With Product Alliance, I was able to ace multiple FAANG interview loops and land offers at Amazon as a Principal PM Manager and Google as a L6 PM on GCP. Key idea: Your experiences dont matter once you get to the interview stage; its now all about performance. This is a section to list out the tools and skills that youre proficient in. This community thrived because anyone could reach out and you would be excited to speak with and learn from them. Can you openly and honestly share your failures and how you learned and grew from them? I know several people who applied while needing a sponsorship to work in the target country. What a whirlwind. Key idea: If you have gaps in your skillset, take a short course. It includes: The actual resume template (DOCX, PDF) I used to land my product role at Facebook (and still use to this day), 40+ of the best experience bullet points Ive seen from 100s of resume reviews, 10 advanced strategies to making your resume stand out, A PDF copy of The Associate Product Manager Playbook, Resume reviews for a limited amount of people. The best way to perform better is through effective practice. I was an economics undergraduate with work experience in user experience design and analytics. Analytical Thinking: This interview will put you in the shoes of a Facebook PM and force you to evaluate different trade-offs, figure out the right metric to track, remove roadblocks for your team etc. This is a lie. Product managers for the digital world | McKinsey Are you introspective? Understanding the basics while working on a real project is hugely valuable. Facebooks Underrated Products and Big Bets: Dating, AR/VR, Watch, Shops, Unlock more premium Meta PM interview videos for free. Facebook Product Sense Interview (free): A helpful and comprehensive guide! What this means is that the PM role at Meta is much more product strategy orientated rather than technical project management focused. There are two main reasons why an organization would want to hire associate product managers: Lets be clear not all organizations have associate product manager roles. ", Listen to The Refresh, Insider's real-time news show. Practice a ton! Trust me when I say they blow Cracking the PM Interview and Decode and Conquer out of the water. If you dont know anyone at the company, youll need to make a contact. Yes, the result is twice on purpose. Key question of the interview: Does this person meet the job requirements? ? A product manager (PM) is a professional role that is responsible for the development of products for an organization, known as the practice of product management. All backgrounds are eligible to apply. While its not 100% necessary (I didnt have one), you would be foolish not to try to get one. The leadership and drive portion of the interview also ties back to the understand, identify, and execute framework. Claim your free month here . This summary also creates a strong, memorable narrative for your experiences. Don't dive into the Facebook (Meta) product manager interview until you finish our guide. Use Excel, SQL or Python to find interesting trends in the data. My understanding is Meta typically hires fresh university grads for the MPK office and looks for industry hires for the Seattle, New York, and London offices. Some programs, most notably Google, do require a technical background. At Facebook, we would have a manager for the entire 18 months, a mentor, small-group mentorship and alumni support. While well get into how to frame this on your resume in a future section, its important to map out all of your experiences that map to one of these attributes. Ive attached my resume. What people are saying about Meta. Associate Product Management Test - Relevel Next time you hear this, feel free to forward this guide to them! Find a data set thats interesting on Kaggle (a site with awesome, free datasets). Key idea: Bucket potential options into a mutually-exclusive-collectively-exhaustive list of options. Imagine you run ads to promote the awareness and growth of Facebook Dating and achieve a new user acquisition cost of $10. How to get into an associate product management (APM) role See here for a guide on how to find those people. If an experience isnt relevant, take it off your resume. Bad summary section: 10+ years experience managing teams, leading product development and creating business impact. I would try 1-3 people at each company youre aiming for. Here are some ways to build that experience. Product Manager Job Description | Product Focus This is where it is important to break down problem spaces with a structured approach. : Use RACR (results, action, context, results) to frame your experience bullet points. However, thats not to say other tracks dont exist! Now, I have had the benefit of seeing hundreds of PM resumes and interviewing over 50 candidates for PM roles at Facebook/Meta. This will make navigating the ambiguity much simpler. The work experience section should be the detailed summary of your latest 3 or 4 positions. