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Impact Interview now offers a 3 hour class called How to Ace the Product Manager Interview. If you’re preparing for an upcoming product manager interview, this class is for you.

Dates
March 22, 2011
April 5, 2011
April 19, 2011

Time 6pm to 9 pm Pacific Time Zone (for all three class dates)

Location Online class

Cost $150

During this class, the instructor will cover the following:

• Product design questions including an easy-to-use framework for approaching this problem
• Market sizing questions such as “How much money do you think Google makes from Gmail ads each year?”
• Strategy questions including an in-depth discussion around new market entry, industry analysis, pricing, and competitive response questions
• Behavioral interview questions such as “Tell me a time when you influenced engineering”
  
• Traditional interview questions such as “Tell me about yourself” and “What’s your biggest weakness?”
  

Lewis will be the instructor for the class. Before Seattle Interview Coach, he led new AdWords product launches at Google. More recently, Lewis was Microsoft’s director of product management. Here’s what our clients say about his interview coaching:

• “I feel in control of my interviews again.” – G.T.
• “Lewis took my answers from ‘serviceable’ and pushed them to the next level!” – R.C.
• “I strongly recommend Lewis to anyone who wants to deliver when it counts.” – Z.P.
• “This is one of the best investments that I’ve made for my career.” – D.E.

Register before March 18th and receive a $25 discount. To register, choose a class date and click on the payment link below. For any other questions, email lewis@impactinterview.com.

By Patty Azzarello

I almost hired a guy sight unseen once who had on his resume “wheelchair rugby champion.” 
He was also very talented – but that’s not what impressed me initially, or most.

I have interviewed hundreds of people for executive and senior management positions. Virtually all of the people were qualified –
more than half of them were boring.

Now, more than ever – it’s time to stand out.

One mistake people make is to present themselves as a “package of skills.” 
This is shooting yourself in the foot. It’s dull. 
It’s unimpressive. It positions you badly.
 It bores the interviewer to death!

Boring: I have a lot of experience leading complex projects and programs. I always deliver on time.

Sticky: I am very competitive, always have been. So I make sure the goal is not only clearly defined, but looming large, to motivate the team to cross that finish line, because I am so driven to win. A great example of this is a funny story about when I was racing Italian motorcycles…

Boring: I have led service organizations for technology companies for 15 years. I have experience in software and hardware.

Sticky: I have an unusual combination of strengths. I am both highly analytical AND hugely action oriented. I can analyze a lot of information quickly, but then I’m driven to ACT – not get more data. This has always been true about me. An interesting example: in college, I created and ran a children’s marine science competition…

Boring: I have exceeded quota for 17 quarters in a row.

Sticky: I have a strong sense of empathy and I’m kind of obsessive about maximizing success in any situation. Customers love me because it’s always clear that I am creating and fighting for exactly what they need. As a result I have been able to make my numbers consistently in good times and bad.

Don’t skip the weird stuff!

I know a sales manager who had a former career directing theater. I know an engineering manager who is an award winning chef! Everyone that interviews them knows it too.

It’s as important to be memorable, as it is to make a good impression in the first place. The one who does competitive origami gets far more traction than the one who said they are good at delivering products on time?

The higher the position, the less the work skills matter, and the more it matters who you are as a human, what your values are, what your natural strengths are, how you lead, and how you choose and develop people.

Sure you need to cover the skills to get the interview, but to win the job –

You need to convey WHY you are good at what you do.

By discussing your core strengths and values you show people what they are going to get when they get YOU; it shows in a more concrete way, why they can be confident that you will be successful.

Really think about why you are good at what you do. What makes you different? What are the things that are always true about you, how you work, and why you are successful?

This is your interview gold.

Patty Azzarello is an executive, author, speaker and CEO advisor. Her company, Azzarello Group, Inc. works with corporate management teams to execute better and develop their leaders. Follow Patty on Twitter and check out her new book Rise…How to be Really Successful at Work AND Like Your Life.

The Business Insider reports that the hottest tech market is Seattle. As measured by the growth in tech listings on the job board Dice, here are the top tech job markets:

• Seattle: +47%
• Austin: +44%
• Silicon Valley: +41%
• Washington DC: +25%
• New York: +24%

The Business Insider notes the key tech employers in the Seattle region: Microsoft and Amazon along with a few Bay Area companies with a large Seattle presence, Google, Facebook, and Salesforce.com.

