10+ Signals Interviewers Seek

Written By Wendy-Lynn

Product case interviews can often seem divorced from the reality of our jobs as PMs. But interviewers are actually looking for the following core PM skills in their interviews:

  • Comfort with Ambiguity - how do you handle being put on the spot, a common situation for PMs IRL

  • Data Gathering - a lot of the problems we’ll be solving necessitate research. Communicate assumptions before diving in.

  • Critical Thinking - problem solving frameworks show you can tackle/break down any type of problem and arrive at a solution.

  • Creativity - PMs compliment data-driven insights with out-of-the-box solutions.

  • Communication - you will need to communicate technical solutions to non technical people.

  • Prioritize & Decide - there won’t be an obvious right solution, PMs work with imperfect information and prioritize and decide nonetheless

  • Data-driven - when discussing metrics are you comfortable with numbers.

  • Quick on your feet - are you able to talk through new ideas

  • Originality, technical thinking - reasoning from first principles and/or thinking big.

  • Break down a problem - by asking clarifying questions, then proposing products to solve these problems, and stack ranking by priority you are showing you can break down a problem

  • Can you Build Products - Clear, actionable steps on how to get to the goal shows that you can build products.

  • MVP vs Think Big - Some companies are looking for scrappy approach. Keeping costs and ROI in mind for the company and the customers. Other companies want big thinking. To be safe, try to show you can think about both

Throughout the interview process, companies often have official or unofficial checklists that are seeking to identify your ability to do the following:

  • Identify Problems - Focused on the right problem to tackle

  • Product Vision

  • Creative Problem Solving

  • Customer Empathy

  • Product Strategy

  • Communication: Clear stories during interviews

  • Analytical Mindset

  • Prioritization: Clear direction/opinion/trade-offs

  • Think Big: Ability to think about and take Big Bold Bets

  • Success Metrics

  • Scalability

Another version of the check list interviewers are looking for: 

  • Frameworks

  • Roadmaps

  • Goals

  • Priorities

  • Metrics/KPI's

  • Ability to see new feature/product/opportunities

  • Ability to pursue/evangelize them with

    • good data,

    • metrics

    • strong communication

Wendy-Lynn https://intrico.io
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