Flipkart Product Manager Mock Interview: Root Cause Analysis (Razorpay PM)

Summary

In this video transcript, a mock product management interview is conducted focusing on root cause analysis. The scenario involves a 15% decline in cart additions on Flipkart's mobile app. The interviewee, Khanjan, a product manager at Razor Pay, systematically approaches the problem by considering external factors, demographic impacts, internal changes, and analyzing user journey data. The discussion identifies a recent update to the Android app as a potential cause for the decline in cart additions. The interview also provides feedback on Khanjan's performance, highlighting the importance of confidence and clear communication in the problem-solving process.

Takeaways

• 🛒 The scenario involves diagnosing a 15% decline in cart additions on Flipkart's mobile app over the last three days.
• 🤔 Khanjan, a product manager at Razor Pay, is conducting a root cause analysis to identify the issue.
• 🔍 Khanjan starts by confirming the definition of 'cart additions' and ensuring the analytics tool is functioning correctly.
• 📈 The decline is not isolated to a specific demographic, location, or gender, indicating a broader issue.
• 📱 A recent major update to the Flipkart mobile app, particularly on Android, is suspected to be related to the decline.
• 🛍️ The update includes changes to the shopping cart flow, which may have affected the user experience and cart additions.
• 🐞 An increase in bug reports related to the checkout process on the Android app suggests a technical issue post-update.
• 🔧 Khanjan suggests a detailed analysis of the event flow for the Android app to determine if users are clicking the 'add to cart' button without products being added.
• 🗂️ The importance of a structured approach to problem-solving is highlighted, including considering external factors, demographic impacts, and internal changes.
• 🗣️ The interview emphasizes the value of asking questions and making conversation during a product management interview to ensure clarity and relevance.
• 📚 Practice and mock interviews are recommended for building confidence and refining interview skills, as demonstrated by Khanjan's preparation using Exponent.

Q & A

What is the main issue discussed in the mock interview?

The main issue discussed is a 15% decline in cart additions on Flipkart's mobile app over the last three days.

Who is conducting the mock interview?

The mock interview is being conducted by an unnamed individual who is joined by Khanjan, a product manager at Razor Pay.

What is Khanjan's background according to the interview?

Khanjan is currently a product manager at Razor Pay, a fintech company in India. He completed his postgraduate program from the Indian School of Business and previously worked at Bain and Company and Idea Cellular, a leading telecom in India.

What is the first step Khanjan suggests in diagnosing the issue?

Khanjan suggests first understanding what is defined as cart additions to ensure everyone is on the same page.

How does Khanjan approach the root cause analysis?

Khanjan approaches the root cause analysis by creating a framework that includes looking at external factors, demographic features, macroeconomic changes, internal changes, and the overall user journey on the mobile app.

What specific internal changes does Khanjan inquire about?

Khanjan inquires about any updates made to the mobile app, design changes, and any incidents or bugs that have been reported.

What was the outcome of the investigation into the analytics tool?

The analytics team confirmed that the data coming through is correct, with no issues with logging or analytics in the last few days.

What was the update made to the Flipkart mobile app that could be related to the decline?

There was a major update to the mobile app that affected the shopping cart flow, which could be related to the decline in cart additions.

How does Khanjan summarize the approach to diagnosing the issue?

Khanjan summarizes the approach by emphasizing the importance of considering external factors, demographic impacts, internal changes, and the user journey to identify the root cause of the decline in cart additions.

What feedback does the interviewer provide to Khanjan regarding his performance?

The interviewer provides feedback on Khanjan's use of up-speaking, which can detract from the confidence of his responses. They also commend his structured approach and the clarity of his framework.

What advice does Khanjan give for preparing for product management interviews?

Khanjan advises watching mock interviews, practicing with peers or family members, and maintaining a conversational tone during interviews to avoid getting lost in one's own points.

Outlines

00:00

🛒 Decline in Cart Additions at Flipkart

The video script begins with a scenario where there's a 15% decline in cart additions on Flipkart over the last three days. The host introduces Khanjan, a product manager at Razor Pay, to help diagnose the issue. Khanjan outlines a framework for root cause analysis, which includes examining external factors like competitor actions, demographic features, macroeconomic changes, internal changes within Flipkart, and the overall user journey on the mobile app. The focus is on the mobile app experience, and it's confirmed that there are no issues with analytics tools. Khanjan's approach is to first rule out external and demographic factors before diving into internal app changes and user experience issues.

