

Ask HN: Who is hiring Product Managers? - mckilljoy

My technical friend wants to get into product management. What companies would be interested in hiring a green PM with a technical background?
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tomkarlo
It's hard to make a lateral career move in a weak jobs environment. It seems
to me he might be better off finding a job that needs his technical
background, but also has a PM component where he can develop those skills and
maybe grow into doing it full-time. Being a developer does not necessarily
prepare you for being PM any more than the reverse is true; they are separate
and unique roles.

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rwhitman
This brings up an interesting parallel to my situation - I'm kind of in the
same boat, but I've also founded two different products myself (with lots of
press attention) and have years worth of experience managing remote teams of
designers, developers, writers etc for various projects.

Problem is I've been self-employed my entire ten years in the biz so don't
have a "Product Manager" title on my resume that isn't self-applied.

I've been applying for PM jobs with lukewarm response. Its very frustrating
since I'm at a point where I feel like its the thing I'd be best qualified to
handle considering how much experience I have with pretty much every aspect of
the role except for the titled position itself.

Curious if anyone has any incite into this - going from botched Founder to
fulltime PM...

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kynikos
IMO you may be better off framing your previous experience as product
management consultation, or just give yourself a product management title at
the names of your products/companies, and include revenue/sales figures. In my
experience, the "founder" sorts of titles can be a turn off to employers as it
might indicate you have high expectations of control or other things that
could hinder your organizational conformance if hired.

I once worked with a newly-hired PM who had recently seen a handsome exit from
a company he cofounded. By any measure on paper, a very credible and qualified
candidate. The development process instituted in our enterprise was a little
too rigid for his hardened startup mentality and 2 weeks later, he was let go.
Beyond amending your resume with a higher focus on product management, it's
important that companies see you as a good fit from process and cultural
standpoints.

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rwhitman
Thanks this is really valuable information. I've actually been concerned about
this culture issue as well.

One of the reasons I'm seeking out this role is due to startup collapse based
on poor revenue. Would this failure be a major point of contention or are
companies willing to look at this as a learning experience?

~~~
gyardley
In the vast majority of places, product managers aren't responsible for
revenue. I don't think this counts against you at all - it wouldn't if I was
the hiring manager.

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gyardley
The sweet spot is probably larger startups, with an already-established,
multiple-person product management team. Small startups with limited product
staff are unlikely to take a risk on someone with no experience. Public
companies, on the other hand, are often too bureaucratic to hire someone
without 'credentials'.

Your friend will likely have to settle for a junior role at first - I'd search
for 'associate product manager' or 'assistant product manager' roles. But a
product manager with a technical background is a truly a blessing, and he
should be able to get promoted within the company or move to a more
responsible role at another company after a year or so of experience.

~~~
dshah
I'm biased, but I think you're right.

If you're in the Boston/Cambridge area, HubSpot (<http://www.HubSpot.com>) is
looking for a product person.

We're particularly partial to entrepreneurial folks that have a technical
bent.

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bjelkeman-again
I wish I had the budget to hire a product manager right now. I need one. :)

