8 answers
Hephzibah
Student
1
Question
Updated
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What are the steps to transitioning into a product manager role?
I’m a final-year student with six months of professional backend development experience from an internship, but I’m looking to transition into a product manager role. I completed a three-week training, though I feel I didn’t learn nearly enough, and I’m unsure how to gain more experience since no one seems willing to hire me with just my certificate. Are there any free websites I could explore?
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6 answers
Adaobi Maryann Ezeogidi
Medical Assistant
39
Answers
Abia, AB
Updated
Adaobi Maryann’s Answer
Hello Hephzibah,
Please be positive. Stop saying“no one wants to hire me with just my certificate.”
Instead, focus on what you already have and how to position it well.
Here are some practical steps you can take:
1. Reposition yourself on your CV.
You already have strong assets; six months of professional backend development experience and a three-week product management training. Even within three weeks, you certainly gained foundational knowledge.
Reframe yourself as a technical candidate transitioning into product management.
Highlight: Key skills you acquired, problems you helped solve, teams you worked with, results or outcomes you achieved.
2. Seek volunteer or internship opportunities intentionally. Reach out to companies, startups, NGOs, or organizations, both locally and internationally through email or in person.
Present yourself confidently and offer your services as a volunteer or trainee for a defined period. Sell yourself, mention;
The technical and product-related skills you have,
Your willingness to learn and contribute,
The value you can add to their team.
3. Target closely related entry roles when applying. Consider roles such as associate or assistant product manager, product analyst etc
4. Show your work publicly,share your thinking and sample work on platforms like LinkedIn.
Post about; Product case studies, feature ideas and improvements, lessons you’re learning about products and users etc
5) You may check YouTube for more learning.
In all these steps, keep up with consistency and a positive mindset and you will certainly pull through.
Please be positive. Stop saying“no one wants to hire me with just my certificate.”
Instead, focus on what you already have and how to position it well.
Here are some practical steps you can take:
1. Reposition yourself on your CV.
You already have strong assets; six months of professional backend development experience and a three-week product management training. Even within three weeks, you certainly gained foundational knowledge.
Reframe yourself as a technical candidate transitioning into product management.
Highlight: Key skills you acquired, problems you helped solve, teams you worked with, results or outcomes you achieved.
2. Seek volunteer or internship opportunities intentionally. Reach out to companies, startups, NGOs, or organizations, both locally and internationally through email or in person.
Present yourself confidently and offer your services as a volunteer or trainee for a defined period. Sell yourself, mention;
The technical and product-related skills you have,
Your willingness to learn and contribute,
The value you can add to their team.
3. Target closely related entry roles when applying. Consider roles such as associate or assistant product manager, product analyst etc
4. Show your work publicly,share your thinking and sample work on platforms like LinkedIn.
Post about; Product case studies, feature ideas and improvements, lessons you’re learning about products and users etc
5) You may check YouTube for more learning.
In all these steps, keep up with consistency and a positive mindset and you will certainly pull through.
Thank you for the advice.
Hephzibah
Ann Madsen
Product Manager
2
Answers
Northbrook, Illinois
Updated
Ann’s Answer
A Product Manager usually has several years of experience in both the business and software industries. People often start as a Product Owner, which helps them grow and learn.
Thank you so much, Ann!
Hephzibah
Kimberley Holloway
Senior product manager
2
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Kimberley’s Answer
Great question. Most product roles want someone with experience but there are some APM opportunities throughout tech. I would look for those as they are specific for entry level. Also consider building something or find products that you can improve then talk about how you went about building or what you would do to improve the product. Always think about it from the customer lens and how it would change a business or market. The product school has some great resources as so general assembly.
Thank you. This is really insightful. Do you have any ideas for projects I could try working on?
Hephzibah
Michael Grant
1
Answer
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Product Manager and Product Management can be a universal term based on the company. While there may be a definition it could appear as product owner or working with a scrum team. I would encourage getting experience anywhere you can with building a product and you may find that you're already doing what you enjoy without needing to specifically be a product manager.
I would also encourage to check on the other skills you bring to the table. An internship is fantastic and demonstrates that you may have hard skills to do a role but double check what soft skills you're bringing to the table. These are hard to teach sometimes so being self aware can really give you an edge.
Finally, networking is a major component to getting a foot in the door. Find local meetups, user groups, self-funded conferences, or research people in those roles on linkedin. If you choose to message someone, be personable and honest but keep it short and to the point. People are more likely to respond to a question with good intent than read an essay about your background.
I would also encourage to check on the other skills you bring to the table. An internship is fantastic and demonstrates that you may have hard skills to do a role but double check what soft skills you're bringing to the table. These are hard to teach sometimes so being self aware can really give you an edge.
Finally, networking is a major component to getting a foot in the door. Find local meetups, user groups, self-funded conferences, or research people in those roles on linkedin. If you choose to message someone, be personable and honest but keep it short and to the point. People are more likely to respond to a question with good intent than read an essay about your background.
Praveen Cherakkara
Product Management
3
Answers
Austin, Texas
Updated
Praveen’s Answer
Empathy is key in Product Management role. Use the standard templates used . I would suggest to read BMC model. That helped me to get context of what all Product manager should be looking about. Key is to know the Value proposition of what we are developing and how well it connects with target Persona. I would say my key journey of Product Management started with understanding BMC model in detail.
Kevin Hayhoe
Product Management
2
Answers
Tonbridge, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Kevin’s Answer
Hi Hephzibah, additionally I would also recommend some books/other resources.
- The Lean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen
- Inspired / Empowered / Transformed set of three books from Marty Cagan
These are great Marty is part of the Silicon Valley Product Group (https://www.svpg.com/) and they have a lot of resources and workshops. Just saw a post on the site that is still relevant Product Management - Start Here (https://www.svpg.com/product-management-start-here/)
Ref books your local library may have Libby - which I use to access books (ebooks & audio).
Hope this helps.
- The Lean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen
- Inspired / Empowered / Transformed set of three books from Marty Cagan
These are great Marty is part of the Silicon Valley Product Group (https://www.svpg.com/) and they have a lot of resources and workshops. Just saw a post on the site that is still relevant Product Management - Start Here (https://www.svpg.com/product-management-start-here/)
Ref books your local library may have Libby - which I use to access books (ebooks & audio).
Hope this helps.