05:03

🔍 Investigating the Decline in Cart Additions

The conversation continues with an exploration of external factors, including competitor activities and their potential impact on Flipkart's cart additions. It's revealed that there are no noticeable competitor actions or sales events that could explain the decline. The analysis also considers demographic and geographic factors, finding no specific customer segment or location affected by the decline. The focus then shifts to internal factors, such as recent updates to Flipkart's mobile app, which could have impacted the shopping cart flow. The updates are found to be related to the checkout process, aiming to improve conversion rates. However, there's an indication of increased bug reports following the update, particularly on the Android platform, suggesting a possible link to the decline in cart additions.

10:03

📉 Pinpointing the Root Cause of Decline in Cart Additions

Khanjan narrows down the potential causes of the decline in cart additions to internal issues within Flipkart's ecosystem. The investigation reveals that the problem is specific to the Android app, with no significant changes or issues observed on iOS. The team has identified a correlation between recent app updates and a decline in cart additions, particularly on Android. The analysis suggests that the 'add to cart' button and the checkout process might be affected by the updates, leading to an increase in bug reports related to payment and checkout issues. The conclusion is that the app update may have inadvertently caused a problem in the cart addition process, which requires a detailed analysis of the event flow for every customer on the Android app.

15:05

📝 Reflecting on the Root Cause Analysis Process

In this part of the script, Khanjan reflects on the root cause analysis process he undertook. He acknowledges areas for improvement, such as asking more specific questions about the app versions and devices affected by the issue, and gathering more detailed data to better understand the customer funnel. Khanjan also highlights the importance of considering external factors, customer segments, and internal ecosystem issues when diagnosing problems. He emphasizes the value of a comprehensive approach to problem-solving and the benefits of developing a habit of looking at all aspects of a situation from a 360-degree view. The host provides feedback, commending Khanjan's structured approach and the clarity of his analysis.

20:06

🗣️ Addressing Interviewee Habits and Confidence

The feedback session continues with a discussion on 'up speaking,' a common habit where interviewees end their sentences on an upward inflection, which can undermine confidence and clarity. The host advises Khanjan and the audience to practice and record themselves to identify and correct such behaviors. The conversation underscores the importance of a confident and smooth approach in interviews, as it can significantly impact the outcome. Khanjan agrees with the feedback and shares his experience, emphasizing the value of mock interviews in building interview skills and confidence.

25:07

🌟 Final Thoughts and Resources for Product Management Interviews

In the final part of the script, the host and Khanjan share last thoughts and resources for those preparing for product management interviews. Khanjan recommends watching mock interviews and practicing with peers or family members to gain confidence. The host mentions Exponent, a platform that offers courses, coaching, and community support to help individuals land their dream tech job. The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to ask questions and engage with the content, and a reminder to like, subscribe, and comment on the video for further interaction.

Keywords

💡Root Cause Analysis

Root cause analysis is a methodical process used to identify the fundamental reasons that underlie a particular problem or undesirable outcome. In the video, this concept is central to the scenario where a 15% decline in cart additions on Flipkart's platform needs to be investigated. The interviewee, Khanjan, systematically approaches the issue by considering various factors that could contribute to the decline, such as external market influences, demographic changes, and internal product updates.

💡Cart Additions

Cart additions refer to the instances where users add items to their shopping carts on an e-commerce platform. In the context of the video, the metric of 'cart additions' is crucial as it indicates user engagement and potential sales. The decline in this metric is the problem that needs to be diagnosed, and it is mentioned that this decline is observed primarily on the mobile app experience.

💡Analytics Tool

An analytics tool is a software application that collects, processes, and analyzes data to help businesses make informed decisions. In the script, the analytics tool is mentioned as a means to measure cart additions. Khanjan confirms with the analytics team to ensure that the data indicating the decline is accurate, suggesting that the tool's functionality is crucial for diagnosing the issue.

