Creating a base of companies for response
Finding companies to respond to is a bit like a sales funnel: you submit your resume to a hundred companies, ten of them respond, and you end up hiring one. A database with basic information helps to control the funnel, avoid the loss of organizations and responses: priority, considered vacancy, salary, response date, etc.
Sort all companies by priority (from 1 to 3):
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Priorities help when scheduling multiple interviews at the same time. Give preference to the organizations of the highest importance. If you have received responses from several organizations with the same priority, make your choice according to your own feelings and sympathies.
We recommend making a base according to the template presented at the beginning of the article. Pay special attention to the "What you need" block. For each firm, write down the key requirements for applicants. This will help to analyze, due to the lack of what skills you did not fit this or that organization (what skills need to be pumped to be more competitive in the labor market).
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Sending a resume along with cover letters is good, many people cope with this task perfectly. They begin to “swim” because of their unreadiness for response and further communication with a potential employer.
You must do your homework for everything to go well:
- Gather as much information about the organization as possible : study the public blog, official website, all communications, reports, etc. 9 out of 10 job seekers do not ask themselves what the company's goals, current problems, what they want to see in their employees. Study the data in advance and you will already be ahead of 90% of other candidates.
- Find out what people from this company are interested in (first of all, managers): study profiles on social networks (Facebook, VKontakte, Instagram), watch public speeches, interviews, articles, etc.
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Something like this you might look like while preparing for the application.
Sometimes job seekers refuse to consider a vacancy due to lack of experience on some points. You should not deviate from your goal because of this, the main thing is that there is a base, for the rest of the requirements, you will finish off the skills after employment.
And do not give up if you do not fit all the requirements. With this approach, it is generally difficult to find a good place. The way out of the situation is the organization of mini-projects. For example, create an online store based on Instagram, "pour" traffic there and achieve first sales. This will give you your first SEO experience, run A / B tests, test hypotheses, etc. Then don't forget to mention it in your resume.
Please read the tips above carefully. Following the recommendations will several times increase the likelihood of getting the desired vacancy. Going to an interview without prior preparation is a bad idea and is unlikely to be successful.
CV preparation
In the first two sections of the article, it was mentioned several times about the importance of preparing a resume and a cover letter, so we'll talk about them further: how to properly formulate and submit information about yourself to a potential employer.
A resume is an important document that HR looks at before first meeting (meeting). You can be a tough professional with a lot of experience, but a poorly designed resume will negate your chances of getting the desired job.
It should be clear and simple, without water and unnecessary formalities. HR in a large company looks at 250-500 (sometimes more) resumes from job seekers for various vacancies every day. He can read them diagonally, between the lines. If the essence is not clear in 30 seconds, the document is sent to rejection. Therefore, do not reinvent the wheel, make a simple, standard document, the essence of which can be understood in 20-30 seconds of viewing.
When writing a resume, observe the rules of "hygiene":
- standard format;
- PDF, 1 sheet;
- high quality photo;
- name, surname, contact phone number and email;
- minimum of water, maximum of essence;
- the title is exactly like a vacancy.
After drawing it up, send it to 2-3 acquaintances from IT. Could they read it in a couple of minutes? Do you understand your strengths? If so, congratulations, a strong document has been written that has a chance to grab the attention of HR. Otherwise, ask them to point out the shortcomings and correct them.
Do not forget, we prepare individual resumes for TOP-35 companies (priority 1 and 2). They should provide work experience in the context of the organization's requirements. Experienced HR people instantly identify template documents and send them to "rejection".
Competently drawing up a resume is half the battle, the content is no less important. To compile a "strong" document, use the following guidelines:
- do not describe irrelevant experiences that do not meet the organization's requirements (or present them as relevant);
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Job seekers are often negligent in preparing a cover letter. It plays exactly the same role as a resume. Sometimes it is possible to prepare a cool resume, but HR does not reach it, since the cover letter is written just like the application is immediately denied.
A cover letter serves two main purposes. First, it should show that you've researched the company and recognized its goals. Second, be an explanation of why you are the perfect fit for the job.
