All inclusive guide from the basics to steps in recruitment for product management.

1. Breaking into
Product Management
Adapted from Gayle McDowell: Cracking the PM Interview
Rich Mironov book: The Art of Product Management
Presented by Trinity Huynh, Justin Oh, and Sarah Pham: M.E.T. Program Student Advisors

2. What is Product Management?
PRODUCT MANAGERS
DRIVE
VISION
STRATEGY
DESIGN
INNOVATION
Product
management is
responsible for
guiding every step
of a product’s
lifecycle - from
development to
positioning - by
honing in on the
product and its
consumers.

3. The History of Product Management
1931
Late 1930s
Late 1940s
1953
2001
Toyota creates the
kanban method
Toyota develops the JIT
manufacturing principles,
which was later adopted
by Hewlett-Packard
McElroy, a Stanford advisor,
influences students
Bill Hewlett and David Packard
Neil McElroy, a marketing
manager at Procter &
Gamble, developed a
300-page memo for
‘brand men’
The Agile Manifesto was
written to make room for
a unified product
management role

4. Aspirational PM Qualities
Leadership
& Execution
Technical
Business
Product
Industry

5. Holistic View in Product Management
Vision Design
Strategy Execution
“It is important that
humanity become a
interplanetary species”
- Elon Musk, Tesla
“Your margin is my
opportunity”
- Jeff Bezos, Amazon
“You’ve got to work hard
to get your thinking clean
to make it simple”
- Steve Jobs, Apple
“We do it really really
good”
- Stewart Butterfield, Slack

6. The Importance of Product Management
MISSION IMPACT FOCUS
● The mission of the Product
Management team is to
implement business strategy
while also playing the role of
market advocate
● PMs guide the company on
how to go about investing its
limited resources to deliver
quality products in
competitive markets
● PM looks over the product
life-cycle, from the
pre-development stage to the
end of life
● Product Management is the
voice of the market inside the
company
● PMs are expected to be able to
effectively communicate with
not only internal groups but also
customers, stakeholders, and
partners
● PMs have strong visions for
their parents and develop
winning strategies that align
with the company’s vision
● Product Management keeps the
company focused by avoiding
opportunities that may act as a
distraction towards the
company
● PMs cut through the noise of
countless great ideas and
requests from consumers to
effectively guide the company
into optimizing their profits and
satisfying the majority of
customers
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-product-management-greg-white/

7. Main Strategies Used in PM
Researching
Setting product vision
Communicating vision to stakeholders
Developing strategic plan
Creating and maintaining product roadmap
PMs conduct market research to collect information and analyze the market as well as its consumers.
PMs define the long-term mission of a project to build a clear, realistic plan of how
to reach the desired result.
PMs have to ensure all members of a team work harmoniously to
achieve the main goal.
PMs need to strategize their marketing plans to
reach product success.
PMs can gauge their progress
with a roadmap.
https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/business/product-management-main-stages-and-product-manager-role/

8. Potential Career Path in Product Management
Associate
Product
Manager
Product
Manager
Senior
Product
Manager
Director
of Product
VP of
Product
Chief
Product
Officer
3-5 years 5-7 years 5-7 years 5-7 years 3-5 years 5+ years

9. The Product Side of PM
Product and Design go hand-in-hand
● Familiarity with product design is
beneficial for interviews
● Design-thinking focuses on
problem-solving
● Empathy helps create vision for user

10. What it Takes to be a Product Manager
Prioritize
ruthlessly
Know the lay
of the land
Empower
your team to
make their
own decisions
Learn to
influence
without
authority
Develop a
thick skin

11. Navigating the Associate Product
Manager (APM) Recruiting Cycle

12. The Interview Process
The process may vary from company to company, but this is a general interview process for
APM applicants:
Recruiter
Screening
Product
Challenge
Phone
Interview
(2-3)
Interview
Follow-Ups
Recruiters scan through
applications, either
in-person or using AI, to
see which applicants they
want to learn more
about.
You will be asked to
define a feature to
improve in the company’s
current product suite or
describe the strategy
behind a favorite product.
A combination of
behavioral and case
questions, these
interviews will test your
potential PM skills and it
is your final chance to
impress the hiring
managers.
Following up with your
interviewers is important
to get feedback and to
thank them, regardless of
the outcome of your
decision.

