PM technical mock interview: explain how APIs work (w/ FinTech PM)

Here's a product management mock case interview focused on explaining how APIs work featuring a JP Morgan Product Manager.
🎥 In this RocketBlocks video, we feature a PM mock case interview with Eva Morgenstein, JP Morgan Data PM, as the candidate answering a popular technical question faced in PM interviews: explain how APIs work to a non-technical person. Kenton Kivestu, ex-Googler, and RocketBlocks Founder plays the interviewer. Technical questions judge how effective a candidate will be at working and communicating with an engineering team.
🎬 Video Sections:
00:00 Intro
00:35 Interview prompt
01:04 Definition
01:33 Data Access API
02:22 Necessity
03:55 Communication contract
04:25 OS level APIs
🚀 Interviewing soon? RocketBlocks has the best concepts, drills, and coaching to get you more offers: www.rocketblocks.me/product-m...
💡 Looking to become familiar with the consulting industry, the career opportunities, and the recruiting process? Our free consulting guide covers it all: www.rocketblocks.me/guide/pm/...
➡️ Check out our intro video to understand what PM is: • What is product manage...
➡️ Here's what to expect in PM interviews: • Introduction to produc...
#PMinterviews #technicalquestions #APIs #JPMorganPM #FinTechPM

[@ArthurStuart]

I LOVE Eva's explanation! Very thorough and straightforward. Definitely demonstrates how she'd be an awesome PM because her effective communication.

[@rocketblocks]

Glad it was helpful!

[@borisschwartz7498]

Eva's explanations are great. Seems she holds a degree in CS :)

[@NickKloski]

This is a great explanation of an API...for people who are in the industry. The interviewer set up the question, however, in reference to "explain to your grandfather". This changes the scope of the answer to a more stereotypical "someone who does not understand technology" sort of framing. The bulk of the interview is great, but in terms of the framing, I would suggest a more thorough "everyday analogy" to set up the relationship between a requestor and a provider of any type of service. Using perhaps an example of an API like we use telephone phone trees...the company you are calling provides specific ways you need to go through to get specific information. Deviating from that (pressing "0" for an operator) does allow for bypassing that, but you might have to do more work later if you don't conform to the ways they want you to interact with them. Then once the "technically inexperienced" understand that the API landscape is a way of setting rules through which you/your service interacts with other services, then you would go into the exact rest of the video. Just my thoughts!

[@sney7972]

That was useful, thanks!

[@richardgonzales1936]

A high level explanation. Thanks for this.

[@liyaguliaieva1111]

Just awesome 💥

[@barbeegoinhamie123]

Amazing

[@rocketblocks]

yea, she does a great job!

[@orlevy1984]

Her second example isn't really an API, it's an SDK. It might be fine if you try explaining it to your grandmother but I'm not a fan of it in a technical interview.