Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology (Cracking the Interview & Career)

by Gayle Laakmann McDowell

The point of this knowledge is not to whip it out to impress the interviewer (it probably won’t), but to use this information to get a feel for what the company is really like. You want to make sure a company is a good fit for you, too. Sometimes candidates are so focused on landing the job that they forget to make sure the job is really right for them. This information has another benefit, too: it can help shape your responses to behavioral questions, like how you influence teammates or how you would implement a decision.

You should understand the role of a product manager at this company. How technical is the role? How do decisions get made?

Practical vs. Crazy: While all companies have some appreciation for the practical realities and some for the crazy off-the-wall ideas, each firm

strikes its own balance between the two. Understanding if the company loves bold ideas or prefers more incremental improvements will help you understand what sorts of ideas you could pitch.

Things to Change: Walk in with some ideas for what you’d want to change or implement at the company. An understanding of major user complain...

Similarly, you should be able to make a compelling pitch for how the role matches your skillset and background. The job description is a good place to start, but think beyond this.

“What do you find most challenging about being a PM here?”

For instance, asking a company why they dropped their initial monetization strategy shows you’ve researched the company, and asking a question such as, “Where do you see the company going in five years?” shows the drive to understand the company.

What’s a typical day like for you? How much of your day do you spend writing specs versus working with designers versus doing other activities? How has the role of a PM changed? How do you see it changing? What is the balance between PMs, developers, and designers? How does decision making work? What’s your favorite part about working here? What would make someone the ideal PM candidate for you? What do you think makes this company’s culture