Getting a job in product management is easy. Most people think it is difficult. But, there are easy steps that you can follow to become a Product Manager.
So, how to become a product manager with no experience? Well, there are a few things that a potential candidate can do.
How To Become A Product Manager – Steps
Here are the best 10 steps to break into product management –
- Learn product management skills
- Develop a product mindset
- Research product management courses
- Learn PM tools
- Be product agnostic
- Do freelance projects
- Network outside your comfort zone
- Plug into the PM community
- Influence without authority
- Communicate like a PM
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How To Become A Product Manager – Details
Let us go through each of the 10 steps in detail.
Learn Product Management Skills
Before proceeding, it may be a good idea to review the exact role definitions.
All the Product Manager skills require a lot of practice.
Nobody learns these skills in school.
Yes, there are specific programs available for short course, but nothing beats real world practice.
Please check out the comprehensive list of the skills required for a Product Manager.
If you are aiming for technical product manager skills, then try adding SQL, R, etc. to your resume.
Product Manager jobs in startups generally do require some level of technical knowledge.
Develop A Product Mindset
This is especially important for software engineers who are looking to transition into product management.
Every engineer must develop a product mindset.
This will help people look at the same problem but through the eyes of a product manager.
A product manager does not back away from problems, but takes them head on.
It is also important to stay calm when faced with difficult problems.
Research Product Management Courses
This is a very popular route for people to break into product management.
I also strongly recommend this route.
Here is the list of top 9 product management courses.
The list includes both free and paid courses. Product Manager qualifications through these certificates definitely helps in the job market.
Some people prefer a big brand name college, while others prefer shorter courses available on Coursera.
Every choice is a great choice, just figure out what your goal is.
The course content should also be a factor in your choice.
Some courses are geared towards more experienced people while others are geared towards beginners.
The course content for every certification program is available online.
Always plan to do a thorough research before embarking on this journey.
This is especially important if you are planning to take a course that is paid.
I am not saying that paid courses require more research than free ones.
Far from it, I am saying that both require research, but free ones are generally taken for granted.
I strongly suggest that no learning opportunity should ever be taken for granted.
In fact, a course can also be a great networking opportunity.
Learn PM Tools
Before becoming a PM, it is a great idea to get familiar with the tools that are used in product management.
If transitioning from project management into product management, a person may already be aware of many of these tools.
Here is the comprehensive list of the top 10 tools used in product management.
Product Manager job descriptions generally always include a preference for candidates who are familiar with these tools.
Be Product Agnostic
Many people feel that a Product Manager is only limited to the industry that they have previously worked on.
However, I think that a PM needs to be independent of their product.
This is the meaning of being product agnostic.
Learn how to become product agnostic.
In other words, a PM should be able to apply the same set of skill set to make a meaningful impact on any product that they work on.
Product manager jobs abound. Therefore, it is important to not to limit oneself at the beginning of our careers.
Do Freelance Projects
There are many groups available on Facebook, Whatsapp, Telegram, etc. that post freelance jobs for product managers.
People are looking for product managers who can help them with all the non-technical stuff.
Even if you don’t have any product management experience, reach out and volunteer for the opportunity.
Tell them upfront that you don’t product management experience but you are willing to learn and invest your time in the project.
This will be a win win situation for the job poster as well as you.
The job poster gets free help with his or her project.
While the aspiring product manager gets a live project to practice their skills.
Network Outside Your Comfort Zone
This is very important.
Many people, especially college students, or people from a technical background, are unwilling to step out of their comfort zones.
A product manager is hired for their leadership skills and their team management skills.
Both leadership and team management are not possible without stepping out of one’s comfort zone.
It is natural for people to feel hesitant in reaching out and networking.
But, I have always noticed that people are more than happy to network with new folks and guide them.
Also, try to offer something in return. Why should someone network with you? All of us should be aware of our own strengths that we can project when we meet new people.
For example, an aspiring product manager could be a very good coder.
So while reaching out and networking, the aspiring PM should mention that they are very good at coding. This would naturally the interest levels of the person we are trying to network with.
Plug Into The PM Community
Again, there are many product management groups available on Slack, Telegram, LinkedIn, etc.
Join those groups.
Participate in the discussions.
Facebook groups also have a “mentorship” program that is extremely useful for aspiring product managers.
I have mentored many product managers through these groups.
These group provide a great opportunity to ask questions and learn new things.
Influence Without Authority
Influencing without authority is a key skill that is practically required in all professions.
But, it is nowhere as critical as it is in product management.
And the reason is simple.
In this field, one needs to drive the product and the vision.
Learn the art of influencing without authority.
Not everyone is going to be aligned with that vision. Everyone has their own ideas on how to do something.
And that is a good thing.
A Product Manager’s job is to gather diverse opinions and frame a cohesive vision that incorporates various points of view.
If there are no diverse opinions, it means people are not thinking. And that is definitely not a good thing.
Even for a Product Manager entry level position, this skill definitely comes in handy.
Communicate Like a PM
There is a reason why the product manager salary in any company is at the top of the hierarchy.
Even the entry level product manager salary is pretty good.
In every company, the best communicators are always the Product Managers.
And there is a reason for that.
A Product Manager’s primary job revolves around efficient communication.
Learn how to communicate like a boss PM!
The essential skill of communication can make or break your product.
Product Managers ensure that developers are aware of customer priorities, customers are aware of product timelines and that the leadership is aware of the progress.
This skill is independent of where we are along the product manager career path.
Product Management PPT
Here is a very helpful PowerPoint presentation on how to become a Product Manager.
This PPT summarizes all the important concepts in a clear and concise way.
Please take time to understand each concept in the presentation above.
It is also important to put these concepts into practice.
Simply reading an article or a blog will not suffice!
Conclusion – Become a Product Manager
So, how to become a product manager? Hopefully, that question has now been answered.
Don’t give up on your goal. There will be ups and downs.
Everyone faces challenges. But, those of us who keep on pushing ourselves, eventually succeed.
There is no short cut to success.
Learn the art of becoming an excellent PM like Elon Musk.
Getting into your dream job will require hard work and perseverance.
But, nobody is saying that it is difficult to crack into this field.
The steps outlined above are more than sufficient for anyone to get into this field.
The key is to not give up and keep on going at it.
With the growing trend of Product Manager jobs remote and distributed teams, it is important to learn the necessities of product management during crisis times.
Working from home presents its own set of challenges and opportunities that we can capitalize on.
Here is an article on this topic.
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