A guide to finding your next PM Job
Find a role you are excited for
Long before any company is interviewing you for a job, you as a candidate should have already screened a ton of other companies to help decide that this one is worthy of your time and effort.
Searching for a job take time and patience. I usually spend about 2–3 weeks browsing through job descriptions and researching company backgrounds. I’m also constantly up-to-date on the newest and hottest tech companies via tech blogs and influencers. A lot of time can be saved from interviewing if you can decide against jobs before applying.
Here is where you should look for Product Manager jobs:
- Indeed — this is a comprehensive job search engine and should have all the roles at large companies. It’s best suited for people who care about finding a specific title, rather than the perfect company.
- LinkedIn — If you don’t have a profile, stop reading and go make one right now. A good LinkedIn profile is a substitute for the resume in my experiences of both applying to and hiring for a job. The site also has a great mix of postings from large and small companies. Oh, remember to flip on the profile setting that indicates openness to new opportunities to multiply your inbound recruiting.
- Agents — there are a number of firms that specialize in placing candidates in tech jobs, such as Hired and The Ladders. I don’t recommend these because I’ve had bad experiences with some boutique firms. I also believe in being proactive with my search, rather than letting someone else do it for me.
- AngelList — AKA “LinkedIn for startups.” You can network, create a profile and apply to jobs. All companies on the site are pre-IPO and I’ve found most are <500 employees in size. The best part is that it’s always a 1-step application to any job, no requirements to upload a resume or fill out a 10 question survey about your eligibility to work and ethnic background.
- TechCrunch — every now and then you can read about a startup that just raised a big round of funding. If you think what they are doing is cool, then they should be on your potential employer list. Yes, they may not be hiring PMs but it never hurts to apply.
- Your network — if you don’t have a strong network in tech, I suggest building on it before starting your job search. A good network can help you discover jobs that are not posted online and in rare cases even create a job for you. At LinkedIn, our research found that 2nd degree connections are most likely to get you an interview, so it’s not just about the people you know, but also the people they know.
- Venture capitalists — if you already know VCs then ask them to forward your resume to their portfolio companies (even better if you can specify which companies ahead of time). If you don’t, then research the top VC firms in tech, look at the companies they’ve invested in and then reach out to the firm asking for a referral. Getting introduced to a company through a VC can propel you to the front of candidate queue.
- (inbound) Recruiter — depending on the strength of your background, you’ll get varying levels of inbound recruiting on LinkedIn and in your inbox. I’ve personally gotten wind of a lot of under-the-radar startups this way. Look for recruiters who are genuinely trying to find candidates with the right fit, vs the sales-bros who just want to rush you into the pipeline.
Do your research
There are many things you should learn about a job and its company before even applying. Here are some starter questions and also where to look for the answers.
Company background
The first place I go to research is Crunchbase, an extensive collection of past and current startups. It’s the best source for understanding a private company’s growth in valuation.
Things to lookup:
- What is the company’s mission?
- What is the size of the market it is in?
- Who are its main competitors?
- Who are its investors?
- How much money has the company raised and what is it worth?
Business strategy
Google News is your best bet for understanding a company’s strategy. If that company is exciting enough to have garnered media attention, you should find a few articles analyzing why it exists and how it will succeed.
Things to lookup:
- How does the company make money?
- What is its next big bet?
- What are its biggest business risks?
- What is its exit strategy?
People and Culture
A company’s home page and Crunchbase are quick references to find out who is on the board and executive team. Leaders with impressive backgrounds tend to correlate with company success.
LinkedIn can you help find lower level product managers and ideally someone who’s willing to speak to you about the company. Lastly, don’t forget to check out Glassdoor to see what you would like and dislike about working there.
Things to lookup:
- Who are the executives?
- Who is on its current product team?
- What are its values?
- What perks do employees get?
Landing that job!
Hopefully by now you’ve narrowed down to a carefully curated list of open roles. The search is over but the trial is just about to begin.
Applying to the position
Referrals, referrals, referrals. Hiring managers see referrals as a filter for signal before they comb through piles of applicants. Getting referred is the best way to apply to any job — it builds trust with the hiring manager/recruiter and instantly moves you to the front of the line.
