What kinds of skill sets do you look for in Product Marketing Managers who are switching to a career in Product Marketing?

There are multiple entry paths for product marketing

If you are fresh out of college (MBA) and want to switch to product marketing - Problem solving (Can you identify the right problem and can you analyze the problem to identify the root cause?), Creativity (Will you bring a fresh perspective to the table?), Presentation skills (Can you articulate your POV?) and Coachability (Can you work with the team, seek their guidance and learn fast)

If you want to move within an organization - Your career has 3 pillars - function, industry and seniority. It is much easier to change one at a time. So, if you are planning to move to product marketing from a different function, then don’t try to negotiate on level or industry. It is hard to succeed when two of these factors change at one time. Additionally, the hiring manager will have to take a huge risk, and we know the market is hot!

Collect gold coins and redeem them at the right time: Every time you work cross functionally or help people from other department (in this case product marketing), you collect a virtual gold coin (or say a goodwill coin). Earn enough of them before you decide to redeem them. You can redeem one coin but then don't expect a big reward. As you redeem, make sure you still stay net positive. That will help you succeed even after you redeem. Know that the hiring manager would be taking considerable risk by hiring someone without PMM experience. Help them help you.

You have collected enough coins, now how to redeem? First, identify an entry point where you can prove your value quickly - if you are an engineer then technical marketing could be a good entry point. If you are in sales then sales enablement could be a good entry point. If you are in customer success, either adoption marketing or customer marketing could be a good entry point. Once you are in, then try to expand your work areas to adjacent domains - you can go from technical to release marketing to messaging OR you can go from sales enablement to solutions marketing to go to market. It all depends on business needs, so don’t plan too much on how your PMM role will take shape. If you are passionate about product marketing and you see a manager willing to invest in your success, go for the first opportunity you get.

There is a ton to do and learn in product marketing. Land and expand!

The truth is, almost every product marketer I know switched to a career in product marketing from a different field (I came from Sales!). This is very rarely a career that people start out in right out of undergrad (but it does happen! Check out my good friend Lauren Hanson's post). Because product marketing encompasses a wide range of responsibilities and specialities, it's usually made up of individuals with a wide range of experience. That's good news for you.

The most important product marketing skill that *every* PMM should have or develop is messaging and positioning. Ironically, this is also the skill that will get you hired. Your goal is to examine your experience, see which skills are relevant to product marketing, and create messaging and positioning (i.e., a resume and prepared interview answers) to "sell" your qualifications to the hiring manager. 

Here are just a few important examples of skillsets you can develop in various fields that will help in switching to product marketing:

- Writing skills

- Design skills

- Ability to work with numbers and track ROI

- Understanding of sales and what salespeople need to be successful

- Technical background (especially valuable if you can pair it with an understanding of marketing)

- Working with customers to understand their needs