How can a junior digital marketing generalist stand out as a PMM candidate in a role that requires 3+ years of product marketing experience?

I think it’s all about making it clear that you have relevant skills and experience that will apply. Also, that you have tremendous potential and are so eager to learn! If you really don’t have a lot of experience that you can make clear is very relevant for product marketing (although I bet you do coming from digital marketing), I also would suggest just being upfront about how you may not be coming in with as much direct experience as other candidates, but here’s how you’re going to make up for that (like you’re a super fast learner with examples to highlight that and you’re getting up to speed in PMM skills already through a class). Another person asked about what to put in a PMM portfolio too, which I also think is a great idea as a way to preemptively address a hiring manager’s potential concerns about relevant experience when looking at your application. Here’s what I suggested in that response for what I’d put in a PMM portfolio:

I would try to highlight anything that shows you have the key skills to be an effective product marketer. That definitely includes strong writing samples and case studies, but also:

• Presentations that show you can create a compelling narrative and convince an audience of your point
• Detailed GTM launch plans with how you will or did measure success
• Clear, convincing and well-supported messaging and positioning, like through a messaging source document (something we use at Zendesk for all of our major products and launches) or a presentation
• Thorough competitive analyses that highlight where the opportunity is for that company and what value props they should use to differentiate

Also, depending on what PMM role you’re interviewing for, like if it’s a Retail Solutions PMM let’s say, I’d suggest adding more to show you have knowledge or experience particularly relevant to Retail.

Try to find an introduction to the hiring manager. If you can't find an intro, reach out to the hiring manager directly. Someone who reaches out saying "I saw you're job, I'm very interested, here's why I'm a good fit" will definitely get some extra attention when it comes time to review resumes. Also find a way to highlight PMM work on your resume.

In my experience, hiring managers don't know for sure how many years of experience is actually required for a role... it's not an exact science. What's more important is to demonstrate that you can do the work, that you can fulfill the requirements of the job. Find out what's relevant from your past experience that will demonstrate that you have the experience and skills to do the job, and that should hopefully get you in the door.

Beyond communicating your interest in moving into PMM as part of your career plan, I'd focus on two areas outside of your digital marketing responsibilities: content creation and some product/domain acumen. For content creation, build a portfolio of relevant writing for your company and space. Even if you write, for example, email copy or webinar abstracts for your role, create longer-form strategic content that demonstrate a grasp of the customer perspective, competitors or your companies strategy as conveyed through messaging and positioning. Maybe an internal blog post that synthesizes the takeaways from an industry event, a recent launch or market event from a competitor or an influential industry report. For product/domain acumen, take the initiative to get certified on one of more of your offerings using the same materials and process as, say, a new sales engineer would have to do. Often that training is easily available internally with clear milestones to show completion and skill level. If you're lacking the background to really get through that training, go back and do foundational learning on your own (like in the IT/cloud space, do Linux Academy training online) then complete the internal training. Showing that kind of initiative and ability to learn is key to become a great PMM.

Great question!

It depends. It depends on how the company defines product marketing, what specific experiences, tasks, and responsibilities are listed in the job description, the size of the company, the industry, the maturity, goals, etc.

First, I recommend looking over the job description and company profile. Then try to match as many relevant experiences and skills as you have to those listed in the job post.

Key Items to Consider:

• Do you have experience working in a similar industry? 
  If so, highlight it!
  

• Do you have experience marketing to the same types of customers they do (industry, B2B, B2C, etc.)
  If you do, be sure to mention that.
  

• Do you have experience working in a similar-sized company?
  It might not seem like something, but pointing out as many similarities as possible could make the hiring manager feel more comfortable and confident about you.
  

• Do you have experience working for a company at a similar maturity or growth stage? (Series A, aiming to hit $XXX.XX in revenue, etc.)
  Hiring managers love to hear you have experience working at a place in a similar situation. If this applies to you, demonstrate your know-how of working in an early-stage startup and understanding the strains on a cash-strapped company. Or showcase how you helped a company grow X% in a short amount of time.

Nothing is guaranteed, though, because it all depends on the company/hiring manager and how they view/define product marketing. As you may know, product marketing is defined differently from company to company.

Relevant Skills to Highlight:

• Writing: Do you have blogs, articles, datasheets, eBooks, whitepapers, case studies, etc. you can point to? Even a personal blog is great! So much of being a product marketer includes messaging and drafting content (even if a writer is on staff, PMMs still need to know how to write).
  

• Project Management: Everything a product marketer does entails project management. Need new messaging? Better create a project plan because it will involve many stakeholders. Product launch? You know that will involve nearly every department, so you need to be organized with multiple deadlines outlined. PMM is a collaborative position that acts as the connective tissue in an organization. And product marketers lead large projects time and time again. Project management is key for success, so anything on your resume you can point to where you honed your project management skills the better.
  

• Research: Any experience with research is good to include. You could highlight primary research (surveys/interviews) and secondary research. You could also share a story about how you gathered and leveraged qualitative and quantitative data for an initiative.
  

• Customers: Have experience working with customers either by interviewing them, presenting, selling, hosting an event, etc? All this is applicable to a PMM position.
  

• Go-to-Market: Product marketing is the driver of go-to-market (or at least should be). If you can on your resume and in your interview showcase how you led or were part of a go-to-market strategy, be sure to do so. Talk about personas, ideal customer profiles (ICPs), positioning, channels, goal setting, metrics tracked, etc.
  

• Campaigns / Launches: Did you ever create a campaign or launch something? And it doesn’t have to be a “product” launch. You can talk about how you launched an internal program in your last role or helped with a campaign to increase awareness or leads. Be creative and think outside the box. How did you use messaging, multiple channels, and other campaign elements to create awareness or promote an action or change? Maybe something you’ve done outside of work like a volunteer project could apply here.
  

• Public Speaking: Product marketers are constantly tapped to speak in public whether it is at a customer conference, user group meeting, product release webinar, or an industry event. So if you have ever spoken publicly and can share a link to it, be sure to do so!
  

• Events: Have you planned, marketed, or even spoken at an event? Again, very relevant because product marketers are often tasked with defining the messaging, creating the agenda, or speaking at the event.

Hope this helps!

(And wrote an article on it because I loved the question)