13. Crafting a PM Resume
• It is important to convey your
leadership skills, your impact from
classes and/or extracurricular activities,
and passion for product management
• Frame the bullet points in your resume
about how you define success
• The sample resume shown on the left
uses vocabulary, such as “collaborated,”
“analyzed,” and “led” to showcase PM
skills
• Quantify your actions so recruiters can
fully grasp the impact you made

14. Cracking the Behavioral Interview
● Reference details from MET’s Job Closer slideshare here
● Give your 2-minute pitch
● Include hobbies and prompt the interview to make it more human
● Tell an engaging story
● Break and address your “stereotype”
○ How are you more than a CS major at Berkeley?
● Curate a list of strengths and weaknesses
○ Strengths: data-oriented, risk-taking, empathetic, resilience
○ Weakness: too optimistic, blunt
● Prepare job-specific or company-specific questions

15. Answering a Behavioral Question
CAR (Challenge Action Result) is the industry standard formatting for answering
behavioral based interview questions i.e.
• Tell me about a time when…
• Give me an example of when you…
Challenge → What was the issue?
Action → How did you react to it?
Result → Did you impact change
CAR
Click here to access a template of the CAR matrix

16. How to Crack the Product Design Interview
The Circles Method
Comprehend
Situation
What? Who? How?
Why?
Identify
Customer
User Personas
Report
Customer
Needs
As ___, I want
____ so
that______
Cut, Through
Prioritization
ROI estimate?
List
Solutions
Evaluate
Tradeoffs
Thoughtful,
analytical, objective
Summarize
Recommendation
What, recap, Why vs.
others

17. Tips for Organizing Product Design Interview
● Clarification: Clarify all ambiguous components of the question
● Answer Structure: Outline your answer to demonstrate
communication skills and maintain structure
● Business Goals: Take a step back to identify business context
● Identify User + Use Cases: Narrow down a user type
● Identify Gaps: Where do some solutions fall short?
● Brainstorm: Generate potential solutions for each user problem
● Prioritize: Examine tradeoffs and factors (reach, impact, effort)
● Summarize: Restate the chosen solution

18. Sample Product Design Interview
Interviewee: Could you tell me desired objectives for the slide?
Interviewer: A bookshelf known for its innovation
Interviewee: Where would the bookshelf be used other than a family
household setting (schools, children’s hospitals, etc.)?
Interviewer: Family households alone.
Q: Design a Bookshelf for a Child
Clarification
Parents are the most likely buyers of bookshelves for their
children. Since the goal is to design an innovative bookshelf, I
think the types of families buying such a bookshelf would be
families with high disposable incomes. High income families are
likely to favor design over utility.
Identifying Users
● Children could use a long single shelf of a bookshelf for fun as
a ‘seesaw’
● Since children grow up quickly, a height adjustable bookshelf
would be useful
● Embed a display into a bookshelf to provide a summary and
information about each book on the shelf
● Of all the use cases, I think the one that would spark an original design is
the “Seesaw” bookshelf, which children could use for shelving books and
for fun.
● The second best use case is the “Adjustable bookshelf.” It is an innovative
concept for adults and children. The concept is not difficult to build.
To design a bookshelf that also functions as a seesaw, I would consider the following
● The bookshelf would consist of one long horizontal shelf placed on top of a
standing pole that would serve as a middle hinge for the shelf.
● The material of the shelf would need to be strong enough to hold the books
and support the weight of a child, so probably thick wood or metal.
I would first launch the product with the basic seesaw bookshelf, to see if the
idea appeals to customers. If that is successful, then I would test the appeal of
the intermediate and advanced versions by testing the products with the
customers that liked the basic version.
Recommendation
Prioritize Use Cases
Use Cases
Listing Solutions