💡External Factors

External factors are influences outside of the company's control that can impact its performance or operations. In the video, Khanjan considers external factors such as competitor actions, product launches, and sales events that might have affected Flipkart's cart additions. The analysis of these factors is part of the comprehensive approach to identifying the cause of the decline.

💡Demographic Features

Demographic features refer to characteristics of a population that can be used for market segmentation, such as age, gender, income, and location. In the context of the video, Khanjan inquires whether the decline in cart additions has affected specific demographic segments, such as females aged 20 to 30 who purchase cosmetics, to identify if the issue is widespread or confined to certain user groups.

💡Macro Economic Changes

Macro economic changes refer to large-scale shifts in the economy that can influence consumer behavior and market trends. Khanjan considers whether macroeconomic factors, such as news or seasonality, have impacted purchasing behavior on Flipkart. This shows an understanding that external economic conditions can play a role in e-commerce metrics.

💡Internal Changes

Internal changes refer to modifications made within a company that can affect its products or services. In the script, Khanjan investigates whether any updates to the mobile app, such as design changes or improvements to the shopping cart flow, have contributed to the decline in cart additions. The focus on internal changes is essential for identifying issues that are within the company's control.

💡User Journey

User journey describes the path a user takes as they interact with a product or service. In the video, the term is used to analyze the steps a user goes through on the mobile app, from viewing products to adding them to the cart. Khanjan examines the user journey to identify any glitches or bugs that might be causing the decline in cart additions.

💡Bug Reports

Bug reports are documentation of errors or issues encountered in software applications. In the video, an increase in bug reports following an app update suggests that there may be technical issues affecting the checkout process on Flipkart's Android app. This information is critical for pinpointing the root cause of the decline in cart additions.

💡Product Management Interview

A product management interview is a process where candidates are assessed for their ability to manage and lead the development of a product. In the video, the interview scenario is a mock product management interview where Khanjan demonstrates his problem-solving skills by diagnosing the issue with Flipkart's cart additions. The video serves as an example of the types of analytical thinking required in such interviews.

Highlights

Scenario begins with a 15% decline in cart additions on Flipkart's mobile app over the last three days.

Khanjan, a product manager at Razor Pay, introduces himself with a background in business and telecom.

The interview focuses on root cause analysis for a product management issue.

Khanjan outlines a framework for diagnosing the issue, starting with external factors.

No competitor actions or demographic impacts are observed as potential reasons for the decline.

Internal changes within Flipkart, specifically updates to the mobile app, are considered.

A major update to the mobile app's shopping cart flow is identified as potentially related to the decline.

The decline is isolated to Android users, indicating a platform-specific issue.

Bug reports increase following the app update, suggesting a technical problem.

The visibility and functionality of the 'Add to Cart' button are scrutinized.

Data analysis reveals no cart additions on Android, pointing to a significant issue.

Khanjan concludes the root cause is likely with the 'Add to Cart' button on Android.

Feedback on the interview process includes the importance of confidence and eliminating up-speaking.

The value of a comprehensive framework in approaching problem-solving is emphasized.

Khanjan reflects on areas for improvement, including asking more targeted questions and seeking more data.

The interview wraps up with advice on practicing for product management interviews and the importance of mock interviews.

Exponent is recommended for courses, coaching, and community support in tech job interviews.

Transcripts

so in today's scenario i want you to

imagine that um

we're working at flipkart and we're

noticing that there's a decline of about

15 of cart additions to the additions to

the shopping cart in the last three days

um can you help us diagnose the issue

[Music]

