Expert insights. Personalized for you.
Are you interested in becoming a product manager or advancing your product management career? What are the long-term career tracks that are available for PMs? MORE
In this post, we talk to Kayiita Johnson, product manager at Google Nest and the founder of PM While Black , a site making PM accessible to the Black community. In this Path to PM post, Kayiita and I discuss the challenges the Black community faces in getting into PM and how he is addressing them. What’s the story behind PM While Black? MORE
As you progress through product management job interviews, you may notice that many companies ask for the PM candidates to complete a take-home assignment. This take-home assignment can consist of product design questions, metrics and analytics, and sometimes strategy. MORE
Here's how to crack the PM interview, written by Richa Pareekh, Uber PM and former Google PM. Are you worried about getting the ultimate PM job? PM interviews are difficult and very very demanding, especially with the rise of the prominence of the role. MORE
Want to know what a PRD is? Or how to write one? As Product Managers, we write a product requirements document (PRD) to answer a few key questions: Why are we working on an initiative? How are we approaching the problem? What is the right solution? We write a PRD not only to answer these questions but also to align our team to build the right product and successfully bring it to users. Used properly, it is an excellent product development tool, regardless of what development process you follow. MORE
Product Vision or Product Vision Statement is the long-term goal for a product includes the long-term mission and the motivation behind its creation, along with why it’s important. Product visions, ultimately, serve as the guideposts for the development of the products. MORE
Sachin Rekhi is the founder and CEO of Notejoy , and a prolific blogger on product management. In this Path to PM post, Sachin and I discuss five practical paths to product management. Listen to our podcast here, or read the transcription below! How did you first break into product management? As an undergraduate at UPenn, I was originally planning to move into software engineering on graduation. MORE
Breaking into product management straight out of college is challenging. I’ve noticed that there's a lot of confusion on building the relevant skills for the job. Should students focus on honing their technical skills? Or should they take a mixture of classes across psychology, business, and engineering? What kinds of clubs and organizations are best to get involved in? Here’s my guide on how to best position yourself for a product management job in college. MORE
Read the first part of this blog series here. In our last post, we described some of the issues with structures and frameworks that interfere with answering interview questions at the level we expect of a Senior PM (or demonstrative of a highly-qualified PM at lower levels). MORE
Product management is an ever increasingly popular role. Whether you're an aspiring or a current product manager, you certainly have wondered how your role will look 5 to 10 years down the line. MORE
Software engineering levels are the road map that gets you to your career destination. Of course, it’s not all just for you. Levels bring also help employers in the hiring and promotion process. Even so, the main benefit for you is that software engineering levels create a clear ladder of progression, and understanding the responsibilities and expectations for each level will help you to climb that ladder. MORE
So, what’s the difference between a Product Manager (PM) and a Technical Program Manager (TPM)? While Product Managers and Technical Program Managers often work closely together and share project ownership, they generally have different sets of responsibilities that require different skill sets and ultimately, different strategies for interview prep. In this article, we’ll illuminate some of these similarities and differences. Goals Product Managers are expected to define the Product Vision. MORE
Product Managers are often called “Product CEOs” or “Mini GMs”, but they rarely have direct control over the inputs that lead to successful products. From R&D to marketing, sales, and logistics, PMs operate in ambiguity. In volatile times like these, it’s no surprise that PM jobs are growing fast. HackerNoon reports PMs outpaced average job growth in the US by 5X in recent years!) Also unsurprisingly, education hasn’t kept up with growth. MORE
You've made it to the interview. You've solved every problem and brain teaser thrown at you. Now with a few minutes left, you have one final question to answer. "Do Do you have any questions for me?" MORE
Today, there's a rather substantial talent gap in the tech industry. It's been estimated that the number of open computing positions will exceed qualified candidates by nearly 1,000,000 in 2020. MORE
As cases of COVID-19 are increasing exponentially and companies are urging employees to stay at home, we are experiencing an unprecedented surge in remote work globally. MORE
It's no secret that getting a job at one of the big tech companies can be quite challenging. In a way, the interviews at companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon are almost as famous as the companies themselves. There are countless books geared at giving their readers a leg up on these interviews, such as Cracking the Amazon Interview and Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google? MORE
