Stage 2 Capital’s Post

Product Managers from leading tech companies are often treated the same way people have historically treated Ivy League grads. The difference is that companies have seemed to learn that just because you received an Ivy League education doesn't mean you know how to use it - however, the same companies will hire (ex-whatever) without question. It's this kind of bias that leads to a lack of innovation and meaningful product work. Give me the person who has the ability to create from nothing, over the person who piggybacks off of previous success any day.

As a startup founder, how do you approach titling and leveling the first 10 or so engineers in your team? 🏢 External Titles Only (e.g., "Senior Engineer"): Focus on externally recognized titles to enhance market presence and appeal. 📈 Internal Levels Only (e.g., "L4"): Have clear internal performance levels to align expectations and growth within the team. 🎖️ Both External Titles and Internal Levels: Implement both to balance market positioning with clear internal growth paths. 🤝 Neither Titles nor Levels: Keep it simple without formal titles or levels; focus on collaboration and flexibility. What are your thoughts and experiences? #founders #leveling #hiring

Over the last 3 years, I've interviewed 168 candidates for 11 Product Management roles, from early career PM (2-3 years experience) to Lead/Principal (7-10 years experience). With an average of 461 resumes received per role (which includes 2 roles that garnered over 1500 applicants!), that means there is a ~2% hiring probability per applicant. I wrote this post to share my thoughts, learnings, and advice as a hiring manager for Product Managers looking for a job right now. In the post, I also share a link to my Airtable Universe template - a PM wouldn't be a PM without tracking and measuring the job search process, right? 😉

"What do you like to do outside of work?" In my opinion, this is one of the best questions to ask an interviewee during the hiring process. Why? What they do with their spare time (or have done in the past) can often tell you a lot about how they'll approach work as well. If in their personal life they demonstrate evidence of being a self starter or a life-long learner, they'll more than likely be the same when they're on your team. This is especially important if the skills they're developing outside of work directly correlate to what they'll be doing on the job. (ex. a dev who is learning a new coding language on the side, or a product manager who has started other companies). #growthmindset #productmanagement #hiring #startups

Missing callbacks? Here's why 99% of the time: 1. Current skills & experience don't match what is needed for the new role 2. Forgettable elevator pitch. 3. Apply for the wrong roles. 4. Apply for the correct roles in the old-fashioned way - submitting the resume. 5. Inconsistency between the resume and LinkedIn profile. Close the gap between your skills and experience and what the market needs. Fellows in PMDojo | Grow your product mindset change these 5 things and see results. 👀 Watch how Abhishek Modak, MBA, MSEE nailed his product management transition in 5 weeks. Don't do it the old-fashioned way. ✅ Keep it simple. Your mental health will thank you. 📅 Our next Fall cohort starts on August 21st. Come and join us to get hired and promoted faster in product management and tech roles. P.S. REPOST this to help another job seeker in product management or tech.🍀 ----------------------------------- #productmanagement #productdevelopment #productmanager #techcareers #careeradvice #jobsearchtips #resume #techjobs #diversityintech #womeninproduct #careerpivot #careertransition

🌟 Day 7 of my 45-Day Product Management Interview Prep Journey! 🌟 Today, I delved into some of the most frequently asked behavioral questions in Product Manager interviews and tackled them using the STAR technique. 📈✨ Common questions asked by top organizations during product manager interviews such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and many more. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the questions I answered: 1️⃣ Why Product Management (PM)? My transition into Product Management was a blend of entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for problem-solving. Discover how my startup experience and formal education at IIT Roorkee shaped my PM journey. 2️⃣ How Will You Handle Free Riders in Your Team? I believe in a proactive and empathetic approach. Learn about my strategies for addressing skill gaps, motivation issues, and health-related challenges within the team. 3️⃣ Talk About a Time When You Were Running Behind Schedule While Launching a Product Delays can be challenging, but with strategic planning and transparent communication, they can be managed effectively. See how I navigated through unforeseen technical issues to ensure a successful product launch. I’ll be sharing more challenging problems, insights, strategies, and learnings over the next 38 days. Follow along and let's conquer these challenges together! 🚀 Your feedback matters! Let me know what you think and share your thoughts on handling these common PM interview questions. #ProductManagement #InterviewPrep #CareerGrowth #BehavioralQuestions #PMJourney #ProductManagement #InterviewPrep #TechStrategy #45DayChallenge #ProductRoadmap #Estimation #STARtechnique