hey everyone we're here today to do

another product management

mock interview we're going to be

focusing on a root cause analysis type

question which are similar to execution

questions where you have to figure out

what's going wrong with a particular

issue i'm joined here today by kanjin

um go ahead and introduce yourself for

folks watching

hi everyone i'm khanjan i am currently a

product manager at razer pay which is a

fintech company in india and uh prior to

this i completed my postgraduate program

for the

from the indian school of business and

before that i was working at

for a couple of months at bain and

company and idea cellular which is one

of the leading

leading telecoms of india so that's

about me

and i'm super excited to be here today

awesome well we're excited to have you

too

um and so kanjin as mentioned we're

going to be going through

a root cause analysis question and so

i have a certain scenario that i'll

propose to you and then we're going to

talk about how

to actually go through that issue does

that make sense

awesome okay so in today's scenario i

want you to imagine

that um we're working at flipkart and

we're noticing that there's a decline of

about 15

of cart additions to the additions to

the shopping cart in the last three days

um can you help us diagnose the issue

uh sure so stephen before i jump into

uh sort of finding out what the problem

is uh just want to understand

what do we define as cart additions here

so that we are on the same page got it

so cart editions are

let's imagine a user that's on the flip

cart experience

the flipkart app um they add an item to

their cart so they may click

and and their an item appears in their

shopping cart

sure also uh flipkart has both website

and mobile app

so are we looking at a generic 15

decline or has it been observed only on

the mobile or

app or the website we're noticing it

mostly on the mobile app experience

okay sure uh

so i will just take two minutes to sort

of make my

framework and think about flipkart in

general and uh

will then share the framework same

framework awesome

take your time

okay

yeah okay i'm ready uh so stephen now

our first question is uh the card

additions that we are measuring

so it's sort of like a metric uh which

might be measured

using some analytics tool uh so have we

checked whether this analytics tool was

working well

over the last three days yeah that's a

great

yeah that's a great question so um we

talked to the analytics team we want to

make sure that this data is correct or

right

um and it does seem like the data coming

through is

um good like there's no issues with

logging or analytics that have happened

in the last few days

okay so now that we have all of that

answered i will just share

briefly my outline of the framework that

i'm going to follow to arrive at the

root cause

uh so first i will look at the external

factors

which will involve uh note which will

involve uh getting information

on what competitors uh have done in the

last three days has there been any

product launch or

has there been any new announcement

which might have taken away

a certain uh customer base or certain

uh product uh so which might have taken

away certain customer base from flipkart

second we look at the demographic

feature so has it

affected any particular customer segment

or any particular demographic feature of

that particular

customer segment third we look at the

macro economic feature

macro economic changes so has there been

any news or any

seasonality impact or any kind of

uh pattern in the external factors which

which might impact the overall

purchasing behavior

um fourth would be what are the

internal changes that we have done so

have we made any updates in the mobile

app

have we made any design changes etc

um then will be the overall journey of

the user

on the mobile app because we are closing

it down on the mobile app so we will see

all the steps of the user journey and

we'll

see if any particular point before the

cart auditions has experienced

any glitch or bugs so we'll basically

look at any incidents that have come up

uh and if none of this is the reason

then we might look at certain uh

certain factors which are out of control

but which still might impact

the overall purchasing behavior uh so

does that look good to you

yeah that sounds great thanks for laying

it all out sure

so as i mentioned so the first question

is uh

uh in india especially flipkart uh has a

couple of

e-commerce giants as competition and

so have has there been any new

announcement or entry of any competitor

or any kind of a product launch

or a big billion sale or uh sorry big

billion sales for flipkart so any sale

that has been announced

yeah that's a great question so we want

to see if there's a competitor

um we have limited knowledge here at

flipkart so we don't fully know

um what the competitors are doing from a

cursory perspective or looking at social

media profiles things like that we're

not seeing anything in particular

um but there it's not entirely clear

there could be some detailed targeting

or some

you know customized um campaigns that

we're not

visible to or not visible to us

i see okay uh so uh also

have we observed if this has impacted

customers from a certain city or a

region uh so is there any impact of

location

on this particular decline we're not

seeing an impact of location on the

decline so when we look at the location

we're seeing a spread across many

different places

okay great uh also has any particular

segment been impacted so let's say

females of age 20 to 30 who were earlier

purchasing a lot of cosmetics have

suddenly not started so suddenly stop

purchasing that

or is it again a uniform distribution