One of the most frequently asked questions from those aspiring to enter the product management field is: how technical do I need to be if I want to be a PM? PMs build and manage technical products. To do so, they interact with software engineers and data scientists on a daily basis. However, PMs are not hired to write code or conduct data science work. It is important to be able to strike this balance in a team and be a good partner to those you work closely with. MORE
A/B testing is one of the most important parts of user experience research that is conducted by most companies. For many product managers, it may be a crucial part of experimenting with product changes and deciding which to move forward on. MORE
Decode and Conquer written by Lewis C. Lin has long been a favorite prep book for those interviewing for product management roles. The author, Lewis Lin, is widely impressive as he was the Director of Product Management at Microsoft and worked at Google where he was responsible for launching new AdWords products. What's great about Decode & Conquer. Decode & Conquer functions as a great introduction to product management philosophies and interview approaches. MORE
If you’re looking to break into tech, you’ve seen the term “data science” thrown around. It’s no surprise HBR named Data Scientist the “sexiest job of the 21st century”; data is more valuable and more available than ever. Making sense of it though? Still a challenge. Careers in data are mysterious, but luckily for job seekers, patterns are emerging. If you’re analytical-yet-adventurous and you have a flair for storytelling, this could be the field for you. MORE
Struggling to ace your senior PM interview? Looking to bring more of your depth and experience into your answer, but not sure how to fit it in? There’s a common issue I've seen in PM candidates with lots of practice behind them, where they find themselves at a certain plateau. MORE
Shreyas Doshi is a product lead at Stripe. In this Path to PM post, we discuss switching product management careers and Shreyas's 10-30-50 product management framework to becoming a successful product lead. Previously Shreyas has served as a director of product management at Twitter, and a group product manager at Google and Yahoo! Tell us about how you first broke into product management. My first product job was at EDS (Electronic Data Systems) where I was an engineer. MORE
Learn a framework for quickly pitching a new product idea, and enhance your career! When I interview a product manager to work in my team, I want to know that they understand the whole of the product cycle - how to make it happen, from concept to rollout and beyond, and most importantly what will make it successful. Too many product managers only ever see a part of the process (which I think is a fault of their management), so the product will never quite achieve its potential. MORE
We talk to Divya Dhar an Exponent alumni, on her diverse journey from being a doctor to founding non-profits and most recently a stint in product management. Divya is currently PM at Google, working on Google Maps, specifically on its rideshare and delivery verticals. MORE
Todd Olson is the CEO and co-founder of Pendo. Pendo is a product engagement platform that helps businesses better understand their users and is a Series-D company backed by Sapphire Ventures, Battery Ventures, and Spark Capital. In this Path to PM post, we discuss the importance of connecting with a product's users and the tough aspects of product management. Tell us about how you broke into product management. Before Pendo, I was a VP of product at Rally Software. MORE
High pay, the California dream, and snack bars are just a smattering of images that pop in your head when you think of software builders working for big-name tech companies in California. Twitter, Google, and LinkedIn have created this image of a collaborative, comfortable working environment. MORE
Data Science is a booming field in today’s marketplace. According to the Economist , the world's most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data. Millions of data science jobs are opening up to accommodate this increasingly data-driven economy. Have we piqued your interest? MORE
Are you interested in making the leap into becoming a technical program manager (TPM)? You may be intrigued by the exciting job descriptions and lucrative salaries. But you also want to learn a little more about what it means and what it takes to be a technical program manager before you dive in headfirst. We've covered all the bases in this article concerning the roles and responsibilities that come with technical program management. MORE
Product management is all about tradeoffs. Should the team launch a new feature in the international market? Or should the engineers focus on code refactoring to reduce issues down the road? It is very rare that there are no downsides to one choice over the other even if it initially seems that one option is inherently better. A great PM can always articulate why they made a certain decision and talk intelligently about its downsides and its advantages. MORE
We interview Lisa Wang, former Google PM and CEO and founder of Almost Fun on her journey in product management and how she found a mission-driven career by building an ed-tech non-profit. How did your experience with product management help you found a mission-driven non-profit? MORE
