. A strong hire will have a track record of successful executions, even in complex scenarios.

Why is cultural fit important when interviewing for a product management role?

Cultural fit is important because it ensures that the candidate aligns with the company's values and principles. A strong cultural fit means the candidate is likely to thrive in the company's environment and contribute positively to its culture.

How can technical expertise contribute to a strong higher rating in product management interviews?

Technical expertise allows the candidate to communicate effectively with engineers and designers, understand the intricacies of product development, and contribute to strategic decision-making. A strong hire with deep technical knowledge can add significant value to the product development process.

What advice does Mark give to candidates looking to improve their technical skills?

Mark encourages candidates to continue learning and developing their technical skills even after formal education. He suggests learning through hands-on experiences, such as building prototypes, reading engineering blogs, and understanding system design decisions.

What is the final piece of advice Mark gives to product management candidates preparing for interviews?

Mark advises candidates to invest time in mock interviews, do their homework, and prepare thoroughly. He emphasizes the importance of practice and offers help through resources like the Liftoff PM channel.

Outlines

00:00

🎤 Introduction and Frameworks

The video begins with Kevin Way introducing Mark Rose, a seasoned product manager with experience at Google and Meta, among other companies. Mark is also a product management coach. The discussion quickly pivots to the main topic: Mark's top 10 tips for acing product management interviews. He emphasizes the importance of having solid frameworks that are well-structured and easy to understand. A strong higher rating comes from frameworks that are not only good but also crisp and natural, which demonstrates a high level of expertise and preparation.

05:03

📈 Content and Product Management Theater

Mark discusses the significance of content in interviews, noting that a good framework is nothing without substantial content. To achieve a higher rating, candidates must present strong, coherent, and well-thought-out content that impresses the interviewer. Additionally, Mark introduces the concept of 'product management theater,' where a strong hire entertains the interviewer with their presentation skills, making the experience enjoyable and memorable.

10:03

🛠️ User-Centric Mindset and Problem-Solving Skills

A user-centric mindset is crucial for a hire, as it involves understanding and addressing user pain points effectively. Mark suggests thinking of product management as acting, where the goal is to embody the user persona and convey their needs convincingly. Problem-solving skills are also highlighted, with the emphasis on demonstrating the ability to make trade-offs and prioritize effectively. A strong hire showcases the capacity to simplify complex decisions and present them in a compelling manner.

15:05

🎯 Leadership, Influence, and Execution Ability

Mark talks about the difference between a good hire and a strong hire in terms of leadership and influence. While a good hire shows clear examples of leadership, a strong hire inspires teams both within and outside their direct sphere of influence. Using the analogy of chess, Mark explains that a strong hire is like a player managing multiple chessboards simultaneously, indicating a high level of strategic thinking and leadership. Execution ability is also crucial; a strong hire demonstrates a track record of delivering complex projects successfully, showing an understanding of the intricacies involved in bringing products to market.

🤝 Cultural Fit and Technical Expertise

Cultural fit is essential for a strong hire, and Mark advises candidates to align their experiences with the company's core values and principles. He also touches on the importance of sharing authentic stories that reflect personal challenges and growth. Lastly, Mark discusses the value of technical expertise, encouraging product managers to deepen their understanding of the technical aspects of their field. He suggests that having a strong technical foundation can significantly enhance a candidate's appeal to hiring teams.

Keywords

💡Frameworks

Frameworks refer to the structured approaches or methodologies used in product management to solve problems or make decisions. In the context of the video, a strong framework is described as being crisp, well-laid out, and easily understood, which is essential for a product manager to effectively communicate their thought process and solutions during an interview.

💡Content

Content, in this context, pertains to the substance and depth of the information provided within a framework. The video emphasizes the importance of having strong, coherent, and well-thought-out content that not only answers interview questions but also impresses the interviewer with fresh and creative ideas, thereby achieving a higher rating.

💡Product Management Theater

Product Management Theater refers to the ability of a candidate to engage and entertain the interviewer with their presentation skills during the interview. It involves narrating a compelling story about the product, strategy, and vision in a way that captivates the audience, which is a key factor in earning a strong higher rating.

💡Product Vision and Strategy

Product Vision and Strategy are the guiding principles and long-term plans that shape the direction of a product. In the video, a strong hire is expected to bring thoughtful and compelling product visions that resonate with the interviewer, demonstrating a deep understanding of the market and user needs.

💡User-Centric Mindset

A user-centric mindset is an approach that prioritizes the needs, pain points, and experiences of the end-users in every decision-making process. The video highlights the importance of embodying this mindset to deeply connect with the customer's perspective and showcase empathy, which is crucial for a strong hire.

💡Problem-Solving Skills

Problem-solving skills involve the ability to identify issues, analyze possible solutions, and make decisions considering various trade-offs. In the context of the video, strong problem-solving skills are demonstrated by creating simple, clear, and compelling rubrics that showcase the candidate's ability to prioritize effectively, a key attribute for a strong hire.