yeah so um we can look at some basic uh

factors like gender age location

and we're not seeing a deviation for any

of those sort of big demographic

categories that we typically look at

okay

thanks for clarifying that uh so now we

will look at

what flipkart has been doing um so has

a flipkart announced any campaign or any

uh other let's say prop product or any

other

um uh sort of a subsidiary which might

have taken

attention away from the mobile app

um we definitely launch campaigns all

the time

um it's not clear that any one of these

campaigns would be

taking users away from the mobile app or

there'd be any detriment to the mobile

app but we do have campaigns running

um is there something specific that

you're hoping to get with

with that or right so how i would look

at this

is uh considering that we don't see any

pattern in the demographics and the

geography

we would first look at the products uh

if there is any pattern in the kind of

products which have seen a decline in

card editions and

if we can identify that if there is a

pattern

or if there is even a pattern among the

categories then we can look at the

campaigns which

were running for those particular

categories and products

and then we can sort of attribute the

decline to that so

do you have any information on that

right

um so we when we look at the campaign

data and things like that we're not it

doesn't seem like there's a correlation

to a decline in the mobile app

experience

sure okay uh so then i'll move ahead

with the

technical parts of it uh so uh

as uh so just to summarize for everyone

who's doing this uh

when the customer will open flipkart or

launch the flipkart app on their mobiles

uh if they have

already signed in to the app then they

will directly see their home page

uh so the first thing that they will see

is the home page

versus if they are going to sign in for

the first time the first

screen that they will see is the login

screen versus if they are a new user

they would see a sign up screen so

this will be the first touch point for

the customer so

the next thing that i would want to know

is have there been any upgrades to the

mobile app in the last three days

on both ios and android yes there

actually has been we've done a major

update in the last

few days um to the mobile apps

okay and uh are these updates uh

related to anything uh in the cart

edition

uh touch cart audition milestone or

are they not at all related to that we

definitely

we've made some changes that affect the

whole shopping cart flow

so there definitely is a relationship

between the changes that we pushed

and the experience that we might be

serving to our users

okay so uh like can you be a little more

specific as in

uh have we made some design changes

which would maybe

increase the discovery of our products

or have we

offered an easier checkout journey

or have we enhanced the maybe or have

you changed the look and feel of the

add to cart buttons yeah so we have

improved the checkout flow um to make it

more seamless

in an effort to improve the conversion

rate on the checkout experience

right uh also uh have we observed if

this decline is only to ios

customers or only to android customers

uh we are seeing that a client only on

android customers

oh okay

right and uh have we received any

incidents or bugs report

uh on the uh app changes that have been

done

so uh from any kind of customers or uh

it's i mean we haven't received any uh

reports but we still think

that the upgrade might have done

something yeah we're not seeing

so many more reports especially since we

launched the experience maybe a few days

ago

but we are seeing an increase in some

bug reports um

and it seems like there's some bug

reports that people are having issues

paying or checking out their products

right

uh so now uh to go a little more deeper

into the issue

uh i feel that it is something to do

with

uh the process from right from uh seeing

the product and

uh finalizing the product to the

checkout process

uh but because we are observing a

decline in the cart

editions uh the first and the directly

attributable

uh feature to that would be the add to

cart

uh option so first point where the

customer would see that button is on the

product listing page so it does not

necessarily have to be

uh specifically the page of that product

but it will be like a generic listing

uh so is the button visible there for

all the products

um the button so you're asking if the

button is visible for all the products

for the set of users

um we can spin up a dev version and kind

of take a look at it

and it does look like the button is

visible to us

we're not totally sure if there are

other versions where the button might

not be visible but as far as we can tell

it seems like the button

is visible on the platforms that we're

looking at

okay and uh once the again so

now it comes to the journey from

seeing a a list of products to

selecting the particular product that

the customer wants to add to cart and

then clicking on the button

and then uh that particular action or

that particular

click to action translating that

particular

product to show in the customers cart so

what we need to do is we need to observe

if this particular

flow is getting completed so uh

have we logged in the event data or have

we observed the events data wherein

the add to cart event is

uh transitioning into the actual product

adding being added in the card do we

have that information

yeah so when we take a look at the data

um we actually see that there's been no

cart additions

on android um in the past few days so

we're actually seeing a huge decline in

card editions on that specific

version of android that we've launched

uh version of the app on android

