Case Interviews and Job Descriptions
Many PMs get frustrated with the case intervierw, they don’t see it as reflective of their jobs and skills. I shared that same point of view before I started coaching people (an looking for a job again).
Case interviews can help:
Test general skills
Break patterns (allow candidate with X background get a role in Z area)
Believe it or note; product case questions help test the following attribute from a random job description I found on the internet for a principal PM role. Below each detailed explanation from the job description, I note how they test this skill with a product case question.
Leadership: able to set the direction, inspire the team, and make key decisions to drive the company forward
Explaining framework
Driving the discussion (not being guided by the interviewer)
Big thinking: able to define, align, and evangelize a product vision and strategy
Setting Mission, Vision and/or Goal for Product
Empathy: listens, appreciates and promotes team members’ perspectives, goals, and opportunities
User Trends
User Segmentation
Pain Point Identification
Pain Point Prioritization
User focus: passionate about creating the best product solutions for your users
Goal focused on User vs Business
User Segmentation
Pain Point Identification
Pain Point Prioritization
Systems thinking: able to dissect complex systems, workflows, and multiple user personas to create the best solutions within the surrounding context.
User Segmentation
User Journeys
Rigor: asks hard questions, validates their assumptions, and guides the way to achieving goals
Clarifying Questions
Assuming where clarity is missing
Outcome-orientation: focuses on business results, not output
Setting goals for Users; explaining business will grow if we solve for user problems. (Product-Led approach to business)
Data-driven: able to evaluate data from multiple sources across the organization, and use data to inform key decisions. Surfaces and evangelizes progress toward key metrics
Metrics for success; linking to goal; not forgetting time period
Collaboration: a reliable and valued member of the team to encourage and enable others to succeed
Checking in with your interviewer
Communication: able to clearly articulate ideas, concerns, and opportunities
Using the rule of three
Be concise, not verbose
The two things case questions really can’t test that most companies look for are experience and expertise.
Experience: track record of achieving results through Product Management leadership at the company-level, especially with relevant experience driving product expansion into new markets
Software development expertise: able to identify and act on opportunities to improve agile software development teams
Net time you look at a job description, see if you can understand how to show case your skills as you respond to case questions.
