The Problem with Interview Take-Home Advice
With the rise in product management assignments or take-home projects comes a rash of advice on how to master them. As far as I can tell, all the advice out there is directionally correct but (in most cases) can’t help you with the specifics to get across the finish line. This is because there are so many things going on outside of your control. (See my previous on disagreements between stakeholders on what they are grading against.)
I know this sounds odd from someone who teaches thousands of people how to master the product case interview format. But the problem with the case question is even if you group them by types and formats (listed below) there are still internal issues and small things that are make or break no one told you about.
Common Take-Home Formats
PRD
Strategy (Slide, Working Backwards Doc, etc.)
Review of Past Experience
Evaluation of ________
UX/UI Review of Product (think: Product Teardown)
Improve X Product
Evaluate X Data to Decide _______
Advice dispensed by most folks is what everyone knows already and doesn’t take into account the realities we face. The advice includes:
Clarify Your Assignment
Manage Your Time
Be Concise
Articulate your decision-making process
Use Visuals
State Your Assumptions
Prioritize the Problems
Come Up With Solutions
Measure Success
Review Your Work
Get Feedback
How to Share Strategy
How to Deal with Data
Hypothesis on Scoring from Aakash
Aakash Gupta (paywall) has done a deep dive into take-home assignments. His hypothesis is that you are graded on the 5 following elements.
User insight: Did the candidate put the user first and show insights about their product usage and needs?
Usage of data: Is the homework writer capable and understanding of the data needed to drive impact?
Business sense: Did the candidate come up with a solution that works well for the business?
Writing clarity: Did the homework writer demonstrate a way with words and ability to write clearly for PM audiences?
Structured thinking: Was the candidate able to presenting and deliver on a structured process?
While generally correct, the final decision is often a combination of factors, some on this list and some. Aakash gives each hiring team more credit than perhaps many have earned. For companies and teams that have been asking the same question for a while and have a corporate structure, I believe his hypothesis is strong.
However, often teams (even in big companies) come up with a new prompt, and “I know it when I see it” thinking kicks in. (As well as a number of documented biases). I personally have gotten take-home assignments and after I ask questions the prompt is changed in some way. This shows me the team is still testing out the format, and it can be very frustrating and demoralizing going into that situation as you know the process has not been vetted, despite the best intentions of the team.
The largest category of product companies that ask for take-home assignments are startups. If you have never worked in a startup, I will tell you things are chaotic. That nice structure Aakash shares is often not in place. If it is, you might find one team member is weighing business sense over product sense while another is obsessed with user insights of a user group they know exponentially better than you do. They are learning as they go. And you are just as likely a guinea pig as a valid candidate. Try not to be the first one in the pipeline if you can.
Yes, I still recommend doing them.
In today’s environment, I still recommend doing the take-home case, particularly for start-ups. It will help you evaluate the users, business, and market in general. As a worst-case scenario, it is a forcing function to ensure you ask the right questions of this venture before you jump in with both feet. In a middle-case scenario, you learn something new about yourself. (When I did a case for Airbnb, I learned that I was reading my slides! That lesson was worth all the hours I lost on the presentation. It made me a better product manager. A special thanks to a close friend who pointed it out when I did a walk-through with them. ).
If you are desperate for employment and prone to blame yourself for failing a take-home assignment, diving into this article where I share some of the problems I have witnessed as a coach and hiring for a startup.