Agoda Product Interview Prep: 10 Must-Know Topics 

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Agoda Product Interview Prep: 10 Must-Know Topics

Prepping for an Agoda Product interview? You’ve come to the right place! Thorough interview preparation will greatly reduce the stress of the interview process and allow you to show up as your best self.   

To set you up for success, we’ve compiled a list of key topics to review before your Agoda Product interview. By reflecting on your experiences ahead of time, you’ll avoid having to dig back into your memory and scramble to recall details during the interview itself. Instead, you’ll be free to focus, engage, and truly shine. 

10 Agoda Product Interview Topics to Review

1. Overview of Your Background 

Your introduction will set the tone for the interview, so take the time to practice giving a concise overview of your experience. Here are some tips to keep in mind: 

  • Keep it brief: To ensure there’s ample time for the rest of the interview, your introduction shouldn’t go over 5 minutes. 
  • Highlight major accomplishments: Don’t just recite your resume. Focus on significant achievements instead of narrating your full career history. 
  • Include hooks: Mention some of your prepared cases to set up the context for the conversation, allowing questions to flow naturally 
  • Mention reasons for leaving: Briefly state why you left each company to present those topics from needing extensive discussion later. 
  • Reflect on your professional growth: Present your experience and accomplishments as key pieces of a puzzle, showcasing your strengths in a clear manner. 

Here are some introductions written by Agoda Product team members:

“I’ve been in the tech industry since 2011, beginning as a web developer. My interest in analytics led me to pursue a master’s in management, transitioning into a business analyst and then a product management role in online travel. Later, I joined an e-commerce startup to extend my expertise and work with larger data sets, quickly rising to head of product by focusing on data-driven decisions.

When that project concluded, an exciting opportunity at Agoda came through LinkedIn. Now, I lead the Trips area at Agoda, enhancing seamless travel experiences for our users. Each career step has refined my skills in merging analytics with product insights, setting me up for effective leadership in product management.

Anna Lazutkina, Director of Product

I’ve been in product for 5 years, currently as a Senior Product Manager at Agoda, an online travel website based in Southeast Asia, working on our design system and making our front-end product more accessible. Before joining Agoda, I was a healthtech-focused PM in London, getting my first product gig at Accurx which builds communication products for the NHS, helping doctors communicate with their patients. I joined Accurx 6 months before the pandemic and worked intensely on supporting the UK’s transition to a digital care delivery model, where our team grew from 18 people to 200 in 18 months. 

I was interested in expanding my product skillset to B2C and next had an exciting opportunity to work as Product Lead at Habitual, which delivers a weight loss program using meal replacements (like Huel) and a digital behavioral change app (including daily lessons, exercises, integration with tracking like sleep and steps, and a cohort-based community). I’ve launched over 22 products in my product career so far! In my free time, I sing in a choir, paint, and love to travel and enjoy live music.” 

Hanne Ockert-Axelsson, Senior Product Manager

2. Your KPIs 

At Agoda, we have a strong focus on data, and we look for this interest and skillset in successful candidates. Discussing your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from current or previous roles is a great way to demonstrate your ability to work with data. Be prepared to discuss: 

  • What is your current KPI? 
  • How do you know this is the right KPI? 
  • What are the pros and cons of this KPI? 
  • How does your KPI contribute to overall company goals? 
  • Are there any guardrail metrics that help you ensure everything is moving in the right direction? 
  • What is the biggest challenge you face with your KPI? 

3. A Big Project You Executed 

Let’s explore specific cases by discussing a significant project you’ve successfully executed. We suggest having one main case study and a few back-ups ready depending on your interview’s specific scenario. Here’s how to prepare: 

  • Select a major accomplishment and explain your choice: Consider a significant example that highlights your strengths. Articulate why you chose this particular project — this can reveal what drives and inspires you. 
  • Opt for fresh examples: Recent projects will better showcase your current skillset and are easier to discuss in detail. 
  • Outline the project’s journey: Think through the complete process, from inception to execution, and the outcome. It can be helpful to include relevant facts like a brief description of the product and/or customer segment, major challenges or risks, who was part of the team, alignment to company goals, etc. Much like your personal intro, you should be able to describe the project overview concisely in a few minutes. 
  • Reflect on retrospection: Consider what you might do differently in hindsight to show your ability to learn and improve. 
  • Align with key areas: Aim to choose a success story that involves aspects like data interaction, team leadership, stakeholder management, or navigating tough trade-offs. This approach allows you to cover multiple points effectively. 

4. Lessons Learned from Failure 

Discussing lessons from failure demonstrates your resilience and capacity to learn from challenging situations. However, focus on presenting your experiences in a positive light and showing how you moved forward. Your discussion should highlight your strengths even in the face of setbacks. Here’s how to prepare: 

  • Think big: Choose an instance that had a substantial impact. 
  • Stay positive: Opt for a situation where the outcome was acceptable but had the potential for improvement, as this helps you maintain a constructive tone. 
  • Focus on resolution and learning: Highlight how you resolved the issue and the insights you gained from the experience, even if you’re not specifically asked about it. 