Don’t let the cool exterior of a Product Manager fool you. They might be efficient and calm -- but they love chaos. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, you may have only caught a glimpse of this trait in a PM. Chaos is an opportunity for growth and good PMs know how to take advantage of stormy weather. But the goal is always to steer the ship back to safety. Afterall, storms end. Or do they? Chaos has become the new normal. MORE
There are many paths to a career in Product Management. Many prospective PMs consider business school, internships, side-projects, startup experience, or bootcamps. Bootcamps are a very popular learning model in the tech industry for several reasons. MORE
Those who are looking for a job in tech, whether it be in product management, software engineering, data science, or the like, have undoubtedly considered a career at Google. MORE
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020
Here's how to crack the PM interview, written by Richa Pareekh, Uber PM and former Google PM. Are you worried about getting the ultimate PM job? PM interviews are difficult and very very demanding, especially with the rise of the prominence of the role.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020
Are you interested in becoming a product manager or advancing your product management career? What are the long-term career tracks that are available for PMs?
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PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020
Those who are looking for a job in tech, whether it be in product management, software engineering, data science, or the like, have undoubtedly considered a career at Google.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
AUGUST 20, 2020
Product Vision or Product Vision Statement is the long-term goal for a product includes the long-term mission and the motivation behind its creation, along with why it’s important. Product visions, ultimately, serve as the guideposts for the development of the products.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
AUGUST 25, 2020
As you progress through product management job interviews, you may notice that many companies ask for the PM candidates to complete a take-home assignment. This take-home assignment can consist of product design questions, metrics and analytics, and sometimes strategy.
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PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JULY 12, 2020
In this post, we talk to Kayiita Johnson, product manager at Google Nest and the founder of PM While Black , a site making PM accessible to the Black community. In this Path to PM post, Kayiita and I discuss the challenges the Black community faces in getting into PM and how he is addressing them. What’s the story behind PM While Black?
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JUNE 9, 2020
Are you interested in making the leap into becoming a technical program manager (TPM)? You may be intrigued by the exciting job descriptions and lucrative salaries. But you also want to learn a little more about what it means and what it takes to be a technical program manager before you dive in headfirst. We've covered all the bases in this article concerning the roles and responsibilities that come with technical program management.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
AUGUST 19, 2020
A/B testing is one of the most important parts of user experience research that is conducted by most companies. For many product managers, it may be a crucial part of experimenting with product changes and deciding which to move forward on.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JANUARY 6, 2020
Read the first part of this blog series here. In our last post, we described some of the issues with structures and frameworks that interfere with answering interview questions at the level we expect of a Senior PM (or demonstrative of a highly-qualified PM at lower levels).
Advertiser: Amplitude
Why do your users churn? In this guide you'll learn common product pitfalls and how to fix them.
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PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
APRIL 15, 2020
We interview Lisa Wang, former Google PM and CEO and founder of Almost Fun on her journey in product management and how she found a mission-driven career by building an ed-tech non-profit. How did your experience with product management help you found a mission-driven non-profit?
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
FEBRUARY 1, 2020
We talk to Divya Dhar an Exponent alumni, on her diverse journey from being a doctor to founding non-profits and most recently a stint in product management. Divya is currently PM at Google, working on Google Maps, specifically on its rideshare and delivery verticals.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JULY 22, 2020
One of the most frequently asked questions from those aspiring to enter the product management field is: how technical do I need to be if I want to be a PM? PMs build and manage technical products. To do so, they interact with software engineers and data scientists on a daily basis. However, PMs are not hired to write code or conduct data science work. It is important to be able to strike this balance in a team and be a good partner to those you work closely with.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
MAY 29, 2020
You've made it to the interview. You've solved every problem and brain teaser thrown at you. Now with a few minutes left, you have one final question to answer. "Do Do you have any questions for me?"