💡Leadership and Influence

Leadership and influence refer to the capacity to guide, inspire, and impact teams and individuals, even those not directly reporting to the product manager. The video emphasizes that a strong hire should demonstrate the ability to lead across multiple projects and teams, akin to playing multiple games of chess simultaneously, which signifies a higher level of leadership and strategic thinking.

💡Execution Ability

Execution ability is the practical skill of turning plans into reality, delivering products on time with desired features and value propositions. The video suggests that a strong hire should not only have evidence of execution but also the capability to manage complex projects with multiple teams and integrations, highlighting the sophistication and challenges behind seemingly simple products.

💡Cultural Fit

Cultural fit refers to the alignment of an individual's values, work style, and behaviors with the company's culture and core principles. In the video, it is emphasized that understanding and mapping one's experiences to the company's culture can help achieve a higher rating, with the suggestion that sharing authentic and compelling personal stories can elevate a candidate to a strong hire status.

💡Technical Expertise

Technical expertise is the possession of in-depth knowledge and understanding of the technical aspects related to product development. The video argues that while a good hire has technical capabilities, a strong hire demonstrates a deep understanding of the entire tech stack and can contribute significantly to the technical side of product management, which is seen as a desirable trait.

Highlights

Importance of having strong frameworks during product management interviews

The difference between a good and a strong higher framework is its crispness and natural delivery

Content is key in interviews; it needs to be strong, coherent, and well-thought-out

Entertainment through presentation skills can lead to a strong higher rating

A strong hire should have a clear, compelling product vision and strategy

Acting and embodying the user's persona is crucial for demonstrating a user-centric mindset

Problem-solving skills should be simple, crisp, and compelling to make a strong impression

Strategic prioritization and resource management are signs of a strong hire

Leadership and influence are assessed by how well you lead teams not directly under you

Execution ability and delivering complex projects are critical for a strong hire

Understanding the company's culture and aligning your experience to it is important for cultural fit

Authentic and compelling personal stories can elevate you to a strong higher rating

Technical expertise is valued and can make a candidate stand out as a strong hire

Continued learning and development of technical skills are encouraged even after formal education

The ability to work with engineers and designers effectively is a sign of technical capability

Strong hires demonstrate deep understanding of the technical stack and attention to detail

Adapting to the specific needs of the team, whether technical or strategic, is important

Utilizing resources and mock interviews to prepare for product management interviews

The importance of doing homework and preparation before interviews to ensure success

Transcripts

hi everyone welcome back to a liftoff PM

product management interview lesson my

name is Kevin way and on today's show we

have Mark with us and he's going to

share the top 10 tips to earn a strong

higher rating for your products

management interviews so Mark before we

jump right in do you want to give a

quick intro and say a few words hi

everyone I'm Mark Rose I've been a

product manager for eons and Neons

working at Google and meta and many

other companies um I'm also a product

management coach you can find me at

product mark by.com product bym mark.com

and uh one of the most frequent

questions I get is Mark how can I change

my answer which I think is probably good

for a hire how can I make that a strong

higher all right back to you Kevin great

thanks Mark so right before we dive into

that I just want to say that on this

channel liftoff PM this is your go-to

destination for your PM interviewing

tips and career strategies I recently

land offers from Fang and top startups

and I spent the last three years helping

PMS land offers as an interview coach so

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and let us know in the comments any