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. A referral will significantly improve your chances of landing an interview. Key idea: The right experience is in alignment with the PM job requirements. You are given a very scoped out project and its your job to handle the execution. This is where hard skills come in. Something notable about product recruiting at Meta compared to other tech giants such as Google and Microsoft is that Meta doesnt require its PMs to come from a technical background. "One of the compliments I got when recruiting for my next job was, 'Wow, for someone who has been a product manager for a couple of years, you are able to grasp problems and thrive in ambiguity quickly," Raina said. Just because you have a particular title doesnt mean you have the skill sets needed to succeed. I want to use this experience to share detailed guidance on building a stellar resume. View more Product Manager salary ranges with breakdowns by base, stock, and bonus amounts. Unlock a 23-minute video on how to perfectly answer the most common Facebook PM execution questions. To be successful in this role, you should have previous experience in end-to-end project management. At Meta, when we get trained as product interviewers, we are specifically taught that you should never issue a HIRE decision unless that candidate is someone youd be willing to fly across the country to convince to join your team. Behavioral interviews are 50% strong communication. Access to company leaders: We had many events where 5-6 PMs would have a candid conversation with industry titans like Sheryl Sandberg, Fidji Sumo and Chris Cox. ). Use RACR (results, action, context, results) to frame your experience bullet points. I would spend hours each day self-studying, specifically by practicing: Segmentation: breaking down ambiguous problems into actionable pieces, Brainstorms: creatively think of many options given an ambiguous prompt, Prioritization: choose the best option amongst a series of reasonable ones, These areas are agnostic to the interview type or the company, so practicing is high-leverage when interviewing for multiple companies. Every single point should be relevant. This interview is meant to assess if you can make sound decisions and tactically get the right things done on a daily basis to build your product vision. A recruiter may assess your communication skills by asking open-ended questions like Tell me about yourself or Tell me about a project youre proud of.. Best of all, what you decide to research is entirely up to you and then you get to present the findings of your research trip to all the PMs in the company during a PM all-hands! My main advice: keep it simple. For a deeper discussion on how promotions might work for associate product managers, check out this question. Key question of the interview: How do you prioritize and make decisions involving metrics? Start with your own network. How to Become a Product Manager, Straight From a HubSpot PM Find an app you love and identify changes to improve the user experience. : People are incentivized to refer strong candidates. I wrote a full guide on prioritizing as a product manager. What Is 10Web's APM Program The Associate Product Manager (APM) program is focused on building 10Web's next generation of product managers. - Learn a simplified version of project management to determine how to effectively drive progress amongst several stakeholders. This will show that your process is objective, logical and auditable. You belong. This is likely the best avenue. I was one of ~15 people to join Facebook's (now Meta's) Rotational Product Manager program during the summer of 2019. Key question of the interview: How do you take an ambiguous problem space and turn it into a creative solution? Other companies promote based on outcomes. A sentence on your strong background: use one sentence to communicate why youre a good fit for the job. after 2 years or after 3 years. I made this kit because Ive seen firsthand how a strong resume can change lives. You need to build the right experiences, make a killer resume and network to be a part of the 3%. No-code tools make it easy to build a product. Its easier for an organization to hire an associate product manager who has no previous work experience, and thus, is a blank slate that can easily be reprogrammed according to the organizations vision, goals, and needs. without coding. Lets focus first on soft skills. No fancy graphics, colours or multiple columns are necessary. Product Sense Rubric (paywall): The things that interviewers are looking for during product sense interviews. Instead, by heading to a startup and demonstrating impact there, you may wind up learning a lot more and positioning yourself better. - Figma is the premier design tool for UX designers. Can I apply if I need a visa sponsorship? I mentioned previously that I worked with an experienced product manager on our CRM product. This means succeeding in the interviews. I'm looking to apply my rigorous academic background to the world of product management. When Raina started looking for opportunities to work in product full time as a recent graduate. Its because youre not an associate PM. Develop an in-depth understanding of how Meta develops machine 5+ years of customer-facing experience in technology product management or product management. I think something really unique about the program is after your second