From sales to product management
I worked in sales for about 6 years and then transitioned to a product manager role at a US based startup (saas based platform) working remotely from India. Now, i am looking for an immediate switch as some of major projects at my company got delayed and the situation is a bit tense.
The challenge i am facing is that HR people are not buying the fact on why i have transitioned to product and not shortlisting my profile as per my understanding.
I feel just like engineers turned PM have an advantage; so does us sales people as we work daily with customers and understand them better than an engineer. We both have their own advantage and disadvantages.
But sometimes i feel with the response i am getting, i am getting a bit demotivated to continue i product or go back to sales roles although i performed really well at my role and achieved exponential results as compared to other experienced product managers at my organization from a data perspective (adoption, engagement, retention, and much more).
I need advice on what i should do to land a role soon. These HRs are just copying pasting JD at random and dont even understand exact responsibilities, skills required in a PM and hiring an individual...i comes across job ads where HRs are asking for python proficiency, r programming, expert in MongoDB, Sql proficiency......i feel if some PM is comfortable and knows basics well, and knows how to communicate with devs, that level of technicalities should be enough hut i might be wrong as well. Your opinion?
This is a great question and would be helpful for many others who may find themselves in a similar situation. My tboughts-
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This kind of market favours specialists rather than generalists. So you may not be able to make your way into areas which are outside your experience, especially if you're looking to retain or improve your salary. So make a focussed effort to get into bridge roles - SAAS PM and maybe even in the same product area - like cloud, CRM etc.
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Many PMs also think about getting into sales as at higher levels sales often pays more. I have contemplated this career choice too. Keep both options open and don't lose your primary skillset. My primary skillset is Data Science & Analytics, and I make sure that I didn't get too rusty after my transition to PM.
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This may come off as a strong opinion but I believe engineers make more successful PMs, Statistically, you'll observe the highest paid PM roles have engineers in them. I often go deep to understand the system design and architecture of my product. As a platform PM, I can fairly often speak on behalf of my EM when committing or pushing back on requirements or when brainstorming with other PMs. This cuts down the TAT for decision making to almost 20%.
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But non engineers make better people managers. And I enjoy the autonomy I'm provided by my non engineering PM leader. It has allowed me to think more freely and strategically to deliver results.
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Need to have a better understanding of your job application strategy. How does your resume narrate your story, how do you reach out to recruiters and HMs, is there something not working out during interviews?
Seems like you have not had to apply for PM jobs before. Applying through job boards/HRs isn't going to do anything. Find hiring managers/product leaders from companies where there are openings -- ideally companies similar to your current one. Cold email/LinkedIn message them with exactly what you bring to the table. Quote the quantitative impact of your projects. Make sure your resume is concise, simple to read, filled with numbers, and constructs a story
True that, thanks a ton, this really helps.
Hi, don't go much into all the technical stuff. Learn the basics of Python and SQL (just the basics to add to resume). The market is tough but for sure , you'll crack a PM role.
- Apply for sales led orgs which lie in the same market as yours.
- Have a convincing answer for your transition from sales to PM.
- Apply via referral.
- Try creating a portfolio (Not sure about the success rate)
2.5 years as PM is good enough to go in the path of Product management. And getting calls from HRs is a success per se.
Reach out to hiring managers directly. It might give you a better chance at presenting your side.
PM is the most abused role name. In some companies PM is expected to be a technical PM (handling architecture discussions). In some a marketing PM (handling google AdWords, marketing campaigns). In some a delivery PM (handling tech delivery like a delivery manager)
You need to identify what kind of role you have been doing and then hunt for similar job.
No harm in applying for all PM job posts you come across but don’t expect very high response rate from them.
Adding to above++++ it's been 2.5 years i have been working at my current org. As PM.
