How would you improve LinkedIn? | LinkedIn PM Interview
How would you improve LinkedIn? | LinkedIn PM Interview
LinkedIn Product Manager Interview: Product Improvement - How would you improve LinkedIn?
Why are Product Improvement Questions asked?
Product Improvement Interview Questions are frequently asked by interviewers during Product Management interviews to gauge your aptitude on whether you are able to properly,
Create a methodical thought process in an uncertain situation.
Explain the product and the issues that it addresses for the various user groups.
Identify the problems with the product that the users of different segments are having.
Think of innovative ways to enhance the product.
Assess your options and create a product roadmap with priorities.
How to Answer Product Improvement Questions?
Here is a step-by-step framework, you should follow while answering product improvement interview questions during your interview:
0. Pay close attention to the keywords in the question.
1. Describe the Product. (P)
2. Ask clarifying Questions to trim down the scope of the question. (Q)
3. Define the Goal you want to achieve. (G)
4. List the User Segments and select one segment to focus on. (U)
5. List and prioritize the Pain Points for that segment. (P)
6. List out your Solutions to solve those pain points. (S)
7. Evaluate all the solutions and prioritize them. (E)
8. Define Metrics to measure the performance of the solutions. (M)
9. At the end, Summarize your answer (S)
(PQ-GUP-SEMS) -> Mnemonic to help you remember the steps & their order.
Now, let’s go through each of the above points and understand them in detail,
Step 0: Pay close attention to keywords in the question
It’s crucial to pay close attention to the interviewer’s question and understand what the interviewer wants as the outcome.
Question asked: How would you improve LinkedIn?
Two things to keep in mind:
Define the product - LinkedIn.
Clarify & Define the term “Improvement”.
Step 1: Describe the Product
To get things moving in the right direction, it is important to make sure that you and the interviewer are on the same page when it comes to the understanding of the product, its features, offerings, users and competitors.
LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that is designed to help users connect with other professionals and find job opportunities. This platform allows users to build a professional network and find clients, as well as learn new career advancement skills.
Users can create a personal profile on LinkedIn that includes their work experience, education, and skills. This profile can be viewed by other users, who can then connect with the user and add them to their professional network. Users can also search for job opportunities on LinkedIn and apply for them directly on the platform.
In addition to job searching and networking, LinkedIn also provides a variety of other features that can help users advance their careers. For example, users can join groups on LinkedIn that are related to their industry or interests. These groups provide a forum for users to connect with others in their field, share information and resources, and discuss industry-related topics.
Users can also write articles and post photos and videos on LinkedIn. This feature is a great way for users to showcase their expertise and gain visibility among other professionals in their field.
LinkedIn also allows users to organize offline events, such as networking events and conferences, which can be a great way for users to connect with other professionals in their field.
In addition to its desktop web, LinkedIn is also available as a mobile web and mobile app for users on the go. This makes it easy for users to stay connected with their professional network and find job opportunities even when they're away from their computer.
LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional networking platforms in the world, with over 700 million users worldwide. However, there are many competitors in the market such as AngelList, Xing, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Hired, CareerBuilder, Opportunity, Jobcase, etc.
In conclusion, LinkedIn is a powerful professional networking platform that allows users to connect with other professionals, find job opportunities, and advance their careers. The platform offers a variety of features, such as groups, articles, and offline events, which can help users build a professional network and gain visibility in their field. With its wide range of features, LinkedIn has become a valuable tool for professionals to connect and grow their careers.
If you get a question where you are not familiar with the product, you may ask the interviewer to give a brief idea about the product. They would usually help out.
Now that the product description is clear and the interviewer has also been brought on board,
It’s time to move on to the next step: Ask Clarifying Questions.
You: “Before we move on, I have a few clarifying questions I want to ask. Shall I proceed?”
Step 2: Ask clarifying Questions to trim down the scope of the question
Q) What do we mean by improvement here?
Improve user engagement?
Increase user retention?
Increase revenue?
Increase user base?
New features to compete with Instant Messaging tools?
A) It’s up to you. You are free to choose.
Q) Are we focussing on any particular platform like desktop web or mobile app?
Let’s consider the mobile app first.
Q) Are we focussing on any particular OS like, IOS or Android?
Let’s focus on both IOS & Android.
Q) For the improvement are we focusing on a particular region?
It’s up to you.
Step 3: Define the Goal you want to achieve.
The mission of LinkedIn is to “connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful”.
In my opinion, user engagement is something that closely relates to LinkedIn's mission statement. Additionally, if we can increase user engagement on LinkedIn, it will also see an increase in user retention and revenue. Hence, I think it makes sense to focus on improving user engagement for this question.
The Metrics I would focus on improving will be -
Time spent on the website.
Stickiness on the platform - WAU/MAU.
Mention your approach -
“Now that we have defined the goals for this problem, I will go ahead and list down the user segments for this product, followed by the pain points these users are facing, prioritize them, and come up with a prioritized list of solutions and metrics that we will track to identify its success.”
Step 4: List the User Segments
Users can be divided into the following types,
Job Seekers:
Uses LinkedIn to find jobs and connect with employment opportunities.
Usually browses through companies, different job listings, and applies for a lot of jobs.
Recruiters:
Uses LinkedIn to search and connect with top talents on LinkedIn.
Usually browses through candidate profiles and manages job postings.
Sales People:
Uses LinkedIn to find and connect with potential leads for their business.
Usually sends a lot of connection requests and direct messages to potential leads.
Now, Select your user group and state your reason for the same. -
“For the scope of this question, we plan to go ahead with the Job Seeker segment, as this segment of users are very large in the number who are looking for the right opportunity that could help them achieve their career goals.
If we can solve the pain points of these users, and help them engage more then that would increase the user engagement, which in turn can lead to an increase in retention and revenue as well.”
(Since LinkedIn’s Talent Solution brings in > 65% of the revenue for LinkedIn and Job Seekers plays an important role in that.)