Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology (Cracking the Interview & Career)

If you’re serious about landing a Product Manager role in tech, this book is a must-read. Cracking the PM Interview breaks down everything from resume tips and company-specific advice to frameworks for product design and behavioral questions. Pros: ✔ Covers the Full PM Application Process – From building your background to nailing interviews, it’s a comprehensive roadmap. ✔ Real-World Examples & Practice Questions – Includes sample answers and frameworks for common PM questions (e.g., product design, estimation, strategy). ✔ Company-Specific Insights – Helpful breakdowns of how Google, Facebook, Amazon, and others structure their PM interviews. ✔ Great for Beginners & Career Switchers – Especially valuable if you’re transitioning into PM from engineering or design. ✔ Easy to Read & Apply – Clear writing, organized chapters, and actionable advice. Cons: ➖ Less Focus on Technical PM Roles – If you’re targeting technical PM positions, you might need to supplement with more technical interview prep. ➖ Some Content Slightly Dated – While still very relevant, some references to companies or processes may not reflect the latest 2025 trends. Final Thoughts: Whether you’re preparing for your first PM interview or just want to sharpen your approach, this book is a fantastic investment. Pair it with mock interviews and some real job applications, and you’ll be well ahead of the curve.

Usually books like are full of platitudes and easy recommendations that make it seem like anyone is just steps away from the job of their dreams. This book did not do that for me - but thank God it didn't. What it did do is solidify that this role is where I have been heading towards without even knowing it, and while I may not be ready out of the box this second, I am super excited about my prospects, and feel completely prepared in knowing EXACTLY what I need to focus on to get where I want to go. I found the resume chapters extremely helpful in learning to frame the work I have done (which is nebulous and hard to explain as well) in an action/benefit focus, and it made me see past roles that didn't seem to fuel my current career path in a new light, which buoyed my confidence. I bookmarked and highlighted so many pages it got a bit ridiculous. The countless examples and ideas provided within have given me fodder for months of personal work ahead, not just to get this type of role, but to ensure I broaden my business acumen in specific skill sets to serve my current and future roles alike. I am getting geared up to go after an internal role in PM in the coming weeks, and these recommendations have already driven incredibly positive breakthroughs in ongoing personal reflections around my career - and even if I don't get the job this time, I know this is what I want, and any gaps in experience will simply set the stage for what I work on in the next financial year. Really awesome book. If I could give it ten stars I would.

The content of the book is mostly great except for those in the case study/problem solving section. I found them very American-centric in that the only way to solve those problems was to make assumptions that you would only be able to make if you have been raised in the US. There are no strategies suggested for how to cope when presented with a problem for which you have no point of reference with which to make assumptions. Here are a couple of examples - There was a sample problem involving dog food sales in the US. If you've neither owned a pet in the US nor watched TV ads, you have no way of knowing that that there are 2 types of dog food (wet and dry), that they come in 20 lb bags typically, and that a fair assumption is 1 cup of dog food is consumed by a large dog per meal. All of these are key to solving the problem. There was another example illustrating how many high schools there are in the US. Unless you went to school in this country, it's not possible to make a key assumption that was used to solve the problem - the total number of students in an average high school. Ditto for the school bus problem where you're asked to estimate the weight. It was only upon reading the book I knew there are 15 rows of seats in a US school bus, and that's a key assumption in coming up with anything close to the answer. I suppose one could ask the interviewer these questions, but is that the right strategy? It would have been helpful if the book had addressed this. That said, the main reason I am taking off a star is for the formatting/editing on Kindle. I came across at least 6 pages where the text didn't transition from one page to the next (content on new page was irrelevant, with no continuity from the last sentence in the previous page) and the tables were empty or populated with question marks. Either it was not edited at all and was subjected to automatic conversions or the editor had a very poor eye for details. Either way, it detracts from the value of the content, and makes for a disruptive reading experience.

Libro en buenas condiciones

Good book for PM interview.

Great book for product managers. I am about to graduate and Cracking the PM Interview gathers all the knowledge that I need but can’t get elsewhere. Through all the examples and cases provided in this book, you will not only be able to increase your likelihood of landing the job you want but you’ll also know what it takes to be a great PM instead of a good PM.

Faz um compilado de tudo que o novo PM pode abordar e explorar nas entrevistas. Excelente!

I currently work as a Product Manager and I used this book to ensure that I have all the basics and framework nailed to confirm that I am doing my role to the best of my ability. I'm not actively looking for a job, but as I progressed internally in the company I work at, I've never had a proper Product Manager interview, so I was curious to see what one is like to be able to determine whether or not I would likely be successful or not. After all, considering I progressed internally, am I even doing the correct day to day stuff that a PM should be? So I used this book to see the kinds of questions that recruiters and companies ask during the Product Management Interview process. This book was a great insight and made me realise the following: - Product Management interviews aren't usually just a sit down face to face. You'll end up doing something like a whiteboard challenge to show you understand the product development lifecycle all the way from ideation to delivery. - If you want to work at most of the big tech companies, you'll need to have some coding experience as you'll be expected to show understanding in the interview. I am by no means an engineer, more a strategy/community based PM, so this book has opened my eyes to what I should and shouldn't be aiming for as I progress through my Product Management career. Overall, this book is a must have whether you are looking for a new PM role or not. Ash