How do you overcome domain hiring bias while looking for product roles?

Question

Melissa Ushakov · Accepted Answer

Domain experience is not at the top of the list of things I look for in a candidate. I have changed domains a couple of times in my career and it has helped me get a richer perspective. For this reason, I prefer to see some variety in product management candidates.

Domain experience can be a challenge in some scenarios and I have faced this problem in the past when interviewing for roles. There are a couple of techniques I have applied:

* Do enough research to learn the fundamentals. It is important for you to be able to have basic conversations on the topic to have a successful interview. It also shows that you are proactive and interested in this domain. 
 * Take some time to outline a plan for how you would learn about this space. Create a document that you can share proactively with the hiring manager and if the topic arises with others. 
 * As I mentioned in another one of my answers, it's important for product managers to demonstrate the ability to learn new things. Talk about how you have learned new skills in the past. Specifically call out in your resume when you've had to learn a new domain or skillset for a role.
 * While you may not have domain knowledge, there's other relevant experience that you bring to the table. Domain knowledge isn't everything! Think about the best way to position your background with the company/role. Ask the interviewers what they are looking for in the ideal candidate. Then talk about how you would bring that to the role.

Anton Kravchenko · Answer

I like to challenge those I hire with questions that don't fit the usual narrative. Below is an example of my Friday fun question:

Imagine humans decided to take the moon and push it through a giant rock grinder. The rock and matter that comes from another side of the grinder are dumped on earth. Question — would a human need an oxygen mask at the top of that rock structure?

I look for out-of-the-box thinking and thoughtful process to derive the answer.

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