Hi all, I'm currently in a Product Manager at a digital/creative agency helping Fortune 100 companies design, build and launch web products. I work really closely with design and engineering folks but don't own products and product decisions end-to-end (just how things are at an agency). Despite that, some of the challenges mirror what one would see in a product/SaaS business. I do get a lot of pings from recruiters and lot of interviews at SaaS and FAANG companies given how I position/present my experiences but eventually I get passed on and I've had a long year 2019 of interviewing and getting passed on which seems to have continued on to this year. Is my agency background hampering my chances of getting hired as a PM/Sr. PM in product in tech? Has anyone made a similar move successfully? I suffer at behavioral interviews because my stories don't have the magnitude that these teams are expecting. How do I get out of this rut? I'm at my wit's end sometimes because I interview well and, I know, I'll be a great PM at some of these companies but I'm not able to convert the opportunities successfully. YOE: 7+ Desperate and yearning to get out and own a product end-to-end #productmanagement #Digital #pmaconsultants #pm #agency #pmxagency #product
Keep at it, you will get it! Headed in the right direction for sure. Can you give some details/tips how you position/present your experiences that stands out to recruiters?
Thank you. Well, I try to show that despite it being an agency/services company, my project is unique in that I get to have ownership on my product/features. By now I read the JDs in detail so aligning the vernacular jargon is also important when you're talking about your experiences so far. This helps in moving futher along the process. But don't take success tips from me, its not like it has worked out great for me.
That make lots of sense. Give yourself some credit, more chances you get, the higher chances of success.
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Are you passing the skills rounds at FAANG to the on-site and then failing the behavioral questions? Or are you getting passed up after the screening interviews? If that, it’s a skills issue and not an experience issue (though the latter may contribute to the former).
I recently interviewed with Facebook for a PM role. After the phone rounds I was made to do the Product Execution round one more time cuz they did get the 'signal'they were looking for. So I did and passed it. Went on to do full onsite loop, except it was over video conference. Per the feedback, product execution interview was great. For product sense the interviewer felt I stuck to the framework a lot vs. actually focusing on the solution. This was least expected because I felt like it was a great discussion as I could judge from that conversation. For leadership and drive, it was just an awkward conversation at times, the feedback was they didn't get the signal for humility and introspection. This felt very strange too. Maybe it was the VC format that didn't help things either.
You’re demonstrating what they noticed here. You said it was awkward and that the feedback was they didn’t get much signal for introspection. And then instead of owning that, being introspective, and looking at how you could have improved, your comment is that this felt strange and you blamed the VC format. See what I mean... ? Also, on your other interviews your comments are “but I felt like this was a great discussion.” I see no introspection anywhere in this comment.