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No one designs bad dashboards and reports on purpose. So why do so many applications have terrible analytics experiences? Download this ebook for secrets to creating dashboards and reports your users will love.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JULY 6, 2020
Today, there's a rather substantial talent gap in the tech industry. It's been estimated that the number of open computing positions will exceed qualified candidates by nearly 1,000,000 in 2020.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JULY 3, 2020
Product management is an ever increasingly popular role. Whether you're an aspiring or a current product manager, you certainly have wondered how your role will look 5 to 10 years down the line.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JUNE 25, 2020
Decode and Conquer written by Lewis C. Lin has long been a favorite prep book for those interviewing for product management roles. The author, Lewis Lin, is widely impressive as he was the Director of Product Management at Microsoft and worked at Google where he was responsible for launching new AdWords products. What's great about Decode & Conquer. Decode & Conquer functions as a great introduction to product management philosophies and interview approaches.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JANUARY 2, 2020
Struggling to ace your senior PM interview? Looking to bring more of your depth and experience into your answer, but not sure how to fit it in? There’s a common issue I've seen in PM candidates with lots of practice behind them, where they find themselves at a certain plateau.
Speaker: Esther Kieft, Delivery Manager (Group Technology) at Domino's Pizza Enterprises
It is well known that empathy is a key ingredient in creating lovable products, yet not all products offer the best customer experience. From meeting stringent deadlines to insufficient resources being available to carry out customer research, there is a range of reasons why customer empathy could be missing in product development. Join Esther Kieft, as she breaks down using empathy at a distance to evaluate the problems that customers are experiencing during this global health crisis.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
MAY 29, 2020
There are many paths to a career in Product Management. Many prospective PMs consider business school, internships, side-projects, startup experience, or bootcamps. Bootcamps are a very popular learning model in the tech industry for several reasons.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JULY 1, 2020
Learn a framework for quickly pitching a new product idea, and enhance your career! When I interview a product manager to work in my team, I want to know that they understand the whole of the product cycle - how to make it happen, from concept to rollout and beyond, and most importantly what will make it successful. Too many product managers only ever see a part of the process (which I think is a fault of their management), so the product will never quite achieve its potential.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
FEBRUARY 20, 2019
Sachin Rekhi is the founder and CEO of Notejoy , and a prolific blogger on product management. In this Path to PM post, Sachin and I discuss five practical paths to product management. Listen to our podcast here, or read the transcription below! How did you first break into product management? As an undergraduate at UPenn, I was originally planning to move into software engineering on graduation.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JANUARY 7, 2019
Product management is all about tradeoffs. Should the team launch a new feature in the international market? Or should the engineers focus on code refactoring to reduce issues down the road? It is very rare that there are no downsides to one choice over the other even if it initially seems that one option is inherently better. A great PM can always articulate why they made a certain decision and talk intelligently about its downsides and its advantages.
Advertiser: Skilljar
Whether you’re looking to kickstart or expand your customer education program, you need access to a budget. Learn how you can demonstrate the positive ROI of customer training and make the case for securing a larger budget in our latest eBook!
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
FEBRUARY 6, 2019
Breaking into product management straight out of college is challenging. I’ve noticed that there's a lot of confusion on building the relevant skills for the job. Should students focus on honing their technical skills? Or should they take a mixture of classes across psychology, business, and engineering? What kinds of clubs and organizations are best to get involved in? Here’s my guide on how to best position yourself for a product management job in college.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
APRIL 18, 2020
As cases of COVID-19 are increasing exponentially and companies are urging employees to stay at home, we are experiencing an unprecedented surge in remote work globally.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
OCTOBER 9, 2019
So, what’s the difference between a Product Manager (PM) and a Technical Program Manager (TPM)? While Product Managers and Technical Program Managers often work closely together and share project ownership, they generally have different sets of responsibilities that require different skill sets and ultimately, different strategies for interview prep. In this article, we’ll illuminate some of these similarities and differences. Goals Product Managers are expected to define the Product Vision.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
APRIL 2, 2020
Data Science is a booming field in today’s marketplace. According to the Economist , the world's most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data. Millions of data science jobs are opening up to accommodate this increasingly data-driven economy. Have we piqued your interest?
