How to get Google PM offer, even without an Engineering degree

Friend: Hey! So do you know what you are doing after MBA?

Me: Yep, will be working at Google.

Friend: Whoa, Congrats! What role?

Me: Product Manager

Friend: Wait, what? Do you have an Engineering background?

Me: Ermm, nope.

Friend: Then how did you get the offer? Don’t they hire just engineers for this role?

Me: **Rolls the eye**

This exact conversation happened for the 146th time in the last five months. Hence, I thought I might as well write my first Medium article on this topic.

Here’s why I think I got this offer. And if I can do it, I think anyone, even without an Engineering background, can do it.

1. Learned to code: Yes, I don’t have an engineering degree, but I learned to code in SAS, SQL and R in my last job. Then, in first year of business school, I learnt to code in Python through classes at school and Udemy. There are some amazing courses on Udemy. This does not make me a badass coder, but it taught me enough to ask intelligent questions (and code at the Google white-board interview!).
2. Interned at a tech company: This gave me exposure to the end-to-end product development cycle including, how different teams work, user interviews, sprint planning (part of the Agile approach) and a lot more. Additionally, at the risk of sounding shallow, you pick up the industry lingo! Every time I heard a new word, I would note it, Google it later and add it to my mental repository.
3. Recruited for consulting (Yep!): An important skill that Google PM interviews test for is, thinking through ambiguous problems in a structured way. One way to practice this is to recruit for Consulting as that requires (intense) ‘casing’ i.e. structuring ambiguous problems and recommending solutions in 20 minutes, sometimes using ‘frameworks’. Luckily for me, I got enough practice as I rolled through high pressure Consulting case interviews. Plus, getting a Consulting offer beforehand released a lot of recruiting stress, making me quite relaxed for the Google PM interview. Needless to say, it also improves your BATNA for those post-offer negotiations.
4. Did mock interviews: Most questions in a PM interview involve stretching your imagination beyond the realms of normal. Some people are born imaginative while some are not. For most of us who are not, the trick is Practice. Take these quirky questions, practice by answering them to your friends, take feedback, plug the smaller gaps first (I did it by recording my answers on a phone and listening to them) and then repeat. Do this until you become comfortable with going wild with imagining what kind of product you can build. E.g. if an interviewer asked, “You have access to the self-driving technology. What products would you make from it?” If your answer is “Self-driving car, self-driving truck, self-driving boat, self-driving..” Wait. Stop! This is NOT creative. I would rather talk about automated lawn mowers, self-driving wheel chair for the visually-impaired, self-driven food serving trolleys (okay, that’s a bit too wild, but you get my point).
5. Was passionate about technology: Through my last semester of MBA recruiting (consulting + tech), I realized that its hard to fake passion, especially if we are doing three interviews a day. But how do you communicate passion in an interview? Hmm..good question. Speaking tactically, I do three things: first, I always provide examples from my own life. E.g. If asked what is the product I hate, I will say X and go on about why and when I faced issues. This description is very vivid and personal, thus making it impactful. Secondly, I refer to industry news/ updates (some article I read, a cool podcast I follow etc.), as and where appropriate. Lastly, I am super energetic and I bring my personality to an interview. I think most people underestimate the importance of being enthusiastic in an interview. Remember, for the interviewers, you could be their 9th interview of the day. So if you don’t want to be just a number, you better be memorable.
6. (Finally) Watched Silicon Valley: Just kidding. Although, for one of my “Do you have a question for me?” moment, I did ask if Google is the Hooli in Silicon Valley. The interviewer was literally rolling on the floor.

**For free access to my Google Product Management preparation resources, please drop your email here.

**Shout-out to my Alma Mater, Columbia Business School, for an impressive line-up of technology-oriented classes: Intro to Python, Data Analytics in Python and Web App Programming in Python, Technology and Venture Capital