Transitioning to Product Management (PM) is hard and I get it.
Some of the common frustrations
“I have been trying for a long time to get into Product Management but not getting enough interview opportunities.”
“I got through the interview rounds but the feedback I received was that I do not have necessary PM background and skills.”
“I don’t have the MBA, the tech background or the domain expertise or the XYZ required for the role.”
How shall we approach each or a combination of these frustrations -
# Getting a PM positions externally is way harder than transitioning from an overlapping role say Product Owner, Program Manager, Product Marketing, etc within the same org. Consider this step as a stepping one with end goal of eventually becoming a PM.
# It is critical to craft your narrative to demonstrate PM skills from your current roles. Did you build the roadmap, did you align stakeholders towards a common goal, did you solve a long pending customer (internal/external). Think 🤔 and craft your narrative well in advance.
Pro tip: Write down your narratives.
# Lastly, if you feel you don’t have the required attributes for the role, what are you doing about it. Are you willing to grind the hours and build the required skills? Are you willing to network and connect with fellow PMs to get guidance?
Another critical factor to understand is that luck 🍀 plays a crucial role in getting what we want in our carrier and life hence, success in any worthy endeavour is a combination of preparation and luck.
Let’s discuss a little more about the luck in the next post, till then keep learning keep growing and share your transition stories to inspire.