What advice do you have for a new grad trying to get a foot in the product marketing door?

I think this depends on your past work experience...are you an undergrad very little work experience or grad with several years of work experience?  

It's challenging to get a PMM role coming straight out of undergrad, mostly because when we look for entry-level PMMs, we look for people who have work experience in general marketing areas or have shown they have transferrable skills from functions that work closely PMM, such as Product or Customer Success, and this comes with several years or work experience. 

If you are looking to jump into PMM right after grad school and you have several years of marketing or other related experiences, you definitely have a leg up. I'd start by doing informational interviews with as many PMMs as you can to learn about the different types of roles out there. Speak with PMMs are different levels, hiring managers and individual contributors who can give you a good picture of what we do and what we're looking for. The responsibilities can vary by industry and size of company, and it's important to figure out in which type of role you think would be the best fit for you. If there are opportunities for interships or short-term projects, say yes to those as they can be resume builders and a way to get your foot in the door. 

Here are a few tips for new grads looking to get into product marketing:

• Keep an eye out for when you encounter product marketing in your life. I promise you're seeing it all the time. Don't just dismiss that tooltip the next time it pops up! Ask yourself why you're seeing it, what it says, if it's getting you to take the action it's supposed to, etc.

• Similarly, try to reverse-engineer campaigns you see out in the wild. After seeing an ad or other marketing material, ask yourself: who were they trying to reach? What was the goal of the ad? What did the ad make you feel or want to do? I promise if you do this, you will blow the socks off any hiring manager when they ask you to share examples of work that inspires you.

• Know and respect your skill set. This means both having confidence in your strengths and leading with them in interviews, but also being aware of what you don't know yet and what you're willing and ready to learn if given the opportunity.

• A bigger brand name isn't always better when you're first starting out. Sure, it looks good on a resume, but a smaller company is going to give you more opportunities to learn and get your hands on more facets of the role.