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.
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...
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.
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?
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.
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.