19. Sample Product Design Interview
Q: Design a Bookshelf for a Child
Clarification
Interviewee: Could you
tell me desired
objectives for the slide?
Interviewer: A bookshelf
known for its innovation
Interviewee: Where
would the bookshelf be
used other than a family
household setting
(schools, children’s
hospitals, etc.)?
Interviewer: Family
households alone.
Identifying
Users
Parents are the most
likely buyers of
bookshelves for their
children. Since the
goal is to design an
innovative bookshelf,
I think the types of
families buying such
a bookshelf would be
families with high
disposable incomes.
High income families
are likely to favor
design over utility.
Use Cases
Children could use a
long single shelf of a
bookshelf for fun as a
‘seesaw’
Since children grow
up quickly, a height
adjustable bookshelf
would be useful
Embed a display into
a bookshelf to
provide a summary
and information
about each book on
the shelf
List
Solutions
The bookshelf would
consist of one long
horizontal shelf
placed on top of a
standing pole that
would serve as a
middle hinge for the
shelf.
The material of the
shelf would need to
be strong enough to
hold the books and
support the weight of
a child, so probably
thick wood or metal.
Prioritize
Use Cases
Of all the use cases, I
think the one that
would spark an original
design is the “Seesaw”
bookshelf, which
children could use for
shelving books and for
fun.
The second best use
case is the “Adjustable
bookshelf.” The
concept is not difficult
to build.
Summary
I would first launch the
product with the basic
seesaw bookshelf, to
see if the idea appeals
to customers. If that is
successful, then I
would test the appeal
of the intermediate
and advanced versions
by testing the products
with the customers
that liked the basic
version.

20. Telling Your Story with a Cover Letter
• Cover letters are a great way to tell your story of why you want to become
a Product Manager
• Showcase any past internship or professional experience that really
helped you build your skills necessary for a PM to have
• Do not create a ‘generic’ cover letter that can be used to submit to every
company you apply to
– Make each cover letter unique to the company’s missions and values
– You can refer to the research you have done in your cover letter for
formal interviews, conversations at career fairs, etc.

21. Leveraging Your Personal Network
- M.E.T. Network
- Many alumni are Associate Product Managers
- Many in the M.E.T. ecosystem have connections with PMs in tech, etc. companies
- Have those in your personal network review your resume and
cover letter
-

22. Career Fairs
• Before you go to the company’s booth:
– Research the company
– Have your elevator pitch prepared
– Be ready to talk about the company’s products
• Take advantage of M.E.T. Meet & Greets and career fairs that can be
found on Handshake

23. Leveraging Berkeley PM Resources
Find more tips from M.E.T.’s Founding Class here

24. Product Management Clubs at Berkeley
Product Space @ Berkeley Product Garage at Berkeley
At Product Space, members learn the
necessary skills demanded in the
product management field to thrive
as product leaders and help others
interested in PM.
Fellowship: For those new to PM, the
fellowship program gives members the
opportunity to explore the field with
like-minded individuals and resources.
Client: For those with experience in PM, the
client program gives members the
opportunity to apply their knowledge on
real-world client projects.
Product Garage is a student org on
campus focused in tech, product, and
design. Members build and launch
fun and useful technology for the
Berkeley student community.
Product Cubs: Members will learn
application & code development, UI/UX
Research, Product Design, Product
Marketing, and effective pitching
techniques.
Recruiting happens at the start of every
semester. Stay tuned on their website here.
Recruiting happens at the start of every
semester. Stay tuned on their website here.

25. Haas MBA Blogs on PM
Click Here To
Access Blogs

26. Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
(INDENG) 186: Product Management
In this course, students will work in teams compromising of peers with diverse backgrounds in
engineering, business, tech, and more to stimulate real-world, cross-functional environments
where people with different skills collaborate to build a successful product.
Instructors
Derek Chan
Former AI Product
Director at Bill.com
Ken Sandy
Former VP of
Product at
Masterclass
Learning Outcomes Enrollment
Experience a live development of
a product within the context of a
product development process
Learn common methods used in
product management
Gain experience needed to work
as product managers in real life
environments
Open to Juniors and Seniors
Submit Course Application
All Majors are welcome
Instructor Permission is
Required to Enroll