How to Transition from Data Analysis to Product Management

What was your Background before Product Management?

I studied finance for my undergraduate degree, and when I came to the U.S., I studied business analytics for my masters degree. At that time, everyone was telling me that it was the best opportunity and you’ll easily get the job. That turned out to be true; I became a data analyst for two years after graduating from Fordham University. The job was pretty good, but I felt that it wasn’t my real passion.

When you Joined Product Gym, How Long did it take for you to Start seeing PM Interviews? How many Interviews Were you Averaging a Week?

It was pretty quick. I think I went through about a week or two of branding to change my resume according to the Product Gym template. Once it was approved, I started applying to at least 25-30 jobs a day. By the second or third week, I started getting interviews. I was actually super busy during the month of February since I received many interview request emails. By the end of the month, I was averaging 10-15 interviews each week.

What Advice can you Give to People Trying to Get a Product Manager Job During Q4 of 2020?

My last word for people is to just start getting it going and never wait until you’re fully ready. You will never feel like you’re ready. The best way is to have the first version of your resume and pitch go out to collect feedback and iterate through the process. You will feel bad in the beginning since you feel vulnerable and get judged during the interview. That’s why some people want to avoid that; they want to become perfectly ready and then go on interviews, but that’s not going to happen. I think that the right process is to go through some bad interviews first, and then you will figure out what to improve on. You will get better and better over time.