---
title: "NOTES: How to Shine in a Product Manager Interview by former Facebook PM"
image: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nOb5R0tPUZs/maxresdefault.jpg
tags: PM, Note, Product School
GA: UA-165294171-1
---

# [How to Shine in a Product Manager Interview by former Facebook PM][1]
<div style="text-align:right;">Speaker: Valentine Aseyo</div>

[//]: # (LINKS)
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOb5R0tPUZs "Watch on YouTube"

## #1: Focus on Impact [[04:36]][2]
**Quantify past accomplishments.**

>- How many people use your product and services?
>- How many stars did you get on the app store?
>- How much revenue did you bring?
>- How did it change people's lives?

The same applies to your resume, for example:

* [ ] streamlined the review process for incoming tickets
* [x] automate 30% of the incoming tickets saving 10 hours a day

[//]: # (LINKS)
[2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOb5R0tPUZs#t=4m36s "Watch on YouTube"

## #2: Solve the problem-solving problems [[05:57]][3]
Follow these steps:

1. ***!! Never answer the question right away !!***

2. *Clearify context.*
e.g. What are they trying to accomplish?

3. *Set boundaries.*
Narrow down the scope of the question.
e.g. What neighborhood?

4. ***INNOVATION!!***
Interviewers care about big things. Think about ideas that can increase user engagement. Think about ideas that the market has never heard before. Think about ideas that competitors are not doing.

[//]: # (LINKS)
[3]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOb5R0tPUZs#t=5m57s "Watch on YouTube"

## #3: To be, or not to be (analytical) [[10:51]][4]
Keep in mind: ***Nobody knows the actual answer!*** Talk about your thought process as you get to your answer.

Follow these steps:

1. *Make assumptions*
e.g. average person sleeps 8 hours a day, etc.

2. *Apply Logic.*

3. *Use some knowledge*
e.g. world's estimated population, etc.

[//]: # (LINKS)
[4]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOb5R0tPUZs#t=10m51s "Watch on YouTube"

## #4: Once upon a time... [[14:53]][5]
> These questions include:
>- Tell me about a time you led a team.
>- Tell me about a time you managed a cross-functional project.

Keep in mind:
- ***Practice makes perfect!***
Practice 10 situational, behavioral questions every night before going to bed.

- **NEVER MAKE UP STORIES!!**
Interviewer might ask you specific questions to double check on that.

[//]: # (LINKS)
[5]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOb5R0tPUZs#t=14m53s "Watch on YouTube"

## #5: Curiousty feeds the cat [[18:20]][6]
End of the interview? Not quite yet.
***Questions at the end of the interview may make it or break it.***

For example:
> (Question):
>
> Do you have any questions for me?

> (Answer):
>
> Actually, I'm glad you asked. I gathered some questions that are really important for me to ask (open your folder). Let me pick one for you.

[//]: # (LINKS)
[6]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOb5R0tPUZs#t=18m20s "Watch on YouTube"

## QA [[23:23]][7]
1. If you share your "Million Dollar Idea" with the company without getting hired. They might potentially take your idea and use it.
> (Answer):
>
> There are already a bunch of PMs working in the company, so there might be very little things that they haven't come up with.

2. What tips can you share to get an interview?
> (Answer):
>
>- If you are applying on a job site, you have only one chance to stand out from hundreds of resumes, so make sure it's only a ***single page resume***.
>- For each job description, use ***bullet points*** to describe the top impactful projects that you've done.
>- The more impactful way is to use your network and ask for ***internal referral***.

3. Is asking the hiring manager what their managing styles are passe?
> (Answer):
>
> No, it's not passe. It's a valid concern. For example,
>- ***What is the team goal?***
>- ***How is my performace evaluated?***
>- What is the team culture/spirit?
>

> (Extended Answer):
>
> You might also wanna ask questions like:
>- How does my career look like at the company?
>- ***How am I gonna evolve in the next few years in the role?***

[//]: # (LINKS)
[7]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOb5R0tPUZs#t=23m23s "Watch on YouTube"

## Advice [[33:14]][8]
If you're gonna transition to a PM role, make sure you check one or more of these three boxes:

* [x] *Eeducation*
> Fill that education gap by Product School or other courses

* [x] *Relative experience*
> Within your team, there must be oppurtunities for you to take on more PM roles. Ask your PM or techlead kindly if you could own a small project or two.

* [x] *Enthusiasm*

[//]: # (LINKS)
[8]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOb5R0tPUZs#t=33m14s "Watch on YouTube"