Struggling with vague product improvement questions in interviews. I’ve studied frameworks like CIRCLES, but hiring managers keep saying my answers feel scripted. How do experienced PMs balance structure with authentic insights? Specifically, how do you tailor product teardowns for different companies without regurgitating generic advice? What’s the playbook for making frameworks feel conversational?
frameworks are training wheels. you want the job? forget the acronyms and actually think. last interviewer asked me to improve slack. i said ‘kill the clown emoji reaction bar’ because metrics showed it tanked thread readability. got the offer. what’s broken about THEIR product? say that. carefully.
wait so like do we still use circles? i heard a FAANG pm say they hate it but idk what else to use. maybe just talk about user pain points first??
The key is to use frameworks as scaffolding, not script. For a recent Airbnb interview, I structured my answer around guest journey pain points but wove in data from their earnings call about experience parity. Mentioned a specific checkout friction I’d noticed as a user. Practice explaining your logic aloud instead of reciting steps.
You’ve got this! Blend structure with your unique observations. One tweak = big difference 
Analysis of 12 PM interview transcripts shows: Candidates who cited specific product metrics (DAU drop, support tickets) alongside frameworks had 67% higher pass rates. Example: For a ride-share app improvement question, anchor answers to driver retention rates from recent industry reports before suggesting features.