Highly recommend #pmdojo for getting ready for junior level Product Management roles! Build your brain muscle and instinct as well as your processes as a product manager. It is a demanding program with lots to absorb and learn but I really enjoyed developing at a 0/1 product and helping a business solve for an actual customer pain point. All course resources are online, there is help from Bosky and a Team Mentor(an experienced PM) as well as guest lectures on various topics. You work on identifying and solving a problem for one of the startups(Industry track) as a team and present weekly status of progress to mentors who provide feedback. The biggest difference was my preparation and confidence approaching PM interviews after this experience.

It's official. The concept of "hiring for a #playbook" has got to go. Why? Because these types of hires are hyper-focused on replicating revenue-and-time-driven goals (i.e., $0 to $10M in 2 years). The expectation is that the new hire will repeat the tactics that worked in their previous role: "Do x, in y order, to achieve z." But this assumption ignores some giant variables, including: 🔮 What worked with one ICP won't work with another. 🔮 Features that were once cutting-edge are now table stakes. 🔮 Last year's silver bullet is this year's dead horse. and the list goes on..... Participating in "two exits and an IPO" is not a benchmark of leadership. Past growth does not guarantee future success. Let's trade these false flags for ones that matter: grit, vision, and the skill to build a strategy that reflects the beautiful nuance of your unique organization.

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞: 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞(𝐏𝐋𝐂).🔄 1. 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:  Picture this stage as the product’s early childhood years. Sales are slow, and it’s trying to find its identity. It’s a time of uncertainty, like a blind date with the market. Companies often need to be daring pioneers, ready to take the plunge into the unknown. Yet, some have adopted what I call the “used apple policy,” preferring to let others take the first bite of the juicy apple and contentedly settling for the second.  2. 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡:  Ah, the roaring twenties of the product life cycle! Demand skyrockets, and everyone wants a piece of the pie. It’s a time when competitors join the party, some with carbon copies, others with innovative twists. The battle shifts from introducing the product to making consumers prefer your brand. It’s like trying to stand out in a crowded dance floor — not easy, but crucial. 3. 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲:  The midlife crisis hits, and the product realizes it’s not the only one on the block. Saturation kicks in, and sales grow at a pace akin to population growth. Price wars erupt, and companies scramble to differentiate with subtler product variations, services, and creative marketing. It’s like a game of chess, and the stakes are high.  4. 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞:  Alas, the golden years fade, and the product enters the decline stage. It’s like the retirement phase, but not everyone gets a pension. Overcapacity looms, and a few survivors emerge from the competitive storm. Some engage in aggressive tactics, hoping to outlast their rivals, while others accept the inevitable, gracefully or otherwise. In conclusion, the product life cycle is not just a dusty theory; it’s a journey through the stages of life in the marketplace. Cheers to mastering the art of product aging! #productanalytics #productmanagement #growth #intern #productlifecycle #plc PM School The Product Folks Unlearn Product Product Space #PM #apm #product #learning

Entry-level jobs should not require 5-7 years of experience. Unfortunately, these unreasonable demands seem to have plagued the tech job market.  In this week’s article, Co.Lab Product Manager alum, Jensine M., shares 3 important things you need to do to break this hiring barrier. 💬 Quick tip: you don't need an official product title to become a product thinker; you don't need permission to solve problems for people! Read: https://lnkd.in/g8dbxZUc   #productmanagement #Techindustry #careershift