Video Response, where I discuss about who I interviewed including their roles and responsibilities, why I chose to interview them,
and what I learned from the interview and how it connects to my passions/interests:
The interview:
Can you explain your roles and responsibilities with your current position?
My main roles are to understand customer needs and problems, and help build a product which meets their needs and solves their problems. I also educate people about the technology, in order to help with sales.
Understand customers:
* Talk to customers about their issues and priorities
* Research the market and competitors
Help build a product:
* Communicate the needs of customers to the rest of the team (sales, marketing, engineering)
* Work with the engineering team to decide on the solution
* Bring early versions / prototypes back to potential customers, to make sure we are on the right track
Educate people:
* Write documentation and marketing material
* Join industry groups where we could be helpful and teach people about the product’s benefits
Product management is not a very well-defined field – each company does it a little differently. At my company, which is still small, I am focused on understanding our direct customers and meeting their needs for our whole product line. At larger companies, it’s common to have much more specialized roles: for example, a PM who focuses specifically on building integrations with other apps, or a PM who manages a browser extension for the app. Either way, PMs typically understand the customers, and work with the engineering team to efficiently meet their needs.
What obstacles have you faced to get you where you are today?
I think the main obstacle I faced here was opportunity. There are very few entry-level product manager jobs (sometimes called Associate Product Manager, or APM), and they are very competitive: it is usually a highly-paid job in the tech industry, and is based almost entirely on “soft” skills (rather than “hard” technical skills). I’m pretty sure I would not have been able to apply to an entry-level PM job and get it.
I actually went to school in electrical and computer engineering, and I started my career as a software engineer. This requires a lot more up-front work to learn how to code, and other related technical skills. Luckily, I found that I was pretty good at it.
I eventually wanted to become a PM because as an engineer, I kept being told to build things that nobody cared about, because no one was paying attention to the customers – a frustrating experience. I complained about it a lot, and eventually I got lucky and they wanted to hire a new PM on a related team at my company, and they offered it to me. I tried it out and found I was good at it and liked it. Without the internal transfer opportunity within my company, I probably would have continued to be a software engineer instead.
Then as a product manager, there were a lot of new skills to learn, which are hard to practice. For example, it can be difficult to interview customers in a way that doesn’t lead them to agree with you. Generally, these skills are not taught in school. There are specialized trainings as well, but ultimately the best practice is in the real world. So I did a lot of reading and practicing on the side, in order to prepare for the new job.
Since I used to be a software engineer, this gave me some advantages. I know a lot more about the tech, which helps me understand what’s easy, hard, and impossible. I can also work on products that are targeted towards technical people: for example, I currently work on cybersecurity products. Other PMs typically come from a business-side background. This means that I am relatively weaker in skills like pricing, marketing, and business finance. That’s another set of skills for me to catch up on.
What advice would you pass on to someone interested in what you are doing?
First piece of advice: try it. You can try creating something yourself. Two parts:
A) What’s a problem you or your friends have? What can you do to solve it (in a cheap and/or fast way, especially)?
This will give you a taste of understanding customers (starting easy: with yourself) and thinking about how to solve their problems. Note, you don’t have to invent something to solve the problem – buying an existing product is a perfectly reasonable way to do it.
B) How much are you willing to pay for your solution (and is it more or less than the cost)? How many people have this problem or similar problems?
This is a business feasibility question: solving problems is great, but it only makes sense for the business if it’s profitable (cost is less than what a customer is willing to pay), and there are enough potential customers in the market.
Second piece of advice: This is a very people-oriented job, and you need to be able to communicate well, and switch between different styles. I constantly “translate” between my engineering teammates, sales teammates, and customers – since all of them care about different things and use specialized language. It really helps to have deeper knowledge of at least one of these (engineering, sales, or your target customer), and you will need a lot more help if you don’t have any.
Why are you passionate about your job?
As a PM, I have a lot of influence over making the customer happy. I often jump between different areas to glue things together, which gives variety to my working days. Finally, I like my product: I think it is legitimately a useful thing, and by building it we are improving the world for our customers.
5. For individuals aspiring to excel in your field, what key skills or qualities do you believe are essential for success?
As mentioned above already:
* Communication – and a willingness to talk to people
* Good knowledge in at least one of: engineering, sales, or your target customer
And, being comfortable working in an unclear environment, where you don’t know everything.
What aspects of your job bring you the most satisfaction and fulfillment?
I have a lot of autonomy in my job. I can see a clear connection between my work, and our customers’ happiness. I can do both creative and technical work, and I work with smart and motivated people.
What opportunities this interview opened up for me:
For me, the interview has created a number of opportunities. First of all, it helped me understand the field of product management and determine whether it’s a fit for my career goals by giving me valuable knowledge about the tasks and responsibilities of the position. With this information, I can explore possibilities in product management and make well-informed decisions regarding my future.
The conversation also revealed the challenges encountered by product managers, including having to acquire new skills and the competitiveness for entry-level positions.
In addition, Mr. Chen’s suggestions on problem-solving techniques, effective communication, and flexibility provide useful direction for my own professional path. It presents chances for my professional and personal development as I strive to strengthen these areas.
Finally, the interview has increased my desire to learn more about product management and motivated me to look into other resources and networking opportunities. It motivates me to look for guidance, and make relationships with experts in this field, all of which can lead to beneficial opportunities and new chances.
Ultimately, the interview has opened up opportunities for me to gain knowledge, develop skills, and make informed decisions as I pursue a career in the product management field.
