Simplest Approach to PM Interview Questions

I’ve conducted 100s of PM interviews and been in candidate’s shoes. The hard truth is that PM interviews by design aren’t hard. There aren’t puzzles. No algorithms. No designs to draw.

Yet it’s struggle. In small ways. And big. Failing to brainstorm creative solutions. Estimating without making reasonable assumption. Getting lost in details.

The hardest of it all is all when candidates struggle in force fitting some heavy framework they read somewhere. Even with a minor twist and some followups, it just falls flat.

Over the years, I’ve written multiple blogs to help simplify how to answer PM interviews questions. Here is one that take it further along. Sharing a minimalist structure that can be used in all PM questions. In my discussion with PM friends and candidates, it has turned out to quite helpful.

Try if it makes your life a bit simpler :) If not for anything else, just as a fallback option.

Global structure for any PM interview answer

Think of it like a three-act story. Leah Nobel will call it Beginning, Middle, End :) Quite popular in narrative fiction and screenwriting. It’s a classic structure used in movies and books. Turns out, it works really well for interviews too!

The core idea is that answer to any PM interview questions has 3 acts:

Act 1 — The setup
Like the opening of a movie, this is where you set up the interview’s world. Ask questions to understand the problem space, the user’s needs, and any limitations to establish the “rules of the world”

Act 2 — Confront challenge
This is is the heart of story. Now that you understand this new world you tackle the problem head on: brainstorm customer segment, come with creative solutions etc to produce something new and insightful.

Act 3 — Final resolution
The story concludes with a resolution and hints at future possibilities. This is where you summarize your approach, acknowledge potential roadblocks, and answer follow-up questions.

The power of this structure

Using this storytelling structure has a few advantages:

• Simplicity: Being dead simple it’s always there to use without all the constants of an heavy frameworks
• Adaptability: The three-act structure easily molds to different interview question types.
• Memorability: It can’t get easier than that. High recall value even under pressure.

Consider some examples: Design a teleportation product

• Act 1: Establish the world. What are the product goals? What are the technological limitations — weigh it can transfer, side-effect if any etc?
• Act 2: Face the challenge. Explore and pick customer segment (frequent travelers, emergency deliveries, perishable food supply chain). Then pick problem to focus and corresponding solution
• Act 3: Summarize your answer and acknowledge pitfalls (challenges with new technology, regulation, societal impact).

I hope this simplifies your approach and makes it a lot better. Happy PMing.