A day in the life of a PM

A day in the life of a PM

When I was searching for Product Manager roles in grad school, I followed the tips from the typical PM prep books and blogs. One of my go-to questions for mentoring/networking sessions would be to ask the person to describe a day in their life. I got responses with varying levels of details, but I didn't quite understand how to make it relevant to my journey or search. How will a day/week in their life inform my decision to build a career in product management?

Having spent some time on the other side of these talks, I've come to realize that asking someone to describe "a day in your role as a PM" isn’t a actually a great question.

Why? Each day in my role as a PM is quite different. Every product, team and company that I've been a part has expected different things from me. At different career stages, the things I do have evolved. And most importantly, my experiences in this career path are not comprehensive of everything that someone can expect in their role.

So how should I make someone else's experience relevant to my journey? How do I learn from their lived experiences to make a career switch or find my next role?

Here's a simple exercise for self-reflection to navigate this discussion the next time.


Step 1: Fill this framework with 100% integrity to figure what you are looking for in your next job. Don't fall for the trap of writing the things that people want to hear, write the things that YOU want to really do.

(See cover image of this article for some examples to get you started)

☹️I DISLIKE: Write down a list of things that you don't enjoy doing/don't wish to do in your next job/are not skilled at. Order them from the most painful to least painful.

😀I LIKE: Write down a list of things that you want to do and will enjoy doing. Order them from the most important to least important.

⚙️MY SKILLS: Write down your skills - this is what you are good at. You can split them up as interpersonal skills that focus on people, leadership and business and technical skills for tools and technologies that support your job. Stack rank them by your level of proficiency.


Step 2: Validate this with at least 10 PMs working in different companies, product teams, and career stages.

The next time you meet someone, share this framework with your answers which reflects on your goals, motivations, and interests. Use it to ask questions which will help YOU decide if product management is the right career choice for you.

Some tips on what questions you could ask: 

💬 As a PM, did you have to do some of the things that I dislike and how important were they for your success?

This question will help you prepare for the parts of the job you may not enjoy or be a good fit for. You may also find out that being a PM is not the right career choice for you if you hear a lot of PMs identifying these things as important.

💬 Which of the things that I like doing will be most helpful me in my role as a PM?

This question will help you understand if you will be fulfilling your career ambitions in your PM role. If you don't hear too many PMs suggesting that you will get to do what you love, perhaps you may want to reconsider applying to a different role.

 💬 Of my technical and people skills, which ones will be the most useful in my job as a PM? What are some skills I might be missing and what is your advice on how to grow those skills?

This question will help you build the right skills and create a lucrative resume and elevator pitch.

 

Be sure to track the data you collect from your discussions and take notes on what other PMs like, dislike and are skilled at. Use this framework for introspection and research to guide your understanding of what a PM role is and whether it is what you imagined it to be. For some it may be a soul match, for some it may be iffy, and for others it may turn out to be a myth buster. Whatever is your end result, I hope it helps you make an informed decision on whether Product Management is the right career choice for you.

 

👋🏻Before you go… If you found this nugget helpful, you can subscribe to my newsletter Product Nuggets and share it with your network. If you have any feedback on how I can make it most useful to you, you write directly to me in the comments of this post or send me a message on LinkedIn.

😇Happy reading, sharing stories, and growing together until next time! 

Abhishek Bora

Graduate Student @CMU

1y

Very helpful!

Love this article! :D

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