Mar 3
Day 3: #100daysofproductmanagement
The STAR method is holding you back in your behavioral interviews.
The STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method is “gold” standard for answering behavioral interview questions.
The STAR is me-centric, which in theory makes sense since you’re being asked to sell yourself. But, it focuses too much on what and how you did something and not the why or impact. It is 2 + (x) = y instead of 2 * (x) = y.
Wait, what does 2 + (x) = y instead of 2 * (x) = y even mean?
All product management articles and books tell you, you need to add numbers and/or write out potential calculations in order to bring your interviewers along with you as you estimate how many cars it would take to remap the entire United States.
I’m using the concept of “adding numbers” a bit differently. I’m using numerical operators and variables here as a metaphor to demonstrate how the STAR framework is better for Individual Contributors or two of the “P…Manager” titles — Project and Program —instead of Product Managers.
For this metaphor, our “x” variable is going to equal 3.
2 + (3) = 5
2 + (x) = y is a better storytelling framework for an Individual Contributor or a Project / Program Manager. This allows people to demonstrate how their skillset (e.g., technical, project management, etc… skills) has a linear relationship to the success of a goal.
Your story outline under STAR is: (S) This is the context; (T) this is what I was assigned to do or this is what I decided we needed; (A) these are the steps I took or things I did; (R) and this was the outcome.
One can argue that you can slip in creativity, analytic, and strategic thinking skills in the “Task” and “Action” part of the this framework, but this prescriptive framework doesn’t give much margin to highlight those items. This isn’t to say Product Managers are void of real action, but why these actions are the ones you take is the predictor of success in the role.
Product management is all about the why.
Why should an engineering team listen to you? Why should you add more weight to a customer need over a specific business need? Why did you decide to design that feature that way?
2 * (3) = 6
Two frameworks I think lend themselves to highlighting your creative, strategic, and analytical thinking skills as a Product Manager are SAR (Situation, Action, Result) and SAIL (Situation, Action, Impact, Learning). SAR and SAIL are 2 * (x) = y frameworks because they steer the conversation from focusing so heavily on what you did to why you did something.
This creates more opportunities for you to discuss the development of a strategy, how you prioritize, assumptions you make, and how all of these items guide your decision making.
Here is where these two frameworks become more dynamic (and add more value) than STAR.
For SAR, you have the opportunity to highlight your own innovation. The task isn’t assigned to you and you don’t need to talk about a goal you accomplished for someone / something else. Since you have less steps to get through, you can spend more time demonstrating your industry knowledge during the “Situation” and highlight your innovation in the “Action” by addressing how you solved a problem in the industry.
For SAIL, you create leverage for your interviewers to build on top of your answers by asking follow on questions related to the “Impact” and/or “Learnings.” These questions can look like, “what could you have done to add more impact in hindsight?” SAIL is also a great framework for answering variations of the “tell me about a time you failed” interview question.
Alternatively, you can transmute the question on your own by leaning into your own learnings. You can ask the interviewer if they have time to let you talk about how your learning influenced a better product design, way to work with partner teams, alternative strategy, etc…
As I mentioned in Day 2, you don’t have to use frameworks for anything! You just need to ensure that however you answer any question it is clear, concise, and actually answers the question. Happy interviewing!