right so uh then steven i feel uh

that because we are not

noticing or we don't have any

attributable data

to the uh installs

of app as such um also the product

discovery or the product visibility

doesn't seem to be

an issue as well uh my bet would be on

the add to cart button

so we should probably uh do

a complete analysis on the

event flow for every customer on the

android app

to check how many customers are actually

clicking on the

add to cart button and not seeing or not

uh

or their products are not being added to

the cart

so that's where the issue seems to be

lying

yeah you totally got it um and i mean we

can go a little bit further into this

and talk about where exactly the issue

is or how we debug it

um but i think you sort of nailed it on

the head um maybe if you could just

summarize one last time

for the viewers before we go to some

feedback and things like that

um of sort of your your journey through

this flow and

how you came to the answer that you came

to uh so

how one should see any problem

coming in any metric for a product or a

particular product feature is

that first we look at the external

reasons so

more often than not especially for

e-commerce websites

a lot of external factors such as

campaigns or competitions announcements

or the company's own announcements they

lead to

a shift in trend for the customers

and that may lead to a certain segment

of customers not

actually adding things to the cart or

not actually looking at purchasing at

that particular point in time

so considering that we were looking at a

three-day window

i had to sort of understand if and it's

a big window so i had to understand if

in those three days uh any such

announcement from the competition or any

such new product launch from the

competition

was affecting the card editions on

flipkart

once that was out of the way uh we look

at which particular

location or segment of customers have

been impacted if

at all there is uh there is an

identifiable pattern in that

then we can directly attribute that to

the shift in

maybe the purchasing power or the

uh the trends or the various uh factors

that may be contributing to the way they

uh come on flipkart and add products to

the card

once that is out of the way uh we look

at the

residence of that particular problem on

our ecosystem

so is it on the website or on the mobile

app or we

really don't have any data on that which

is a very unlikely scenario we usually

can attribute that very well from the

data so

here because we observed that it is

residing

in the mobile app and uh after a little

more probing

uh we also found out that it is on the

android

uh play store itself so the android

version is facing the problems

uh we surely know that it is not uh

attributable to any change in the

external factors and it is rather

something that is internal to flipkart

so once we know that it is an internal

problem we start looking at the

funnel and the conversion from each step

in the funnel so right from the installs

to the sign

ups to the product discovery to the

visibility of the various buttons on the

product listing page

to the clickability of the particular

buttons

and then we identify how many clicks

have actually resulted

in the action to get completed

so in this case uh that was our best bet

because

before that we didn't find any problem

so

that's how i arrived at the final uh

answer that this might be the actual

root cause of the

cart edition so declining by 15

awesome um well kanji that was awesome

to see you go through that

i wrote a bunch of notes about what i

thought you did really well um but

before we jump into it we'd love to hear

a self-reflection what do you think went

well about that interview what do you

think

didn't or would you change if you can go

back and then i can jump into some

feedback

and we can talk generally yeah so

uh first so first i'll talk about the

areas of improvement that i feel i

should have done better

or i could have done better the first

one being

when i asked you about the website and

the mobile app

issue so where exactly the cart editions

were observed and you did tell me that

it was in the mobile app i should have

asked you a bit more about

where or which versions of mobile app or

which play store uh was this particular

issue happening on or which particular

device type or this

issue was happening on uh that answer

would have given me a much better

visibility

into uh the funnel so i could have

understood that because it's

on android and not apple i could have

understood that it is something

which is a bug issue and not exactly

a customer side of an issue or a or an

external issue

so that's one and second is uh because

it's a root cause analysis

uh or it might have been the case that

uh i should have probably asked for a

little more data

so in terms of the numbers so in the

real world i would have

probably just gone on my analytics

board and i would have asked for a lot

more data uh so that is another thing

that i could have improved on

um in terms of what i did good i think

uh

the framework uh that i made however it

might have

not been it might not have been required

to look at so many factors but

if you develop a habit of looking at

everything

from a 360 degree view then you don't

tend to miss out on things and

it becomes like a general way of solving

things

which as a pm i feel helps a lot in the

longer run

um so that is what i think i did good

totally yeah um definitely agree with

you i mean overall i thought this was a

really smooth excellent answer of a root

cause analysis question

um they can get very scary and hairy

because you don't know

where to go with it and it feels very

intimidating um

like oh is this the right direction or

