How to get into product management?

25 May 2020

If you’re asking yourself, ‘How do I become a Product Manager?’…

The path to becoming a product manager is less clear than most! It’s rare that you speak to two product managers that have come down the same career path as one another; the avenues into becoming a product manager are hugely diverse and varied. The vast majority come from a technical role, unsurprising in the world of technology. However, we are seeing an increasing amount coming from a marketing background as well as a number of Business Analysts, UXers, Project Managers and Technical Pre-sales.

So, if you are keen to become a Product Manager, here are some tips:

 

Who do you know?

As with many jobs, make use of your contacts. Any Head of Product Management will be more likely to recruit if they know the candidate or, even better, if have received some form of a positive referral from someone else they know and/or respect. Look inside your existing company, many will look to promote or recruit from within.

 

Promote yourself properly

Look at everywhere your profile interacts with potential employers or recruiters. Firstly, obvious areas such and LinkedIn and your CV; are they highlighting your desire to move into Product management? Do they show off your experience and expertise to recruiters and potential employers? Don’t forget about your social media too; research into product management shows that employers are increasingly looking at social media accounts prior to interviewing or taking on a new candidate.

 

Engage with Product Management

If there aren’t currently any product management positions available within your company, find areas to move into where you have closer interaction with product management. This will give you more understanding and knowledge of the role, and make you a more attractive proposition when they do start recruiting.

 

Build your Knowledge

There is a plethora of brilliant books, blogs and training guides for product managers. Go ahead, study and gain your product management certifications to give you credibility. These all give you a greater insight into what the job is, how to maximise your understanding of its complexities, and skills to overcome the issues that will invariably arise. Also get yourself signed up to as many meetups as you can, our list of some of the best meetups can be found here. The people you meet can hold a wealth of useful and important information that can only aid your push into product management.

 

Check out our Jobs Page to find the right role for you!

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