Steps to Become a Product Manager

Hill I can die on: Anyone from any background can become a PM in 2025. You just need the right roadmap that's proven. Let me give it to you: — ONE - Degrees Away: How Far Are You, Really? Not all transitions are equal. 1.1: One degree away? You’re already in the PM orbit. → Product marketing, UX research, TPMs, Scrum Masters ↳ Just reframe your experience and fill the few gaps 1.2: Two degrees away? You’ve got adjacent strengths. → Consulting, Ops, Customer Success ↳ Start learning product fundamentals and get comfortable with tech 1.3.: Three degrees away? You’re starting further out but not out of the game. → Teachers, finance, healthcare ↳ You’ll need to upskill and bridge the credibility gap One thing that works super well: - Step into an adjacent role first. - Think Product Analyst, Product Marketing, or even Ops. - Then leap into PM once you're 1 degree closer. — TWO - Compensation Reality Check Career switches usually mean a level reset. Yes, even if you’re a VP today, you might start as a Director PM. But here’s the good news: → PM often still pays better than roles like support or ops → Joining a smaller competitor can skip the level cut → Public company RSUs often close the comp gap → Internal transfers can preserve comp — THREE - Resume Rebuild (Not Refresh) If your resume screams “I did [X job],” it’s time to reframe. Your new formula: [PM Verb] + [What You Did] + [Impact] + [Context] Examples: → “Drove internal ops tool adoption across 3 teams (improving NPS by 21%)" → “Launched onboarding flow that reduced churn (by 8% in 30 days)" Goal: Make 50%+ of your resume look like PM work (even if it wasn’t officially PM work). — FOUR - Show, Don’t Just Certify A certificate alone will not get you hired... Do this: - Finding mock interview partners - Learning real frameworks - Access to mentors and alumni - Staying immersed in the product world — FIVE - Build a Real Portfolio You need to show people how you think. Build a Notion page with: • A teardown of a product you love • A personal project (even if it’s no-code) • A story from your current job reframed like a PM case • 3 clear case studies + your contact info Format it like a story they'd love to listen. Make it skimmable. Make it feel alive. — SIX - Interview Prep = The Final Gauntlet You won’t get 100 interviews. So the 5 you do get? You need to crush them. Types of interviews to prep: a. Behavioral b. Product sense c. Execution d. Strategy e. PM system design f. Technical-lite (yes, still matters) Find a mock interview partner and start ASAP. — In a nutshell... PM isn’t a career you break into overnight. But you absolutely can break in over 6–24 months. No matter how much it takes, it can change your life. As it did mine. Best of luck, Aakash ❤️

If I had to break into Product Management again, these are 5 things I would start doing right away to become a PM in 2024👇 ☕️Networking with the right PMs The goal of networking is to LEARN more about the role [PM] and not to get a referral (right away). Instead of targeting “any” PM and hope to get a reply, I prioritize networking by finding PMs this way - use LinkedIn filters: 1. “How did you switch companies?” - Those who transitioned from my current company to the one I want to join. 2. “How did you switch roles?” - Those who transitioned from my current role into Product Management. Learn about what they did to become PMs. 3. “What was your path after school?” - Alumni tend to be very helpful. Find those that graduated from your same college/grad school and learn about their path into PM. 4. “How did you move to another country?” - if I’m looking to move abroad, I search for those who are from my same country/city 5. “We have a mutual connection” - this is probably the least effective one, but if none of the other ones work, I search for people with whom we have mutual connections. 📖 Learn about the basics of Product Management Many aspiring PMs that I talk to confuse Product, Program and Project management… Read as much as possible about Product Management to understand the role, main skills and what transferable skills I have to become a PM. At the end of this research, you should be able to tell anyone around you what Product Managers do and what skills you have, and which ones you are missing (you’ll work on these). 🔎 Find problems to solve like a PM Getting into Product Management is not about applying to thousands of job, it’s about showing that you can do the job and that you have transferable skills. Look for problems to solve on your job or school and solve them like a Product Manager: - Find a problem - Talk to users - Prototype a solution - Validate your ideas - Create a plan (roadmap) - Solve the problem - Measure the impact you expected Solving problems like a PM will go on your resume and your stories. ⭐️ Find problems on your day to day Problems exist beyond school or work and nothing should stop you from solving problems around you. Technology shouldn’t block you from solving a problem. You need a total of $0 to get started: - Wix or Webflow for websites: $0 - Calendly for appointments: $0 - Canva for designs: $0 - Gumroad for uploading products and payments: $0 - Notion and Trello for organizing: $0 - Zapier for automations: $0 🚫 Avoid Certifications Certifications in Product Management will not help you become a Product Manager. Courses in product management will give you the basics of PM and, possibly, a network of other aspiring PMs. Take a course for the knowledge, not thinking that the certification is what will make you a PM. What other advice do you have for aspiring PMs? 💎 need help breaking into PM? Check my comment below? #productmanagement

