Online Resources for Product Management

Many of the resources for software engineering apply to the product management. In need of more specific resources? Here are some PM-focused online resources to help you prepare for the recruiting season.

Check out these resources to learn more about the industry in general:

• The College Product Manager Guide

• How to get a PM Role Out of College

• Good Product Manager/Bad Product Manager

• Top 100 Resources for Product Managers

Learn more about the industry's top recruiters and their opportunities for students:

• Google

• Microsoft

• Amazon

• Facebook

There are numerous online and print resources that are available to help you prepare for interviews. Here are a few resources that students have found helpful:

• Cracking the PM Interview

• Navigating APM interviews

• LeetCode

• HackerRank

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These are some of the ways Harvard students studied and prepared for their interviews:

Practice, practice, practice.

“The more PM questions you work through and think through, the more ingrained the framework will be in your mind. Practice out loud and with friends!”

- Intern at multiple startups, Harvard Class of 2021

Utilize Cracking the PM Interview.

“My greatest resource was Cracking the PM Interview. Considering that I had no idea what PM even was when I first started recruiting for it, this book was my holy grail since it explains really well what the role is, what makes someone a good fit for it, and how to prepare for interviews. I heavily relied on its example questions and advice regarding a variety of questions you can be asked (ex. design, estimation, product, behavioral, etc). Definitely recommend this to anyone recruiting for PM or anyone who's curious about learning more about the role!”

- PM at Microsoft, Harvard Class of 2021

Build your story.

“PM interviews involve a lot of behavioral questions so I've found that the best way to prepare is to know your resume and build your stories. You should be able to tell a strong, convincing story about each of your major experiences that clearly shows the desired skill or characteristic of a PM. I personally took some time to reflect on my significant professional, academic, and personal experiences and categorized them by situation (ex. leadership, mistakes/failures, teamwork, etc).”

- PM at Microsoft, Harvard Class of 2021

Go over company information and coding fundamentals.

“You should take time to research the company you're interviewing for, such as their major products and services as well as their mission and values since one of the jobs of a PM is to push forward the company's vision within their products. Since PM interviews can also ask coding questions (though rarely at the level of difficulty as SWE interviews), recruiting should still involve some Leetcode prep and research about technical questions.”

- PM at Microsoft, Harvard Class of 2021

Engage with upperclassmen.

“Cracking the Coding Interview and Cracking the PM Interview are the bibles of tech recruiting. But personally the most helpful resource was just talking to as many upperclassmen as possible about their experience in recruiting. People who have actually taken a path, have advice to take about in terms of mistakes they made, unexpectedly helpful hints and tips, and things that might change on a seasonal basis. And they are almost always happy to give you that advice.”

- PM at Microsoft, Harvard Class of 2020

Recruiting Timeline for Product Management

Information Sessions

Throughout Fall Semester

In September and October, tech companies come on campus. They host information sessions and dinners, partner with clubs, and man booths at career fairs. Take the opportunity to explore different firms and ask questions about their work and culture.

Applications Open

Summer/Fall for Juniors and Sophomores

Tech companies recruit the heaviest August - November. For juniors seeking full-time roles at these companies, it's a good idea to start applying in August/September, especially if working with competing return offers. However, many opportunities open up and remain open through October/November. For sophomores who are seeking internships for their junior fall, recruiting can begin as early as September but generally peaks in October/November as well.

Winter for Freshmen

For first-years and also sophomores, programs targeted for underclassmen often open up in the winter.

Spring for Startups

Startups recruit all year round but generally after big-tech in the spring.

Phone Screen​

The phone screen may involve a design question, but will heavily emphasize behavioral questions, so be prepared to talk through your resume. The design question will be more conceptual than an SWE technical question, which often focuses on coding.

Homework Assignment

Wait homework that isn’t assigned by a teacher? Yep, that's right - some tech companies utilize homework assignments so that they can assess how a candidate thinks deeply about a problem and can come up with a well-developed solution (in contrast with time-constrained interviews).

Final Interview

The final interview involves both behavioral and technical questions. Behavioral questions may include how you would respond to various situations and challenges that PMs encounter, while technical questions may include product design questions. Remember to get your interviewer’s contact information and follow up with a thank-you email!

Succeeding as a PM

The following is a list we compiled of the skills you need in order to succeed in product management:

Ability to Empathize

Product managers must be able to understand customers and the problems that they are facing to create an effective and desirable solution. At the same time, product managers need to understand the capabilities of their team, especially because it is a cross-functional role. You need to understand how to interact with different colleagues and keep them motivated.

“PM is for people who can identify the problems in the first place by advocating for users and noticing a need that has yet to be fulfilled.”

- PM at Microsoft, Harvard Class of 2021​

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

Product managers are constantly balancing their engineering team, customers, and the greater company’s goals. Thus, you need to be able to inspire people across teams and motivate them to work together towards a clear vision.

“Being a PM involves skills in engineering, business, data analysis, design, teamwork, and leadership. A common misconception is that PMs must be outstanding in all of these fields, which can definitely seem overwhelming at first. Instead, people who are a good fit for the PM role are able to learn quickly and work with everyone within these roles in order to synthesize their ideas and guide everyone's skills toward a successful product.”

- PM at Microsoft, Harvard Class of 2021

Organizational Skills

Product managers are in charge of many moving parts. You need to be able to take a complex problem and break it down into smaller steps that can be done in an executable time frame.

Creativity

Product managers should be able to think outside of the box in order to come up with new solutions -- creativity drives innovation. A product is also never done being developed--things are constantly changing, and so products must evolve too. Product managers must constantly be thinking ahead about what’s next.