Resume Advice For Product Managers Seeking New Jobs
Two evenly matched job applicants. One position to fill. Who wins?
A recent discussion with a product manager in transition got me thinking… in a growing field like product management, with plenty of competition, how do you get your resume to stand out?
In your resume, focus on your achievements–your title and skillset won’t necessarily set you apart, but your results will.
Important, measurable results are what matter.
For example…
- Did profits increase under your tenure?
- Customer satisfaction?
- Number of repeat sales to existing customers?
- Time from order to product delivery?
- Ratio of new contacts to completed sales?
Communicate your accomplishments clearly in your resume. Positive results will make your resume stand out.
While you orient your resume around your results, make sure you’re networking–online, in real life, anywhere you can.
Practice selling yourself in person… on communicating who you are, what you’ve achieved, and the kinds of opportunities you’re most interested in pursuing. This will help you understand your key differentiators, help prepare you for your interviews, and hopefully land the kind of job you’re seeking.
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I like the advice here but “product manager in transistion” is euphemistic enough to set off my obfuscating jargon alarm. Wouldn’t “product manager looking for a new job” be clearer?
Hi Josh –
One of my old English professors told me that writers make their own worst editors–and writing a blog drives that point home pretty frequently!
Thanks for the advice: I just updated the title to something a little more direct (“Resume Advice For Product Managers Seeking New Jobs”).
– Chris
Wow, this is like a distillation of many of the thoughts that have been swirling around my head–and then some! A ton of good content in here. Thanks!
– Chris
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Thanks for letting me borrow a little content! Hope all is well!
~jon
This comment was originally posted on spatially relevant
Nicely done!
This comment was originally posted on spatially relevant
really like doing this type of post. the challenge is making it not suck, so thanks for the feedback. really enjoy reading your stuff Bob!
~jon
This comment was originally posted on spatially relevant
Metrics matter – but they are not all that matters. What I look for in PM resumes is proof that the PM knows his/her craft – I want to see someone who managed to herd the cats and get everyone aimed in a single (hopefully successful) direction. I want to see a focus on market-centricity. And I absolutely want to see someone who has functioned well in a matrix environment.
These are capabilities the PM owns – metrics can often be attributed to someone else, but the core tasks of the craft start and end with the PM.
And if “in transition” you mean “moving from a solid to a liquid state” then the resume isn’t going to help much 🙂 Thanks for the edit.
Hi Bob –
Thanks for the comment–that’s a great point.
What kind of proof do you look for in the resume that testifies to the craft? Anyone can say they’re an expert cat herder, but how do they prove it?
– Chris
This post was epic. Thanks for the link. I even picked up a few new blogs I hadn’t read yet. Bravo!
This comment was originally posted on spatially relevant
Excellent Summary!
“So the economic downturn should be seen as an opportunity for product managers and marketers everywhere.”
Couldn’t agree more. Just need to make it happen!
This comment was originally posted on spatially relevant