I was recently asked to “guess the number of images clicked at the Eiffel Tower in a day” in a job interview.
I started writing the problem down immediately and structured it like any other estimating problem. segments of the general public who might take pictures there, the size of Paris, the number of tourists there on any given day, etc. The interviewer questioned me about whether there might be a more accurate way to estimate this halfway through my response.
After giving it some thought, I came up with a suggestion that seemed entirely illogical. I proposed that we look at hashtags associated with the Eiffel Tower on Twitter and Instagram. Count the posts and then modify them depending on additional suppositions.
The interviewer nodded in agreement, and we moved on to talk about how to use social media posts to gather the necessary data, the sample size needed for a hypothetical survey, etc. My ability to look in the correct places for the answers and my statistical analysis skills were put to the test by what initially appeared to be a general estimation challenge. Is this an ideal way to estimate questions in general given that this is the basis of product management—gaining insights from the data points that are readily available? to propose a strategy rather than come up with a number?
– Lawrence Martin
Discussion
A] The approach rather than the quantity is always the focus of this kind of discussion. According to my past experiences, I would say yes to applicants who could execute the strategy you initially used well. However, I would always be more enthusiastic about candidates who were able to employ workarounds and original hypotheses to get to the solution. Ultimately, you should approach these issues in whatever way makes you feel most comfortable, but never be afraid to take a chance (as long as you can defend your reasoning)!
– Samantha Yuan
B] @SamanthaYuan, totally agree. You can directly calculate an exact number using the social media hashtags method, at least according to your initial hypothesis. This is helpful, but it necessitates the same risky set of assumptions as any other estimating question.
I do, however, believe that looking at “knowledge people are offering for free online” is a fantastic place to start for some study as a PM. Why hold focus groups or interviews when consumers are freely giving their opinions on TikTok, Instagram, and Amazon?
– Heather Kurtz
C] It’s kind of an isolated skill set to be honest. Sometimes you have to make estimates on the fly but you always have the luxury of the internet. The good news is that it is easily practiced almost anytime, anywhere. Wherever you are, think of these problems in your head and how you would break them down and solve them. For example, when commuting to work I would think about how many cars are on the freeway right now, how many food trucks are there right now, etc.
My org uses Google Suite, and I use Tasks to arrange daily tasks that I need to complete on my calendar. However, I object to Tasks’ side position and lack of a complete screen (unless I am missing something).
There are main task categories and subtasks with checkboxes in a Google spreadsheet that I have, and I have to manually plan them on my calendar (I think there is a way to automate this). It used to be great, but now it’s huge. I enter meeting notes on the other sheets of the same spreadsheet, and all tasks connected to those sheets are subsequently added to the master list of tasks. If we had Confluence, I would have just used that.
All of this seems to work for me, but I was just curious if there might be a more tasteful way to arrange and schedule my own backlog of jobs and subtasks.
– Amy Walker
Discussion
A] I utilize two Trello boards, whose lists correspond to the GTD phases. I utilize Board #1 to direct my everyday activities (next actions, waiting for, etc.). Board #2 serves as my “Someday” dumping ground and is set up as one area of emphasis or project per list. I use it to prevent new inputs from distracting me while I’m using Board #1.
– Heather Kurtz
B] I really enjoy adding time blocks to my calendar so that, if I get sidetracked, I’m reminded to work on it that day. Stickies and notes are also really useful. I write things down by hand at the beginning of the day and check them off as I finish them, which helps me if I need to review my work later.
Clickup, Trello, and Notion perform admirably on a team level (clickup is my favourite so far). The reason Notion is my second favourite is because it’s really lightweight, tidy, and popular.
Sheets are a great tool for project management since it helps you keep everything incredibly tidy and organized. I only utilize this when I need to inform clients about something, seek their approval, or have that approval documented.
– Mario Romero
C] I’ve been playing around with ClickUp, I like that shows my tasks in calendar view. It’s better than Quick base (Engineering uses that for project management), but I wish it was more lightweight like Todoist
Still looking for the right solution. My three main requirements are
Allows for a calendar-based view, where I can see all tasks
Provides differentiation between different projects, so I can view all tasks for a single project
Is lightweight and intuitive, fast/simple to enter tasks
First of all, I’m new to this community and this is my first post, so please excuse me if I miss out on something that might not be permissible on this platform.