By the way, the cover letter is used to indicate additional advantages for which there was not enough space in the resume. For example, “I work under the guidance of a mentor - Sveta from Skyeng).
Remember, for important companies, your cover letter is written from scratch. Experienced HRs quickly recognize patterns. It is not worth describing in it how beautiful you are. Experienced salespeople recommend that you briefly and to the point tell a potential employer about the benefits that he will receive if he hires you.
And the formal requirement for volume is 0.5-1 sheet. Nobody will look at a large document. Try to keep the whole point in this volume.
Interviews and test assignments
First call HR
After receiving a response, the first stage is to call HR via Skype, Zoom or simply by phone. The conversation takes no more than 10-15 minutes. First of all, prepare all the conditions for the conversation. Choose a quiet room in advance where no one will disturb you. Do not be late at all if the call is scheduled for the exact time! If this was not agreed, always stay in touch and pick up the phone.
Be kind and energetic when speaking. Smile and your intonation will change greatly, it will become more pleasant for the interlocutor. Get into an open position that you feel comfortable in. All this contributes to the correct attitude to the first conversation with HR.
Newbies looking for a job are often worried when they first talk. This is usually not very noticeable at a distance, but sometimes it deprives the applicant of a vacancy. To get rid of anxiety, run the conversation in your head several times, or better, practice with a friend or loved one.
It is appropriate to insert a monologue of 2-3 sentences into the conversation, if formally you are not quite suitable for the vacancy, you do not have enough experience in some requirements. A short monologue should contain arguments as to how you are going to deal with it or compensate.
By the way, very often job seekers forget that they can also ask questions. Let's say more: the employer loves to be asked something, to be interested in something. Therefore, prepare questions about the job in question in advance. Just do not "throw" the trivial: "what is the work schedule?", "What are the bonuses?" etc. Questions should be interesting, for example, about success in achieving the main goal of the company, etc.
Another important question is about the desired level of wages. In most cases, this is not mentioned in the resume (there is not enough space without this), so HR is interested in this during the first conversation.
At first glance it seems that this is a simple question. In fact, even before the first call, you should practice answering it. Don't be too rigid! You need to be flexible and negotiate. For example, to slightly reduce its requirements for wages, if the company is ready to pay for training, professional development, etc.
Test
In most cases, the applicant is given a test task to objectively assess certain skills. Never give up on fulfillment. There is one cautionary tale: one product made a test for Yandex, but he was refused (yes, it happens). He decided that they would use his ideas in their work, and therefore decided to refuse to perform tests for other companies. In general, he was looking for a job for a long time.
On a test task, product managers usually work out a new feature for a product. Here are some tips on how to get a good result;
- carefully analyze the current product and compare with competitors;
- think over several options for the successful implementation of the feature;
- describe the development and implementation process.
A distinctive feature of a good specialist is the argumentation of proposals. If you pass the test with the wording “I suggest adding this button because I like it and I think the users will like it,” do not expect a positive decision. Everything must be reasoned!
For example, if we are talking about adding a new button, then CustDev is worth it. Define your target audience, offer an improved option to the consumer, and conduct an interview. Further in the report on the test and write: conducted CustDev, received such and such results. And if you attach audio recordings of the interview, it will be generally great - this is 100% proof that the thought was not taken out of thin air.
The opinions of popular products are also used as arguments. Thoughts in the test are supported by links to their conclusions, for example, from blogs and other open sources.
If you are not sure about the quality of the proposed feature, consult with experts from the industry. They are easy to find on thematic forums or on Facebook. Of course, not everyone will agree to spend their own time on analysis and evaluation, but it is quite possible to find 2-3 people within an hour. They will point out mistakes or give advice on how to supplement the original version.
Think back to the keywords and phrases you defined for this company earlier. Use them in a test item to get attention. Of course, you don't need to be full of them, but a couple of mentions will play into your hands.