other topics you want to see all right

let's get into it top 10 tips to earn

that strong higher rating back to you

mark all right great thank you Kevin

okay so here they are top 10 tips um

let's start with number one H number one

of course is Frameworks um there are

lots of different types of questions and

there are lots of different types of

Frameworks um if you come in with a hire

what that means is your Frameworks are

going to be good right they're going to

be solid they're going to be uh they're

going to be well laid out but what's the

difference between a good framework and

a really strong higher framework and the

difference is the strong higher

framework is super crisp right you

literally know it like the back of your

hand it just comes off naturally

organically you don't have to think

about it you don't have to type about it

it comes out in nice clean bullets which

is easy to understand and from a product

manager interviewer perspective I'm

might thinking like great this candid is

a pro let's get

started number two and this is a big

picture item this is content right

framework is nothing without stuffing it

with amazing content and just to get the

higher right the content of all these

interviews have to be strong they have

to be coherent they have to be well

thought out right that gets you to the

higher Zone the question is what's gets

you to the strong higher Zone that's

tough actually so in product sense you

actually have to have your product

manager interviewer in a position saying

you know what I want that product that's

a great great product I like that I

actually wish our company would build

something like that that's pretty cool

or with analytics you want them saying

like you know that's a fresh take um

that's a really good derived metric he

came up with and that's pretty

interesting or if it's on execution or

strategy you want people saying like wow

that uh I never really thought about it

that way right so it's really thinking

at a higher level really kind of pushing

yourself and pushing your product

manager interviewers with some really

fresh creative content I know it's hard

but that's what it takes to get to a

strong hire and uh number three product

management theater so what I think is a

good hire is if you've got a good strong

verbal narrative right you're getting

questions you're answering they're

they're bulleted they're strong they're

coherent you know kind of like the

framework um but with a strong hire the

theater's different right your product

manager interviewer sitting there um

they're literally being entertained by

your presentation skill skills they're

actually enjoying it right and one way

to help them enjoy it is type it out

100% absolutely do a shared experience

you can you can type it on a Google doc

you can do it on a whiteboard behind you

you can do it through um Muro um but if

you're presenting the experience to your

product manager interviewer and it's and

it's coming out like entertainment um

that is how you get a strong higher

number theater okay number four product

vision and strategy so a hire right you

will have strong product vision and

strategy right but a strong hire is

going to bring something that's really

thoughtful right something that is clear

something that is compelling again

something that the person is thinking

about either for you know the company

they're usually asking about right which

is usually their own company or maybe

it's another product but they're like

wow um I would actually want to buy that

product that's a really interesting

product Vision so if you can come up

with a product that people actually want

to buy on the Fly that's a strong hire

um next is a user Centric mindset so a

hire is obviously someone who's user

focused someone who's going to come up

with pain points someone who's going to

come up with a list and and have a good

user Centric mindset a strong hire right

I want you to think of product

management as acting right and I want

you to be the actor in The Persona that

you're trying to represent in your paino

right I want you to win the Golden Globe

for product management in pain points so

that your product management interviewer

feels the pain and they're like wow this

person has really deep customer empathy

um and that's what it takes uh to make a

strong

hire number

six problemsolving skills so problem

solving skills are how you show

trade-offs and things like that you'll

have a number of questions whether it's

an analytics question or whether it's a

or whether it's a um tradeoff question

or prioritization question um your your

skills here are about able to put

together what I call quick and simple

rubrics right actually higher people who

do uh hire are people that can

prioritize and prioritize reasonably

well but people who are strong hires are

people that can make it really simple

crisp and compelling right and if you

can do that and show very simple

tradeoffs actually that in a way the

simpler you can make it and the more

clear and compelling you can make it um

is your way to get to a strong higher

and Mark just to jump in here real quick

on prioritization I think also what

might make someone a strong higher is if

you're able to demonstrate that you

understand how to strategically get the

important projects you want even if you

don't have the resources across the line

so not only like understanding all the

levers not only does that mean uh

prioritizing but also does it mean you

have to go to leadership and ask for

more headcounts things like that being

able to call out these things and

knowing how to work with leadership on

these things is also what separates not

only a strong higher from a higher but

also someone who is more senior and more

tenur versus someone who might be seen

as more of a lower level PM awesome

thank you Kevin number seven leadership

and influence um leadership um is

something with a good hire is you can

give good clear examples of how you

showed leadership you showed backbone

you showed initiative right and and

these things are evident and it's clear

people say yes he's a good product

leader a great product leader is

actually playing a very different game

and I like to use chess as an analogy

because chess is a great game um in the

game of chess right the simple game of

chess you're playing with a chess board

and as a product manager you might be a

king or a queen or a rook or a bishop or

whatever position you choose right and

you're helping the rest of the pieces

move along the chess board and you're

basically playing a game of chess and

you're doing a good job and that's what

a hiring that's what a hire is a person

who can play chess well a strong hire is

a person that's not only playing with

one chess board but they're playing with

multiple chess boards at the same time

they're basically playing multiple

player chess on multiple games trying to

increase the odds of games being won in

multiple chess boards now that's a very

abstract way to think about it but

another way to think about it is how are

you leading inspiring people on teams

that don't work for you how are you

leading inspiring people on teams that

are adjacent to you that look to you and

say wow this person is doing a really

great job and analytics or Vision or I

want to work on that if you can show

evidence of that that makes a strong

hire number eight um execution ability

you know uh one of the things I know

