Interview Coaching

Note: given my current employment with Google, I am no longer offering interview coaching.

When you interview for a job, the outcome is binary - you either get the job or not. The vast majority of candidates do not get feedback about how they performed other than the final outcome. The main reason behind this behavior is that companies don't really gain much from giving out feedback to candidates. In some cases, this information can be a liability; it can be used in lawsuits or negative PR campaigns.

To address this, I offer interview coaching to candidates applying to Product Manager roles.

Specifically, here's what I offer:

  • 45-minute interview over Skype or Google Hangout

  • 60-minute feedback/debrief session right after the interview

  • Written feedback I would have submitted to the hiring committee of a tech company, including a numerical score, strengths, and areas for improvement

  • Improve your resume formatting and wording

  • Concrete advice on how to prepare for the next interview

  • Recommendations on which companies to apply to

My experience

I have interviewed over 400 prospective Product Managers in my career: at Google, Yahoo and as a Product Management coach. I was a member of Yahoo's PM and Design hiring committee for over 2 years. This committee was made up of 5-6 people who made final recommendations to the CEO (Marissa Mayer) on every PM/Designer offer. I also co-founded and co-led Yahoo's Associate Product Manager. During my tenure, we hired 23 APMs and I served as a mentor to many of them. My full professional experience can be found here.

Results

Candidates I have worked with have received offers at Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Microsoft, and LinkedIn.

Pricing

The first interview session is $500. Each additional session is $350.

Refunds

If you pay for an interview coaching session and are not satisfied within the first 30 days, I will refund your payment fully.

Testimonials

Fernando’s advice and mentorship was instrumental in my transition from a software engineer to a product manager at a large tech company. Fernando helped me to understand the way large corporate organizations worked, the internal and external pressures that influenced my peer’s, and how to effectively work with my team. Fernando was constantly looking for ways to facilitate the next step in my development as a PM.

Spencer Liolios, Co-founder, Deco Software

Fernando hired me into the first class of Associate Product Managers at Yahoo. He taught me about product management, connected me with the company's senior leaders, and taught me how to conduct product manager interviews. Thanks to his mentorship, I was able to hone my product sense and learn the skills required of a Product Manager across a range of verticals. As a result of my work at Yahoo, the White House asked me to join the United States Digital Service to set up product manager programs inside the Federal Government.

Michael Plasmeier, Digital Services Specialist at USDS/The White House