š“ Straight from the horseās mouth - Issue 2
For this Womenās Day special issue, we spoke to Niki Agrawal who does product @ Bumble, the dating app. In her previous stints, Niki founded a profitable startup and was product manager at the meal-kit delivery service, HelloFresh. Niki also runs goodbad_ux on Instagram, a super fun page that calls out good and avoidable UX in day-to-day objects and experiences. Niki is from San Francisco and currently based out of London. You can learn more about her here!Ā
What is your favourite question that you ask PMs?
āEvery PM has a superpower and something they want to work on ā what are those for you?ā
I love this question because it shows a self-awareness necessary to grow as a leader. It also helps me evaluate how the company could be a match for the candidate. Can the candidate grow at the company? For example if they want to develop their mentorship skills but itās a junior role, maybe we donāt offer that immediately and we can be transparent with expectations. If they want to grow in having more strategic conversations, maybe I can share an example of how we helped a past PM do that to make what we offer more appealing. (If the applicant is especially competitive, theyāll be interviewing for several great companies.) The conversation becomes self-growth oriented, and the answer to this question helps me to understand the candidateās goals and personality better while also being able to provide a realistic picture of the company to assess fit.
What traits are important for you as you look for a PM to join your team?
Communication skills (Can I work with this person? Do I want to work with this person?)
PM skills/experience (Is this person qualified for doing the job? Have they done past projects that demonstrate they can handle the scope and challenge?)
Passion for the product (Will this person champion the mission? Will they potentially contribute subject-matter expertise?)
p.s. More here on how to demonstrate these traits in your resume to get in the door. (See point 7 on quantifying especially!)
What are some common mistakes youāve seen candidates make in product interviews?
The most common mistake Iāve seen relates to not being articulate in answers, or not rehearsing the especially common questions. Many PMs will have great achievements or projects, but if they cannot convey the appropriate context and story arc to the interviewer, they donāt get credit for their work in the interview. Iāve seen junior PMs especially not be prepared for the ātell me about yourselfā question or the āwhatās a project that didnāt work outā or ādo you have any questions for meā questions ā classic interview material to prepare beforehand. For those who are prepared with the story, some havenāt practiced out loud, forgetting details and going back or giving far too many specifics that the storyās direction is lost. Some give generic answers that anyone from any background could ask. If good interviews are based on good stories, then bad interviews happen when those stories are not told well.Ā
Have a story bank. Practice the story bank. Ask questions that are meaningful and show your thought process.
[Bonus read: I once bombed a product interview so badly! The interviewer asked me a 40-minute exercise on whatās my favourite product without prepping me (so I had chosen something random I hardly knew about - yikes). However, I asked really solid questions at the end about their business model, what challenges I saw at my past company and what they were doing about similar challenges I expected they were having, culture-based insights etc. ā and they called me back for the next round! The last advice is a good one to emphasize ā make sure the questions you ask at the end are meaningful. Youāre interviewing them too.)Ā
What does a really good answer cover?
A really good answer tells a story.
Good answers: Are memorable. Answer the question. Are not too short nor too long. Incorporate data as much as possible (i.e. increased feature adoption by what percent?). Are told on the slower side. Have elements of oneās personality. Show how value will be added to the company. Are guided by a framework or theme. Potentially use prepared elements like slides if relevant (i.e. ideas on what the companyās product could improve). Showcase elements of the job description. Include both specifics and an overarching lesson. Show a continuous growth mindset.
What made you want to switch to product management?
Before PMing, I was CEO of a startup. When transitioning out of the startup, I was confused what I wanted to do next, so I took a bunch of people out to coffees ā business analysts, project managers, product managers, consultants, etc. After a few interviews with PM leaders (which I blogged about here, here, and here), I decided that I had already done a lot of PMing through my past gig as CEO even if I didnāt call it that at the time, and that I really enjoyed the PM aspects of being a tech founder and wanted to do more of it. Thus, by diving into all alternatives and through process of elimination, I walked into product management with confidence of the career I was choosing. Today I still love PMing because I like creating experiences that solve peopleās biggest problems. (And seeing that reflected in the data!)Ā
Who is your role model?
My role models are the line of women I come from! My grandma was formally educated only until the 5th grade, and after having kids, she studied hard in her 30s to pass her college degree and make a business to help with family finances when other family members passed away. My mom moved to a foreign country at the age of 20 to pursue a degree in a male-dominated STEM field and raised 3 kids while changing outdated gender norms common in our culture. As a woman, I aspire to have the sustained boldness they have shown in their lifetimes.