Transitioning from construction project management to product management.... industry to tech. Any advice on getting my foot in the door and landing an interview?
1 Answer
Natalia Baryshnikova
Atlassian Head of Product, Enterprise Agility • November 9
Your path to landing a product role will depend on being able to show how your skills from the current role translate to the new world, and proving that you can bring value to a product team on Day 1 when you join. Here is how I would tackle this:
- Identify the similarities between product manager skills and yours - there are planty of parallels between building software and construction. Scan through job postings, listen to recorded interviews of PM and start identifying which skills of yours and why are relevant in product. For example, roadmapping skills of a construction professional are superior to most software PMs in my opinion, becasue you have to deal with more hardcore constrainst and curveballs to delivery.
- Update your resume to speak "software product management" language - re-write your experience to showcase your PM-relevant skills based on (1).
- Reach out to companies that build software that is related to construction. That might be your best bet, because those folks will value your expertise and market knowledge immediately. I suspect it will be much easier for you to get a foot in the door.
- When reaching out, write a very good summary of WHY you want to become a PM - this is a the most common challenge I see with folks switching crafts. Your inability to articulate WHY you are excited about product management and feel like it's the right fit for you will cost you many opportunities.
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