How to Prepare for a PM Interview With a Startup

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In many ways, preparing for a product manager interview with a startup is the same as an established company (like Facebook, Google, and Microsoft). 

For example, at a minimum, you should do the following:

• Take it one category at a time: PM job interview questions touch on a variety of categories, such as product sense, execution, analytics, behavioral, and technical to name a few. Work one category at a time to ensure that you place your entire focus on the task at hand. Try this sample workflow:  Estimation → Metrics → Product Improvement → Product Design → Product Launch → Problem-Solving → Strategy.
• Enroll in a PM interview course: Our course gives you the knowledge you need to master your PM interview skills. Learn at your own pace and revisit subject matter that requires more detailed attention. 
• Partake in mock interviews: It’s one thing to review questions, complete a course, and practice interviewing on your own. It’s another thing entirely to test yourself in a simulated interview. This is where mock interviews can help. Find a partner to practice with, help each other prepare for upcoming interviews, and receive and share targeted feedback and advice.Get involved with group practice: Practice answering PM interview questions as a group. Even if you don’t actively participate, you can still observe and learn in silence. 

It’s important to take these steps, among others, no matter if you’re applying at a startup, top tech company, or an organization somewhere in between. 

Startup Specific Interview Preparation Tips

The PM interview process at industry-leading tech companies is often general. That’s not to say that they’re “basic” or “simple.” However, they don’t focus nearly as much on your specific area of expertise. 

Conversely, at a startup, you can expect that the company wants to hire a specialist. They want to bring someone on board who has experience and knowledge of their space. For instance, if you’re experienced in augmented reality or virtual reality, you’re best suited for a company that’s building a product in this space. 

Here are four startup specific interview preparation tips that will put you on the path to success:

1. Understand the Problem the Company is Trying to Solve

You (probably) know what Amazon, LinkedIn, and Uber are all about. You may even have a strong understanding of what they hope to accomplish in the future. 

But when it comes to a startup, the roadmap isn’t nearly as clear. And that’s especially true if the company is still in its infancy with an ever-changing vision for the future. 

Take as much time as necessary to understand the problem the company is trying to solve. Answer questions such as:

• Who is their target user?
• What pain point are they addressing? ?
• What is their core technology and solution?
• What do their customers think about them? 

The information you collect today is likely to change in the weeks and months ahead, and that’s okay. Your goal is to understand the problem the company is trying to solve in the here and now. 

2. ExperienceTheir Product

If you do nothing else, make sure you spend as much time with the company’s product (or products) as you can. Read about it on the company’s website. Google it to see what others are saying. Ask for access to the product to prepare for your interview. 

If possibile — if the product is available to the public — pay for access, experiment with all its features, and make note of its strengths and weaknesses. 

You can only learn so much by reading about a product. At some point — sooner rather than later — you need to get your hands dirty. And that means spending as much time as you can experimenting with their product. 

3. Learn About Current Team Members

You’d never be able to do this with a larger company. Imagine trying to dig up information on the hundreds of people you would be working with at Amazon or Google. It’s not possible.

But with a startup, you can quickly learn more about its handful of team members. Start on the company’s website and then take your search to LinkedIn. From there, Google each person’s name to learn more about their background.

As you go through this process, answer questions such as:

• What is the title of each person in the company?
• Who would you be working with directly?
• Where did each employee work before joining the startup?
• What are they passionate about outside of work?
• What are each person’s responsibilities within the company?

The more you learn about the team, the easier it is to have meaningful conversations. 

4. Connect Your Experience and Knowledge to the Team and Vision

While the vision of a startup is likely to change over time, you can’t worry about that when preparing for a PM interview. Instead, find ways to connect your experience and knowledge to the company’s current vision.

Here are some examples of how you can do this:

• Share your experience with the company’s core technology: For example, if you’ve built a product using the same or similar technology, use it as a talking point. There’s no better way to connect your experience and knowledge to the company’s goals and vision.
• Talk about your shared interests:  This goes along with learning more about current team members (see above). Maybe you’re interviewing with the CEO and you know that they’re passionate about a particular sport. It won’t be the focus of your interview, but weaving it into the conversation shows that you have similar interests. 
• Ask questions about the product: Since you’ve spent a good amount of time experimenting with the company’s product, you’re sure to have some questions. There’s a good chance the interviewer will ask you something like “have you ever used our product, and if so, what questions do you have about it?” This is your opportunity to have a meaningful conversation based on your findings.

Summary

The most important thing to remember is that preparing for a PM interview with a startup is not identical to an established company. Yes, there are similarities, but the differences run deep, too.

Furthermore, as you move into a product management role at a startup, you’ll find that your responsibilities are different than those in a large company.
If you’re preparing for an interview with a startup, sign up for our product manager interview prep course. It’s designed to help you prepare for every aspect of a PM interview, whether you’re interviewing at a startup or well-established tech giant.