Winning Formula to Ace Your Next Product Leader Interview

The job market right now really stinks. There are tons of people applying for a limited number of positions. Standing out as a top candidate has never been more crucial to getting a desired job. If you've gotten your resume into the right hands and passed the screening interviews, that's awesome, but now the pressure is on to be seen as better than the other handful of candidates going through interview loops.

I'm going to share with you the formula I coach my clients to use when responding to interview questions. Like anything else, you have to make this your own or it won't feel authentic to you, but I hope this outline helps you prepare for the gauntlet and get the job of your dreams.

Before we dive into the steps for how to piece together an ideal interview question response, let's focus on the goal you should have in mind. It is NOT trying to get the job, that will only make you come off as selling yourself. The primary objective is to SHOW the interviewer that you are a fantastic person to work with and will be an incredible contributor to the team and company. Interviews are about telling stories, but the way you construct your story SHOWS the interviewer what it would be like to be your colleague.

What characteristics do you want to show them? The list below is a selection of traits people look for in Product Leaders, each role has different priorities, so do your research but most often they will include a lot of the items below.

• Delegator and Doer
• Problem Solver
• Knowledge of the Problem Space
• Fast Learner and Adaptable
• Personable and Respectful
• Outcome Oriented
• Aligned to Larger Goals
• Collaborative
• Orchestrator and Operator
• Good team member
• Brings our excellence in others
• Humble but Ambitious
• Data / Metrics driven
• Engaging Storyteller

The most important thing everyone must showcase is the ability to communicate effectively, strongly, and succinctly. All Product Leaders must have the skills and confidence to convey their ideas and thoughts clearly and persuasively. Always remember to keep your responses short and focused, don't waste time with unnecessary details or rambling and progress logically through the steps of your story. Showing that you are a strong communicator, who is able to articulate their thoughts and ideas in and impactful and concise manner, is the key to rising above the other candidates.

As you construct your elevator pitch response to "Tell me about yourself" be sure select some of the traits above which align with your product development philosophy and include those key words. That is when you will TELL the interviewer what you will SHOW them in your stories throughout your time together. It's a preview, not the entire interview.

Now let's get into the structure for the best way to answer every question that follows the introduction. It's a modification of the STAR method which I have found really elevates the interview experience for everyone.

1. Make a joke to lighten the mood and show that you are personable and experienced. Starting with sarcastically saying something like "I've always had more than enough developers to do everything we wanted to do" can help you find common ground with someone you've just met. (THIS STEP IS OPTIONAL AND SHOULD BE USED OCASSIONALLY ONLY)
2. Frame the story you're about to tell with your trope / brand / values. Mention the characteristic from your elevator pitch which you are about to showcase to reinforce that trait in the interviewers mind.
3. Lay some context about the company / product / project and your role at the time of the story. You're either about to talk about a company the other person isn't familiar with or one which has so many products it's important to clarify what piece you owned.
4. Detail the specific goal / problem to solve / conflict which was present. This will exemplify the fact that you are "outcome oriented" without you having to say it.
5. Share how you surfaced the core problem, which displays how you don't waste time on the unimportant details.
6. Discuss how you collaboratively ideated on solutions. Not only does this show how you work together with others, but also how you spread credit amongst team members and understand you can't do it alone.
7. Highlight key actions you took which helped the execution / launch be successful. This is your chance to brag a little about your special sauce and unique value propositions.
8. Define the success metrics and how they were monitored as generically how things went. There is no better way to show you are data driven and outcome oriented than including this piece in every story.
9. Skim over future iterations implemented which improved the product and got your team closer to the set goals. Less is more in this case as you wrap up the story.
10. Ask the interviewer for feedback.

You may have gotten to step 10 and said to yourself, "HUH? Ask the interviewer a question at the end of my story? What kind of question?" Believe it or not, this moment of asking a question can make or break your candidacy. Let me explain...

When you leverage this opportunity to create a fast feedback loop it allows you to do a number of things. First, it shows the interviewer that you are curious and value other people's opinions. Next, it makes the interview process much more conversational and less one-sided. And finally, it provides you a chance to iterate on your initial response to better represent your skills and experience.

Some example questions:

• What do you want to dive deeper into about in my story?
• What about what I described would work well here?
• How is this process done here? or What can you tell me about how it's done here?
• What kind of example were you looking for? (I've got dozens)
• What challenges do you see with my approach if it were used here?

Hopefully you see three things in the questions above:

#1 : They are all open ended questions... which not only will generate a more productive response, but also SHOWS the interviewer that you know how to draw information out.

#2: When someone answers one of these questions it opens the door for you to tell a different story which is more applicable to the situation or to clarify an aspect of what you've already shared.

#3: You should be interviewing the company too to make sure it's a good match and depending on the responses you hear, you may learn you aren't interested in their culture or norms.

The last bonus thing that happens when you

So that's it! Just 10 steps for EVERY question you get asked. I know that's actually A LOT. So don't think of any of them as hard and fast rules, but more guidelines. When prepping for interviews try to create bulleted versions of your stories which fit the above points on note cards. You can have them handy to review before an interview or keep them on your desk during a virtual chat for reference. And remember... practice, practice, practice!

Your performance in an interview will make the difference between being offered a job or not. By following the strategies above, you will be well on your way to SHOWING your interviewer that you are the Product Leader they want to work with. I wish you the best of luck on your job search, it's hard out there.

Hi! I’m Tami, the founder of?The Product Leader Coach ?where I work with product leaders and teams to realize their potential by focusing on their strengths.

If you enjoyed this post, I am available for product leadership coaching or team training. Learn more about?my services ?and upcoming?children’s book .