美國Start up初/中階產品經理面試問題小記

DAwu不是大大
9 min readJan 29, 2021

--

先寫一下前言:小弟我當PM大概四年多的時間了,都是在北美的(兩間)不同小公司當產品經理,最近剛好有獵人頭找到我,覺得還算是滿不錯的公司於是就接了面試。

所以這篇除了是給自己看,或許也可以給一些初階和中階的PM當參考。

因為是被找的關係所以也沒有花到太多時間準備(另一方面也是覺得目前的工作還滿好的,所以只是想要試試,順便看看自己能夠談到多少錢+多一個練習面試的機會),這是我的問題,面試完之後覺得自己實在是回答的太糟了,大部份原因是因為上一次被面試大概是二年前的事了,很多面試技巧和回答問題的方法都整個生疏了,所以想要趁剛剛面試完把自己被問的問題記下來,以後回答的時候不要那麼北七,順便整理一下腦子,這也是為什麼會想打這篇文章的原因。

為什麼一結束就會覺得自己講的超爛呢?因為PM非常大的一個工作內容就是在溝通,要如何切中要害去表達出自己想要講的重點非常重要,我在面試的時候常常回答問題的時候繞來繞去繞一大圈,把很多前因後果還有小細節都講很多,講到最後面試官還要「幫我」去整理我想表達的東西,當下就覺得靠腰我一定沒把重點講出來。

有印象的幾個問題:

一開始當然是問手上的產品或有做過的產品在做什麼,然後從那邊開始往下問:

Take me through the entire process from beginning of the the ideation all the way to execution and MVP.

  • 這邊我落落長說了一大堆,但是應該要有系統性的把步驟釐清才對,可以用STAR Framework
  • Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.
    Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.
    Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.
    Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.
  • 一開始為什麼會做->我做了什麼去validate->怎麼把requirement轉成MVP->怎麼決定什麼東西會放在MVP裡->最後的結果是什麼

What are the key takeaways you learn from the product.

  • 我想了很久然後也是一樣說了一堆有的沒的,沒有給出一個很明確的答案,但我最後的答案是always find the signal first.
  • 應該可以答的更好的,這裡有點tricky,因為在現在的這間公司其實我有做了一個失敗的產品,不是因為真的產品不好,但是因為公司的大方向改變所以先「暫停」了我手上的產品,但在面試的時候我沒有提到這一點,原因是我會擔心這點會讓面試官有其它的想法(失敗的產品=失敗的PM),有關這點到底要不要提我還是在掙扎。
  • 後來的follow up question是 are you using the learning and apply to the later project you are working on?
  • 答案當然是yes

If you would do anything differently what would you do?

  • 我的答案是因為我剛進去的時候對整個公司的產品線沒有到非常清楚,所以後來多走了一些彎路改東西,如果能重來的話應該要先和其它的PM多聊過因為他們一定可以在早期就identify很多有可能會出錯的地方。嗯…這是我當下能想到最好的回答

How do you prioritize things?

  • 這問題算是PM面試必考題了,回答是這篇文章What Makes a Great Product Manager寫的 “Data-driven + intuition” (這篇文章幾乎是我的面試聖經/小抄了,文章不長但每次面試前重新讀一次都對面試幫助超大)然後解釋為什麼,understanding what is the most important thing to the user, and making sure we are aligned with roadmaps.
  • Roadmap這邊有followup question,問我是不是一直都有follow roadmaps,如果go off the rail 怎麼辦?
  • 我的回答是we always go off the rail, but as long as we are meeting our objective, I don’t think that is a bad thing. We want to stay agile and that means we are adaptive to change very quickly. We always have this dilemma that during a quarter someone came to us to develop something new.
  • 應該答的還算可以… 吧?

Have you have experience about UAT? and how about feasibility test?

  • UAT我很清楚是什麼,但很久沒聽到feasibility test了所以當下整個卡住,亂回答一通有點回一些不著邊際的東西,後來上網查了一下,好好回答的話有這篇文章可以看,簡單來說就是到底可不可以”做到”我們想做的。

Feasibility, The Architecture Technologies — Getting to know if the product is achievable.

This dimension ask the question, can we build this product? Can we do this successfully? A feasible product aligned with business core technical & operational capability is a winning approach. A tweaked version of Pareto 80/20 rule, can also be applied here. If envisaged new product can leverage ~80% of current capabilities, and team can confidently work on rest ~20% of needed capability, we have a winner.

-

What gets you most exciting about being a PM?(大概)

  • 我說我喜歡making new things and bring that wow factor to the user. solving their problem. 這真的是真心話

Your strength and weakness being a product manager. (問法不一樣,但基本上就是在問這個)

  • 我說做的好的是在listen between the lines, 尤其是在和user和dev team work 的時候,我說從以後到現在常常從主管那邊聽到dev team 和 user的feedback說我是一個 easy to work with 的人。
  • 要再加油的地方講的很爛,但我說我應該要對一些數字更敏感,然後對C level和Stateholder做Report的時候應該要更清楚的給他們他們想要的資訊。

What is your career goal?

  • 這題我也覺得我回答的很爛,對,就是這種月經題我居然完全沒準備,當下講的答案是因為我手上做過的三個產品都是從0到1的產品,we are doing everything quick and dirty, and trying to find the product market fit, so I really want to grow and scale a product together, Reading all the metrics and improves them.
  • 現在再想想,如果能夠再回答一次的話我會說我想要做出一個讓人離不開的產品,being proud of it,gain market share and be one of the well known product in the industry.

What are you looking for in your new role?

  • 我說grow with the product and the company 一堆一堆一堆。

What are the conflicts you have been facing?

  • 很有趣的問題,我說每天每周都有 conflicts,people are asking you 10 different things to build and telling you to do this and not to do that.
  • 怎麼處理?One of the product mangers job is to find the truth, if we can do that and the truth/ the metrics will help you getting rid of conflicts.
  • Over communicating is key too. That’s what a good PM should do.

Do you have experience in lost direction?

  • Yes, I think it’s the same thing as too many direction. 但後面我自己也覺得沒有回答好,應該要給出明確的example,然後說我怎麼over come才對,當下回了一些很模糊的答案。可惡。

What makes you a good PM ? (類似的問題?)

  • 我的回答是being humble lol (又回到了我的PM面試聖經那篇What Makes a Great Product Manager的答案,真的很有用)

這是我大概記得問題的東西,當然一個多小時的面試還有很多很多比較小的問題,像是為什麼會想離開現在的公司之類的必問題,不過很多我覺得回答的還行的就沒有什麼特別記下來了。當然,最後”do you have question for me 的環節絕對是問好問滿,這就不用說了。

產品面試主要都還是圍繞在在問你的思考模式+表達能力+處理/分析問題的方向這些軟實力,所以在回答的時候真的要很明確的表達出重點+做一些系統性的分析自己的答案(step1, 2, 3, 4或講清楚前因後果)。

如果這篇文章有幫到任何人的話…希望大家在PM之路上一切都順利囉!

最後最後的最後,幫自己廣告一下,最近開了一個聊一些幹話/科技/時事的podcast(也不是最近啦,一年了,成績還算不錯),內容算是很廣很亂,基本上就是在分享我每個星期看了聽了那些東西,配上另一位在台灣做blockchain的新創大大聊天,因為說真的太深的東西我也不想要聽podcast,直接找文章來讀比較快XD 如果平常覺得看太多硬文很累的可以聽聽聽看 — 萌萌站起來

--

--