Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in posts
Search in pages

Getting a Job as a Product Manager

A client approached me recently saying, “I’m a product manager, but I can’t seem to get a job. I’ve responded to many job postings without success. I’ve heard back from a few but have only had a couple of interviews, and I didn’t move forward to the second round with either. It seems that there are a lot of open positions, but I can’t snag one of them. What am I doing wrong?”

The answer is never simple, so I ask a number of questions to ascertain where in the application/interview process this person is getting bogged down. Since she mentioned that she hasn’t had much response to her applications, the first place I look is her resume. Is she telling her story in a compelling manner? On the other hand, she did land a couple of interviews with that resume. What happened?

Her problem could be with her resume since she isn’t getting a high rate of return there, but she also hasn’t performed well enough in interviews to get the job. There’s also a middle area commonly known as the black hole where resumes fall after you’ve applied online. In a series of blog posts, I plan to lay out helpful instructions for each of these three areas: 1) resume, 2) strategy or what I call “getting your foot in the door,” and 3) interviewing. This post will focus on how to write a killer resume.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to tailor your resume to each specific position. It must immediately capture the attention of the hiring manager as he/she will only give it a 15-20 second glance to decide whether to reject it or to continue reading. Many clients tell me that they don’t want to bother with customizing every resume, that they draft very specific cover letters that address the specifics.

RELATED:  Challenges in managing product management

It’s true that your cover letter should be well written, short and to the point, directly addressing your relevant qualifications in a way that will compel the hiring manager to take a look at your resume. However, the truth is that the vast majority of cover letters are never read, even when one is expressly requested. And most of those which are read are done so after the reader has found something he/she likes in the resume. With only a short amount of time to sift through hundreds of applications, most hiring managers and even HR will go straight to the resume, and it must be able to stand alone.

In the initial 15-20 second scan of your resume, the reader will most likely focus on the top 1/3 of the first page. Anything they need to know about you regarding your fit for their job should somehow be expressed in this space. That is why I recommend using a Summary of Qualifications or Profile section at the top to outline these key points in bullet form. I also advise that for each of your jobs, you include only relevant experience so as not to cloud the picture and make it difficult for the reader to see pertinent achievements. A resume is a marketing brochure, not a historical document.

Before you begin, review your target job description carefully and identify the four or five most important criteria. What skills/experience do they need most? For each of these priorities, write a statement that illustrates your ability to carry out that function. These statements should appear as bullet points in the Summary/Profile section.

RELATED:  What Classes should I take If I Want To Become Product Manager?

In the Professional Experience section in which you describe the positions you’ve held; again include only those achievements that are relevant to your target position. You may have some terrific accomplishments that you’d like to share, but if they don’t have anything to do with the job at hand, you’re going to confuse the reader. Make your statements concise and be sure to highlight the positive results of your actions. What impact did you make? How did you make a difference?

I believe in using what I call the People Magazine philosophy of resume writing, as compared to The New Yorker or Vanity Fair whose articles go on and on for days. In People as in the USA Today newspaper, for each article, there is a headline, a sub-headline, and a few sentences. It is easy to grasp the key points without making a huge commitment of time. Keep in mind that the purpose of a resume is not to get you a job; it is to convince the hiring manager to invite you to interview.

Don’t forget…carefully proofread all your documents – resumes, cover letter, thank you notes, and emails. Nothing is worse than saying you have excellent communication skills when you have grammatical or spelling errors.

Contact Mauri at 415-391-1794 or mauri@careerinsiders.com.

Mauri Schwartz


Mauri founded Career Insiders, a career consultancy, to help companies attain mission-critical talent, heighten executive visibility, and for individuals to achieve their career goals. She has had outstanding success providing executives with personal branding materials and coaching through personalized attention, ensuring that each client’s accomplishments are translated into an image that is uniquely theirs. She drives creative executive talent acquisition strategies, conducting full-cycle recruitment of top talent – higher quality, more quickly, and less costly. With a keen interest in knowing what makes people tick and how businesses work, Mauri dives into learning everything she can, treats every client as if they were her only client, and it shows in the branding success that her clients achieve. She enjoys her work and makes the collaboration fun. .


Leave a Comment





Lucrative Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home Moms
Lucrative Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home Moms to Make Extra Money
Starting a business ​has never been more popular than now, and women of all ages ...
Read More
What a Product Manager Needs to Know About Information Security Roles and Responsibilities Featured
What a Product Manager Needs to Know About Information Security Roles and Responsibilities: Internal and for Their Product or Service
If you're a product manager in charge of information security for your organization, you're probably ...
Read More

TESTIMONIALS

Hsitang L

"I have done the marketing plan and got a great score from my working company. Thanks for your course and coaching."

Took Spice Catalyst online Marketing Fundamentals Course

Hsitang L

Student

Karthik S

"Very interesting course on the effective use of Social media in marketing. Must for all the Product Marketing managers. Simple & effective delivery of content. Thanks, Professor David."

Social Media Demystified

Karthik S

Student

Spencer J.

"Excellent Course for Marketing Strategy. It was comprehensive, easy to follow, and had the perfect balance of hands-on activities and lectures that left me with a full marketing strategy and implementation plan at the end of the course. Great course for anyone starting from scratch."

Marketing Principles Course

Spencer J.

Student

Sami A

"David’s key Product Management and presentations skills were key to my success in starting up and building Apple Pacific in the early 80s."

Product Management

Sami A

Client

Peter M

"David continues to be a valued resource for general marketing expertise, industry knowledge, and product marketing know-how. We reference his clear insights regularly."

Marketing Consulting

Peter M

Client

Manish B.

"David has been an excellent coach and mentor. Very detail oriented and practical in his approach. His ideas and frameworks are simple, practical and easy to understand and adopt, being extremely effective at the same time. The concept of ‘Do, value proposition’ is one such excellent framework which not only helps in formulating compelling value proposition for the customers but is also a source of ideas for new product innovation."

Executive MBA, Bangalore India

Manish B.

Student

Mike B, Lead Generation Consultant

"David is a very experienced and talented business professional. I have witnessed this first hand, as has demonstrated his ability across multiple disciplines, including market analysis, segmentation, customer profiling, competitive reviews, product management, marketing and sales strategy development and execution, to name but a few. In addition, he has great communication skills."

Consulting

Mike B, Lead Generation Consultant

Client

Chris B. (YouSendIt)

"I met Dave through a consulting engagement while I was at YouSendIt. It was easily the single most useful and insightful consulting engagement I’ve experienced in my career. From his analysis of our industry to the product recommendations, Dave gave us actionable information that made YouSendIt a better company."

Consulting

Chris B. (YouSendIt)

Client

Anand P

"Building Insanely Great Products" is a great Segway into the product management space and contains insightful and practical advice which I am now going to validate with some of the projects I am working on"

Consulting

Anand P

Client