Karen Velasquez is a product manager who has been working at electronic signature provider Signable for the last 18 months. Here’s how she got her job in product.
How did you find out about the job and why did the role appeal to you?
I saw it advertised on LinkedIn. It was local, I felt I could provide what they needed and also grow with the company.
What professional and academic experience did you have prior to this role?
I studied leisure and tourism management which has nothing to do with Product! Some of the management concepts have been useful. I’ve been a product manager for under two years, but I have a background in front-end development and project management.
What was the job application process like?
I applied for the role by sending my CV and a cover letter in the first instance. This was followed by an informal chat via video call first to assess cultural fit. Then I had a project to complete. I had to create a plan for implementing a new product – we were told what the product was. We had to describe how we would go about making it a reality and why, and also describe any assumptions we had made
Finally I had a more in-depth interview to present the project and the reasoning behind it.
I prepared for my interviews by researching common interview questions and answers. I studied my own CV and skills and had in mind what I wanted to make sure the company knew about me. I researched the organisation and my interviewers.
What are your key roles and responsibilities?
I report to the Head of Product, who is also responsible for Engineering, Design and QA.
I’m very hands-on with delivery, attending all scrum ceremonies and fulfilling the Product Owner role. I spend quite a bit of time evangelising the work we are doing and why internally. And I spend the final third of my time on analysis and strategy.
It’s a young startup. We lacked basic PM tools/processes to be able to run experiments, do user research, gather data, and monitor the product outcomes. There has been a lot of initial setup and groundwork – and learning on my part. The product works, but we need to be much more purposeful in deciding our product direction.
Because Signable is a startup, my work has a big impact on the whole organisation and the product. We’re full of ideas on where to head. The team is also amazingly kind and friendly, there is a big emphasis on mental health and making sure we strike the right balance.
I work remotely. I’m a mother of two, for years I had to send the kids to after school clubs. Working remotely allows me the flexibility to pick them up at the school gate which is priceless. Against that, one of my favourite morning routines was to catch up with each engineer in person, checking in on them and how the work was going. It’s much harder to build trust and relationships remotely, but not impossible. 🙂
Tips for landing a product management job
Start acting like a product manager even before you get the official position and title.
Read product management articles.
Attend product management conferences.
Speak to any product managers you know.
Join Mind the Product!
Go to ProductTanks.
Be a sponge and learn, experiment, fail, win, experiment again and keep going.
How did you get your job in product?
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