AMA: Klaviyo Former VP-Product Marketing, Sahil Sethi on Product Marketing interviews

I think the best product marketing candidates have three things in common They are strong on the core requirements for the role. In most cases, it involves a degree of comfort with developing or activating messaging/positioning/value propositions for products/solutions/audiences/segments. They can simplify complex ideas, convey it in different media types and can explain the process behind it confidently They are natural collaboators and very very strong at working with others. Could be product, ...Read More

My favorite question is very simple I ask them “Can you pitch me your product?” (if they come from any marketing role) It allows me to understand their storytelling skills. It helps me understand if they are truly comfortable with the idea of messaging and positioning (which I think is fundamental for any PMM to be successful. They have to understand it - even if they aren’t developing it). It helps me understand their oral communication skills. Sometimes, it also demonstrates a bit of flair and ...Read More

This is such a good question There are many ways to demonstrate success of messaging/positioning work Talk through the process - Explain your approach to developing messaging and positioning. Talk about the customer interviews you did, the drafts you wrote, the messaging pillars you discarded and why, the frameworks you followed, the internal sales validation you did, the product deep dives you sat through, the brainstorming sessions and workshops you led, the customer testing you observed and t ...Read More

As a hiring manager, I often ask candidates for these exercises if I feel like I need to better understand their thought process. This comes in the form of question prompts where I may ask them to develop a POV on a particular GTM problem and their approach to it. It covers elements of what you describe (e.g. SWOT analysis, or their thoughts on company/product) I personally don’t ask candidates to prepare 30-60-90 day plans, or reports on the company/product as I don’t believe they have the enti ...Read More

Not being able to strongly respond to the question “Can you pitch your product to me ?” Not being ready with good writing samples Not coming with strong examples of your leadership skills - influence, persuasion, relationship building, collaboration and more These questions demonstrate the fundamental aspects of product marketing. The first is about messaging/positioning/value prop. The second is about whether you can write/communicate that in words (even a pitch deck or a webinar abstract or a ...Read More

For tenured PMM roles (e.g. team leads/directors or senior/principal PMMs who may not be team leads), I do ask for an assignment We usually give an open question that mimics a real business situation (often a challenge we are facing). It could be around marketing to a new audience, or launching a new product, or some change in positioning and messaging we’d like to effect. The final presentation is usually a 30-60 min 1:many presentation where you (the candidate) has the freedom to decide how th ...Read More

Good question. As PMMs, our roles touch so many aspects of the company that ROI could be hard to define. My advice to every PMM is to think through the impact of their work, and the process of measuring their impact --- on a day to day basis, and not after the activity. So when the question does come up, you have a response ready.  ROI can be measured both in terms of quantifiable business metrics as well as your impact on people, on the company brand, on the product roadmap or the company strat ...Read More

As long as you have generally worked in functions in or adjacent to product marketing (e..g content, campaigns, market research etc.), my guidance is to always use one resume that covers the breath of your experiences.  I see some candidates fret over preparing a resume that is more tailored to PLG, and another that speaks to enablement, or another that is more tailored around launches - depending on what they believe the role demands. I don’t think that is necessary. All hiring managers appreci ...Read More

For interviews for tenured PMMs (e.g. team leads/managers, or principal PMMs /senior ICs) , it is a common practice to ask for a case study or presentation based on a real-life business situation. Some of them require data analysis as well The most technical aspect of product marketing is ‘messaging’. I expect every PMM candidate to be able to describe a product’s value proposition in their unique way. This is a common question in most PMM interviews - “How would you describe your product to a l ...Read More

“Tell me about a time when you dealt with professional failure” “Tell me about a time when you had to work with an underperforming direct report ?” “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult co-worker in another function” “What is your proudest professional accomplishment since you became a manager ? Why “? “What is your rhythm of business ? How do you communicate priorities and keep your teams aligned” ? “Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your manager ? What happened ...Read More

Differentiators Good messaging smartly incorporates differentiators. Yes messaging is about the outcomes and benefits, it is about the category and the disruptions , it is about value pillars but great messaging smartly incorporates differentiators in that work When you describe your product with adjectives like easy to use, flexible, integrated, intelligent, automated, enterprise-grade, accessible, secure, powerful, unified, all-in-one etc - you are indirectly conveying why your product is diff ...Read More

Note - I don’t always look for autonomy unless I believe it is a key requirement for the role. Many PMM roles require more execution skills, a hustle mindset and someone who can get things done - even if it requires a bit of handholding and coaching along the way However, if autonomy is what the role demands , I try and suss it out by asking a ton of follow questions to standard behavioral questions. When a candidate explains a story/situation from their previous work experience, I often double ...Read More