The new underdog of product development:

The Net-Positive Product. This is something that is not discussed nearly enough (if at all) and IMHO is the next game-changer in how we operate in tech.

10 things we can actively do to build products more consciously...

Part 6/10: MAKE THEM ACCESSIBLE.

(See previous threads:

https://twitter.com/LisaZane15/status/1624051013081526272?s=20&t=mIHaCHxa7Z-k3J9A51ORJA

)

👇 Over 1.3 billion people worldwide have disabilities. This is a massive market. Of those, a large portion are not visible.

PMs:

This is your mental health check.

It's Friday, almost EOD in EST and PST time zones... I challenge you to find 15 minutes before you clock out to ask yourself these 5 questions to help you improve what next week looks like:

As product people, the best tool we can use to learn is not...

A book.

A class.

A template. ...it's learning from real-world product conception, development, launch, and iteration stories.

"This one time..."

"You will not believe..."

"At first I didn't realize..."

... One of the core PM skills that often gets overlooked while sifting through line items like Product Requirements, Roadmapping, and Stakeholder Alignment is one’s ability to tell a damn good story.

One of the best things you can do to increase your chances of landing a PM interview?

Connect the dots for the hiring and recruiting teams, so they don't have to make assumptions and work to fill in any gaps (and risk getting the picture of "you" wrong).

Here's how: If you’re looking to transition to a new role or new industry, save a handful of job descriptions that you’re most interested in.

Then, create a document that has two headers:

1. Key Responsibilities
2. What They’re Looking For in a Candidate

Question:

"Most Product Manager jobs are looking for 2-4 or 3-5 years of Product Management. How does one move into the role from a Program/Project Management (and Software Management) position?"

My answer... The market right now is beyond bananas and there's no single "right way" to approach this. That also doesn't mean it's not possible.

I think there are some principles to follow:

Trying to land your first PM role is one thing...

Knowing what to do when you're through the door is another.

Here are 10 articles to help you get started in your first PM role 👇 1. Good Product Managers, Great Product Managers by @shreyas:

linkedin.com/pulse/good-pro…

Transitioning into your first product management role can feel like this 😱

I know.

Product management is my 3rd career. It can be especially challenging to know how to articulate the impacts you had through your previous experiences that are not necessarily product-related.

Several years ago, Bill and Melinda Gates happened to read a newspaper article that they just couldn’t shake — one that opened their eyes to the impact of disease in poor countries and changed their trajectory and focus... The article was about how 800,000 kids die every year from diarrheal diseases — a figure that stands out starkly in developed nations with more advanced hygiene and medical practices.

5 things I've learned since I started coaching Product Managers 1:1 earlier this year: 1. There is no "normal" in product management. Every role requires you to operate in a different context with different constraints.

When I first started interviewing for product manager roles, I was a mess.

Before each interview I would have panic attacks, not be able to eat, and my voice and writing would be shaky.

One thing that helped significantly? Putting together a 1-page cheat-sheet in advance that I could a) use to rehearse b) keep with me for phone interviews to quickly glance at as my anchor.

Here’s how I structure mine 👇

I kicked off my newsletter, Stream of Consciousness, with some thoughts around what I wanted to put out into the world, and a lot of learnings from seeing product "under the hood" myself and through the eyes of many other product people I've worked with.

Today we just passed 1K! While this has been the hardest year of my life for a lot of reasons, it's also been the most rewarding because of wins like this.

What’s the first thing you typically are asked in a PM interview?

“Tell me about yourself”.

How you answer this question is crucial 👇 This is your time to shine and weave your common underlying thread for the interviewer - to tell your story, your way and articulate your value.

This is where all of the work you’ve done so far comes together.

This is where the magic happens ✨

Today I wanted to do a quick little shoutout to some awesome product people I know building their own awesome products and businesses (on the side or FT)! @ckells19: Communication and Stakeholder Management for PMs Course

maven.com/christinakweis…

While most people focus on “hard skills”, frameworks, and strategy, if you aren’t building on a good foundation your house will crumble.

At its base, being an exceptional product manager means being a great human.

To me, essential human skills include being: Empathetic

Emotionally intelligent

Self-aware

Curious and able to ask great questions

Creative and able to be a divergent thinker

Self-driven and able to take initiative

A quick learner

Adaptable

The responses to the question “What is a product manager?” are all over the place.

…from “CEO of the product” to “Someone that helps their team and company build and ship the right product” to “Don’t answer this question - it’s a trap!”

My take 👇 To me being a product manager means being:

1. A detective - someone who is exceptional at finding and framing problems

My favourite product management tweets of the week...

+ why 👇 1. "Design research skills and product discovery" by @johncutlefish & @stephanie_leue

Why?

Working together to leverage skills is so crucial yet few teams actually do this well as part of their product development process.

https://twitter.com/stephanie_leue/status/1584851249052012545?s=20&t=cn2nZw6Wwm3dc94jiPtxEw

One of the best things you can do to increase your chances of landing a PM interview?

Connect the dots for the hiring and recruiting teams, so they don't have to make assumptions and work to fill in any gaps.

👇 Some basic words and phrases that I would look out for on candidates' LinkedIn profiles and resumes when hiring for product roles (to show that you have basic experience and foundational skills) include:

Own your case study during your PM interview vs. letting it own you!

🚩 15 Red flags to avoid during PM Case Studies 🚩

👇 1. Not validating the root problem first 🚩

Following an exact framework that worked for someone else interviewing for a different role won't help you nail product manager case studies every time.

They are highly role and context-dependent.

What will help: Understanding why a case study is being used and what the hiring team is trying to assess in the first place.