Rubric for PM Interviews
You've just learned a great framework for answering anything interviewers might throw at you in a product management interview.
Still, you might be wondering how your answers lead to a hire or no-hire decision.
How Hiring Decisions Are Made in Big Tech
Each company weighs skills and competencies differently, but the evaluation process is similar across the board. Hiring decisions occur after the final round—typically the on-site. Either the recruiter or hiring manager will lead a 30-minute meeting with the goal of arriving at a decision. Interviewers take turns sharing their feedback and a recommendation along a set spectrum, e.g. Strong No / No / Yes / Strong Yes.
For the most part, these meetings are consensus-driven, but in many companies, the hiring manager has slightly more influence. Sometimes the decision is quick. If not, it may come down to which group can convince the other to change their vote. Interviewers may place more emphasis on technical skills or domain-specific knowledge when evaluating an "on-the-fence" candidate, but evaluations typically follow a specific rubric.
Why This Approach?
Hiring committees and rubrics serve similar purposes. When used correctly, they allow for a consistent process, meaning everyone is assessed at the same high standard. Counterintuitively, standard processes also allow companies to adapt quicker.
For example, if Meta decided to switch out all Leetcode-style coding questions with system design questions when interviewing SWEs, it would be easy to pinpoint every round needing an update.
What Interview Rubrics Offer
Rubrics have a lot of value for companies.
- They ensure that all candidates are assessed on the same core set of competencies that a company deems critical for the role.
- They make it easier for interviewers to step into the process without tons of extra training or prep time.
- They allow for a more equitable comparison between candidates and help ensure the group chooses a high-quality hire.
Turning the structure rubrics offer interviewers into an asset can also be a game-changer for candidates. If you know what interviewers are looking for, you can score your own performance, identify your weak areas, and hone your strengths.
Interview Rubrics @ Exponent
We've worked with FAANG hiring managers and Exponent coaches to put together comprehensive and rigorous interview rubrics for all six of the main PM interview types. You can read more on the specifics here:
Each rubric captures all the main signals FAANG companies tend to look for, with a rating from 1-5 (or "missing/very weak" to "very strong").
How to Use Exponent's PM Interview Rubrics
Rubric explainers are included after the core lesson on each interview type. Read through the guidance for each category to get a sense of what to look for when scoring, then, watch and score mock videos as you go.
Once you submit your rubric, you'll see how an Exponent coach scored the interview. Read through their notes and the overall hiring decision, and make note of any categories where your score and the expert score varied significantly. Consider adjusting your own expectations, and use that exercise as "calibration" when you practice your own answer below. It's that simple!
One Last Note...
The main goal here is to give you something concrete to score your performance as you practice, but there's another benefit: by using a rubric, you'll calibrate yourself to the mindset of an interviewer. As you work with the rubrics, you'll begin to get a sense of what a really good answer sounds like, and where major signals are being missed entirely.
They'll also put you at ease about what the expectations really are. You'll notice as you work through the mock video rubrics that some answers are missing one or two key signals, or they've scored "weak" in an area or two... But Exponent coaches have still recommended them for hire!
In the real world, you're not expected to be perfect. But by nailing a few key signals like user-centricity and product vision in product design interviews, you can wow interviewers even if you miss talking through a few tradeoffs.
This "flexibility" can be advantageous to you. Companies use rubrics in leveling discussions when bringing on new employees, so if you're interviewing for an L3 role and you blow your interviewers away in each category, you may be able to negotiate higher compensation.
Let's get started.