I use to run a product team at a company that was acquired. Interestingly enough, all the candidates with Yahoo PM background that I interviewed I didn't like.

I use to run a product team at a company that was acquired. Interestingly enough, all the candidates with Yahoo PM background that I interviewed I didn't like. I think hiring PM can be rather easy and I used these steps to find a great candidates: 0 - make the candidate feel comfortable and at ease. Start with topics you might have in common. Hobbies, teams, movies, etc. some of the best candidates might be the most nervous people at interviews. 1 - eliminate slick talkers. Don't fall for articulate BSers and constantly be on guard if you maybe falling for one. Judge their substance not their delivery. 2 - undrestand how they think. Ask questions or carry the conversation in a way that they have to solve a simple problem. 3 - the most important one. Do a simple product meeting with them. If you follow item 0, you should kow what they are into. Ask them to build a simple app or site for their specific hobbies or interests. This gives you a chance to see how good of a fit they are and how they think and solve problem as a PM. Lastly, experience was never as important to me as passion, raw intellect, curiosity and instinct.