Episode 7: Advice from Product Author Lewis Lin
In this episode of Paths to Product, I interviewed entrepreneur, tech executive, and public speaker, Lewis Lin. Lewis is also the author of the infamous book, Decode and Conquer, amongst many other great interview prep books.
Listen to Lewis’ episode on anchor.fm here.
Background
Lewis received his Computer Science degree from Stanford and MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. He then spent over 10 years working at companies like Google and Microsoft. Since then Lewis has founded an interview coaching company called Impact Interview and a performance feedback software company called viaMaven. Lewis has also written 8 books on topics including Product Management and Marketing.
Top Three Takeaways
1. Shadow a PM
While reading about Product Management is helpful, seeing Product Managers in action can be way more impactful. Lewis recommends trying to shadow a Product Manager to gain firsthand exposure to the role. In fact, Lewis once shadowed a Product Manager at Intuit working on the TurboTax product. He attended meetings, talked through the product challenges the company was face, and gained exposure to working with engineering and thinking about customers. If you have the opportunity to shadow a Product Manager before making the transition, it can help you better understand what the role entails.
2. Add Value When You Network
Lewis explains that the best way to network is in a way that adds value. You should want the individual you are networking with to not just know you, but to appreciate the value you bring to the table. For example, if you’re meeting with someone that works at Company X in Industry Y on Product Z, starting off a networking meeting by saying
“Hey, I spent this weekend learning more about Industry Y and did a quick SWOT analysis. Do you mind if I take you through a quick, 3-slide presentation showing where some new opportunities may lie for Product Z?”
is super valuable. Odds are the person you’re talking to doesn’t get asked that very often and will be intrigued enough to hear what you have to say. This helps you build a more meaningful relationship. Not only does that individual now know you, but they know more about your skills and potential, which can make it easier for them to help you out in your career.
3. Structure is Everything
The key to success in Product Management interviews is structure. Though questions like “How would you improve Gmail?” or “Should Google acquire Quora?” seem super open and casual, a solid structure is what will prevent you from answering a question too casually. Frameworks such as a SWOT Analysis, the CIRCLES Method, or even the 3C’s can help you approach the problem in an analytical and thoughtful manner, enabling you to give a more complete response that is much easier for the interviewer to follow.
