Best Preparation Tips for an Interview

Preparing for an upcoming PM interview? Let me share one of the best prep tips I received.

Always build & rehearse a "story log".

Most PM interviews involve situational questions that typically start with "Tell me about a time when...".

They seem deceptively easy, however, plucking out the right story for the question & articulating it in a manner that impresses is harder than you think.

Here's where a story log helps. This is how you build it:

1. Think of 2 to 3 anecdotes from your career for each of these categories:
a. Product: times when you solved a product problem
b. Process: times when you improved an otherwise inefficient process
c. People: times when you inspired, led or empowered others

2. Structure each story to follow the SOAR outline:
- Situation: the background
- Obstacle: the challenge
- Action: your solution/execution
- Result: the outcome

3. Rehearse several times.

Then, with practice, you'll be able to retrofit any of these stories for pretty much any situational question by applying a "twist" (without being dishonest, of course).

E.g. A time when you launched a successful feature can be "adjusted" for questions asking for a time when you showed initiative, were creative or delivered results.

Good luck :)