Is it easy to find your first job in this field? What knowledge do you need to have, how to write a resume correctly, and what to expect from an interview? This article will answer all your questions, as well as provide some useful tips for products without real work experience.
What skills are needed?
Theoretical knowledge is good, it is necessary to improve and fulfill the assigned tasks. But without practical application (acquisition of skills), reading even 200 books will not give a result. Therefore, we will consider the basic skills that will come in handy at the beginning of your career.
Hard skills
Analytics A
product must be able to work with analytics systems. The skill can be divided into two components: semantic and technical. The first includes understanding what metrics to work with, what data is needed to calculate it, what can be done with the received data, etc. The second - knowledge of SQL, Python, Google Analytics, "Yandex.Metrica" and other systems, depending on the field of activity.
Economy
Since the ultimate goal of any company from the sale of a product is to make a profit, a product manager must understand the unit economy and apply it to work on a product. It will not be superfluous to be able to "read" the profit and loss statement, the ability to determine the margin, etc.
Design
Design plays a key role in product development today. You can create a cool application, very useful, but due to the outdated design and inconvenient interface there will be no high demand. Therefore, it is important to understand the basic graphic solutions, understand usability, be able to “build” user-friendly interfaces and follow current trends.
Management of the development team The
product manager creates a strategy for the implementation and development of the product, divides the long way into short stages. Implementing plans requires hiring a team of specialists, and sometimes several for different stages. Therefore, learn to manage people, convey your thoughts to them, motivate, plan, assign roles, etc.
Research
You should not only be familiar with the basic research tools, but also be able to apply them in practice. Moreover, not all methods are universal. Some are best used in the first situation, others in the second. The accuracy of determining the values and prospects of a new idea depends on the correct choice of research methods.
Soft Skills
Self-reliance
If you previously worked under the direction of someone and completed the assigned tasks, now you will have to define them for others. And if you are not independent, you cannot take responsibility, make decisions and complete tasks, you cannot manage a team.
To a large extent, this skill depends on one's own desire and life experience. Studying literature and taking special courses will help you become more independent. Better yet, start taking the initiative into your own hands, asking for individual projects and learning this right away in practice.
Negotiations with founders
It is necessary to be able to convey ideas not only to the team, but also to the company's management (investors). The latter are generally scrupulous about all ideas and do not run to allocate resources, because they are afraid to make the wrong decision. You must be able to persuade, convey ideas, reason and correctly answer questions.
Leadership
You can say that leadership is not given to everyone, it is acquired only at birth. In fact, every person has a “note” of a leader, just not all of the individual elements can be built into a coherent picture. You must be able to not only define tasks and plan their implementation, but also motivate the whole team, turn difficulties into interesting tasks, etc.
Communication
Creating a product is a complex system consisting of many interconnected elements - specialists. Each person has his own characteristics: someone is quick-tempered, someone is closed, and someone, on the contrary, is ready to communicate with everyone for several hours in a row. Your task is to build communication between each element within the team. This greatly affects the success of the product: the final result depends on the density of interaction.
Modernity
When discussing hard skills, we talked about the need to track design trends. But you should not limit yourself to this, find out all the mods, "mainstream", etc. At a minimum, this will allow you to communicate freely with all team members, which will ensure a good atmosphere within the team.
What knowledge is needed?
The previous section describes the skills required for the job of a product manager. Now we will discuss what knowledge should be “absorbed” in order to obtain the necessary qualifications.
It is important to take into account that there is no universal set of knowledge for a product manager, since each product is specific and unique (specific characteristics depend on the sphere).
But there is a base that you need to know, at least at the initial stage of career development:
- The device of products on the Internet (sites and applications). IT professionals probably know this. If you are in a different industry then read INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love.
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- Testing and Research Principles. Testing hypotheses and theories helps to find the best ways to solve problems. It is carried out in different ways depending on the specific situation. To explore different methodologies, read Quantitative and Statistical Research Methods: From Hypothesis to Results, Designing with Data: Improving the User Experience with A / B Testing, and Lean Customer Development: Building Products Your Customers.
The Russian educational system, unfortunately, does not include the development of communication and leadership skills, which are very important for a manager, including a product manager. Therefore, at the beginning of your career, think about self-leveling these skills.
This will help the knowledge of experienced specialists, which must be regularly "consolidated" in practice:
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- Modernity. To track current trends, communicate with colleagues, attend conferences and exhibitions, subscribe to popular telegram channels, etc. In general, try to learn something new from as many sources as possible.
A lot of information is contained in books that can be bought at any online or offline store. But if you choose this path of development, then find like-minded people or experienced product managers for constant communication, getting answers to questions and advice.
Structured information, community access and mentoring support await numerous courses. Yes, you will have to spend more money on this, but achieve the expected results faster.
How to create a resume
Most companies invite applicants for an interview after examining a resume, so it should be clear, informative, and short. It will be difficult to get an invitation for an interview without a well-written document; you will have to spend a lot of time sending it to potential employers.
Keep it simple and clear
Keep your resume short and straightforward; HRs try to spend as little time as possible looking through huge documents. At the same time, it is also not necessary to greatly reduce the information, do everything in moderation. Before sending, let your mom or friend (girlfriend) read the resume. If they ask any questions, take note and make corrections.
Errors are often made when indicating previous work experience: it is drawn up in the form of a list with the names of companies without explanatory information. Only a few will decide to figure it out, find additional information on the Internet, etc. The rest will simply put the document aside to the "do not fit" stack.
Here's an example of a good structure:
- "Company name"
- Department
- 2-3 sentences about the business model, product, your role, responsibilities and achievements.
