Book Review: Cracking the PM Interview by Gayle Mcdowell and Jackie Bavaro

When preparing for your Product Manager interview, it’s always a good idea to look for the right resources to help you land the role. Luckily, both free and paid ones are abundant. One of which is, “Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology” by Gayle Laakmann McDowell and Jackie Bavaro.

A commonly recommended book for PM interview preppers, we dive into its pages today to see if it’s material worth reading for aspiring PMs, seasoned PMs who want to break into tech, and those who would want to shift to a PM career.

What is Cracking the PM Interview about?

To make the long story short, Cracking the PM Interview is a complete guidebook that will help you get a PM role in a startup or big tech company. According to its summary, readers will learn about:

• How the Product Manager role varies across companies
• What type of experience is needed to break into Product Management
• How to make current experiences translate
• Making a Product Manager resume and cover letter

Lastly, as the title suggests, the book will teach readers how to master the PM interview, giving specific example answers to estimation questions, behavioral questions, case questions, product questions, technical questions, and more.

Also within its pages are insider information shared by accomplished Products Managers from notable companies. They give industry-specific advice as well as shed light on how recruitment works in big tech companies.

You can expect the content to be detailed, actionable, and practical with real-life examples from the authors and their colleagues.  

Cracking the PM Interview Chapters

Below, we have listed down the chapters you can find in the book as well as their overview to give you a better idea of the specific content in the book:

The Product Manager Role

This is the introductory chapter where you will read about the PM role and its functions. Myths about Product Management are also discussed together with the difference between Project Managers and Product Managers.

Companies

The Companies chapter is all about how the roles of a Product Manager are different from one organization to the other. It talks about the different responsibilities of a PM in Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and more.

Getting the Right Experience

New grads or those who want to transition to Product Management might find this chapter helpful as it talks about educational background, career fairs, and transitioning from other roles to Product Management.

Career Advancement

This is where some of the inside information and industry experience come in. This part of the book is mostly question and answer type content of seasoned Product Managers that work in Google, Airbnb, Microsoft, and more.

Behind the Interview Scenes

Learn about what the interview process is like in big tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Yahoo, Twitter, and Dropbox.

Resumes

You’ll learn how to build a good Product Manager resume in this chapter. It includes rules, what to include, attributes of a good PM resume, and a before and after.

Cover Letters

You’ll find a cover letter template in this section of the book. You’ll read about elements that make up a good cover letter.

Company Research

The authors suggest researching the company you are applying to. Find out what their product, strategy, and culture are. For yourself, know more about your role as a PM in the company. And lastly, the authors present questions that you could ask during the PM interview to know more about who your potential employer could be.

Define Yourself

The authors refer to this chapter as “The Pitch.” Read about how you can do this effectively during the Product Manager interview.

Chapters on PM Interview Questions

Next are specific PM interview questions categorized into behavioral, estimation, product, case, and coding questions. Each category is made into a chapter of its own. Readers can go through different techniques and frameworks, tips, sample questions, and many more.

Appendix

The last chapter would be the appendix where you will read about topics related to product management such as:

• Top 1% PMs vs. Top 10% PMs
• Be a Great Product Leader
• The Inputs to a Great Product Roadmap
• How to Hire a Product Manager

About the Authors

Gayle Laakmann McDowell and Jackie Bavaro co-authored the book. Both have experience in tech and product management. 

Gayle Laakmann McDowell is the CEO of CareerCup, a company that helps candidates prepare for careers in tech. She was formerly a Software Engineer at Google, Microsoft, and Apple. She’s also an author, speaker, and consultant.

Jackie Bavaro, on the other hand, is a former PM of Google and former Head of Product in Asana. Aside from authoring books for the PM career, she also shares her expertise with the PM community through her different online platforms.

Why it’s Good 

Cracking the PM Interview has become so popular for those preparing for their upcoming Product Manager interview. It garnered high ratings and praises on both Amazon and Goodreads. Based on the feedback given by aspiring and experienced PMs who bought the book, Cracking the PM Interview is a good resource because:

It Introduces the Product Manager Role Accurately

The book has most of the information one needs to understand what a PM is and what role a PM plays in a company. It presents accurate information about the industry as well as the career.

Successful Product Managers Give Valuable Advice in the Book 

Aside from the authors themselves being established tech people who share their experiences, they also feature tips and advice from other successful product managers from distinguished tech companies.

It’s a Comprehensive Guide that Helps Navigate the PM Interview Process

One of the main reasons why people purchase the book is because of the questions and chapters that ready a candidate for a product manager interview. The majority of aspiring PMs and professionals who are switching to product management find the questions helpful and advantageous.

