Associate Product Manager (APM) Mock Interview: Favorite Product

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Watch our mock Associate Product Manager (APM) interview. Stephen asks Michelle (Yahoo APM, founder of APM Map) the classic favorite product question.
To learn more about APM Map, you can visit apmmap.co/
Chapters -
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:33 Question
00:01:55 Answer
00:08:57 Goals
00:11:16 Types of users
00:11:56 Pain points
00:15:59 Possible solutions
00:17:53 Trade-offs
00:25:52 Interview analysis
To see more mock PM interviews, you can browse our KZbin Playlist: bit.ly/mockpm
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#apm #productmgmt #productmanager #pminterview #tech #productmanager #entrepreneurship #product #prodmgmt #exponent #productdesign #amazonpm #aws

[@tryexponent]

Don't leave your product management career to chance. Sign up for Exponent's PM interview course today: bit.ly/3wVDGAQ

[@hafizatanda8664]

Hi there, in an interview, is it a recommended practice to look at your notes and take ideas you have written down from them as you speak?

[@gymnasticsbymima]

Ahh this is so exciting!! Thank you so much Stephen & the Exponent team for having me, and for sharing APM Map ❤️

[@tryexponent]

You're the best! Thanks for being on the show with us!

[@SoulfulYash]

Really good insights Michelle, thanks

[@minmax8625]

I just checked out apm map, it's 10/10. Such a good tool! Great job Michelle.

[@hafizatanda8664]

Hi @michelle, is it a recommended practice to look at your notes and take ideas you have written down from them as you speak?

[@youtube-admin920]

@@minmax8625 what's an APM Map

[@SoulfulYash]

Just love the value that Exponent provides. Keep up the good work Stephen!

[@tryexponent]

Thanks Yash!

[@RenaldaMaria]

This was awesome!

[@rimshakhan3393]

This is so insightful. Not only it’s a great interview prep question, it also tells you how to actually think about a product. Love how @michelle is soooo enthusiastic😄

[@tryexponent]

We love it too!

[@paddy0028]

These mocks are actually helping ppl like me prepare. You guys are doing awesome job. Thanks for this session.

[@mekaylamoore3396]

I love these videos! Only thing is in real life the interviews are only 45 minutes and usually its more then just one question, so these answers in these videos seem to be too long and not realistic.

[@meenalmittal4236]

Thanks for all these videos. It's really helpful

[@tryexponent]

Glad you like them!

[@KevinWeiTV]

Love the enthusiasm!

[@tryexponent]

Thanks Kevin :)

[@nusratfatima8536]

Thank you for the video!!

[@tryexponent]

We're glad you like it!

[@maulanas.1001]

For this kind of question, does it need to be digital product? Can we explain about physical product?

[@jatinpandya3506]

Hi , I'm the first Comment 🔥 Exponent is awesome ! Let's watch now!❤️

[@tryexponent]

You are! :)

[@MrPrashantbagga]

Let's goo Michelle!

[@tryexponent]

Woohoo!

[@arnabsharma4134]

Pretty good insights and awesomely structured. A quick question Stephen if you may; while we talk about pain points and address them to improve a product, is it alright to map the user journey and then work backwards to track in case there are any pain points in the journey. Then address those pain points as problems and sort of work around the solutions predicated on the goal - usage, engagement etc? Thanks In advance

[@tryexponent]

Hey Arnab! We have a guide on acing the product question here: www.tryexponent.com/courses/pm-product-design/product-design Hope it helps!

[@OraNui]

I searched "Don't ask questions. Just consume product and then get excited for next products." and now I'm here.

[@xephyr2371]

Please give more feedback after our guests speak ! We want to hear your judgment too. 🥰👍🏻

[@tryexponent]

Will do Xephyr! Anything in particular you'd like us to give feedback about?

[@PrinceJain]

​@@tryexponent Maybe other ways these cases could have been approached.

[@jordan-otss]

I'm new to watching these sort of interview prep videos... Should she be reading off her notes that much? Is that an accepted practice?

[@chiranjitdey1430]

Can a fresher apply in a associate product manager role?

[@chops386]

Hi Stephen - great content! Random side question, what kind of webcam are you using? It’s crystal clear and super professional!

[@tryexponent]

Thanks chops386! :) I appreciate it! We're actually not using a webcam for this one, but an actual camera!

[@chops386]

@@tryexponent thanks for the reply! I thought so - been looking at different webcams such as the Logitech Brio and C920 but per YT reviews, they don’t come close to your setup...

[@kids94594]

@@tryexponent well webcam is also an actual camera, u could say laptop's/device's in-built camera.

[@coolwaterz]

are product improvement questions really handled like a case study? these questions are usually asked midway through a 30 minute interview and not the bulk of an actual interview. while her format is good for a case study, my interview would be done before i even got midway through my answer using this format.

[@manasaanil1232]

I agree, while i love this format and flow, I feel like this would make one interview session. It cannot be combined in a 45 min call with introduction and questions at the end, as well as other questions to get to, so maybe cut down on some of the segments and dive straight into improvements while still capturing all of the essentials like pain points.

