Getting a Product Manager Interview: The Checklist

December 3, 2019 - 2 min read

Ellen Merryweather is the resident Brit and self-appointed Blog Queen at Product School. Co-host of the Product Podcast, she’s passionate about helping more women into tech and spends her free time trying (and failing) to learn how to code.

December 3, 2019

2 min read

Table of Contents

Applying for Product Manager Positions? We have all been there, and we all know it can be intimidating to get started. You have to fit the mold of what companies want from a Product Manager, but also stand out from the crowd. If you find yourself applying and applying and applying with no results, you might need to change up your strategy.

Here’s the ultimate checklist for what do to land, and ace, a Product Manager interview.

Setting up your online presence

How do you stand out from others whilst simultaneously showing off you have all the skills needed for the job? Get online!

Buy a domain if you don’t have one. Use sites like SquareSpace to get a personal website and blog up quickly. Add at least 5 blog articles over the next 5 weeks. They could be reviews/comparisons of your favorite PM tools, summaries of conferences you attended, or in-depth looks at the lifecycle of famous products. (We don’t mind you browsing our blog for inspiration 😉)
Update your resume and make it available online
Make your LinkedIn scream “Product”
- Use LinkedIn to promote your blog by sharing your articles
- Ask for recommendations from your Product School instructor
- Fill in your description about your passion and why you want to work in product
Clean up social media accounts – either set them to private or remove anything you wouldn’t want seen by potential employers

Work on a side project

Side projects show your entrepreneurial spirit and that you’re serious about the product world. It helps you stand out, gives you some extra experience, and something you can talk about passionately in an interview!

Attend a hackathon
Come up with a project yourself and get it to MVP level – either by yourself or by collaborating with designers and tech teams.
Check out our helpful guide on side projects
Make sure your side hustle is properly displayed on your resume to maximize how helpful it is to your job hunt.

Network, network, network!

Sometimes it’s not what you know, it’s who you know!

Attend Product Management Events
Network with fellow students and in Slack Channels
Get involved in online Product forums on Reddit and Quora

Before the Interview

So you’ve landed yourself an interview! This doesn’t mean you should stop preparing.

Collect, study and practice your response to interview questions
Pick through the job posting and memorize the main skills they’re looking for, to know what to bring up on the interview
Clean up any portfolios or mockups you plan to bring with you
Re-read your resume/LinkedIn profile and double-check for any misinformation