How to Answer “Best Practices Observed from PMs” in FAANG Interviews
Introduction
In the competitive world of FAANG companies, product managers (PMs) must exhibit a mastery of best practices that have been proven effective within the industry. This blog post will review and offer guidance on how to answer the interview question, “What are some of the best practices you’ve observed from PMs you’ve worked together with?” Employing structured response frameworks will help us develop thoughtful, comprehensive answers.
Detailed Guide on Framework Application
Selecting a Framework
For discussing best practices observed from other PMs, a narrative structure combined with the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) framework is an excellent way to organize our observations into compelling stories.
Step-by-step Guide: Using Narrative & STAR
- Setting the Stage (Situation): Describe the context in which you worked with other PMs. Beacon a project or an environment that allowed for visibility into various best practices.
- Defining the Task: Illustrate the specific task or challenge the PMs were facing. This adds relevance to the best practices you’ll discuss.
- Describing Actions: Relay the best practices as actions taken by the PMs. For example, adopting a customer-centric approach or utilizing A/B testing extensively to make data-driven decisions.
- Sharing the Results: Conclude each narrative by explaining the outcomes these best practices achieved. Highlight both qualitative and quantitative results to underscore effectiveness.
Applying Hypothetical Examples
Consider a scenario where a team of PMs employed iterative prototyping, leading to a product that better met user needs through continual feedback. This practice prevented costly rework and sped up time-to-market.
Facts Checks and Assumptions
When providing examples, base your assumptions on common industry knowledge, like the average time saved by adopting agile methodologies, which is typically around 20% to 30% faster delivery.
Effective Communication Tips
Invoke storytelling during your answers to engage the interviewers. Balance specifics with the broad picture to demonstrate your understanding of how these practices apply universally. Articulate the benefit of each practice clearly, showing your ability to discern what makes them effective.
Conclusion
The insights gleaned from observing other PMs can be invaluable when conveyed effectively in an interview setting. By structuring our responses with frameworks like STAR and weaving them into a narrative, we transform our observations into compelling evidence of our ability to recognize and apply best practices in product management. Remember, a great product story not only tells what happened but also the impact it had—and that’s what makes a PM interview answer stand out.
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