The Importance Of A Mock Interview

When preparing for a Product Management interview, candidates often miss one important method of preparation.

Mock interviews.

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Brushing up your favorite frameworks is great.

But applying it to a real problem & articulating those thoughts in a fluid manner is a different beast.

That form of expression requires warming up.

Let's say you're preparing for Amazon & expect an estimation question like how many balls can fit in an airplane.

You may "know" an approach.

But if you're voicing it for the first time during the interview, you'll struggle.

Similarly, if you haven't done whiteboard sessions before, I highly recommend you pick up a marker & use one before you go to the on-site.

Mocking it using a notebook is NOT the same.

The same applies for storyboarding / wireframing exercises.

Who should conduct these mocks?

Preferably an existing PM.

When I applied for the Microsoft internship, I was lucky to have a former internee roast me to smithereens days before.

It was an eye-opener.

So, yes, reading books like "Cracking the PM interview", researching past questions & researching company's products is helpful.

However, mock interviews fine-tune your speech patterns setting you up to land a favorable impression on the interviewer.