Mark43 Product Manager Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process involved three stages. First, I had an interview with a PM Director. After that, there was a take-home assignment that needed to be submitted for review. The final round consisted of three parts: a Values Interview, a Whiteboard Challenge, and a Presentation. I had a lot of time to dedicate to this process, but it was a well-structured process that really tested my fit for their business. It also gave me the chance to express myself and interact with many team members.

This took over 6 weeks, and while it was an easy interview, it required a lot of time. I spent about 5 hours on Zoom interviews and around 10 hours on take-home assignments. About 3 hours were spent on research and setting the vision, 3 hours on PRD writing, and 3 hours on preparing a presentation. It was an overall negative experience. HR was not really involved, and I didn't get a response for almost 2 weeks when I asked to speak with the head of product or the hiring manager, which was after I spent 10 hours on take-home work. The reason HR reached out after 2 weeks was to ask for another assignment. The interviewers were smart, but it felt apathetic and unequal. For example, none of them acknowledged my thank you emails, which I sent after spending 10 hours on the take-home assignment and then taking the time to send a thank you note. I felt my time wasn't respected and I wasn't given equal opportunity to assess the company. I was surprised by this from a company on the Inc. 5000 list. This might be a coordination issue or something else. Advice for Mark43: If you require candidates to spend so many hours on take-home work, you should provide equal value back by giving them more time for questions, access to the right people, and prompt responses. Also, communicate the expected time commitment for take-home assignments clearly. For candidates with industry knowledge, it's about 6-8 hours, but for those without, it could be 10+ hours for research, presentation prep, and documentation. More importantly, ensure your interviewers understand the time candidates have had for research, as they shouldn't expect candidates to know all the technical details. Train your staff, including HR, that the interview process is two-way; candidates are evaluating you too. Ignoring or ghosting candidates is disrespectful, and other reviews mention this pattern. Advice for Candidates: Having industry knowledge might cut down on take-home assignment time, but plan for at least 6 hours regardless.

They reached out to me. I had an initial phone screen with a recruiter then was told I'd get a second interview. It's a month later and have not heard back from them at all. Even after following up with them twice. At least if you decided not to follow through with a second interview, have the common decency to reply to an email.