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1/ Earlier this year, I was laid off, and it was honestly one of the lowest points of my life. After only 1.5 years of mostly unhappy experiences in product management, I was forced to ask the hard question: was this role a good fit at all?
2/ In this thread, I will explain the 6 things I did to regain my confidence and find the right fit.
3/ 1. Get Back to Basics
In my desperate flurry of job applications, I lost myself. Every job listing was an opportunity to fantasize about how it would be a perfect fit.
In my desperate flurry of job applications, I lost myself. Every job listing was an opportunity to fantasize about how it would be a perfect fit.
4/ I tweaked my resume every time to include key words to the point where I forgot what my strengths actually were.
5/ To get past this, I took personality/strengths quizzes (StrengthsFinder and StandOut are 2 good ones), talked to people in my network who I trusted to give me actionable feedback, and reflected on experiences I had where I felt really good about the work I was doing.
6/ This reminded me that I was great at (and enjoyed!) driving teams to achieve outcomes, crafting and improving processes, and paying attention to detail and quality.
7/ 2. Scrutinize my resume
With the renewed knowledge that I *do* have unique strengths, I stopped editing my resume for every job. I looked at each line and asked "what skill is this trying to show."
With the renewed knowledge that I *do* have unique strengths, I stopped editing my resume for every job. I looked at each line and asked "what skill is this trying to show."
8/ From there, I removed unnecessary duplicates, added any commonly-required PM skills that were under-represented, and ensured my top strengths were highlighted first.
9/ 3. Brand myself consistently
After that exercise with my resume, I went through my various profiles and ensured they were consistent with my resume and highlighted my top, unique strengths.
After that exercise with my resume, I went through my various profiles and ensured they were consistent with my resume and highlighted my top, unique strengths.
10/ 4. Realize not every job is a "dream job"
I started paying more attention to job listings instead of just applying to anything that called itself "product management."
I started paying more attention to job listings instead of just applying to anything that called itself "product management."
11/ From my negative experiences, I knew I didn't want to work on a product that was highly strategic for the company, because I did not enjoy that level of stakeholder management.
12/ I knew I needed more mentoring/coaching, so I wanted to join a strong product org, not be a company's first product manager. I knew I needed a good work-life balance because I have lots of hobbies, so I asked interview questions to watch out for a "hustle" culture.
13/ 5. Know my values
I had spent 4 months working on a product I didn't care about at a company who existed just to sell a thing and make money. I knew I needed to work at a company with a strong mission that was in it to make the world better.
I had spent 4 months working on a product I didn't care about at a company who existed just to sell a thing and make money. I knew I needed to work at a company with a strong mission that was in it to make the world better.
14/ I was sending out fewer applications, which was scary, but I had a much better return on landing interviews and felt like I was actually living my strengths and values.
15/ 6. Know I Can't Do This Alone
My success here was forged from leaning heavily on my network and relying on guidance from others. I'm terrible at asking for help but I'm glad I did.
My success here was forged from leaning heavily on my network and relying on guidance from others. I'm terrible at asking for help but I'm glad I did.
16/ At the end of the day, I landed a role as a Technical Product Manager for infrastructure at a company whose mission is to increase transparency and equality in equity. My 3 months here have been the best I've had since making the move to product 2 years ago.