So, here’s my concern:
I am the founder of a startup and have been running it for three years now. My top priority is to join a growing company (aka great team).
Many job postings state that the applicant must have “5+ years experience as a product manager.” It appears that this is what’s getting in my way because I began my firm right out of college (3 years ago), so I don’t have five or more years of experience as a project manager, but definitely have experience doing everything PMs do with a bootstrapped team.
Because of my goal above, I don’t want to work as an associate PM for a big company, and startups don’t offer APM positions.
The options that come to mind are:
a) to continue applying and pray that my founder’s emails and requests for coffee from team members are successful.
b) look for a less senior position where I could have an easier time landing interviews, such as in marketing or growth.
– Alana Martin
Discussion
A] A very warm welcome to the Community @AlanaMartin. I’ve been connected with this community for more than a year now and have not only enjoyed being here but have also had the privilege of learning a lot here and having many of my doubts and queries cleared by the extremely helpful community members here. Now, coming to your post and concern.
You don’t need to worry about the number of years of experience being accurate. Most people consider founder experience as PM + other stuff. If anything, when we talk about early-stage startups there might not even be PMs (other than the founders).
But perhaps you’re running into trouble with the hiring screens.
If the hiring manager is not a vice president or executive you may know, you will likely need to leverage your network to connect with them.
Did you establish any contacts with investors? Even if you operate entirely on your own resources, I’m sure you developed a network, right? I know a few people who received seed rounds—a form of “large” institutional funding—and then transitioned to bigger firms like FAANG and other companies.
– Marco Silva
B] Hey @AlanaMartin, Welcome to this wonderful community (Prowess). Hope you’ll enjoy being around as much as we do.
Regarding your post, here are my two cents.
If you respond to a job posting by applying, you should send the hiring manager or recruiter a note right away. Describe your exceptional qualifications for the position, such as being in charge of the complete product lifecycle, budgeting, or other special skills. Be unique and you will draw in those who value your uniqueness. If not, the HR assistant expert who was tasked with narrowing the 75 applications down to 5 for phone screening will simply discard your application.
Send out cold emails and cold InMail to CEOs at businesses that interest you (LinkedIn seems to have greater response rates than email). Describe the kinds of issues you resolve. Even if they don’t have a pressing need, ask if they would be interested to speak with you for a 10-minute exploratory conversation.
Consider ancillary positions such as sales, marketing, or anything else that would fit with your background. In situations where you need to speak the native language of other functions, learning more about those trades can assist you to develop your empathic leadership abilities.
– Richard Soneva
C] Thank you so much for the warm welcome. And a great link to extraordinary skills! Lol To gauge my performance, what would you say is a good application-to-interview ratio?
I recently applied for a position as a growth marketing specialist, so I have an interview for it. However, I already know that I want to work in the product department because it will provide me with the most experience and I will be successful there. They have a product owner position that requires 5+ years of expertise, however, I didn’t apply for that one.
Confusion increases when people start talking about strategy and tactics. Due to rising uncertainty, some businesses have rejected strategy entirely as they equate strategies with plans and they know plans don’t survive first contact with reality. Therefore they focus rigorously on tacticsinstead, which they usually understand to mean ‘doing things quicker’.
What I do firmly believe, however, is that the role that we have come to refer to as ‘product manager’ is very important to the success of the product and that a great product manager will deliver considerable value to your customer and to the organization. This belief was reinforced upon hearing a speech by Marty Cagan called ‘Behind Every Great Product’ — he did something that I’d previously struggled to do and that is to articulate my belief in the importance of what we know as a ‘product manager’ in a way that was consumable by anyone and everyone.
I’ve used this mapping technique in government right since the beginning of my government work in early 2013, helping many programmes to identify better goals and generate better options for achieving those goals. Impact Mapping always delivers something of value.
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Who’s Prowess? We are optimist product managers, engineers, and educators working on creating a world where merit meets opportunity. On Prowess, aspiring and experienced product managers showcase skills, learn from the community, and connect with employers to advance their careers.