How would you enter into blue collar hiring?

Thank you for providing such a comprehensive framework for addressing this product strategy question. I'll use this structure to craft a detailed response to the question: "How would you enter into blue collar hiring?" I'll approach this from the perspective of a seasoned VP of Product interviewing for a senior product leadership role.

Introduction

The strategic challenge at hand is to develop a product strategy for entering the blue collar hiring market. This initiative aligns with key business objectives such as market expansion, revenue growth, and potentially addressing underserved segments in the labor market.

To tackle this challenge, I'll follow a structured approach:

1. Clarify strategic goals
2. Conduct market and competitive analysis
3. Define product vision and roadmap
4. Prioritize strategic initiatives
5. Develop an execution plan
6. Establish metrics and KPIs
7. Manage risks and create contingency plans

Let's begin by clarifying our strategic goals.

Step 1

Clarify the Strategic Goals (3-4 minutes)

• Based on current market trends, I'm sensing there's a significant opportunity in the blue collar hiring space, potentially driven by labor shortages and technological gaps. Could you help me understand where this initiative fits within our company's current strategic priorities?

Why it matters: Determines if we're looking at this as a core business expansion or an experimental venture. Expected answer: Strategic priority to diversify our hiring solutions and tap into a large, underserved market. Impact on approach: Would focus on leveraging existing capabilities while building new, specialized features for this market.

• Considering the unique challenges in blue collar hiring, such as high turnover rates and specific skill requirements, I'm curious about our current customer base. Are we primarily targeting employers, job seekers, or both? And do we have any existing presence in adjacent markets?

Why it matters: Influences our go-to-market strategy and initial product focus. Expected answer: Primarily targeting employers, with some existing solutions in white collar hiring. Impact on approach: Would emphasize employer-side features initially, with plans to expand to job seeker tools.

• Given the potential scale of this market, I'm wondering about our growth expectations. Are we looking at this as a rapid expansion play, or are we taking a more measured approach to ensure product-market fit before scaling?

Why it matters: Affects resource allocation and the aggressiveness of our rollout strategy. Expected answer: Measured approach initially, with plans to scale rapidly once product-market fit is achieved. Impact on approach: Would focus on building a solid foundation with key features, followed by an aggressive expansion plan.

Based on these assumptions, our strategic approach will focus on leveraging our existing hiring platform capabilities while developing specialized features for blue collar hiring. We'll initially target employers, with a measured approach to ensure product-market fit before scaling rapidly.