Here are the key takeaways from the YouTube podcast “Nailing your job interview presentation – Edward Biden on The Product Experience”:
- Purpose of the Interview Presentation
- It’s less about getting the “right answer” and more about demonstrating how you think, approach problems, communicate, and would work with others as a product leader or manager.
- Presentations give insight into strategic thinking, communication, and problem-solving, even though they’re not a perfect measure of job performance1.
- Show How You Solve Their Real Problems
- The true job to be done in a product interview presentation isn’t just to answer a hypothetical business case—it’s to convincingly position yourself as the solution to the company’s real problems. Companies hire not merely to fill roles but to solve specific challenges. Your presentation should demonstrate your approach, credibility, and problem-solving abilities in a way that aligns with the company’s pain points and aspirations, even if the brief you’re given is vague or generic.
- If needed, you should "bend the brief" within reason to highlight your strengths in areas most relevant to the real challenges you expect to face in the role, making it clear that you understand what the business truly needs—even if they didn’t spell it out in the assignment1.
In short:
You’re not there just to "do an assignment," but to prove you’re the answer to a business need. Let your thinking and presentation make that unmistakably clear.
- Adapt to the Assignment
- If the presentation brief isn’t clear or doesn’t allow you to showcase your strongest, most relevant skills, don’t hesitate to flex the brief and cover the areas you believe are important for the role1.
- Presentation Format for Senior Roles
- For VP, CPO, or similar roles, the presentation is a pivotal part of the interview, coming after several one-on-one meetings.
- Use initial interviews with stakeholders to gain as much context as you can about the company’s strategy and current state.
- Make the Presentation Interactive
- While presentations are usually run in a standard way, adding elements for discussion and framing some slides as “hypothesis” or “for discussion” helps show flexibility and openness.
- It’s powerful to discuss trade-offs and demonstrate adaptable thinking versus having all the answers1.
- Recommended Deck Structure
- Introduction: Even if you’ve met everyone, provide a brief intro for context, for new people or if it will be shared internally.
- Strategic Framework: Lay out your strategy approach—mission, vision, user needs, powers (sources of sustainable advantage), and strategic pillars. Show you’d validate assumptions with research and stakeholder collaboration, not just make top-down decisions.
- Tactical Deep Dive/Execution: Demonstrate “in the weeds” execution ability. Discuss how you’d structure teams, success criteria, common failure modes, and how you’ve solved similar problems in the past.
- (If requested) 30-60-90 Day Plan: Instead, Biden suggests sharing your “product audit” process—a collaborative diagnostic with key stakeholders to understand and prioritize organizational needs. Highlight that quick wins depend on current strengths and weaknesses, and that early research and stakeholder buy-in are crucial1.
- Time Investment Expectation
- Candidates typically spend 6–8 hours on a great product presentation deck. Leveraging templates from past experiences is common.
- For individual contributor roles, about 4 hours is specified, but real effort might be 6–8 hours. For seniors, it’s similar, but they more often have reusable materials1.
- Assignment Setter Tips
- By the time you assign a presentation, candidates should have a fair shot at the role—limit to a few top candidates.
- Be conscious of time demands, particularly for working professionals or parents. Assess “good enough” rather than perfect, and remember you can discuss incomplete assignments in the interview.
- What Interviewers Look For
- Not just the “right” solution, but the candidate’s thinking process: problem identification, prioritization, ability to define clear problems and trade-offs, and how they communicate solutions.
- For senior roles, also evidence of strategic thinking, ability to structure teams, and assess/lead through ambiguity1.
- Additional Value
- Ed’s actual template and more resources are available at hustlebadger.com, especially in the “strategy” section1.
- Doing these presentations as a candidate can reveal whether a company’s strategy or mission aligns with your values and aspirations.
In summary:
Whether you’re interviewing or hiring, the job interview presentation is about showcasing—not only your strategic and tactical skills but also your collaborative mindset and practical approach. Adapt your approach to the audience and company, leverage past materials, and remember that process, communication, and adaptability matter as much as content1.
If you'd like actionable points or a condensed checklist from the above, let me know!