rotation, you get to go on a two week long research trip around the world with the other RPMs of your start date cohort. There are a handful of associate product manager programs out there: Metas Rotational Product Manager Program, Googles Associate Product Manager Program, LinkedIns Associate Product Manager Program, Atlassians Associate Product Manager Program. Associate product managers work closely with other PMs. You may have heard of the STAR method for breaking down your experiences during interviews. A referral is when a current employee at that company refers you for an open role that the company is hiring for. In a similar way to how you catalogue soft skills, catalogue your hard skill experience too. Id prepare using the following guides. : Ideally, every bullet point should show the outcome youve created, : Please just choose a simple resume template (. Even if you've been considering product management as a career for a while, you might still wonder how to become a product manager. by integrating with Salesforce data platform (, ) and build a roadmap to grow engagement by 20% (. If you have gaps in your skillset, take a short course. But if you feel like you could benefit from improving your communication, Id pick up a free month of LinkedIn Learning and take one of the following courses, Communicating with Confidence (free trial), Communication for Product Managers (free trial). Associate Product Manager Resume Examples. Several top companies including Google, Microsoft and Uber all recommend Swipe to Unlock as a preparatory read to all their PM interview candidates. They also have a community that you can use for. I learned a ton about computer science and featured this course prominently on my resume. : Each APM program gives people with no formal product experience the chance to work in an interesting product space, bond with a talented cohort and receive training within the company. A Junior Product Manager is also new to the role but doesn't require as much hands-on training as an Associate Product Manager. In other organizations, APMs join sprint rituals with the product manager that they are associated with. Love podcasts or audiobooks? I only recommend products that are actually useful. What are all the metrics we may want to track? View 63 Open Positions. For example, Ive seen some associate product managers be promoted once they successfully shipped their first full product and demonstrated long-term viability in the marketplace. Tech companies like Google, Meta, and Uber offer rotational or associate product manager programs. These are small projects that you can ideally do on a weekend that help you try a new tool, practise a new skill or perhaps earn some extra cash. What this means is that the PM role at Meta is much more product strategy orientated rather than technical project management focused. He works with both the management team and the development team to determine and align the product goals at this stage. These programs target new graduates or people with little product experience to train them. Once you land the interview, switch to interview prep. as a product manager. As you learn from a senior product manager directly, youll quickly pick up their skills and their frameworks. Meta Associate Product Manager Interview Questions | Glassdoor This guide is supported by partners. But its also the most important. In the 6th episode of The Dialog Project, we have with us Hussain Bhinderwala who is working as an Associate Product Manager . Product Manager: The role and best practices for beginners Stay up to date with what you want to know. Each APM interview process will have different interviews. As a Facebook employee, I might be a little biased in my opinions but its worth noting I turned down offers from both Google and Microsoft to join Facebook. Leadership at Meta is driven by influence rather than formal authority. "People don't know if product management is right for them until they try," Matthews said. Common mistakes I see: They dont personalize their message to the person they reach out to, They have spelling or grammar mistakes in their message (shocking, I know), If they do, their resume is not strong and does not highlight relevant experiences, They do not explain why they are perfect for the role. Key idea: Use hard skills to differentiate yourself from other candidates. My advice is only to include this section if you have significant experience in a field very different from product management. : Dont prepare for interviews until you are at least 80% sure that you will get an interview. Your product manager will be mentoring you, guiding you, and absorbing some of the pressures and demands that you might otherwise face as a full-fledged PM. But rather than getting caught up on culture too early in the process, I recommend you apply to all the programs that you are interested in. Lets go into even more detail. What to Expect As an Associate Product Manager How would you diagnose the problem? When brainstorming during an interview, youll remember some of the best ones. Others over-indexed on reading books and mocks with peers. Naturally, this would involve analyzing trends and running tests all of which require