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:

1. Test general skills

2. 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.