[@prernasingh6189]

PM career role is pulling my attention very hard but I am not sure if I can apply for it being a graduate in IT. I have also worked in Accenture as an Analyst for 4 years. Do I still need to pursue MBA in order to get shortlisted for interviews? It would really help if someone could guide me here :)

[@mounikareddy1947]

Hey Prerna, in response to your question, I have a friend who is an IT graduate, started her career as a BA and moved on Product Analyst and now PM. Whereas I have spent the same time from a QA role for 5yrs, pursued an MBA and now trying to make a career as a PM. So, I lost 2yrs of earning while I did earn an MBA but no, I don't think pursuing an MBA is necessary in order to get shortlisted, however many recruiters do mention MBA as an added advantage.. I would suggest to try for a role change within your existing org.

[@shipraagarwal8961]

Thank you for sharing this video Stephen! I had a specific question. For these type of questions, should I even be going through user segments, their unmet needs and then prioritize or should I answer it from a "my" perspective. What are the problems that my favorite product does not solve for me currently?

[@tryexponent]

I'd recommend prioritizing it based on the objectives of the product! Does that help?

[@guptagoesgreek]

@@tryexponent Could one know the present priority of the product without being inside that company? The general objectives of the product must already be met by the app?

[@awesomeherbs1013]

All ways Best! Stephen, just a quick question - in PM interview I asked the interviewer, if he can share what inspires him working so long for in this company ? He said "its none of your business and you are asking irrelevant question". I explained the reason behind the question is to know more about company and team I am going to work with. But he said its out of scope. I felt its very rude reply from him. Did I ask something wrong? am I not suppose to know about company and team in the interview?

[@tryexponent]

Hey Awesome Herbs101 - that sounds really frustrating! I'm not sure what happened there, but it's definitely appropriate to ask the interviewer why they love working at the company.

[@awesomeherbs1013]

@@tryexponent Thank you Stephen!

[@lookingatdaisies9901]

Interviews are two way street, just as they're trying to see if you are a good fit for them, so should you be trying to see if the company is a good fit, depending on who the interviewer was (if they were going to be your line manager) i would think very hard about stepping foot in this company again. No decency at the interview stage, imagine when you start working there

[@japanboy31415]

is my answer supposed to be this long ? I have seen answers that have been 5 minutes long and answers that are 30 minutes long which one is it ?

[@nehabharti1678]

The video was really helpful. Can you also tell us about the sequence to follow while tackling these questions, that would be awesome!

[@tryexponent]

We have a full guide on it in tryexponent.com!

[@richamisrasf]

Don't you the answer is a tad too long? I would think this question should have been wrapped in may be 10 to 15 minutes

[@beautynje2777]

Exactly! I think a lot of the things said were irrelevant. Normally this is one of the numerous questions in a 30 minute interview. And asking "does that sound good?" all the time...

[@yuejiang2066]

I like this series of video. Thank you. But for this one, I want to know whether the frequent motion of the interviewee will affect anything to her interview? Apparently she is standing and always moving in the screen. This is may distracting. And the bigger the interviewer’s screen , the more distraction will be.

[@rachitdubey330]

Whenever she was speaking I had to check my playback speed to make sure t was at normal...

[@almasfromuk1075]

No sound...

[@chirag8627]

Does Product management roles include any coding??

[@tryexponent]

Hey UG! Typically they do not.

[@_Aimeesjourney]

No they don’t

[@deek8765]

The problem is every company need only fresh graduates, they don't offer anything for mid level age group

[@tryexponent]

Hey Deepthi! If you’re looking for product jobs, check out tryExponent.com/jobs/product

[@deek8765]

@@tryexponent Everyone asking for exp in product mgmt field, that's the problem

[@_Aimeesjourney]

I like the video; however realistically nobody should take this long to answer a single interview question because there are other questions to get to. So it took her too long to get to the point; just my opinion of course. Thank you

[@manasaanil1232]

I agree. I wish every interviewer was as easy going and chill as Stephen when it comes to time and questioning :D

[@charliekotarski6480]

I'm not sure if you guys are familiar with PM, but this is the kind of thought process they want to see. They don't ask questions like this because they're curious what your favorite product is, they ask it so they can see if you know what makes a good product, how to segment users, points of improvement, etc. a lot more goes into improving a product than just brainstorming a creative feature to add

[@margaretoduwole2168]

Thank you! so many people on here with negative comments.@@charliekotarski6480

[@agninandana]

not sure I would hire her. Being genuine is important and definitely need to improve on bringing genuine interest and excitement. its OK to not be excited and be nervous. Own it and dont mask it with fake smiles and fake excitements..

[@pearsonyam8676]

Her moving around constantly is very distracting, but otherwise structure is laid out well.

[@sskamble6758]

She was standing. Even I was thinking, why was she standing

[@prakash.pathak]

Why would you write that ? Because of this comment I too started noticing here movements. Can’t watch this video any longer!

[@maxa3221]

Thanks for another vid. I personally disagree with taking time to 'collect your thoughts' on your favourite products improvement. This is the #1 question a PM, let alone an avg person in tech should be able to address with any experience level in the industry. I get that it shows diligence & control of the moment but to me this is too unconfident and unprepared [in this situation].

[@WatchJason]

you've lost me.

[@peterlegend]

i lost count of so many "ums", she seems enthused about the product but it comes off a fake with all the forced smiling.

[@SustainableArchitect]

I feel old - didn’t get it why young people use this app called Marco Polo? I guess I’m the texting generation.

[@RAJENDRAKUMARVM]

I hope she doesn't get fired from APM role if her senior managers see this video

[@felixs1340]

STOP moving in your chair so much!