🐋 So, you wanna be a PM?
Special edition featuring Head of Product, Nate Jones! Ex Amazon, Drift, Palolo. Plus, tons of just posted summer PM internships @Evernote, Chegg and more! You're not going to want to miss this one.
What’s up, Tech Pod! 💦
This week, we had the privilege to sit down with seasoned product leader, Nate Jones. He has over 13 years of experience as both an entrepreneur and PM at Amazon + startups in SaaS and fintech. He recently took a position to lead product at Palolo, a fintech startup reimagining banking + finances to help people in America with cash flow and debt.
➡️ We’ve drawn out key insights from the conversation to help you on your journey to land a top-tier role in product management.
🚀
Plus, stick around until the end for the latest in entry-level positions and internships in Tech!
1. There are non-teachable PM traits
Nate believes that there are 3 traits essential to product management that you just can’t teach. When interviewing, he looks to see if these 3 traits are already present in the individual to ensure that they have a solid foundation for the job.
🤜Resilience: Being able to bounce back from failure and rejection gracefully—over and over again. PM’s ideas get rejected a lot: by their boss, their teammates, limitations of technology….a PM has to showcase the ability to take the hits on the chin and not take things personally.
😎Being a self-starter: Tons of internal drive is required to succeed in a PM role. Often, the rest of your team is demotivated or perhaps even frustrated with you, and you have to look for your own motivation to get to the other side of a problem.
Don’t just say it—show you possess this trait by giving authentic stories of times that you had to dig deep and couldn’t rely on the energy of others. Even better: tell stories that demonstrate you as the rally-calling leader.
🤔Habit of lateral thinking: Second nature to great PMs—it’s the practice of resisting obvious approaches and straightforward solutions to make way for innovative discoveries.
Some interviewers will use brain teasers to test for lateral thinking in interviews. It might be helpful to familiarize yourself with them ahead of time.
2. Take your side-project to the next level
Your side project is a powerful opportunity to obtain and demonstrate the before-mentioned traits and skills.
But not all side-projects are created equal… 🤭
The reality: many people do themselves a disservice with their side projects—creating something without complexity in haste. Stand out from the crowd by applying these tips to your project:
Show you’re not just an ideas person: Get user feedback and include it on the project’s website. Demonstrate you aren’t afraid of being proven wrong and you appreciate critical feedback by displaying the evolution of your product as well.
Record your progress and share it along the way: Share your wins and losses as they happen on Twitter, a Slack community, etc. When you draw in an audience that follows your journey it could result in a job offer + ideas and feedback.
Work on side projects in micro-environments: It’s hard to release a standalone product of value. Instead consider how you can create a tool to relieve real pain points already present at your company, school clubs, etc!
⭐️Bonus!
When you start a new product job, subscribe/buy products from competitors. By understanding the market, you’ll be better at building and able to impress in convos with veteran teammates.
If you have the choice, join a marketplace! They have unique two-sided user acquisition dynamics, complex pricing and transaction challenges, and are a generally challenging business model. It’s a great way to learn fast.
Find your rhythm when it comes to design. If you are more of an ideas, spec, and copywriting type, then use your UX teammates to get wireframes done and trust your designers on UI. If you’re more design-oriented, get your hands dirty and show off your taste by contributing where appropriate. Either way, lean into your strengths!
Want to get connected with even more PM content? Follow Nate on TikTok! 👏
🔥New positions in tech!
Full-time honorable mentions:
Recruiting Associate, Free Agency
Junior Content Manager, Free Agency
Internships 👩💻