SEE ALSO: Google PM interview class, Google Software Engineer interview class, Google Product Marketing interview class

For those of you with an upcoming Google interview, here are little known insights about Google’s interview process. (Sources at the end of the post.)

Link to Questions about the Google Interview Process

What’s the best way to apply to Google?
What can I expect from the recruiter screening interview?
What are the Google phone interviews like, and how many should I expect?
What can I expect at the Google on-site interview?
Is creativity important?
How does interview feedback work?
How does the hiring committee work?
Why does Google ask me for my GPA and SAT score?
Do awards and patents matter?
What is the compensation committee?
What is the executive committee?
Why is there no hiring manager for this role?

What’s the best way to apply to Google?
You can apply to Google by visiting their jobs site, but it’s clear that Google likes referrals. Here’s a quote from their website:

Good people know other good people. Our best employees have been hired through referrals.

Find a friend or someone else in your network to refer you. Google employees receive a $2,000 referral bonus if you accept an offer and work at Google. As a result, they’ll be motivated to answer your questions and give you the inside scoop. The insider’s perspective will be invaluable.

What can I expect from the recruiter screening interview?
Typically a recruiter will call to discuss and verify your skills, education, and experience. If it’s a good fit, he or she will recommend you for a phone interview.

What are the Google phone interviews like, and how many should I expect?
Each phone interview lasts 30-45 minutes each. The phone interview is typically conducted by a peer in a similar role, not a recruiter. They’ll assess your skills. If you’re a software engineer, expect software coding questions. If you’re a product manager, expect questions on product design and development. Prepare for the interview by reviewing this list of Google interview questions.
After 1-2 phone interviews, the Google HR team can make a determination on whether to invite you for on-site interviews. If you’re a borderline candidate, they may request that you do an additional phone interview.

What can I expect at the Google on-site interview?

The Google on-site interview experience varies based on position. For software engineering roles, Google asks candidates to prepare for “coding, algorithm development, data structures, design patterns, analytical thinking skills.”
For business and general roles, be prepared for problem solving and behavioral interview questions. For instance, if you’re a marketing person, you may be asked to position a product or handle a delicate product issue. If you’re in a support role, they may ask you for a writing sample.

Is creativity important?
Absolutely. Google hires those who can think big. See #10 on Google’s list of 10 corporate values: “Great just isn’t good enough.”

How does interview feedback work?
Interview feedback is entered into the applicant tracking system. Typically interviewers provide feedback within 24 hours. The interviewer enters both qualitative and quantitative feedback. Each interviewee is given a numerical value. The recruiter aggregates all the interview feedback for the hiring committee. A single interviewer cannot see another interviewer’s feedback during the interview process. However, after a candidate is accepted or rejected, the interviewer will see all interview feedback including interview questions. The hiring committee may also provide feedback on the interviewer’s feedback quality.

How does the hiring committee work?
There is a hiring committee for each functional role. The committee members consists of senior leadership and experienced employees in the domain. Once a week, they review all the information including resumes, interview feedback, academic transcripts and any other supplemental information. After review, they will make a hire, no-hire, or get more information (aka do more interviews) recommendation. Some hiring committees meet on a more regular basis.

Why does Google ask me for my GPA and SAT score?
At Google, GPAs and SAT scores matter. Why? The Google HR team crunches all sorts of numbers to see what best predicts a candidate’s potential at Google. GPAs, test scores, interview scores, and academic institution have all been considered as success indicators. While GPA and where you went to school won’t rule out a candidate, the Google hiring team doesn’t want to make a mistake. They will ask you for as many data points to confidently determine whether you’ll succeed at the company. Don’t be surprised if they ask whether or not you hold any patents and won any collegiate awards.

Do awards and patents matter?
Yes. Distinctive people come up with distinctive results. On Google’s website, Google eagerly calls out their employee diversity: “Googlers range from former neurosurgeons, CEOs, and U.S. puzzle champions to alligator wrestlers and Marines. No matter what their backgrounds, Googlers make for interesting cube mates.”

