How can you get started in product management?

Especially as a college student, associate and rotational product manager internships are the best way to get a feel for the daily responsibilities of a product manager. Opportunities include Microsoft’s Explore Internship, Intuit’s RPM Internship, and Google’s APM Internship. These programs help you learn how to interview users, communicate with stakeholders, drive the vision for features, and collaborate with engineers, designers, & more. Essential qualities of product managers are often as follows: customer-obsessed, business-driven, and design-oriented. Internship programs offer real-world exposure to product management, mentorship from PM professionals, and the ability to have impact on a company's product.

Product Manager is a "Customer Advocate". A core leadership role where you represent customers' voice on the table. Product: - Finding correct "Problem Insights" from an infinite data stream of product usage (Experience: Most of the game is about finding correct problems)(Tip: Question the questions you ask because they set the stage for answers) - Build a solution case for customers (Experience: There are so many ways to solve the same problem, people feel complex buzzword tech solutions are cool & hence are the way to go, unfortunately simplicity is the key) Management: - Replace the word "Management" with "Leadership" - Beauty of PM role is that no one reports to you but you inspire everyone towards the vision you set for the product

Understand users and the market: 1) Conduct user research, testing, persona development 2) Analyze market trends, competition, opportunities Communicate effectively: 1) Convey product value proposition to all stakeholders 2) Influence without authority using excellent communication Solve problems creatively 1) Identify issues and generate innovative solutions 2) Think strategically and critically about product direction

Product management can be done without getting the title too. As a founder I turned myself into PM when I realised everything work backwards from customer experience. You have experts to design, code, market but what connects them is how customer is going to have great experience. So the focus is to think of great experience and work towards it. You will get the title once you get the mindset of a PM.

Well, an internship is a good place to start working in the product management for a specific product and getting experience enough to then move to manage a complete product-portfolio. Curiosity, being open minded and a good analytical mindset are the three basic ingredients to cultivate

Getting started in product management begins with mastering the fundamentals. Start by studying key product management concepts, understanding customer needs, and learning how to create effective user stories and roadmaps. Dive into relevant books, courses, and online resources. Network with experienced product managers, and seek mentorship opportunities. Gain practical experience by working on side projects or seeking junior product roles. The more you immerse yourself in the fundamentals and continuously seek to apply them, the closer you'll be to a successful career in product management.

While it's essential to familiarize oneself with the foundational concepts and frameworks of product management through resources such as books, blogs, and courses, I advocate for a hands-on approach. In my view, product management transcends theory—it's a mindset, one best cultivated through direct experience. By diving into the product creation process and prioritizing customers' needs, we truly grasp the nuances of building for others. The challenges faced along the way offer invaluable lessons, often surpassing what's written in articles or taught in frameworks. I firmly believe that immersing oneself in the product journey, getting one's hands dirty, and learning by doing are paramount to becoming an effective product manager.

Learn how to empathize with prople Learn how to influence people Learn how to think critically at a problem Learn how to ask the right questions Learn how to be curious to learn more about people needs, business goals, and prioritizing what matters to reach them!

Fundamental skills required to succeed in PM role: 1) Curiosity - Ask Why for everything 2) Right Attitude 3) Willingness to learn - Technical+Commercial 4) Communication 5) People Skills: Influence without Authority. 6) Critical Thinking Find Mentor (seasoned Product Manager) who can guide you in the initial days!!!

Say you are transitioning from dev role to PM or starting as fresh graduate - you would require to develop 3 areas. 1. Fundamental PM skills - User story writting, PM artifacts , Priortisation, UX design and some soft tech skills - Use online courses, blogs, youtube videos for that. 2. You would need to learn the art of using these skills for real product - how to influence, story telling, stakeholder management etc.. you can learn this by talking to PM peers, seniors or Industry Mentors. 3. Develop genral business acumen, how business grow, how they earn money, why they spend and where they spend. This is natural to some coming from business background , others can learn.

One thing is building a portfolio, better thing is building a product. I would suggest 'Building a product.' There's a no better learning than learning by doing. If someone wants to get into product management, the best thing is to build a product. It need not be world class product, but it should solve some problem for users. One need not worry about the market size of the problem or anything. The idea here is to showcase that you can build products. You can use No-code tools or even Wordpress to create your product. You will learn all the essential elements of product management while doing this: 1/ Product ideation 2/ Product thinking 3/ Product design 4/ Product growth 5/ Metric tracking Most importantly, you will get the work done.

