I’m curious…just how flexible are years of product experience listed in a job description? For context, I have 8 years of experience total. This includes 4 years in customer success and services at a unicorn tech startup where I was fairly senior with a team of 8+ direct reports. Nearly a year ago, I pivoted to a Product Manager role internally at a much lower TC. Most job descriptions I have seen, require a minimum of 3-5 years of product management experience (even for a comparable PM role). Does that mean I’ll likely need to stay in my current role for another 2-4 years minimum? I know I’m fairly new to product, but I have a ton of previous experience and also have an MBA from a top 10 program. Lastly, I’m targeting growth stage startups (post Series A) or second tier companies to PM at (basically not FAANG) but hoping to increase my total comp. Thanks!#productmanager
Having done something similar myself, I found it incredibly hard to get interviews with less than 1 years PM experience. Doesn’t hurt to try, but after you’ve hit the 1.5 year mark it makes a difference. It also gives you more time to make a larger impact in your role, ship more features and have more projects to speak to.
Totally makes sense. That’s doable. I just didn’t know if I was trapped for 3+ years of something like that
Exactly, it doesn't hurt to try. You can keep applying and interviewing on the side while working. If something better comes your way, go for it. Otherwise, keep gaining experience. My experience applying for 2.5 yoe vs 3.5 yoe was huge. Got a ton more interviews. May have been my resume, though, that made part of the difference.
Personally I’d probably give you credit for 1-2 total years of PM experience if you applied to my team. If you were a star and knew the domain inside and out, that might be enough to sneak into a 3-5 year role but most likely I’d need to see another year or two until I’d consider you.
Totally arbitrary. As long as you can get an interview and pass, that’s all that matters
It’s not arbitrary in the sense that a recruiter or manager could pass on the resume alone due to YOE. A recruiter might not even move you along or respond to your inquiry. I know referrals help, just trying to figure out if it’s a barrier to entry at most places
Articulating what you bring to the role is more important than years of experience in PM. That's why they say to tailor the resume to the posting. I have lots of experience but I've noticed what matters is what you did in your last role.
Why even disclose yoe? PM is a cross functional role and you have 8 yoe at your current employer doing relevant work. I’d structure my resume to highlight overall experience and relevant work. If it comes up, have a prepared answer that highlights product work you did even when you didn’t necessarily have a product title.
I’m just wondering if recruiters doing outreach will just ignore or reject me since I don’t have a lot of years experience in the product manager role
When you apply for jobs (versus recruiter reach out) there is frequently a step that asks you to confirm min reqs like YOE for PM
If the role is listed as a Product Manager, Associate Product Manager, or Product Specialist, you should be OK. If the role is listed as Sr+ PM, then you'll encounter headwinds, but not impossible.
Are you me? But no, 95% of it does not matter. Only Atlassian out of +50 FAANG and other tech companies strictly asked me pure PM experience. 1-2 YOE PM experience with other 5-10 YOE previous relevant experience (anything can be relevant) easily translate into 5-7 PM experience! I have 4 YOE military + 5 YOE experience (not all PM) and can easily secure Sr.PM interviews
4 is half of 8. No go
Don’t listen to people who sound like gatekeepers. Your previous experience has tons of overlaps with the PM work. If your domain area corresponds to what they’re looking for, recruiters will reach out and it will be up to you to present your experience accordingly and clear the interviews. My own experience: I started as a DS and was team lead after 4 years, transitioned internally to PM and in less than a year got a job as a senior PM at a well funded series A (I applied directly). What helped though was the company names on the CV. Once I got the interview, I aced the first round and the take home, and they made me skip the the next 3 interviews. Granted I did tell them I was in the loop with 3 other companies (which was true) so the usual recruiting chess game is important here as well. All in all, if you’re capable as a PM and show it, you’ll get the job. Hope that helps. Feel free to DM if you have more questions.
This is great - thank you. I know some recruiters have a tendency to push your comp down to bottom of the band or find some “flaw” like YOE as a PM to ding you as a candidate. Even if you’re nailing the interviews and the hiring manager loves you.
I think the key is being able to show success in the PM role. That's why it gets a little easier once you hit the 1.5 or 2-year mark. If you can demonstrate success, both in ideating and in launching a product, you should be fine. Getting a referral is also very impactful (always true but even more so in your situation).
It’s all about how you present your existing experience. I would say you are overqualified for a 3-5yr product manager role. Customer success has many elements for product so does services and MBA
Not it my book. I would ask and if the candidate can't provide examples how he handled product feedback and was doing PM work, those experiences do not count. That is if such candidate gets to me, recruiters are even more ruthless. Disclosure - M2 with 25 YOE and 50+ PMs and TPMs in the team.
I mean it makes sense if you’re recruiting Senior PMs for Microsoft or even PMs. But if I’m looking at startups not sure they have the luxury of holding out for elite candidates with 10 years of product experience. Wondering if it’s more flexible in that area