Here are the type of referrals, ranked from best to worst:
- Referral by someone who has worked with you professionally and is respected by the hiring manager. I’ve been able to skip the entire phone screen stage through this type of referral.
- Referral by someone who is respected by the hiring manager. This person will definitely get the hiring manager’s attention quickly.
- Referral by someone who works at the company. They may not have clout with the hiring manager, but they can still get you ahead of anyone applying externally through a website.
So how do you get a referral if you don’t know anyone at or related to the company? Find people who work at the company on LinkedIn (I recommend paying for a subscription so you can direct message anyone outside your network) and start reaching out to employees who are 2nd or 3rd degree connections or any product manager.
You can also try directly contacting the hiring manager if you know who it is. I got my latest job offer by sending a connection request to the Chief Product Officer.
You should still apply to the job online to hedge your efforts, but don’t count on that being the only application you need.
Phone Screen
If you are interviewing at a big tech company like Google, Facebook or Amazon, you should prepare for a phone screen as you would for the onsite interview (see next section).
Otherwise, the phone screen is typically an introductory call with the hiring manager. At this stage, telling a good story about your experience is important. You should be able to paint a clear picture about your career progression and what you learned at each stage. Prepare a few anecdotes about your accomplishments and your failures. Express passion in the job and company.
On-site interviews
Here are the best resources I’ve found to help me prepare for interviews:
- Must read: Decode and Conquer
- Practice interview questions: thepminterview.com, Glassdoor
As the old adage goes: nothing prepares you better than experience. Before I interview with my target employers, I participate in on-sites at less interesting businesses for experience. Calming your nerves during a technical interview is a skill that can only be developed by repetition.
Take-home exercises
A lot of PM interviews involve a take-home exercise, which is either a case-study or a presentation. These can be a pain at first, but they gets easier the more you do them. Each exercise is a chance to prove what you are capable of, but you should acknowledge diminishing returns after the first few hours. I once spent 15 hours on an exercise and didn’t get the job, which just made the rejection that much more painful.
Case studies and presentations should demonstrate a blend of your skills and style so there isn’t a universally correct template for either exercise. My advice is to lean on your experience, show case your strengths (for instance, create mocks if you are strong in design or charts if you are proficient in data analysis) and get feedback from peers if possible.
Prioritize your time
If you are a coveted candidate who followed the tactics in the post, you could easily built up a queue of interviews, perhaps up to 2–3 different companies in the same week!
Now you need to apply the quality-over-quantity mentality to interviewing. Your interest in a company will change as you learn more about job, so continuously prioritize your time and energy for the top roles. Don’t be shy about turning down interviews as soon as a position becomes no longer desirable.
On average a PM interview process has about 3-4 stages:
- Screen with recruiter
- Phone screen
- 1st on-site (can have homework)
- 2nd on-site (can have homework)
The entirety could take up to 10hrs to complete, not accounting for travel time and the effort to generate a myriad of creative excuses to take time off work. Through good prioritization, you should be able to limit yourself to only one onsite interview in any given week.
Advice for aspiring product managers
Many aspiring PMs have asked me: what is the best way to get into product management for the first time?
The three most common paths I’ve seen are:
- Applying to an associate product manager role. This works best for new college graduates (less than 3 years of working experience). In the past, only large companies like Google and Microsoft hired college grad PMs, but fortunately this practice has become more common.
- Applying out of a MBA program. This works for more experienced candidates. A lot of companies hire PM interns from MBA programs, which can pave the path to a full-time PM role after graduation.
- Make a switch internally. If you are currently working in a tech company that has the PM function, this is your best bet. Find a PM executive to be your sponsor. Build a relationship with this person and ask for opportunities, like small projects, to learn PM skills and demonstrate your abilities.
I’ve also seen a lot of CEOs of startups become PMs through M&A. Though I wouldn’t describe this phenomenon as a career path — it’s more of a demonstration of the overlap in skillset between product management and entrepreneurship.
Lastly, there are education programs that help aspiring PMs make the transition, like Product School and General Assembly. As a former instructor at Product School, I can attest that these programs excel at giving you an overview of the job function and how to prepare for interviews, but they do not add to your qualifications as a candidate (are you an artist after taking a painting class?), so take them at your own discretion.
Hope this post is helpful to your next career move. Please leave me questions and feedback in the comments!