I often coach job seekers working to break into Product Management. As a PM myself, here’s my honest take on how to land this coveted role. First, let’s level-set on a few realities of the Product Management space: 1. PM jobs pay well, but are high-pressure with constant change and variability - Many PMs burnout; newcomers need to brace themselves for the unique demands of the job 2. Supply of PM applicants exceeds demand - In 2024, most companies don’t need to take chances on a candidate with little-to-no PM experience - be realistic with expectations. 3. PM strategies change heavily depending on product market (B2B, B2C, Internal Tools). - Candidates need to be aware of these nuances when trying to attract employers, or marketing themselves for jobs 4. Domain knowledge is the most critical skill/trait for an in-demand PM (IMO) - The product space changes constantly (new tech, tools, trends); no one cares what ‘framework’ you use if you’re an expert in what customers want That said, here are 3 strategies for landing PM jobs with limited experience. Strategy 1 - Internal transitions from protect-adjacent roles. When the market is hyper-competitive, this might be the most effective way to break in. Support a product as a Technical Program Manager, or Data Analyst (or similar) and look for opportunities to jump into Product Roles that open up as things scale. Managers might appreciate familiarity with the inner workings and be more open to a new PM. Strategy 2 - Pitch your own idea for a new product/feature, and assign product work to yourself. Work on a product idea as a ‘side-project’ - get involved in user research, testing, and wireframing. Use these experiences to build a portfolio and prepare for your future transition. Strategy 3 - Upskill, and target ‘lower-risk’ product management opportunities. Pursue PM certifications like: - PMC from Product School - PMC from Pragmatic Institute - CSPO from Scrum Alliance - ACPMPO from 280 Group Once ready, target products or services with more room for error or iteration. Internal products, not visible to the public, are generally lower risk - but even here competition is stiff. - - - It’s a gate-kept skill in many ways, and very competitive. There’s loads more to discuss, but I hope this helps folks interested in Product. Feel free to ask more questions in the comments.

Spoke at Carnegie Mellon University today about how to land a product role! The most common question I heard: "How do I break into product with no direct experience?" My advice to these future product leaders (and anyone else looking to make the leap): 1> Your background IS relevant Whether you studied engineering, design, or business, your existing skills are valuable. I leveraged my Information Systems background to understand technical constraints while communicating with stakeholders. 2> Certifications can open doors While not mandatory, strategic certifications like Agile, Scrum, or product-specific courses demonstrate your commitment. They gave me talking points in early interviews when I lacked formal PM experience. 3> Build your own product portfolio You don't need a PM title to think like a PM. Analyze existing products, create mock PRDs, or develop side projects that showcase your product thinking. These became conversation starters in my interviews. 4> Translate your existing experience As a former data scientist, I highlighted how I identified user needs and collaborated cross-functionally—core PM skills regardless of title. What was your unexpected path into product? Share below! #productmanagement #career #linkedin