For those whoâve renewed your dedication to getting a Product Administration job this yr (whether or not itâs your first ever or a transfer to greener pastures) job postings are a minefield! The right job posting paints an image of who the corporate is, what itâs prefer to work there, what they count on from the place, and will give a way of the advantages.
Generally, corporations can inadvertently let you know some fairly vital issues about themselvesâŠby crimson flags.
(PS. These crimson flags are issues that candidates might be looking out for! For those whoâre a hiring supervisor attempting to draw the proper individuals, try: Hiring A Product Supervisor: Job Posting Templates)
đ© Itâs a Venture Administration job, not Product Administration
This crimson flag stems from the identical downside; a basic misunderstanding of what Product Administration is. Within the grand scheme of issues, Product Administration and Venture Administration are pretty comparable (and itâs a disgrace that theyâre each often known as PMs). However there are some essential variations between the 2 roles.
For those who see a job posting for a so-called Product Administration position, however the duties are all centered on ensuring issues are performed on time and inside price range â and thereâs no point out of regular Product duties â itâs not the job for you.
Actual Product Administration job postings might be asking for cross-functional collaboration abilities, consumer analysis, roadmapping, proudly owning the backlog, working carefully with engineers, and an understanding of tech. If these issues are lacking, the corporate is in search of a Venture Supervisor, and so they simply donât comprehend it.
đ© The duties are obscure
This stems from the identical downside, that some corporations nonetheless donât actually perceive what Product Administration is or what a Product Supervisor can carry to the desk. If the duties listed within the job description are very obscure, getting employed for that position will in all probability lead to both of the next:
- Youâll donât have any work to do
- Youâll have an excessive amount of work to doâŠand none of it impactful
For those who get employed for a obscure job position, the corporate gainedât have a transparent image of what they count on you to do. You would possibly end up sitting round, twiddling your thumbs and questioning what youâre alleged to be getting on with.
Or, youâll grow to be the catch-all for the duties that nobody else desires to do. Product Administration sits on the intersection of enterprise, design, and know-how. However that doesnât imply {that a} Product Supervisor is the odd-jobs one that picks up the slack in all of those areas! Positive, you possibly can roll up your sleeves and assist out when wanted, when youâve got the experience. However a Product Supervisor has their very own job to do. And an organization ought to know precisely what thatâs earlier than they rent one.
đ© Suspiciously excessive âincomes potentialâ
Candidates are normally appreciative of corporations being upfront in regards to the wage vary for his or her open positions, however pay shut consideration to whatâs being marketed.
Itâs regular for salaries to be determined based mostly on the extent of expertise and experience of a brand new rent. But when an organization is promoting between $60,000 and $160,000 for a Junior Product Supervisor position, assume very rigorously earlier than making use of. Itâs extremely unlikely that anybody really earns the upper finish of the wage vary, and an organization that makes use of dishonesty to draw expertise from Day 1 might be going to be a ache to work for!
And if theyâre telling the reality, itâs seemingly that thereâs no standardized course of for deciding salaries. You would possibly end up incomes considerably lower than your coworkers who do precisely the identical job as you, all as a result of your powers of negotiation werenât as robust within the interview stage.
Take a look at: How you can Negotiate Your Subsequent Product Supervisor Wage
đ© You must work on your interview
Itâs regular within the tech trade, if you attain a sure degree or are vying for a job at an especially common firm, some sort of take-home activity could be anticipated as a part of the method. However thereâs a restrict to how a lot it is best to count on to do without spending a dime.
Most authentic take-home duties shouldnât take quite a lot of hours, with the choice of spending as a lot time on it as youâre feeling like. If a take-home activity goes to take you a minimal of an entire weekend, youâre being taken benefit of.
Itâs not remarkable for corporations to ask candidates to finish a activity associated to their product, after which implement their concepts with out ever hiring them!
Whenever you get by to the later phases of the interview course of, itâs typical to see take-home duties, particularly at bigger corporations. However be cautious of corporations that ask you for homework earlier than youâve even had a face-to-face dialog with anybody.
đ©An excessive amount of expertise for an entry-level position
Itâs very a lot a chicken-and-egg downside. How do you get Product Administration expertise, in case you canât get a job with out Product Administration expertise? Be cautious of the businesses that exacerbate the issue by asking for 4 years of Product Administration expertise for an APM place.
