Google PMs share tips for breaking into Product management
I spentĀ ~3 years and 4 career transitions before breaking into product management.Ā If I could do it again, here is how I would approach my transition.
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4 case studies I submitted to hiring managers got me offers from different companies. (20+ people have purchased )
Solutions to 7 popular PM interview questions using frameworks from PMs at Google, Microsoft, and Amazon PMs (10+ people have purchased )
Free resources (worth at least 3500$) that helped me transition from customer success to Product Management (liked by 500+ people
Sample resume used by PMs to land a Microsoft offer. (Liked by 2000+ people)
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7 steps for anyone transitioning into Product management
1. Research
2. ā Assess skill gap
3. Upskill
4. Mentorship
5. Build side projects
6. Apply new skills
7. ā Apply! Apply! Apply!
1. Research
The first step is to understand the role of a PM. PM responsibilities differ in various companies but below are some of the major expectations.
1. Build and execute the Roadmap with the development team
2. ā Be the Voice of the customer in the organization
3. ā Leverage product data to make decisions
2. Assess your skill gap:
The first step is to assess your skill gaps. I cameĀ from a Customer success background. I had customer skills but lackedĀ technicalĀ and data analysis skills.Ā
Here are the necessary skills PMs need to succeed
1. DiscoveryĀ
2. Communication
3. Design
4. Execution
5.Ā Data analysis
6. TechnicalĀ skills
7.Ā Strategic skills
A step-by-step Product manager guide for your transition. Comment āPMguideā to get a free copy
3. Upskill to cover your skill gaps :
Select courses that willĀ helpĀ close your skillĀ gap.Ā Ā If you have a data background, you will need to gainĀ customer discovery skills.
Free courses
1. General PM course: Gives you insights into the PM role
š”Becoming a Product Manager by LinkedIn: You can complete it with a free 30-day trial:
2. Discovery courses: This group teaches how to find customer pain points.
š”Introduction to user research by Google :
š”UX research methods by Nielsen Norman:
š”Quantitative research
š”UX research cheat sheet
3. Communication: These courses teach how to present research results.
š” Creating wireframes by Google :
š”Creating Prototypes by Google :
4. Design skills: These teach how to craft great user experiences
š”Introduction to design by Nielsen Norman:
š”Design of everyday things by Nielsen Norman :
š”Product Design course by Google:
5. Execution skills: These teach PM skills needed to ship products.
š”Intro to Agile Development
š”Intro to Prioritization by Product School
š”How to use Jira
6. Data skills: These teach how to use data to make decisions
š”Product analytics micro certification by Product School
š”Telling Stories with data by Google
š”A/B Testing by Google: This teaches the basics of A/B testing,
7. Technical skills: This teaches how software products are built.
š”The Basics of Computer Science by Harvard :
š”Programming for Everybody by the University of Michigan
š”Introduction to AI by the University of Helsinki
8. Strategic skills: This teaches PMs how to think strategically
š”Product led growth by Product School
š” Product Strategy course by Product School
4. Mentorship:
Find a mentor who can answer questions you may have on product management.Ā Ā
š Bonus: I will be giving 6 free 1:1Ā mentorship sessions this Thursday.Ā
If you cannot find a private mentor, here are some public PM mentors you can follow in no order
A step-by-step Product manager guide for your transition. Comment āPMguideā to get a free copy
5. Build a side project:Ā Ā
A side project allows you toĀ practice taking a product through the entire product lifecycle (from ideation to growth)
You don't need to learn toĀ code to build a side project.
Here are some of the free no-code tools I have used :
Carrd.com
Softr.com
Bubble.com
6. Apply new skills:
Here are two ways to apply your new PM skills
1.Ā If you work in an organization with PMs, shadow andĀ volunteer to help with tasks. (This worked for me.)
2. If you don't have PM friends, you can volunteer to work with small startups.Ā
These two strategies would give you valuable experience to land a paid role.
7. Apply! Apply! Apply!:
Transitioning into product management is a marathon and not a sprint! It could take 1 or several attempts to land your first PM role. You have got this!
Bonus resources
Breaking Into Product and Tech by Microsoft product leaderĀ at Product School
How to become a great PM by Product School CEOĀ CarlosĀ
How to get a PM role by Google PM at Product SchoolĀ