How to Transition from Entrepreneurship to Product Management

What were Some Challenges you Had Trying to Land a PM Job on Your Own?

The problem I was having was that I didn’t know how to bridge the gap between my experience to the job that I was interviewing for. Interviewers often said, “I like you, but I don’t know how to place you.” So, I didn’t know how to tell my story. When I went through the Product Gym course, Rich specifically had a whole section for entrepreneurs and what they needed to do and say. I took that and applied it. As a result, I started pulling specific product stories from my experience. I was able to craft those stories using product language without changing the story.

How Many Interviews Were you Averaging with Product Gym?

At the time, I had a full-time job and I was averaging about four interviews a week. But, that was because that was all I had time for. Once I started getting into third rounds, I started slowing down a bit, so I can prepare myself for those third rounds. I actually started getting through those rounds so much faster than I thought I was going to. I had to learn much faster than if I had built the foundations up front, but that’s a good thing though.

Do you Feel that Product Gym Helped you with the Interview Process and Taught you How to Do the Job as Well?

Yeah! So, I approached Product Gym when I was going through the courses as a skill I needed to learn and level up on for my entire career. I can use those tactics to help get a raise, explore other opportunities three to five years from now, and even just understand career progression and Product Management. On top of that, I now have a community of people I can learn from and reach out to. You’re getting a lifelong skill for learning the job hunting process, so if something does happen in the future, I would know how to get another job.