What is the compensation committee?
The compensation, not hiring, committee determines the package. They are tasked to present an offer that’s fair (relative to other employees) and competitive (relative to the industry). By having compensation determined by another group, it minimizes biases and other decision making errors.

What is the executive committee?
Once the hiring committee feels good about a particular candidate, their “hire” recommendation is passed onto the executive committee. The top Google execs serves as a final check before an offer is presented. The executive committee may ask for additional data or clarification, but they rarely veto an offer.

Why is there no hiring manager for this role?
Don Dodge explains this best,

Hiring decisions are made by hiring committees. This means that no single hiring manager can make a potentially bad decision by themselves. This doesn’t guarantee 100% success, but it does reduce bad decisions. There must be consensus that the candidate is a great hire. Doesn’t this slow down the process? Not really, in fact the process insures that candidate status is reviewed by the committee every week. There is no opportunity for the hiring decision to get delayed by personal deadlines for other work. The consensus approach avoids “blind spots” or biases by an individual hiring manager, and results in better hiring decisions. Candidates are compared across several groups to make sure the acceptance criteria remain high.

Another source goes on to say, “At Google, it’s quite likely you’ll be interviewed by people who’ll you’ll never work directly with, and it’s extremely rare for someone to be interviewed by the person who ends up as their manager.”

SEE ALSO: Google PM interview class, Google Software Engineer interview class, Google Product Marketing interview class

Sources
http://www.google.com/jobs/joininggoogle/hiringprocess/index.html
http://dondodge.typepad.com/the_next_big_thing/2010/11/google-is-hiring-2000-people-how-to-get-a-job-at-google.html
http://piaw.blogspot.com/2010/04/hiring-committee-story.html

Photo Credit: Lynda

Seattle Times reports that Amazon currently has 1,900 openings. Almost half of those openings are for software developers. Amazon is also recruiting product managers, graphic designers, sales people and supply chain analysts.

Amazon currently has 33,400 people worldwide and recently moved their headquarters to Seattle’s South Lake Union location.

Google VP of People Operations, Laszlo Bock, recently told students, “You can anticipate 95 percent of interview questions you’re going to get.”

Other excellent interview tips from his recent talk at Pomona College:

• Practice. Says Bock, “Practice like heck. Practice how you interview, practice how you put your résumé together, and practice how you interact with people in these kinds of settings, because that’s going to be all the difference. The only way to get good at it is practice, and most people don’t do that.” Only 4% of job candidates do mock interviews.
• Write down interview responses. When Bock looked for a summer job, he brainstormed 30 potential interview questions and wrote down three answers for each one.
• Practice out loud. He practiced these answers until he had it ready. Not only were his answers polished, but he could also focus his mental energy to “how [interviewers] were reacting to my answer.”

The next How to Ace the Software Engineering Interview class is Wednesday, March 9th. If you need a refresher on computer science fundamentals or if you are nervous about coding interviews, this class is for you.

During this class, the instructor will cover the following:

• Computer Science Fundamentals including data structures and algorithms
• Coding Questions including basic techniques, recursion problems, and what to do if you get stuck
• Object Oriented Design
• System Design

The instructor will also cover general interview tips and tricks at the end of the class.

Here’s what a student said about our last class:

The class had the main benefit of distilling down what I need to grok in order to be proficient in today’s software engineering interviews. I found the class instructor to be really excellent.

Our next class is next Wednesday, March 9th. To sign-up, fill out the payment information here. For more class details, read the below. For any other questions, email lewis@seattleinterviewcoach.com.

Course Information for How to Ace the Software Engineering Interview

Dates (choose one)
March 9, 2011
April 6, 2011

Time 6pm to 9 pm Pacific Time Zone (for all class dates)

Location Online class

Cost $150

Course Syllabus for How to Ace the Software Engineering Interview

Computer Science Fundamentals

The basis of any technical interview is going to be probing how deeply you know the basics. This is the foundation off of which the entire technical interview will be based. Have you ever considered saying, “I haven’t done that since college” during an interview? If so, I’ll break it down so you never again have to worry about not knowing how to implement a red-black tree.