We recommend that you draw up a checklist before starting the test. Include the necessary operations based on the original requirements. If a potential employer asks to determine the key metrics of a feature and ways to monetize, be sure to put the appropriate tasks in the checklist.
In addition to working out a new feature for a product, they often give 5-10 features and ask to prioritize. In this case, it would be good practice to ask what tasks the companies are setting themselves at the moment and, based on this, rank the proposed options in order of importance.
Interview
Be prepared for the fact that there may be several interviews. In the first one, technical specialists take part and check hard skills, in the second, the head evaluates soft skills. For example, in Yandex, products take 5-6 interviews. Do not spare your time, invest it in good career development (especially if the company is in the TOP 5 desired ones).
Here are some guidelines for a successful interview:
- prepare the main points in the story about yourself , think about the "difficult" questions separately;
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The standard job search option is headhunter, company funnel, interviews, test tasks. This is what the conversation was about throughout the article. But the coolest places in dream companies most often do not end up on the headhunter or in the vacancies section on the official website. Such places are received by specialists from the "tusovka". For example, they place an ad on Facebook, receive several responses to it, and select the most suitable product.
Conferences and parties
Dozens of conferences are held annually for product managers both in Russia and abroad. If you want to work in the domestic market, focus on domestic events. In order not to miss important events, subscribe to all strong product specialists, thematic channels in Telegram, chats, etc.
Remember that attending a conference is an opportunity to get a good position in a company with ambitious goals. Therefore, try to listen to fewer reports (then look at them in the recording if you wish), focus on communication with the participants.
It follows from this that the most important part for you is the lounges and afterparty. These are such meetings of all participants in an informal atmosphere that is most conducive to establishing contact.
To be remembered, you need to interest, so first prepare a cool and short story about yourself. Something like an oral version of a resume: main successes, experience, life views, etc. You should not improvise, because at the moment of communication you can forget something important and then you will not be remembered.
Another option for preliminary preparation is drawing up a list of class participants and preparing interesting questions for them (especially for employees of the dream company). Many people evaluate a person's intelligence through the ability to ask questions. Yes, those to which you want to directly answer! This way you can get potential leaders interested.
Chat rooms, Facebook and online parties
A lot of movement takes place in these places: discussions, acquaintances, exchange of advice, opinions and ideas. Try to fit into all chats, participate in discussions and keep an eye on trends. Subscribe to cool Facebook products, view their posts: what they think about, what problems they are experiencing at the moment, what they plan to launch in the near future, etc.
When adding to someone as a friend, write a welcome message: “Hi, I'm Petya Ivanov, a novice product manager. I would like to follow your activity and learn something new. " After this, they will pay attention to you and who knows, they may remember at the moment of the need to hire a new product.
Do not forget to be active in publications: leave comments, discuss different thoughts with other specialists, but most importantly - behave appropriately. Do not join holivars and do not get excited during an argument (especially if you are not 100% sure that you are right).
Grab on to any product fees. They are often written about in Telegram chats: joint calls in Zoom, going to a bar, bowling, etc. Take part in these activities. Even if you do not attract the attention of a large company, you will definitely get some new valuable information.
Recommendations
Jobs are often recruited from friends and coworkers. But how to get acquaintances, for example, in Mail.Ru? It's very simple: search chats, Facebook and other social networks for a grocery specialist from Mail.Ru, invite them to have coffee for lunch. This will be a short meeting, so try to find out as much as possible: what kind of experience the person has, what he likes about work, etc. And don't forget to answer his questions.
Acquaintances for recommendations are started "for the future." Let's say after 3 months on HeadHunter they saw a vacancy for a product manager in Mail.Ru. Contact your new friend and ask to recommend you for this position.
So now you know how to successfully find a good job in a large company. Yes, sometimes employment is more difficult than the job itself. Do not spare your time, because it is an investment in the future. Build a database of companies, prepare for an application, then make a cool resume and cover letter. All that remains is to successfully pass the interview, which you will cope with perfectly due to the information collected in advance. If you still have any questions, do not hesitate and ask them in the comments.