Do something that is 'perceived' hard. Depending on where are you in your professional life and your skills, it can be either of the below options: 1. Crack a top B-school: Still remains one of the most simplest (not easiest) ways to get into product management. 2. Influence product decisions in your organisation and make the internal switch as a PM. 3. Build a product: code it / no-code it / collaborate with others to build it. 4. Take that paycut for the title and new responsibilites: might actually turn out to be better in the long run. In the worst case, it can still serve as a stepping stone.

Aprenda como utilizar as suas características pessoais e vivências em benefício da sua carreira. Destaque como os seus pontos fortes e habilidades podem contribuir para a sua função. Exemplos de habilidades com essa característica: Comunicação, lógica, idiomas e outros tipos de conhecimentos.

Building a portfolio is a great way to learn and show your expertise. But it is important to show real case studies of the products that you managed. It means starting with building at least one product, managing it, and sharing the case study in your portfolio.

Sometimes the best way to build your portfolio is completely voluntarily. Instead of taking a long lunch or browsing social media in your down time, find opportunities to improve business operations, optimize processes, or reduce the time it takes to deliver something of value to your organization. What you do with your free time represents what type of contributor you are and helps build your portfolio.

Two bulletproof ways: 1. Apply for Associate Product Manager roles and learn by doing. Companies like Google, Wise, and Product People have a recurring Associate program. 2. Transition in your current company by doing the role first and asking for the title later.

With perseverance and preparation, you can successfully transition into product management. A few suggestions: 1) Attend meetups and events for product managers in your area. Introduce yourself and ask about their career path. 2) Reach out to product leaders on LinkedIn. Briefly share your interest in the field and ask for a quick informational interview. 3) Search job boards for associate product manager or junior product manager roles. Tailor your cover letter and interview answers to the role. 4) Consider an internship or apprenticeship to get hands-on experience. 5) Practice for PM interviews by researching common questions and doing mock interviews.

Diving into the world of product management might feel like climbing a steep mountain. Remember, it's okay to lean on friends and professionals to navigate this initial ascent. There's no harm in seeking guidance, so keep your chin up! Every great journey begins with that first, crucial step, and without conquering it, the dream remains just that – a dream. Stay resilient!

Also work on your soft skills. Not everything has to be theoretical. Work on communication, leadership, and teamwork. These skills are just as important as technical knowledge.

Networking is often the ONLY way to get good and interesing roles, particularly in an associate or junior role. Current times makes the market very employer friendly where they can pick from a large pool of experienced product people even for early-stage roles. So stand out by networking, speaking to product leaders, going to meet ups, where you can informally show of your knowledge and skills to potential hiring managers.

Think of it as running your own business. A great product manager works backwards from desired user and / or system level measures of success - covering user & product value, P&L, commercials, risk, operations and scale. Think holistically covering everything from defining a clear purpose, strategy and roadmap supported by KPIs and an OKR framework to drive ongoing delivery. Lead prioritisation efforts, business requirements & user understanding, and enable collaboration, trust and inclusion of your team mates across technology, design and other disciplines. Communicate proactively and clearly to manage expectations and increase trust & confidence. Establish a systematic feedback loop and always embrace change & evolution.

Don’t wait to be a Product Manager to start gaining Product Management experience. Seek out a mentor within your company and ask them specific questions about their role, or even request to shadow them. Then, identify tasks to both enhance your PM skills and demonstrate them within your organization. This proactive approach could open the doors to a lateral transition into Product Management.

Network - Attend product management meetups and conferences to meet others in the field. Make connections. Get exposed - Take on related responsibilities in your current role like analyzing data, gathering user feedback, or supporting product launches. Build key skills - Develop strengths in communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and business acumen. These are essential PM skills. Consider internships - Look for internship opportunities at tech companies to get hands-on experience. Highlight related experience - Tailor your resume to emphasize analytical and leadership experience.

Simply: - Understand product management: It’s rudiments, the reason for it, the ways it is practiced. - Understand yourself: Why are you interested in product management, is this something you can do easily? Can you learn to do it easily? How does this career path tie to your personal goals Once you are sure of those two, - Go ahead to take courses, follow product management leaders that have a similar ethos to yours, practice, collaborate, build yourself up to the point where you’re sure you’ll deliver value in whatever company you find yourself. - Apply for junior roles/internships and product management roles in a 70:30 ratio. Interviews for the product management roles will help you see the gaps you still have. - You’re in

While talking to product management aspirants, I actively avoid the word "product management" if I can. Product management is a function while product building is a skillset. If you're looking to get started as a product manager, you need to build a product building muscle. And that starts outside the role. There's abundant advice on being a good product manager but so little on building good products. The popularity of the role took the focus away from building products and anchored every conversation towards product management as a function (internal communication, navigating politics, managing up, down, side, reverse).