Monday, September 23 - "How Do I Get Into Product?"

Good morning!

Just checking in you. How’s your Monday?

Here’s what’s on the job description for today:

1. New roles from a scaling European fintech focused on payments.

2. Jessica asks, “I have a technical background and want to break into product, preferably in tech. What do you suggest?”

IN HIRING

MultiSafepay

• Used by 18k small to midsize firms, the company is growing quickly, focused on end-to-end payments.

• With only 14 jobs available, the Amsterdam company is worth checking out for those interested in the growing European fintech space.

• Here are a few of the most interesting roles available

  • Product Manager - Click here for full details

  • Marketing Lead - Click here for full details

  • Partner Manager - Click here for full details

Click here for the company’s career page

TODAY’S QUESTION

Jessica asks, “I have a technical background and want to break into product, preferably in tech. What do you suggest?”

That makes a ton of sense - product roles are super interesting and you get to work with a wide variety of people and see the outcome of your work. It’s just that everyone else also thinks it’s interesting so competition is sky high, especially in tech.

Recommendation: breaking into product is a challenge without specific product experience but many difficult things are still possible. Here is what I would do in your shoes:

• First, it sounds like you’re just starting the process and it’s worth understanding how your experience is viewed by the market.

  • To do that, apply to a small number of companies and roles you think you’re a good fit for (3-5/day is a great place to start). Don’t over do it so that you still have energy to focus on the second thing.

  • The second thing is to send at least 5 cold connection requests every day to people who have jobs you want. For those that reply, ask for 15 minutes to understand their experience and at the end, ask what they would do in your shoes.

  • The goal here is to understand how your experience fits into the current job market. If you get a few referrals along the way, even better.

• Second, once you know you’re targeting firms that make sense (from the, hopefully positive, responses to your resume and feedback in networking calls), keep networking but change the goal towards getting your resume into other product managers’ hands.

  • What would they change and how do they react. Competition is so high for product roles that your resume needs to be highly relevant and easy-to-understand.

• Finally, consider what you want to do with the time outside of applications and networking. I would begin working on a skills like coding, dashboard creation, A/B testing, or whatever you feel is your big weakness.

  • Find a class to do and work on building your own project. Pick something that interests you and then you can discuss that in networking calls and interviews to sound like a better fit for the role.

  • For courses that guide you through creating something, CHECK HERE

Conclusion:

Product is both interesting and competitive, but with the right strategy, I’ve seen magic happen :)

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