is that the right direction etc etc and

i thought you handled that very well

and what i really loved about your

answer is in the beginning you sort of

started off with a full framework of

okay these are the ways that i'm going

to go about this problem um

i'm going to think about it like um

through this and then this and then this

and then this

um and and kind of go through that and i

definitely did wish we

came back to that in the in the middle

or if there was a white board

or something like that it could be

really helpful because then um

i could really see like okay hey like

this is where

um this is where that issue

was or something and like therefore

we've eliminated this hypothesis or

something like that

um i also um i i thought you don't know

the the going back to the hypothesis was

really

you did this a couple times or you

summarized or you were like okay this is

now

where i think i am or this is now what

we're going to do um i thought that was

especially great when you did that with

the

cart analysis we're like okay now let's

just really dive into the flow and look

at the flow

and see where the issue is in the flow i

thought that was really effective too

um i i one thing that um i

wanted to call out that um you know i

hope you don't mind sharing but

or that i share with the audience is um

there's a thing that a lot of

interviewees do and it's called

up speaking um i don't know if you're

familiar but it's it's sort of when at

the end of your sentence you go up

like answering it like a question um

kind of at the end

of things and i think um that was one

piece of feedback i did notice is that

you did that a couple times throughout

the interview

um and it took away from the confidence

and the gravitas of what you were saying

um and it's a hard habit sometimes i do

it too actually when i answer interview

questions

but i just thought it'd be helpful to

share to the audience as well um that

it's something just to watch for when

you watch recordings of yourself doing

interviews or

um especially at exponent we always

really recommend people record

themselves and watch themselves because

then you see all the flaws the

sort of tough things but that's just one

common behavior interviews

um that always can can make you sound a

little bit more confident a little bit

more

um sort of like uh steady in your answer

um any reactions thoughts comments to

any of the feedback i just shared

uh no i think yeah a very fair point so

i'd like to add on that

uh the way uh a lot of uh

your pm interview also depends on the

confidence and the

smoothness with which you approach the

question because

it tends to get very intimidating in the

real world scenario

for example i remember when i was

interviewing for the companies last year

uh in 30 minutes we were expected to

solve all

at least two interview at least two

cases and

uh if you don't have a control on

how you are speaking and what you are

speaking and not writing it

at the same time and showing it to the

interviewer the interviewer might just

lose

track of what you're doing and that can

cost you a lot so

a very fair point totally

um yeah and actually i mean to sort of

close or wrap toward the end of this

conversation

um if folks want to learn more you can

always check out exponent

at tryexponent.com we help people land

their dream tech

job with our courses our coaching and

our vibrant community

we believe that people shouldn't

interview alone the reason i bring this

up now is that

part of exponent's mission is to help

people practice better and there have

been studies to show that

practicing for interviews just getting

those reps in can go a long way towards

building that confidence

and getting that um type of interview

that you want to see

in the interview to succeed um and so um

i did want to just

mention that about exponent but before

we close conjunct do you have any ask

last thoughts tips um anything else you

wanted to share with folks watching

yeah so firstly i would like to top your

closing comment that i have

in fact prepared a lot of my product

cases

watching exponent mock interviews uh so

definitely

that's one tip that i can give that any

any mock interviews

will help you get a sense of what kind

of questions can come up and

how should you hold the conversation

during a product management interview

uh again continuing on that point uh

what happens is

that a lot of people feel that because

it's a product case

you in order to show that you know

everything and that you're an expert

people don't make conversation and they

forget to ask questions or they forget

to course correct themselves

during the process and hence they get so

lost in their own

uh points that it just leads to a very

jumbled up

solution so yeah that would be my final

uh comment and lastly for any

help on product cases uh one should

always refer to

uh or one should always fall back on

actual practice

so you will have your peers or your

family members or your cousins friends

whoever you can find

just speaking to them and just telling

them to be

your interviewer will give you a lot of

confidence which

will help you in the actual scenario

awesome um and if you're looking to

learn more about kanjin we'll put a link

to her youtube channel in the

description below

um we really appreciate kanjin taking

the time

and for those of you watching if you

have any comments or questions

now is the time we'll try to answer

every single one of them

um just comment below in the video and

hit that like and subscribe button

as well if you thought this video was

valuable um

again thank you so much for joining and

good luck

on your upcoming interview

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