5. Data Interpretation Skills 

We want to see your ability to delve deeply into data, conduct A/B tests, and interpret statistics effectively. While it’s ideal to incorporate data interpretation into your success and failure stories, having a separate example ready ensures you are fully prepared. Consider these scenarios: 

  • Handling questionable data: Discuss a scenario where the data was unclear or inconsistent, yet you successfully uncovered the truth. 
  • Navigating multiple data sources: Share an example of dealing with numerous data sources and demonstrating clarity in understanding the situation. 
  • Validating hypotheses: Describe how you validated a hypothesis using advanced metrics and analysis. 

6. Going Beyond Your Responsibilities  

‘Take ownership and make a difference’ is one of Agoda’s core values. We value people who proactively try to do the right thing, even if it won’t directly influence KPIs or falls outside their immediate job scope. Reflect on situations such as: 

  • Initiating projects: Share examples of when you launched a project outside of your primary responsibilities. 
  • Enhancing efficiency: Describe how you improved the efficiency of your team’s workflow or processes. 
  • Challenging the norm: Provide instances where you successfully challenged the status quo. 

7. Stakeholder Management 

We collaborate across teams, functions, and even countries. Delivering these complex projects demands strong stakeholder management skills. To showcase your ability to engage diverse stakeholders, here are some scenarios to consider: 

  • Justifying project value: Share a case where you successfully convinced stakeholders of the project’s importance. 
  • Diplomatic disagreement: Describe how you tactfully communicated to a stakeholder when their perspective was misaligned. 
  • Conflict resolution: Provide an example of resolving conflicts between differing stakeholder interests. 
  • Understanding needs: Highlight an instance of accurately assessing and responding to a stakeholder’s initial needs. 
  • Handling complex situations: Include any other challenging interactions with stakeholders that showcase your adept management skills. 

8. Team Leadership 

Highlighting your leadership skills is essential, particularly in scenarios where you led a project or team to success. It’s especially impressive if you stepped into the leadership role unexpectedly. Consider these aspects: 

  • Boosting team morale: Share how you uplifted team spirit during challenging times.
  • Conflict resolution: Describe a situation where you effectively resolved conflicts within the team. 
  • Addressing disagreements: Explain how you navigated situations where the team disagreed with a project’s direction. 
  • Improving team dynamics: Include other examples where you enhanced team dynamics, optimized efficiency, or positively influenced team culture. 

9. Trade-Offs and Risks 

‘Move fast and be efficient’ is another one of our core values, and it guides everything we do. Often, it means taking risks and navigating complex tradeoffs, with limited time for detailed analysis. Reflect on scenarios such as: 

  • Meeting tough deadlines: Describe instances where you delivered results under tight deadlines and with limited resources. 
  • Handling the unexpected: Share how you smoothly managed situations that diverged from the plan. 
  • Successful bets: Discuss a time when you took a calculated risk that paid off. 

10. Your Questions 

Now it’s your turn to engage! Preparing thoughtful questions is vital, not only to showcase your interest but also to ensure that Agoda aligns with your career aspirations.

First, reflect on what matters most to you in your next role. Then, formulate questions that will provide insights into these areas. At Agoda, we value direct and respectful conversations, so feel free to ask even the most challenging questions. This is a great opportunity for you to ensure there’s a mutual fit! Check out this blog for more tips on preparing questions for your interviewer.

Final Tips for Your Agoda Product Interview

This list covers a multitude of scenarios, but of course, you won’t touch on all of them in a single Agoda Product interview. To prepare efficiently, try to incorporate multiple points into a single example so you can use the same instance to address different questions. It’s also wise to have a diverse set of examples ready to share with different interviewers.  

Some people find it helpful to write out detailed descriptions of different scenarios (as suggested above) and then practice with peers for feedback on what points are most important to highlight. This means the heavy lifting of preparing scenarios is already set, and you can come into the interview confidently prepared.  

Here are some final tips that will help you in any discussion: 

  • Provide context: Always set the scene before diving into your example. 
  • Be concise: Strike the right balance in detail — enough to be clear but not overwhelming. 
  • Use clear structure: Apply structured frameworks to present your thoughts logically. 
  • Ask follow-up questions: Don’t be afraid to get clarification. It helps ensure you’re addressing the right points. 
  • Be authentic and honest: If you’re unsure of something, it’s better to say so and explain how you’d upskill yourself or find the answer.  
  • Enjoy the process: Remember to engage and have fun during the interview! 

About the Author

Anna Lazutkina is a Director of Product at Agoda.

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