My Google Product Manager Interview Experience

Ever since I updated my LinkedIn profile to say PM-Google Maps, I have had many people reach out to me to understand how to prepare for the Google PM interview. Given that I have recently gone through the loop, I am sharing my experience and some preparation tips without getting into the explicit questions I was asked.

Details on the Process

My process began when a staffing specialist reached out to me and we spoke about what I had been upto. He gave me an overview of the available roles in the Google Bangalore office and explained me the process. He also set expectations around the process timelines to be 10–12 weeks. This was followed by two telephonic rounds, following which I was called on-site. My on-site interviews were broken into 2 different days. Between each such interview, there was an average time gap of 15 days, stretching the interview process to 3 months. Once all the interviews were done and all the interviewers had submitted their feedback in the tool, I went through a team match step. At this step, the hiring manager spoke with me, trying to match my expectations with what they had to offer. Note, sometimes one goes through the team match after the hiring committee has reviewed the packet and has given a hire decision. While at other occasions, the team match is done first and the team recommendation is sent in the hiring packet along with the interviewer’s feedbacks. I am not sure when does Google follow which process. Post the team match, the hiring committee asked for an additional interview on a specific aspect of my application. I was also asked the names of folks I know at Google who were then sent a link to give feedback on my professional work. The interviewer’s feedback, the internal employee feedbacks along with the earlier packet was resent to the committee which approved the hiring. But wait, I still did not have an offer. Post the hiring committee, an executive committee reviews this hiring decision. And finally, the packet went to a compensation committee and the offer was rolled out. All in all, this took 4.5 months for me end to end. The recruiter was in touch with me throughout and the transparency from her end helped me maintain my patience and calm.

Preparation Strategy I followed

The recruiter shared with me the types of questions I could expect. This ranged from the typical product design, strategy questions to analytical, behavioural and even technical. I scraped the internet making a list of diverse questions in each of these categories. Glassdoor helped quite a lot. Out of this list, I started practising a sample of each type. I would have spent close to 2 hours a day on an average for a month. In hindsight, I can say, the interviews were not as difficult as I had read about (but then, this is hindsight). I used ‘Cracking the PM interview’ to nail the basics.

Some prep tips

1. The interviewers are looking for one’s approach and not really for the perfect answer. There is a bleak probability that you will get any question you have actually practised or seen. 99.9% of my questions were stuff I had never practised exactly. So, do not try to memorise stuff.
2. Patience would be the key here as the process is quite exhausting, more so because it is stretched out. Make the recruiter your best friend, ask how you are doing and work on the feedback provided.
3. Have a buddy if possible. Nothing beats mock interviews. I had a few friends help me with this. I also personally tried some free portals, but most people there are seeking help than willing to provide help. If needed, go for paid mock interviews (yeah, they exist)
4. Be regular in practising. You cannot prepare for everything in one go.
5. Try to not get all interviews scheduled in one day. Though it makes the process shorter, but it is likely that after two rounds, your mind would be tired. Not because you were asked tough questions, but because of the sheer pressure of being interviewed for Google :)
6. I was interviewed by a lot of Global product managers. Expect to be interviewed over VC.
7. The friend who referred me told me how even if I don’t get in, I should not get demotivated. Sometimes we all succumb to interview pressures or just have a bad day. This is extremely true and I found this advice extremely valuable. Never judge your potential or calibre by a day’s performance. It is too small a sample.

Questions I have got on LinkedIn so far

Does one interviewer know another’s feedback before they interview you or write theirs? No. Each interview is an independent evaluation.

How much say the hiring manager has in your hiring? They cannot be the sole reason you are hired or not hired. If they like you does not guarantee an offer. If they don’t, the recruiter will likely match you with other hiring managers if the overall interview feedback is positive.

Does Google ask domain specific questions? No, I came from e-commerce and none of the interview tested me on understanding maps.

P.S. — If you have a specific question I can help with, please leave a comment and I shall try my best to address it. Please be as specific in your question. Avoid generic ones. Avoid sending LinkedIn requests without explicitly stating the purpose of connecting. Avoid asking me to simply evaluate your profile, I am not suited for it.

P.S. — The story is also published on my LinkedIn channel.