TPM In-Person Interview

What does it take for someone to acquire a PM skillset?

Roll up your sleeves at your current job and grow skills that are relevant to the PM role.

That's right. You can learn almost all of the skills needed, no matter where you are in your career. You do need to be ready to work hard for some of the harder skills (e.g., analytical skills) and maybe even be prepared to 'unlearn' practices you are used to, but if you are interested in a career as a Technical Product Manager, it's totally possible.

What traits should a great technical product manager possess?

a combination of creativity, empathy, technical influence, market understanding, and analytical skills

A great technical product manager needs multiple skills and they have to 'wear' a different hat every single day according to which stakeholder they are collaborating with.

Which sentence best describes the product development life cycle?

It is not set in stone, and largely depends on what a feature's goals are, what mission it serves, and how quickly the company you work for wants to move.

The Product Development lifecycle is dynamic. This framework is there to help you and your team have a structure throughout this process, but it's up to you how you will make the most out of it. Sometimes you need to skip or add stages along the way.

Let's say you have defined your problem space, your users, and the user pain points. How do you decide which solution to prioritize?

Prioritize based on user impact and ease of implementation.

You want to prioritize the solution that will add the most value for your users, with the least engineering effort. Then you will be able to learn quickly and go to version 2 faster.

Suppose your CEO says "Let's move fast. Here's funding for you to build a cool app idea I have. Are you ready?" What response should an experienced technical product manager make?

"We're not ready yet. We need to do research to ensure we're building the right solution for the pain points our target users really have."

As a Product Manager your role is to bring the right product to your users. Make sure to know who your users are, what they pain points are, and then come up with solutions for them.

Why do engineers create algorithms?

to solve a set of problems

An algorithm is a set of instructions designed to add some 'logic' to a program in order to solve a problem.

A product management relationship with an engineer is equivalent to a _____.

a partner and a partner

A product manager has no authority over engineering. They are partnering with them and have the same goal(s) in mind: bring a great product to their users.

An API is a _____.

an input and output mechanism

API stands for "Application Programming interface."

Establishing technical Influence with engineers requires _____.

time and effort

It may take time to build a great relationship with the engineers, but it will be worth it for your team and your product.

Is a pain point the same as a use case?

No, they are different.

A pain point is a problem the users are facing while trying to achieve a certain task, while a use case describes the overall needs/goals of a user.

Should an MVP be polished?

No, in fact the scrappier the MVP, the better.

Your goal when launching a Minimum Viable Product is to quickly get feedback that will help you get to the next iteration for your product. Having a polished version does not matter much, and can even be counterproductive.

How do product managers measure the success of their products?

by monitoring a set of defined metrics that are related to the goals of their product

PMs should be analytical and they should have a well-defined set of metrics they want to track and that matters to them. Typically there is the 'one metric' that matters the most.

Why is it important to understand the acquisition funnel?

It helps you understand at what point you are missing out on potential users, so you can develop strategies to minimize drop-offs and increase your user base.

What's a good way to get a sense of the organization before you interview?

Review press releases.

Visit relevant websites.

Read relevant media coverage

The most common interview formats are either behavioral or situational.

TRUE

In an interview, Mark is asked, "Will you explain to me a time in your experience when you became really worried and stressed, but things worked out?" Which type of question is this?

Behavioral

Among potential interviewers, who is likely most concerned about your fit with the team?

coworkers

Mel is an experienced accountant with broad experience. How can she best choose her many strengths to highlight for the potential employer?

by reviewing the job description

What is the key to answering the question, "Tell me about your strengths"?

Ensure that your response aligns with the position you are applying for.

What is the major problem with bluffing in response to a question that asks about your strengths?

There will likely be additional questions asking you to cite examples.

After presenting a weakness, you should always _____.

present a plan for overcoming that weakness

What is the first step in making a successful transition?

being aware of the differences you are likely to face

Some of the key challenges you'll face when starting out in your career include _____.

moving from a highly structured environment to a workplace that is full of ambiguity

The first step in creating a fruitful and rewarding career is to develop a strong professional image.

TRUE

What do you typically need to ensure a smooth product launch?

a well-defined team and a well-defined rollout plan

You need a well-defined plan and core team in order to make sure everything goes smoothly.

As the technical product manager during roll-out, you should _____.

make sure every single aspect of the launch goes according to plan

You need to stay involved throughout, cleaning up any last minute messes and fixing any issues that arise.

When sharing a weakness, you should not _____

focus on your strengths

You just applied for a technical product manager position and got rejected. What is the best reaction?

Don't get demotivated. Rejections are a part of the process and you should expect them.

When explaining why you are interested in a company, focus on your potential contribution.

TRUE

When Bob asks Mel about her interest in the position at his company, what is Bob really trying to focus on?

the relationship between Mel's goals and skills and the needs of the position

What should you focus on when answering why you left a previous position?

specificity

what was missing in your last job

positive outcomes

Alex was fired from his previous position because of a personal conflict with a superior. Which answer provides a plausible and positive spin on the situation?

"I've learned to identify problems sooner. I like your open communications style and think it will help."

June is outlining her plans for accomplishment if she is hired. Which elements are critical to include?

relationship to past accomplishments and team collaboration

Avoid making any recommendations about change in the company as you might offend your interviewer.

FALSE

The final step in the learning cycle is _____.

unconscious competence

Emma is describing an example of when she exceeded expectations in a complaint classification problem. She describes the background and her strategy. What is critical that she also discuss?

the results of the project

What do the letters in the SAR approach stand for?

Situation, Actions, Results

Derek derives most of his motivation from his ability to lead others and define the vision for the future of his organization. What is at the core of his motivation?

authority

Define resilience.

the ability to deal with challenges effectively, and viewing challenges as learning experiences

When asked how you handled difficult situations in the past, you should avoid _____.

denigrating colleagues or past companies

What should you avoid when describing how you handled a difficult situation?

scapegoating others