• Data Structures
• Algorithms
• What’s really important to know

Coding Questions

We’ll cover a wide range of topics here from how to ask the right clarifying questions, learning how to identify the tricks within the questions, and, yes, of course some simple techniques for dominating recursive problems.

• Basic Techniques
• What to do if you get stuck
• Recursion

Object Oriented Design
Object Oriented Design in a skill that takes years to master. We’ll cover some of the best techniques for decomposing these problems down to their root elements and building a design that will impress your your interviewer.

System Design
These are the dreaded open ended design questions that can head off in to obscurity if not managed correctly. We’ll go over ways to maintain control of the question’s direction while still showing depth of understanding. We’ll cover modern web architectures, caching, concurrency topics, and more.

Behavioral Questions
This is the free throw of the technical interview. I’ll let you know how to prepare for these questions and wow the interviewers with only a couple hours of practice at home.

Interview Tips and Tricks
To close out, I’ll share with you what people on the other side of the table are really looking for and how to give it to them. I’ll teach you how to identify different types of interviewers and how to optimize your answers for their interviewing style.

This course will lay out what you need to know and how to effectively apply it during an interview so that you can put yourself in the bet light and maximize your chances of landing your dream job.

Google and other top employers ask job candidates for their college GPAs. This has spurred the oft-mentioned debate, “Do grades really matter?”

Research from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management concludes that grades do matter in the job market. Here are the top two takeaways:

• Grades are valuable in distinguishing high performers and low performers
• When grades aren’t revealed, top performers have to work harder to distinguish themselves from poor performers. Non-GPA distinctions could include certifications, additional degrees, and extracurricular activities.

The Seattle Times blog is asking readers: “How do you prepare for an interview?” Here are the early results from 156 respondents:

• 40% say they do research on the company
• 30% say they go over possible questions and answers
• 25% say they don’t prepare
• 4% say they do a mock interview
• 1% say they videotape themselves answering questions

I’m surprised that more people don’t do mock interviews or videotape themselves. The 30% of folks who review questions and answers may lull themselves to think that they’re ready, but they’re shortchanging themselves by not practicing out loud. It’s absolutely critical to verbalize your responses, listen to the uneven speech patterns, and then polish it off.

As for the 40% who research the company, I’ve found many job candidates spend countless hours memorizing irrelevant trivia about a potential employer. Those that do find relevant nuggets often fail to bring it up to the interview. That leaves me wondering, “Why do the homework if you’re not going to turn it in?”

SEE ALSO: Facebook PM interview questions and answers

Many candidates work with us to get ready for their Facebook interviews. With great perks, valuable stock options, and an innovative product, it’s no wonder that Facebook is one of the most desirable companies to work for. To get ready for this dream job, here are the top 10 tips when getting ready for your Facebook interviews:

1. Prepare for questions about you and your life goals. Common questions to expect include “Tell me about yourself,” “Why are you interested in Facebook,” “Where do you see yourself in 20 years,” and “What would you like to learn at Facebook.”
2. Get ready for hypothetical interview questions. Some recent hypothetical interview questions include “Assume that Facebook is not blocked in China. What marketing strategies would you recommend to expand our user base in China?”
3. Train for behavioral interview questions. Facebook has been known to ask behavioral interview questions such as “Tell me a time when you dealt with an angry advertiser.”
4. Research the product. Be prepared for interview questions about what you like and don’t like about the product.
5. Prepare for specialty interview topics. For example, candidates for the user operations analyst position must complete a writing assessment. Software engineers get whiteboard coding questions.
6. Review Facebook’s Wikipedia page. Key areas to note: the product time line and the company’s business performance including their revenue model and advertising revenues.
7. Read the latest Facebook news. Facebook’s blog is a great resource. Another fantastic resource is All Facebook, an industry blog that provides news and commentary on Facebook.
8. Research what’s it like to work at Facebook. Ask your friends what it’s like to work at Facebook and how to best prepare for the interview. Also check out the Facebook employee profiles on the careers page.
9. Read about other people’s Facebook interview experiences. Here’s a particularly insightful write-up from one blogger. You can find more Facebook interview experiences on Glassdoor.com.
10. Practice interview questions with friends. The last tip (and possibly the most important) – don’t forget to practice interview questions with your friends.

SEE ALSO: Facebook PM interview questions and answers