Overall, it’s a great book for those who want to gain a better understanding of product management to break into it. Seasoned PMs can also go through the material to refresh their knowledge of the basics. Those transitioning to the Product Manager role will also find this book useful as it has a dedicated section for transitioning.

The information presented, especially the chapters for the PM interview prep, behind-the-scenes of big companies, and industry expert advice, have proven to be valuable, based on a good amount of reader reviews.

Key Takeaways from Crack the PM Interview

• The core functions of a Product Manager include Research & Planning, Design, Implementing & Testing, and Releasing the product.
• The PM’s more detailed tasks will depend on the type of product.
• PM could also mean Project Manager or Program Manager but these roles have different functions.
• Larger companies tend to hire new grads and specify a PM role. While startups tend to hire experienced PMs that take on a more generalist role.
• It’s ideal for new grads to gain experience in product management before they break into the role.
• Although each company varies in its screening process, there’s a basic routine in common which starts with one or two phone screen interviews.
• Company culture matters.
• Your resume has only 15 seconds or less for skimming. The information you present needs to be concise and prioritized according to the need of the organization.
• Learn about the company’s product, strategy, and culture. See where you fit.
• Ask questions when the reviewer gives you time to ask about the company. 
• Know how to properly pitch yourself.
• It’s best to practice when answering product interview questions.
• You need to be familiar with, but not an expert at, coding.
• Case questions are asked because interviewers want to assess your ability to structure a problem, business instincts, and leadership skills.
• When answering product questions, your goal is to show your skills and analytics.
• It’s the approach that matters when answering estimation questions. It’ll show how you build a structure to solve a problem.
• Behavioral questions assess your content and your communication.

Why it’s NOT for You

Plenty of more established PMs mentioned that this book is good as a refresher but its contents are geared towards beginner PMs or those who are not in the industry but want to start their PM career. The lessons were more foundational which seasoned PMs are already aware of.

Cracking the PM interview has its merits but it also has some parts that need improvement. For instance, the book was first published in 2013. While some of the core ideas remain relevant, there is information that is dated. A lot of the information may not apply to today’s PM hiring landscape anymore.

Cracking the PM Interview Book Review Summary

Cracking the PM Interview is a good resource if you’re preparing for a PM interview or if you want to break into product management. However, it does have areas that need improvement. While the interview question guides, as well as the industry advice, are valuable, the book has dated information that may not be relevant anymore.

Those who want to prep for their interviews properly should take advantage of other resources like blogs, podcasts, communities, and the like.

It may be advantageous to take a PM prep course after reading the book so you can get more tips. Joining a community is also ideal as it gives you the chance to network and interact with other PMs. Doing this also gives you opportunities to practice which is highly recommended in the book.

Because the PM hiring landscape changes constantly, use your resourcefulness to look for other helpful materials.

PMExercises Resources

At PMExercises, we’ve put together a Product Manager Interview Course along with 2500+ Product Manager Interview Questions with sample answers from our PM community. 

After you sign up and become part of the community, you can contribute questions and answers in the database as well, and have other members give you feedback.

With our prep course and database of questions, we also have a Practice feature where you can find other product managers who are also prepping for their interviews to practice with.

We understand how challenging it may be to prepare for a PM job interview so these resources that we consistently update will hopefully aid you in your journey to landing your dream Product Manager job.

FAQ

Is Cracking the PM Interview worth it?

Yes, if you’re preparing for a PM interview and you’re open to checking out other resources for you to learn. While the book comes highly recommended, you may need more current information about how the hiring process is in big tech companies.

How long does it take to read cracking the PM interview?

It depends. How long you go through the book will rely on how fast you digest and understand each chapter. You could also be going back to review the chapters that you have already gone over to really get a good grasp of the lesson.

How can I pass the PM interview?

There is no simple answer to this question. For PMExercises, we recommend that you learn as much as you can about product management, the company you’re applying to, and the role you’re applying for.

Read and practice answering Product Manager interview questions. It’s always recommended that you practice or have mock interviews with partners.

Should I read Crack the PM Interview before a job interview?

Yes, it’s recommended but you will need more updated resources. Consider the PM Exercises Product Manager Interview Course which is constantly updated. You can also check our database of 2500+ Product Manager Interview Questions with sample answers from our PM community. PM Exercises also has a nifty feature called “Practice” where you can find a partner to do a mock interview with. Do all these and read the Crack the PM Interview book to feel more confident before your job interview.