lots of the companies trying and weed

out is what I call the Ivory Tower

product manager I'm sorry I hate to pick

on companies like Accenture but you know

the type of people that come in that

have done the I've done the Consulting

route and they can tell you exactly what

to do but they can't tell you how to do

it at all they can't actually do it at

all um that's exactly the person that uh

the the Fang companies don't want to

hire so a good hire is someone who has a

you know strong evidence of execution

right they're come in like look I'm

going to build product one two and three

and they have a strong evidence of

Building Product one two and three on

time uh with great features that have

compelling value propositions that you

know meets all the meets all the things

but I I think what makes a really

compelling or like a really strong hire

is someone who has really complex

projects right so it's one thing to

deliver a product right but you have to

really deliver complex projects with

lots of teams lots of Integrations lots

of complexity so the more sophistication

you have in the product complexx

complexity and that's by the way that's

not talking about what the product looks

like right a beautiful product is like

the simplest thing in the world Google

search great example right textbox go

button button search button I should say

right very simple consumer uh

implementation um but the but the

product behind it is fantastically

complex right so this also depends a

little bit on your product portfolio but

um exceptional um people who are

exceptional and people who are strong

hires are able to demonstrate how the

very simple products they made are

actually very very complex underneath

and uh took mountains to move them to

kind of bring them to Market so if you

can tell that story um you can be a

strong higher and I'd also jump in here

and say think about what are the

strengths of the company or the products

around the specific team that you're

building this product for are there any

flywheels you can tap into does this

product become stronger because it's

used in conjunction with other products

within the same portfolio being able to

call out all of these things also shows

how you have a strategic mind and helps

you get that strong higher

rating awesome thanks Kevin

number nine cultural fit um I love

cultural fit because actually I think

it's somewhat misunderstood um so on a

higher basis you're going to do your

homework right you're going to find out

what the key values of the company are

that you're looking for you're going to

look up their leadership principles

you're going to look up their core

values you're going to look up their

letters to shareholders all these things

so you're going to you're going to

understand their culture at a high level

and then what you're going to try and do

is map your experience to that um to

that set of uh um criteria I guess you

could say and align those and tell that

story and if you're able to do that

effectively congratulations you've met

the higher bar and that's good right

don't get me wrong that's where you want

to be but the question I always get is

like Mark great how can I get to strong

hire and this is where the answers are a

little bit different and um they'll

they're different for everybody but what

I tell people and these are the most

compelling answers I've ever heard are

when people dig into stories from from

their childhood or their early youth um

times when they've had to face adversity

or times when they've had to face real

challenges that almost anyone can share

that empathy with so what's important

about those stories that stories makes

those uh they make them very um

authentic and they make them very

compelling right and you can't take that

away from someone and when you have

stories that are deeply compelling and

deeply authentic that's going to move

you from the higher Zone to the strong

higher Zone because everyone's going to

want to work with you because of these

this amazing background that you bring

and even it's a very simple and humble

one from your childhood uh people will

really really resonate with

that all right and we have number 10 um

this one is um I have to admit it's a

little bit controversial but I'm gonna

go ahead and go there um number 10 is

technical

expertise um yes so a good higher in

product management um obviously is

technically capable is able to work with

engineers and able to work with

designers and knows what they're doing

um a strong hire is someone who's

actually been there built it done that

um and they have a deep understanding of

every part of the stack um it's like the

carpenter who assembles the desk and is

obsessed about the the back part of the

desk even though no one can see it so a

big part of product management and I

think really great product management is

having deep technical expertise um if

you don't have that I encourage you to

find it because even after you finish

college I don't have a for example I

don't have a degree in in computer

science or actually anything technical

but I've I've taught myself over the

years and years and years and years how

to be Technical and how to dive into

those details and anyone can learn them

um uh I like the uh if you remember the

movie Ratatouille anyone can cook I have

a corer which is anyone can code um so

anyone can learn this anyone can learn

to be deeply technical but it it's kind

of like the uh the expression um uh

knowledge is abundant uh but it's the

it's the desire to learn which is scarce

uh so if you want to be a strong hire in

technical expertise um learn some

technical chops and uh you too will be a

strong higher C category in the field

that you want to go in that's a good one

and I think it depends also based on the

team there's some teams that might be

looking for more technical people and

there's some teams that might be looking

for more strategic PMS but if you are

someone who's looking for resources to

become more technical we do have a video

on our liftoff PM channel on how

technical PMS should be you can go and

read engineering blogs and you can try

and put together prototypes and you

should you can try to understand like

for Designing systems when are certain

decisions one way door decisions versus

two we door decisions um being able to

call out different kind of tradeoffs

like this is what makes a PM technical

you don't necessarily need to know how

to code

but those are all the different ways

that PMs can become more Technical and

we do have a video on that um and I

would say that these are all great tips

that Mark showed it's very dependent on

the role that you're applying to but

generally if you follow these tips you

will be able to get that strong higher

rating versus just a strong uh just a

higher rating so uh before we close out

the video thanks for all these insights

Mark do you have any last thoughts that

you wanted to share with the audience no

not at all like I said it's such a

common question Mark how do I move from

higher to strong hire I hope these tips

have been helpful I know you're prepping

for your interviews uh a big part of

this of course is doing mock interviews

and getting prepped and doing your

homework so um put your time in get your

mock interviews um we're here to help um

reach out and uh we would love to help

you get where you want to go great

thanks Mark and for the viewers at home

good luck with your upcoming interviews