What are some surprising ways that candidates have stood out to you in PMM interviews? What are your biggest watchouts?

What are some surprising ways that candidates have stood out to you in PMM interviews? What are your biggest watchouts? PMMs are notoriously difficult to hire. The best PMMs I've worked with are Balance left and right brain Are equally adept at fast thinking and slow thinking Can maintain the 10,000' view while understanding the details at 1,000' It’s important to identify the 1-3 skills that will be most important for your company and domain. Then look for experiences that suggest they’ll excel ...Read More

One of the main things I look for when interviewing PMM candidates is how they well they communicate their past experience - namely how they describe not just their roles but also what the company does, what problems they solve for whom, why they win against competitors, etc. Candidates who've stood out to me have been able to tell me a story about their former/current company in such a way that I get super interested and excited, especially it's in a space where I have no expertise or context ( ...Read More

I'm always looking for PMMs that are excited to be there. It seems small, but if they have done research on the company and (even if they have never worked in the industry/space before) can point to something in their background that shows me they have a true interest, that's a standout candidate for sure. My biggest watchouts are people who cannot answer the case interviews. I don't care too much about the "right answers" or even if they are structured (like consulting/PM interviews do), I just ...Read More

Stood out: Being innately curious and asking relevant questions Demonstrating excellent writing I once took a chance and hired a product marketer who had no prior marketing experience. What did he have then? He was a self-published author. That tells you something about his ability to write and dedication to making things happen. He had a tech background. He was incredibly easy to talk to and quickly asked questions that were insightful to what I was sharing. He was curious about the products an ...Read More