The Product Leaders weâve spoken to on our podcast, and by our occasions all say that abilities and capabilities are extra vital than official PM expertise. So we all know that there are many roles on the market which can be accepting individuals from every kind of disciplines which have these core abilities.
Be cautious of a job that asks for 10+ years of expertise in Product Administration for a seemingly âentry-levelâ position. In these roles, youâll have Head of Product duties on a Junior Product Supervisorâs wage.
đ© Itâs one-sided with quite a lot of necessities
Jobs are a two-way avenue. Workers present their time, dedication, expertise, and information. And in return, corporations present a wage, and different advantages which will embrace healthcare, schooling, pension plans, tools, PTO, and many others.
Good corporations that care about their individuals perceive the significance of this two-way avenue. These are the sorts of corporations you could construct the foundations of a terrific profession with.
So watch out for the businesses that arenât excited to let you know about all the good issues theyâll supply in trade on your laborious work. If a job description has an extended checklist of expectations and necessities for the position, however they donât spotlight what youâll get aside from a wage, thatâs a crimson flag!
Working for corporations that count on the world from you and donât really feel obliged to offer you a lot in return is a depressing expertise. Youâll must battle tooth and nail for advantages that a lot of the trade has as an ordinary.
Firms that care about their individuals might be excited to let you know about their versatile working hours, dog-friendly workplaces, free fitness center passes, limitless PTO, and every other great issues they do to maintain you content and wholesome.
(Talking of, do you know that Product College was listed as among the best remote-first locations to work by BuiltIn? So belief us, we all know a factor or two about conserving our individuals blissful!)
đ© âWork laborious, play laborious.â âDeliver your entire self to work.â
Itâs nice to see so many corporations beginning to carry their tradition and their character to their job roles â it helps to offer a way of what the crew tradition is like.
However a couple of trade favourite cliches like âwe work laborious and play laboriousâ, and âwe carry our entire selves to workâ are beginning to reveal some fairly poisonous office tradition traits.
Letâs take a look at a couple of translations:
âWeâre a household.â = âWeâll make youâre feeling responsible for taking time without work/wanting to go away/not working time beyond regulation.â
âWork laborious, play laborious.â = âWork laborious, then really feel excluded for not being a celebration bro.â
âDeliver your entire self to work.â = âWeâre going to make youâre feeling like your job is such an integral a part of your character, that you simplyâll by no means need to depart us.â
For those who assume weâre exaggerating for comedic impactâŠOK, weâre just a little bit. Nevertheless itâs true that many office cultures are lower than preferrred. Tradition needs to be constructed consciously, and itâs not one thing that simply occurs. Firms who use these phrases of their job postings would possibly unintentionally be revealing that their tradition is one thing that occurs by mistake, and whether or not or not you match into it fully will depend on how alike you might be to the present crew.
Itâs nice to be buddies with the individuals that you simply work with, particularly in Product the place influencing with out authority could be vastly helped by robust working relationships. However some corporations depend on the friendships fostered between coworkers closely, and donât put quite a lot of effort into cultivating secure and inclusive areas for everybody. It could possibly find yourself leaving groups working like highschool cliques.
How you can Discover a Product Administration Job Thatâs Proper For You
Whenever youâre trawling job boards and LinkedIn, it could actually begin to really feel like there are millions of Product Administration jobs on the market, however nothing thatâs fairly best for you. Particularly when so a lot of them are stuffed with crimson flags!
So what are you able to do to search out your good match?
- Rethink what your âgoodâ job appears like. For those whoâre not having a lot luck discovering something, your search standards may be just a little strict. Have a take into consideration what actually issues to you, and attempt to broaden your horizons.
- Donât be afraid to ask questions. For those whoâre trying to find jobs on LinkedIn, donât be afraid to contact the particular person posting the job youâre . They need to be blissful to take your questions, or level you to another person who can. If notâŠthatâs one other signal to not waste your time on them.
- Transcend the job boards. Job boards are nice, however thereâs nothing like group for opening doorways. Get networking, and attend occasions like The Product Profession Truthful.
- Strive in search of distant jobs. Maybe youâre already doing this, however in case youâre nonetheless limiting your search to corporations which have workplaces close to you, take into consideration the probabilities distant work presents.
Additional your job hunt by getting your free copy of Employed, the final ebook youâll ever have to examine getting a job in Product Administration.