how to break into product management by product school vp

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Software Engineer -> Product Manager ->

CEO

The Product Book

Fernando Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia

VP of Product at Product School

Tonight’s Speaker

How to Become a Great Product Manager

Marketing -> Learnt how to Code -> Growth Hacker -> Product Manager -> VP of Product

My Path

What’s PM?

1- Listen/Research (Customers/Market/Team/Competitors, etc.)2- Prioritize (and justify) what to build next3- Communicate internally what the Designers need to design and what Engineers need to code4- Keep track of time/cost/quality5- Communicate externally to Customers what was built (so they can use/buy it more)6- Analyze impact on the business of what was builtDON’T READ IT

Product Development Cycle

Design Engineering

Business

Design Engineering

Business

PM

Paths to PM

1- Software Engineering2- Entrepreneurship3- Consulting4- Project/Program Management5- Marketing

5 Most Common Paths to PM

What else?

1- Other Types of Engineering2- Finance/Operations3- Support/QA4- Sales5- Design

5 Alternative Paths to PM

Other PM Roles

1- Business Analyst2- Project/Program Manager3- Product Marketing Manager4- Product Designer5- Product “X”

Stepping Stones

Design Engineering

Business

PMPRODUCT DESIGNER

PROJECT MANAGER

PRODUCT MARKETING

The PM Career Path

CEO -> $$$$ or $ if you are the FounderVP of Product / CPO -> $$$Head of Product -> $$$Director of Product -> $$$Senior Product Manager -> $$Product Manager -> $$APM -> $

Types of PMs

B2B vs B2CStartups vs Large CompaniesTechnical vs Customer-FacingMarketplaces vs SaaSWeb vs Mobile

The Perfect PM

1- Technical Background2- Domain Expertise3- Communication Skills

Top 3 Skills

Technical Background

1- You DON’T need a CS Degree2- You DON’T need to code like a pro3- You NEED to understand the Product at every level and have the ability to earn the respect of your engineering team

1- Online (Udacity, CodeAcademy, iTunesU)2- Offline (Product School, HackReactor, CodePath)3- Find a mentor (CodeMentor, Thinkful, Bloc)4- Ask your engineering team or friends5- DIY

How you can get it

1- Build your own website or mobile app2- Contribute to an open-source project3- Finish a course and do all the homework assignments4- Ask your engineering team to let you fix some easy bugs5- Ask your engineering team to give you access to run SQL queries

How you can prove it

Domain Expertise

1- You DON’T need an MBA2- You DON’T need to sell like a pro3- You NEED to know everything about your industry, competitors and customers in order to build something that they love (and makes you money)

1- Use industry-related products2- Read or study industry-related content3- Attend industry-related events4- Meet industry-related people5- Join LinkedIn/Slack/Facebook Groups and Follow Twitter Influencers

How you can get it

1- Build experience in the same industry, or find a way to relate your experience to the product2- Use those products and be ready to give feedback and elaborated suggestions about how to improve them3- Find a smart way to connect with hiring managers, product managers and other domain experts

How you can prove it

Communication Skills

1- You DON’T need to be a Public Speaker or Book Author2- You NEED to help your team3- You NEED to create value for your customers and capture part of that value

1- When possible, choose in-person or phone interactions over emails2- Read your emails twice before you send them3- Document what you do and keep track of the next steps4- Create accounts on Medium, Quora, Twitter and other relevant forums where you want to have a voice5- Have an active role in events, hackathons, nonprofits, and other group activities that require team communication

How you can get it

1- Write consistently. Done is better than perfect2- Take notes and use technology to keep track your work3- Take care of your online presence4- Highlight additional activities or side projects

How you can prove it

The PM Job Process

Resume Sent

Phone Interview Scheduled

1st In-person Meeting Scheduled

Challenge Sent

2nd In-person Interview Scheduled

Offer Received

30-50

10-15

5-10

3-5

1-3

1-2

Treat your job search as a job itself

Questions?

Upcoming Product Management Courses

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March 3 - April 21

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Part-time Product Management Courses in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles,

New York, Austin, Boston, Seattle, Chicago, Denver, London, Toronto

www.productschool.com