Facebook PM execution interview - how to stand out L6/L7

TI / Product
ucc

Go to company page TI Product

ucc
Oct 30, 2020 17 Comments

I have initial interview coming up at FB. Recruiter said targeting L6/L7 depending on interview performance. Similar to this thread: https://www.teamblind.com/post/PM-interview-standout-product-sense-jyQNKQiL, could you share what stands out in an execution interview?

What should I make sure I don't miss if I want to check all the boxes to meet expectations for Sr. PM bar?

I searched but didn't find a focused thread on this specific question.

Thanks!

YOE: 16 (6.5 in product), TC: $0 (hopefully changing this soon!)

#productmanager #pm #product

comments

Want to comment? LOG IN or SIGN UP
TOP 17 Comments
  • Product execution interviews are oddly named. As a candidate I thought they were about project and stakeholder management. They’re not. They’re largely about identifying goal metrics, articulating trade offs, and being able to troubleshoot with your team.

    Here’s advice about the goal setting part:

    1) Before even mentioning any metrics, be clear and specific about what your product goals are.

    This should be more specific than “engagement” or “acquisition” or any of the high level goals that could apply to basically any product. What is the goal specifically for THIS product and what problems are you trying to solve?

    2) Identify a metric that would measure the success of that specific goal.

    Explain why it’s a good measure of your product goal. You should also be able to explain what it means in numbers, not just something vague and hand wavy.

    3) Avoid laundry lists of metrics

    Sometimes candidates make the mistake of answering with a laundry list of metrics, without ever picking one. You can’t focus your team’s work if you have a dozen goal metrics. Pick one. Brainstorming a bit before narrowing down is fine. Just let your interviewer know you are doing this.

    4) Speak to trade offs

    No metric is perfect. You should be aware of the potential pitfalls of your metric and be able to say why you’re going with it despite that, or how you might mitigate for the known trade offs.
    Oct 31, 2020 10
    • TI / Product
      ucc

      Go to company page TI Product

      ucc
      OP
      No worries. I appreciate the input for sure. Wish me luck! 🙂
      Oct 31, 2020
    • @circlback Explaining why doesn’t have to be a whole dissertation that takes up the whole interview. You should always aim to explain the why for decisions you’re making - briefly - then if the interviewer wants to know more they’ll ask more.
      Oct 31, 2020
  • Facebook / Product
    Valore

    Go to company page Facebook Product

    Valore
    I found this video featuring a Facebook PM answering execution questions extremely helpful for prepping and getting an offer. All of Stephen's videos are great tbh https://youtu.be/3c22-SzoQA8
    Nov 3, 2020 2
    • TI / Product
      ucc

      Go to company page TI Product

      ucc
      OP
      Cool. Thanks! Yeah, I watched that one a few days ago. Would you say that interview went well? Like “strong hire” well? Felt kinda lacking depth for a senior PM to me, but will make me feel better if the performance in this video meets expectations for hiring :-)
      Nov 3, 2020
    • Amazon / Other
      struglin

      Go to company page Amazon Other

      struglin
      @TI how would you answer it differently?🙂
      Nov 5, 2020
  • Facebook
    toughcicki

    Go to company page Facebook

    toughcicki
    YOE and TC?
    Oct 30, 2020 1
  • Facebook
    toughcicki

    Go to company page Facebook

    toughcicki
    You should focus on having very solid product sense narrative (tying together the reason for the vision and strategy you have and eventually connecting it to both user benefits and company success).
    Oct 30, 2020 0