good analytical skills. Whats your North Star metric? If you can practice one thing, Id prioritize your communication. Ive seen product analysts, engineers, designers, product marketing managers, and even customer support managers become full-time product managers. The Product Manager senses that their manager cares minimally about the platform/scaling work associated with the new product. Key idea: 97% of applicants dont get an interview. But its harder to claim that you have a hard skill like design, analytics or programming. Meta RPM Program Overview: Everything You Need to Know | Medium Learn on the go with our new app. Now the next steps are to find the right person to refer you and to send them a great message. This is why the best predictor of success in interviews is the number of hours of effective practice. Complete a six-month evaluation process to gain feedback and develop a detailed action plan for what you need to accomplish in order to become a Product Manager. : Behavioral interviews are 50% strong communication. This algorithm is leading to a statically significant increase in total matches but also a statically significant decrease in total messages sent. This is likely the best avenue. Better bullet point: Synthesized qualitative user research from 23 usability tests into actionable tickets in Visual Studio; worked with engineers to improve the user experience and confirm the build meets the user specifications. Heres an example using a strong PM bullet point. ) We also bonded because all of us were equally smart, ambitious and had similar career goals. You belong. Additionally, you can play around with the various filters available, such as industry, company size, experience level, and physical location. If you need more help on interviews, I recommend getting a membership to Exponent. How is Metas RPM Program different from APM programs? I learned a ton in 18 months (and wrote about my experience in detail here). Sign up for notifications from Insider! In a few hours, you can build a Tinder clone or an upvote site like Product Hunt without coding. If you are struggling with getting your first product manager internship, you can set your sights a little lower, then climb up the ladder. (free): two friends of mine wrote a great guide for Execution interviews. Alignment with job criteria: Just as your resume aims to qualify you for every part of the job description, recruiters may look to confirm that you meet the job requirements on the phone screen. From a Rotational Product Manager (RPM) hopeful to helping lead recruitment for Zynga's RPM programme, here are some of my thoughts on the best ways to leverage your strengths and tailor your unique experiences for graduate product management roles: Step 1: Where to apply? : Every bullet point should be concrete and speak to your candidacy for the role. APM/RPM programs are no different. I was one of ~15 people to join Facebooks (now Metas) Rotational Product Manager program during the summer of 2019. No. Each bullet point should be concise, show impact and be highlighted specific to the PM job. : If you have gaps in your skillset, take a short course. If you need more help on your experience bullet points, I added 40+ strong examples from PM resumes Ive seen to the, Led a team of 3 (2 engineers, 1 data scientist) to build a new Tumblr mobile interface for casual users; won 4th place across the entire company (40+ competing teams). These are a combination of soft and technical skills. Key idea: Use projects to fill in skills gaps from your experiences. She was drawn to working in fintech and the idea that the APM program would let her rotate through several teams at the company, helping her find the right role for her. At a high level, this is how Id suggest preparing for recruitment: Make sure you have the right skills for the job: If you dont build a project or two to demonstrate those skills/, Make a killer resume: Frame your experiences in effective ways, use a simple template and highlight the impact of your experiences. Having a small group of people allowed us to get to know everyone individually and have intimate conversations that were not performative. At a glance, the best PM side projects involve building something and taking it to market. Because it's redundant with your experience section. In other cases, organizations may find that their existing PMs dont have enough bandwidth, but that filling an additional product management role is overkill. There are three stages of effective practice. And, the manager wrongly assumes the Product Manager should have strong abilities to push the boundaries on innovative product development. This is the third and arguably most challenging framework to master. After all, the associate product manager role is set up as an apprenticeship that leads into a future product manager role. Any candidate can say that they are a strong leader. I think a pretty big difference at Meta is you do 3 six month rotations instead. : Each program has various forms of mentorship. The Adaface Product Manager Test screens candidates for the typical skills recruiters look for in a Product Manager Use this to highlight soft skills and hard skills (more details in Part 2).