APM interview prep

What is important regarding ads for google?

Ads: AdWords, AdSense, CPC, CPM: Google Ads (formerly AdWords): Google's advertising platform where businesses bid for ad placement in search results or across partner websites. AdSense: A tool that allows website owners to earn revenue by displaying Google-powered ads on their sites. CPC (Cost Per Click): Advertisers pay only when someone clicks on their ad, making it a performance-based model. CPM (Cost Per Mille): Advertisers pay for every 1,000 impressions of their ad, focusing on visibility rather than clicks. Importance: Advertising contributes over 75% of Google's total revenue, with Google Ads and YouTube Ads being the primary drivers.

What is google's current place in the market right now?

As of December 1, 2024, Google maintains a dominant position in the global search engine market, commanding approximately 90% of market share. This leadership extends to its advertising and cloud services, with the latter experiencing significant growth; in Q3 2024, Google Cloud's revenue increased by 35% to $11.4 billion, contributing to Alphabet's overall revenue of $88.3 billion—a 15% year-over-year rise.

What are some key things to remember about the interview?

Communicate clearly Don't ramble, give an outline, clarify There is rarely one right answer Take a deep breath before answering Your interviewer will push back Don't get flustered! They might be seeing how you respond, or looking to clarify your thought process. Geek out, get excited, and show your love of technology & users

What is an sample answer to "Tell me about yourself?"

Education & Background: Junior at Emory University, studying Computer Science; discovered a passion for coding in freshman year, excelling in problem-solving and building efficient solutions. Technical Experience: SWE Intern at Justworks; developed real-time dashboards to improve system monitoring and enhanced backend logic to optimize user experience. Product Exposure: Attended syncs and collaborated with PMs, gaining hands-on insight into prioritization, trade-offs, and delivering user-focused solutions, sparking interest in PM. Leadership Experience: Directed data analysis at Blackstar; aligned creative teams and data-driven strategies to deliver measurable results and impactful campaigns. Passions & Skills: Passionate about data-driven problem-solving (e.g., sports analytics); fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, enabling effective cross-cultural collaboration. Future Goals: Aspiring to leverage technical expertise, strategic thinking, and leadership to create impactful, user-centered products as a PM.

What is an sample answer to Why Google?

Google stands out because of its unique ability to blend technological innovation with a mission-driven approach to solving global challenges. Unlike other companies, Google isn't just building products—it's creating ecosystems that empower individuals and organizations, from Search to TensorFlow to its sustainability initiatives. The company's commitment to ethical AI, accessibility, and fostering a culture of moonshot thinking inspires me to contribute to this vision. What truly differentiates Google is its emphasis on user-centric, data-driven innovation combined with a collaborative culture. During my time at Justworks, I built scalable solutions like Datadog dashboards to enhance system monitoring, and I've always prioritized solving problems with user needs at the forefront. Google's iterative approach to product development mirrors my own focus on continuous improvement and delivering impactful solutions. Additionally, the APM program's unparalleled mentorship and leadership opportunities align perfectly with my goal of becoming a product leader who drives meaningful change.

What are the interview goals?

How do you think? What is your thought process? 1) Think out loud! 2) Use paper How do you approach problem solving challenges? 1) Prepare for in-depth challenges

What is an sample answer to "Why PM"?

I'm drawn to product management because it allows me to combine my technical expertise, strategic thinking, and passion for creating user-focused solutions to solve meaningful problems. PMs sit at the intersection of technology, design, and business, empowering teams to build products that make an impact—a role I find both exciting and fulfilling. As a Software Engineering Intern, being immersed in the cycle of product development through attending syncs and team meetings gave me invaluable exposure to the core of product management. I saw firsthand how PMs bridge the gap between technical teams, stakeholders, and end-users, driving alignment and ensuring the product vision translates into tangible results. Observing how PMs navigate trade-offs, prioritize features, and advocate for user needs opened my eyes to the strategic and collaborative aspects of the role. These experiences deepened my appreciation for the impact of thoughtful decision-making in shaping products and inspired me to pursue a path where I can lead this process, ensuring every product meets both user expectations and business goals.

What are the industry trends?

Industry Trends (Cloud, Sharing Economy, Mobile, VR, ML): Cloud: Google Cloud is growing rapidly, reporting a 35% year-over-year revenue increase in Q3 2024. Its focus includes AI and ML tools (e.g., Vertex AI, BigQuery). Sharing Economy: Google Maps and Google Search are essential tools for platforms like Uber and Airbnb, embedding Google deeply in this ecosystem. Mobile: Android powers more than 70% of global smartphones, making it a cornerstone of Google's mobile strategy. VR (Virtual Reality): While Google has minimal focus on VR, its AR tools (e.g., Google Lens) showcase innovative applications of visual search and augmented reality. ML (Machine Learning): Machine learning drives key products like Search, Bard, Google Translate, and YouTube recommendations. TensorFlow, Google's open-source ML framework, is a leader in this space.

What are google's competitors in each key market?

Search Engines: Bing: Microsoft's search engine holds about 4.15% of the global market share. StatCounter Yahoo!: Accounts for approximately 1.33% of global searches. Baidu and Yandex: Dominate in China and Russia, respectively, with Baidu holding 0.83% and Yandex 2.8% of the global market. StatCounter E-commerce and Product Search: Amazon: Increasingly serves as a primary search platform for product-related queries, challenging Google's dominance in product search and associated advertising revenue. Feedough Social Media and Video Platforms: Meta (Facebook): Competes for advertising dollars and user engagement, particularly in social networking and content discovery. TikTok: Attracts younger demographics for content discovery, impacting Google's search traffic. The Wall Street Journal Artificial Intelligence and AI-Driven Search: OpenAI's ChatGPT: Offers AI-driven conversational search capabilities, presenting an alternative to traditional search methods. Business Insider Perplexity AI: An AI search startup gaining traction as an alternative to Google, with significant user growth and funding. Financial Times Cloud Computing: Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure: Lead the cloud services market, with Google Cloud striving to increase its market share through competitive offerings. Mobile Operating Systems: Apple's iOS: Competes with Google's Android in the mobile OS market, influencing app ecosystems and user engagement.

What is the Interview Format?

Short intro + warm up question Why google? Why PM? Tell me about yourself? "The Meat" or product management questions. Close with your questions