Advertiser: Heap
This book walks through multiple aspects of retention, including why it’s so important, how to best measure it, and how to set goals for the different stages of retention. It also provides strategies for improving retention across the customer journey.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
AUGUST 1, 2020
Want to know what a PRD is? Or how to write one? As Product Managers, we write a product requirements document (PRD) to answer a few key questions: Why are we working on an initiative? How are we approaching the problem? What is the right solution? We write a PRD not only to answer these questions but also to align our team to build the right product and successfully bring it to users. Used properly, it is an excellent product development tool, regardless of what development process you follow.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JANUARY 9, 2019
Todd Olson is the CEO and co-founder of Pendo. Pendo is a product engagement platform that helps businesses better understand their users and is a Series-D company backed by Sapphire Ventures, Battery Ventures, and Spark Capital. In this Path to PM post, we discuss the importance of connecting with a product's users and the tough aspects of product management. Tell us about how you broke into product management. Before Pendo, I was a VP of product at Rally Software.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JULY 23, 2020
Software engineering levels are the road map that gets you to your career destination. Of course, it’s not all just for you. Levels bring also help employers in the hiring and promotion process. Even so, the main benefit for you is that software engineering levels create a clear ladder of progression, and understanding the responsibilities and expectations for each level will help you to climb that ladder.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JULY 23, 2020
Don’t let the cool exterior of a Product Manager fool you. They might be efficient and calm -- but they love chaos. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, you may have only caught a glimpse of this trait in a PM. Chaos is an opportunity for growth and good PMs know how to take advantage of stormy weather. But the goal is always to steer the ship back to safety. Afterall, storms end. Or do they? Chaos has become the new normal.
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Selecting the right solution for your embedded analytics is crucial to the success of your application. But with so many solutions and vendors, how do you make this critical selection? Learn about the different approaches to analytics and the pros and cons for each.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JANUARY 16, 2019
Shreyas Doshi is a product lead at Stripe. In this Path to PM post, we discuss switching product management careers and Shreyas's 10-30-50 product management framework to becoming a successful product lead. Previously Shreyas has served as a director of product management at Twitter, and a group product manager at Google and Yahoo! Tell us about how you first broke into product management. My first product job was at EDS (Electronic Data Systems) where I was an engineer.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JULY 13, 2020
Product Managers are often called “Product CEOs” or “Mini GMs”, but they rarely have direct control over the inputs that lead to successful products. From R&D to marketing, sales, and logistics, PMs operate in ambiguity. In volatile times like these, it’s no surprise that PM jobs are growing fast. HackerNoon reports PMs outpaced average job growth in the US by 5X in recent years!) Also unsurprisingly, education hasn’t kept up with growth.
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
JUNE 4, 2020
It's no secret that getting a job at one of the big tech companies can be quite challenging. In a way, the interviews at companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon are almost as famous as the companies themselves. There are countless books geared at giving their readers a leg up on these interviews, such as Cracking the Amazon Interview and Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?
PMLesson's Ace the PM Interview
FEBRUARY 24, 2020
If you’re looking to break into tech, you’ve seen the term “data science” thrown around. It’s no surprise HBR named Data Scientist the “sexiest job of the 21st century”; data is more valuable and more available than ever. Making sense of it though? Still a challenge. Careers in data are mysterious, but luckily for job seekers, patterns are emerging. If you’re analytical-yet-adventurous and you have a flair for storytelling, this could be the field for you.
Advertiser: Amplitude
Every product needs a North Star. In this guide, we will show you the metrics product managers need to tie product improvements to revenue impact. If you are looking for a more-focused, less-reactive way to work, this guide is for you.
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