Should product marketing candidates go 'above and beyond' in interview prep and put a 30-60-90 day plan or SWOT analysis together?

Short answer, yes. If it's a job you really want, go above and beyond. Now, if a company says they want you to prepare a 5 slide presentation on something, I wouldn't simply decide that 10 slides is fine, because they might want to see whether or not you can create a concise deck. So if you plan to go above and beyond, and you have questions around it, just ask the hiring manager or recruiter.

When I ask candidates to prepare an excercise, some candidates proactively request time with me prior, which is really smart, and puts them at an advantage. But many don't.

I also just had a candidate who didn't think they put their best foot forward in a presentation, and this person asked me if they could prepare some additional thoughts over the weekend and go over it with me the following week. I said "of course". When people go above and beyond, not only is it a sign that they really want the job, but it's also a strong indicator of their work ethic. 

It is really hard to get these types of big deliverables right, as you won’t really have enough information as an interviewee to nail them. Unless I specifically ask for this type of deliverable, it can actually work against you.

Instead, I prefer that candidates show how they think throughout the interview process.

For example, prior to the hiring manager interview, spend a large chunk of time on the website and come prepared to talk about your observations re: what parts of their messaging you like (and why), and what parts need some work, offering a suggestion or two. Look at competitor websites and note what you think they do effectively. Look at the content your prospective employer produces and analyze where there are gaps in terms of content needed for the funnel, and talk about how you can fill those gaps. Is there too much thought leadership and not enough ‘how to’? Or the reverse? Are they lacking in customer evidence or competitive positioning? Do they have gaps in content for some of their personas - I.e. they are really strong with decision-maker content, but not so strong with content that appeals to practitioners. To me, this is more compelling than abstract deliverables.

I love when candidates go above and beyond! I always do when I interview for my next role. A 30-60-90 is extremely helpful for the hiring manager to know how you prioritize and candidly, will also help you decide if the role is the right one for you. I'd almost always have a deck with my 30-60-90, SWOT of the product, the target persona analysis for any role you are applying for.

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 entire context. I also think it is the manager’s role to co-build a strong 30-60-90 day plan.

If I am a hiring manager and you build a 30-60-90 day plan without my asking you for it, or some perspective on the company , I won’t penalize you. it will demonstrate a strong sense of initiative. It will help you stand out in my eyes as someone who really wants this job, as you took the time to do this. I won’t look at whether you actually got the SWOT right, or whether your product/company knowledge is on point or not. I don’t expect you to know a lot about the product/company as an external candidate. However, not all hiring managers may share this view. It is important to outline your assumptions and set the right expectations. The goal is to focus on the elements you want to stand out (e.g. taking initiative, going above and beyond, passion for the company, structured thinking about your plan) and not on the actual accuracy of the answer.

In most cases, these types of deliverables won't be particularly useful because you don't have enough context to actually make solid plans or recommendations. And, while it's nice to think that it shows initiative, it also leaves a lot of room for the candidate to get something wrong because they don't have all the information.

Instead, I recommend focusing on the assignment from the hiring team, using the full context of the interviews and the details of the assignment.

Good hiring managers know that candidates don't have all the details to create something like a 30-60-90 plan (especially for more junior PMM roles), so they're hone the assignment to a more concrete deliverable that reflects the day-to-day responsibilities, skills, and expertise required for the job.

These days, most Product Marketing interviews will have a task element outlined in the first or second interview. These may include a 30-60-90 day plan, a SWOT, a presentation, a launch plan, or other typical PMM tasks. 

At some point in the process, whether on application submission or in your first interview, you will be asked directly or indirectly why you want the role / want to join the company, so researching SWOT information will stand you in good stead to answer this question but I would not go overboard prepping until you've gained an understanding of the interview process for a particular role.

Personally, I don't consider those two examples as being "above and beyond" - I consider them as a baseline for any marketing candidate. Ironically, I recently spoke with a former colleague about this very topic and he was in full agreement. 

If you want to prove to the prospective employer that you can add value, then you should be prepared to cover these things without even hesitating if it comes up during your interview.