Common Pitfall: The 15-Min Case
As the product case becomes more ubiquitous in product manager interviews, we are seeing it become shortened. When product cases started, most people prepared for the 25- to 35-minute case answer.
In reality, for many years, it has mostly been Meta/Facebook that wanted the 35-minute answer. Most (not all) other companies have another question they ask when also asking case questions. In reality, that means that most people only have 15 to 20 minutes to answer a case prompt (product design, product sense, and execution - but mostly product design/sense).
No matter how much I tell people to practice the 15-minute case and the ‘engaged interviewer’ scenarios, they are so caught up in memorizing and checking off the list of any number of frameworks (including my own) that they can’t possibly complete a case in under 25 minutes.
What Happens
There are a number of things that typically happen or need to happen in a 15-min case:
Less time to think, but you still have time. Take it.
Strategic set-up can be cut but don’t drop the observations, especially in marketplace prompts.
User segmentation might not need to be as in-depth
Don’t skip the pain points. If you can’t clearly identify pain points, you are done for.
Look for hints that the interviewer wants features more than solutions
Often you can skip the metrics unless the interviewer insists. (Especially since many have a separate execution case).
Show empathy. Don’t get so robotic that you miss it.
The Gotchas
Time fear screws with your thought process
Too easy to skip clarifying questions that make all the difference
Rush makes many forget marketplace dynamics when it is crucial
Spending too much time on User Segmentation - practice faster delivery
Innovation of ideas suffers
To avoid the pitfalls and gotchas, you must practice. Also, make sure you practice with a partner who plays the ‘engaged interviewer’ because, along with the candidate’s fear around time, the interviewers will often get anxious about getting to what they want, and they will be more engaged, further throwing off the candidate.