Make a 1 page resume
There is an unspoken rule: the resume should not exceed one A4 page. It is followed in many companies, therefore, HRs often do not consider a document of 2 pages or more.
Therefore, it is very important to think about what should be told on the resume to a potential employer. Basic information should be highlighted: qualifications, experience with a detailed description of the products sold, etc.
Check the design additionally. Perhaps the font is too large and if you reduce it, then the volume will be reduced without losing readability.
The location of information plays an important role. Put key data at the beginning of the document so that the HR can see it being as concentrated as possible. For example, first describe your work experience or, if not available, information about your education and qualifications.
Create multiple resumes for different companies
The main mistake newbies make is to make one resume and send it in dozens to all companies in a row. This method is as ineffective as trying to sell a car to an 18-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man in the same ad campaign.
The first one is interested in speed and attractive design, and the second, most likely, is the reliability of transport, the capacity of the trunk and the number of seats. That is, the same argumentation does not fit.
The principle with the summary is similar. All companies have their own goals and objectives, so it makes no sense to send them a template document (at least if your task is to get a job faster). Study the organization, see their designs and prepare a resume accordingly. Learn to sell not only your product, but yourself.
Other recommendations
There is a contradictory line in the resume - "hobby". In whatever ways it is not filled. Some even try to joke and often do it unsuccessfully. This column should not be regarded as something useless.
Use it to sell yourself, point out something that shows you the best and is useful for the employer. For example, “I like to organize meetups for products,” I run my own telegram channel for product managers. If you cannot boast of something like that, just tell us about good deeds: in my free time I work as a volunteer, etc. In general, any information that shows what a nice guy you are.
Another line that resume writers don't take seriously is “about me”. Often useless data is indicated there, but why waste the free space of the document, when you can also show yourself from the good side there and even more interest a potential employer. Tell us about your strengths and qualities that will show you a positive side in your daily life.
How to get an interview?
You made a cool resume, it piqued the interest of the company and was called in for an interview. Shivering, anxiety and fear of not answering important questions is a normal occurrence for a novice specialist.
Therefore, it is better to find out in advance what will happen at the interview:
- Verification of basic knowledge related to product management, which is written at the beginning of this article.
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- Analysis of leadership qualities, the ability to lead colleagues to achieve set results and overcome stressful situations. In most cases, employers use one of two ways: they ask to tell stories of conflict resolution in the team, or they simulate a similar situation.
- Assessment of the aspiration of the product manager. At this stage, tell us what literature you are reading (or have already read) on the topic, what conferences you have attended and where you plan to go in the near future, etc. The task is to show interest in the specialty and the desire for constant development.
There is nothing wrong with interviews. Don't try to show yourself to someone you are not. Be yourself, calm down and focus. This is much better than “wearing a mask” in the first meeting, which is usually quickly recognized by experienced HR professionals.
Tips for products without experience
Do more research
Start researching the product industry prior to interviewing. With knowledge of the target audience, competitors, etc., it will be easier to surprise and interest a potential employer. By doing this, you will confirm your serious intentions to work for the good of the company and help it develop.
This advice is useful for your career in general, not just for interviews. For successful work, you must always conduct research: this is how new hypotheses and theories are born that can become successful.
Try the product
If the company you want to work for already has a product, be sure to try it out before your interview. You can request demo access from HR. This will show that you want to prepare well for the first meeting and create an initial positive impression of yourself.
But even after employment, you cannot refuse to use the product. Constantly interact with him (especially if you work in the consumer sector) and then you will know well what you are offering to the market. Before releasing updates, test new features yourself, perhaps you will immediately figure out what you can fix and get a cooler end result.
Find out the long-term goals of management
This must be done before starting work on a new product. Learn about management plans: what they want from the implementation. So you can come to a common view and work plan.
Find out all about the competitors
Before the interview, be sure to find out about the main competitors of the product: who they are, what advantages they have, are they planning global updates in the near future, etc. The more information the better. Perhaps, already at the first meeting, you will be able to offer the manager something worthwhile and immediately become one of the main candidates for hiring.
But even after getting a position, constantly monitor and analyze your competitors and then you will know what needs to be improved first of all, and where your product is better anyway. As Nicolo Machiavelli said: "Keep your friends close, enemies even closer."
Schedule conferences
Always pursue professional growth: find out which books are worth reading to gain new or strengthen your current skills, plan attending upcoming meetings and conferences for product, etc. Always look for points of professional growth to advance your career.
If you received an offer, then two more tips will be useful to you:
Chat with customers
Communicate directly with consumers, especially when it comes to positive-minded customers. Feedback from the target audience helps to make the product better, find interesting ideas, reveal new pains, and much more. It is especially important to communicate directly with the consumer in the early stages of development in order to timely make changes to the roadmap.
Another good option for establishing a direct connection with customers is to set aside one day a month to work in the support team. Try to solve as many problems as possible during business hours. Only work in conjunction with an experienced company consultant, he will help in solving complex problems.
Make friends with a sales manager
Sales managers are as close to the target audience as possible, so you need to be "best friends" with them. They will give a portrait of the target audience in great detail, which will allow you to better understand the product, learn all the strengths and weaknesses. This information is very valuable for productive work and achieving your goals.
The most surprising thing in this profession is that there is no ideal way to build a successful career, but at the same time there are no obstacles that would prevent someone from becoming a cool product. Everything is individual, each specialist, if he wants a career, must correctly plan his work and without regularly learning something new.
Very often "strong" specialists are self-taught, who take the field seriously, constantly study and practice the acquired skills in practice.