Need guidance to answer behavioral questions

srishtiunki·Jun 23, 2021

Hi everyone! I have been actively interviewing for product management positions for over a year and I find that I lose out on interviews, as I think my response to behavioral questions gets fuzzy. While I stick to STAR format to tackle behavioral questions, I find it hard to answer broad questions. For instance, 1) Can you walk me through your experience? I find it challenging to know what I need to highlight since I've got a decade of experience, and if I try to cover the entire journey it would end up being lengthy. So, I am a product manager with 12+ years of experience. Before being a PM for 9 years I worked in different roles: engineer, engineering leader, technical program manager. Would love to know any tips and guidance to help me build my response which delivers the right message and is succinct. 2) What launch you're most proud of? Would love to know what is the best example to pick to talk about? What attributes you considered? what are the key things you covered in your narration? Would love to know with a hypothetical example. 3) Tell me a scenario where you have done something which made you proud?I sense this question is similar to 'What launch you're most proud of' but I'm wondering do you think it's different?I know these are commonly asked questions, and I'd greatly appreciate your guidance. Thank you!

Iynna·Jun 24, 2021

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srishtiunki·Jun 24, 2021

This is so helpful, thank you @iynna! I noticed I got to have 45 additional points :) I just joined elpha yesterday, and excited to see I made 3 points yay yay

Iynna·Jun 24, 2021

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Lia·Jun 24, 2021

1. This question is an opportunity to tell a story. Think of a good story you've loved recently, or one from your childhood. Good stories take you on an emotional journey and give you new insights. Think of what key messages you want them to know about you, and build your story around that. These messages can be things like, "I can thrive in ambiguous situations" or "I have both technical and soft skills" or "I'm not afraid to take risks and they have paid off." No one wants to hear a laundry list, they want to get to know you deeper than your resume and evaluate your ability to communicate in general, and this a chance to do all that at once.3. You can be proud of more than a launch...perhaps a time when you spoke truth to power, you mentored a junior colleague, you took a risk that paid off, you made a mistake you turned around.

Daniela·Jun 24, 2021

Congrats on taking on this journey! I literally just heard this quote as I'm responding to you and thought it was relevant to share with you:"Bring things down to their fundamental truth and work your way up from there." - Elon MuskI think this is a helpful mindset to adopt as you approach your interviews. As you're responding to questions, drill down to the essence of what you're being asked, address that, then build as needed. If I respond in context of the questions you posed, this means:1) "Can you walk me through your experience?"At the core, they want to know your direct experience in product, or how your experience relates to product. Keep this response concise - maybe 2-3 minutes - tying responses to product, but giving enough detail using the STAR method you mentioned so they know that you know your stuff and you're more than capable. 2) "What launch you're most proud of?"At the core, they probably want to know what you're passionate about and/or what you value (plus your launch skills). Tie your response back to things like the role responsibilities, requirements, company values, etc. For example, if the company is passionate about teamwork, maybe share an example of a launch you supported where you leveraged teamwork.3) "Tell me a scenario where you have done something which made you proud?"At the core, this probably is similar to #2, but it gives you an opportunity to share more of your personal side. You could take this opportunity to show, for example, that you're a continuous learner and pursued X degree/certification; or how you took a month long sabbatical to travel East Africa where you explored new cultures and gained deeper self-awareness. Go ahead and share your proudest accomplishment, toot your horn! But find a way to tie it back to the company values and/or role.Hope that helps. Good luck!