Cracking the PM Interview Quotes

“One reason product management is such an appealing career is you get to sit at the intersection of technology, business, and design.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“You should also use the product yourself, and you should use it extensively across multiple user types. If it’s a product with free and paying users, try to use it in both scenarios (if possible). Think about what parts you enjoyed and what you didn’t. Pay particularly close attention to anything that would have turned you away if you weren’t “forced” to check it out.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“Clarify goals and gather satisfaction metrics. Determine the people and skills needed to complete a project. Set up project management tools, plans and processes. Run status meetings and gather status reports. Analyze data to identify opportunities. Identify & implement changes to improve efficiency. Manage changes that come in from the customer. Find ways to keep the project on track even when things go wrong.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“Credibility is the currency of a PM,”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“Striking compromises across people. Finding ways of making teammates feel valued. Being able to agree to things that are suboptimal for you in the interest of the greater team good. Understanding people’s underlying motivations and incentives. Motivating teams and boosting morale. Relinquishing your ego and encouraging others to do the same. Setting common goals, metrics, and procedures. Balancing autonomy with team cohesion. Building the confidence of those around you. Increasing individual accountability. Setting a good example. Taking personal responsibility. Showing compassion and empathy for coworkers. Identifying and dividing responsibilities. Sharing knowledge and responsibilities. Mitigating the damage from a negative teammate or situation. Building trust across the team.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“If it’s because it had a big impact on your company, you should be able to quantify the impact. If it was outside your comfort zone, this should have changed you in some small way or helped you discover something about yourself. If it’s about solving a hard problem, you should have learned something.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“Tell me about a time when you weren’t able to reach a deadline. Describe a major change that occurred in a job that you held. How did you adapt to this change? Tell me about a time when you had to deal with changing priorities. How did you handle it? Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision quickly or with insufficient data. Tell me about a time when you used a lot of data in a short period of time. Tell me about a time when you handled a risky situation.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“there are a wide variety of ways to solve these problems. Some common tactics include: Gathering data to decide what to do. Leveraging the support and expertise of people around you. Discussing and setting team priorities. Understanding the emotions of those around you. Thinking about what the “right” thing to do is (based on ethics, what’s best for the customer, etc). Breaking down the situation, focusing on what you know, and understanding more about what you know. Mitigating risk. Being honest and straightforward. Solving the problem creatively or thinking outside the box. Compromising. Balancing short-term and long-term tradeoffs. Managing the expectations of coworkers and customers.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“To brainstorm challenges or problems you have faced, consider if you’ve encountered any of the following issues at work: Ethical dilemmas. Conflicting incentives. Insufficient resources (time, money, expertise). Incomplete or inaccurate information. Low morale, interpersonal issues, or other emotional problems (with teammates or the team as a whole). Cultural or workstyle conflicts. Changing demands. Inability to accomplish a task or meet expectations.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“Sample Questions Describe a decision you made that wasn’t popular. How did you handle implementing it? Describe a time when you had to motivate employees or coworkers. Tell me about a time when you showed initiative. Tell me about a time when you had to give a presentation to people who disagreed with you. Tell me about a time when you had to make an unpopular decision. Tell me about a time when you had to sell another person or team on your idea Tell me about a time when you’ve built a team.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“what tactics you use to build teams, persuade or influence others, Some common tactics include: Gathering data to support your conclusion. Understanding and addressing people’s underlying motivations or incentives. Developing support from key team members first and then leveraging that to get other people on your side. Showing your own vulnerability to encourage others to show theirs. Being a good role model or example. Gradually leading people to a conclusion by agreeing on a common framework first. Developing credibility and engendering trust.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“be prepared for follow-up questions such as: How did the team react? How did this affect the future of the team? What did you learn from this? What would you do differently if this situation came up again? Do you always handle situations like this? If not, what made you handle things this way this time?”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“five key stories. These common topics are: Leadership & Influence Challenges Mistakes / failures Successes Teamwork You should have at least one story per topic. Ideally, several of your stories will fall under two or more categories.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“What do you want to show about yourself, and how can you communicate that through examples?”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“A story you give your interviewer shouldn’t just answer the question; it should communicate something to your interviewer about you or how you work. When you review a potential story, ask yourself: what does this say about me?”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“I’d love to be lead PM for an emerging business unit where I’ll get to think about long-term strategy, particularly with respect to monetization models. I’m particularly interested in mobile, and I could see myself leading a team of PMs and engineers on the mobile side. Additionally, I’m really excited about the ways in which a company can help new employees ramp up faster. I could see myself creating a more formal new employee training program where employees get mentorship and training in different areas of the business.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“Third, I really want to be here. I’m a fitness junkie, having run three marathons and participated in two Tough Mudder races. I truly believe in your mission of the gamification of exercise and I’m constantly coming up with ways of making exercise more fun. I’ve even recruited several of my anti-exercise friends to regularly workout—and enjoy it.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“Why you are a good fit for this company’s culture or work environment:”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“Why you are a good fit for this space:”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“Why you are a good PM:”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“I read a lot. Most recently I’ve been reading a lot of psychology books. I’m really fascinated by how our minds work and why we make the choices we do. So much of it is counter-intuitive.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“First of all, I have several years of experience as a PM, and I’ve consistently shown success in the role. I’ve launched four critical features from scratch in that time, and was rated the top PM at my company. This is what led to my current hiring manager recruiting me to his team.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“Second, as a CS major and statistics minor, I have the technical and quantitative background that you’re looking for. I haven’t done a ton of data analysis in my current role, but I have the academic background and raw skills to learn it quickly. I’ve actually started learning a bit of data analysis through some online courses. I have no doubt I’ll be able to pick up the skills you need quickly.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“At a startup, passion for the company or expertise in the space can be really important.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“What piqued my interest was a presentation your lead UI designer made about the different methods you use for data analysis, and how this helps you build a better product. I’m very quantitative, so I really want to work for such a data-driven company.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“general, big companies will be less impressed by your having researched the company or being really passionate about working for them. They presume, for better or worse, that you want to work for them. It’s better to show a passion for the role/team, or some experience that makes you a good fit.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“Your answer can actually communicate to the interviewer directly that you have relevant skills or experience. For example, you could say something like this: “I’m really interested in testing tools. For my senior project in college, I built an automated way of detecting certain types of errors. I learned a ton about different types of website errors and ways to detect them. I was really intrigued by how much impact automated testing can do, if done well—but I also learned just how challenging it is to do well. I’m excited to get back into this space and leverage what I learned.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“I’m looking now for a role at an early-stage company where I’ll be able to take a single product from conception through to launch. I think my experience as a developer and as a PM who works cross-functionally will give me the background to work with, and even take on some of the responsibilities of, several other roles. That’s a lot of what interested me in this role; it’s at the perfect time for me to dive in, and it’s so closely related to the personalization work I’m doing right now.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“What’s your favorite part about working here? What would make someone the ideal PM candidate for you?”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology

“What do you think makes this company’s culture unique? What do you find most challenging about being a PM here?”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology