Struggling with your product management resume? You’re not alone. Learn to avoid these common mistakes.

After reviewing countless PM resumes over the past ten years, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the (mostly) mediocre.

Guess who gets the interview?

PM resumes are challenging because the role of a product manager isn’t something ChatGPT can throw together. There are very few easily explainable in a resume tasks — it’s about shaping the product’s future, managing its execution, and expertly selling to stakeholders.

This post will break down the main patterns I see in how people communicate their accomplishments. We’ll explore common missteps, how a skeptical hiring manager might react, and how you can DO BETTER.

I’ve grouped the types of resume issues I see into levels from 1 (bad) to 6 (stellar) to help explain the spectrum of resume quality so you can assess your own resume and find ways to make it better.

• Level 1: I did things / I owned things
• Level 2: I launched THIS specific thing
• Level 3: I launched THIS specific thing by doing THESE things
• Level 4: I launched THIS specific thing and oversaw the SUCCESSFUL execution by doing THESE things
• Level 5: I identified the need for THIS specific thing, convinced everyone else it was a good idea, then oversaw the successful execution by doing THESE things
• Level 6: I identified the need for THIS specific thing, convinced everyone else it was a good idea, then oversaw the successful execution by doing THESE things, and it was so successful now my idea has become a major area further investment for the company
• Help! My projects suck!
• BONUS: What your boss’s boss puts on their resume
• Other job hunting resources

Level 1: I did things / I owned things

Or, why copying and pasting points from the job description might get you past the applicant tracking system but will NOT get you an interview.

BAD example:

• Product manager for the Veteran Employment Center online portal
• Worked with UX and engineering on prioritization of product roadmap
• Drafted project proposals for key initiatives

Hiring manager: Um … of course you worked with eng and UX. That’s just part of your job.

DO BETTER and answer questions like these:

• Did anything happen from your proposal? Or did it disappear into the void of unstaffed project ideas?
• How big was your engineering and UX team?

BAD example:

• Successfully led various projects corresponding with the business goals of the organization
• Drove key decisions using data and dashboards

Hiring manager: You might as well say “Delivered some deliverables.” If they can’t even explain what they did in their resume, how well will they communicate with stakeholders in the actual role?

DO BETTER and answer questions like these:

• What was the scope of these projects?
• What was the scope of your role? What kind of skills were used?
• What does it mean to have successfully led these? (deadlines hit, features adopted, revenue targets achieved, etc.)
• Exactly what kinds of decisions were made using data?

Level 2: I launched THIS specific thing

NOT GREAT example:

• Launched a new homepage for the Veteran Employment Center to help veterans find jobs from high profile employers
• Worked with UX and engineering on prioritization of product roadmap to deliver key features on time

Hiring manager: Besides maybe some familiarity with launching web products, I’m not entirely sure what other skills the candidate will offer me. Maybe the designers and engineers were top notch, and this PM just sent occasional messages on slack telling everyone to keep up the good work!

DO BETTER and answer questions like these:

• What exactly was your role in the rollout/launch?
• In what ways were you doing the role of a product manager, not a project manager? (There is nothing wrong with project management work, but it won’t get you many interviews for product manager positions)
• How much did you have a say in what was built?

Level 3: I launched THIS specific thing by doing THESE things

OKAY example:

• Launched a new website for the Veteran Employment Center
• Worked with UXR to run usability studies
• Worked with engineering and data science to implement analytics using Amplitude
• Ran A/B tests to improve site performance

Hiring manager: This candidate has experience launching web products, working with UXR, and running A/B tests. But… are they any good at their job? Maybe the rest of the team was really good at their jobs and didn’t need much guidance.

DO BETTER and answer questions like these:

• Show how the website was performant, ex: it got great traffic and usage behavior, or at least in the realm of what was expected (ex: enterprise services might have much smaller numbers than consumer ones, if numbers are small try to put them in context, or don’t use raw numbers)
• Explain how the UXR findings changed the roadmap or final product
• What performance gains (or at least product insights) were unlocked from the A/B test results?

In general, try to explain why the project was a success because of specific things YOU did.

Note: that the ultimate success of a project is often out of your hands, so don’t panic if the end result of all your hard work wasn’t a raging success. Just focus on the parts you can control.

Level 4: I launched THIS specific thing and oversaw the SUCCESSFUL execution by doing THESE things

GOOD example:

• Launched a new website for the Veteran Employment Center, ultimately growing the key metric of quality job applications submitted by 42%
• Oversaw user testing and research, ran multiple UXR studies, identified key usability fixes and bugs before launch
• Implemented robust funnel instrumentation using Amplitude, identifying key areas for improvement post launch
• Shipped key copy improvements using A/B testing, leading to 15% improvement in the rate of account creation

Hiring manager: WOW. I don’t hate this. this person knows instrumentation, A/B testing, they probably also have experience working with copy writers. They also have experience working with UXR. I’m still not interviewing them over a Level 4 or 5.

Level 5: I identified the need for THIS specific thing, convinced everyone else it was a good idea, then oversaw the successful execution by doing THESE things

GREAT example:

• Identified the need for a centralized veteran oriented job marketplace from competitive market analysis and user interviews
• Secured resourcing (10 engineers and 2 UX designers) from company leadership
• Oversaw user testing and research, ran multiple UXR studies, identified key usability fixes and bugs before launch
• Implemented robust funnel instrumentation using Amplitude, identifying key areas for improvement post launch
• Post launch, shipped key copy improvements using A/B testing, leading to 15% improvement in the rate of account creation
• Ultimately the resulting Veteran Employment Center website grew the key metric of quality job applications submitted by 42%

Hiring manager: Oh WOW Not only does this person know instrumentation, working with UXR and A/B testing, they also know how to get executive buy in and resourcing in a large company environment!

Level 6: I identified the need for THIS specific thing, convinced everyone else it was a good idea, then oversaw the successful execution by doing THESE things, and it was so successful now my idea has become a major area further investment for the company

STELLAR example:

• Identified the need for a centralized veteran oriented job marketplace from competitive market analysis and user interviews
• Secured resourcing (10 engineers and 2 UX designers) from company leadership
• Oversaw user testing and research, ran multiple UXR studies, identified key usability fixes and bugs before launch
• Implemented robust funnel instrumentation using Amplitude, identifying key areas for improvement post launch
• Post launch, shipped key copy improvements using A/B testing, leading to 15% improvement in the rate of account creation
• Ultimately the resulting Veteran Employment Center website grew the key metric of quality job applications submitted by 42%, leading to the creation and staffing of 4 additional veteran focused initiatives staffed by a team of 50.

Help! My projects suck!

And other ways to stand out when the numbers are NOT spectacular. These are also useful techniques when you can’t share numbers for confidentiality reasons.

• Show how the thing you launched (or worked on, not everything has to be a launch) was extremely complex, this could include: technical complexity, legal and/or regulatory complexity, organizational complexity, complex interfacing between the digital and physical world.
• Mention about how many team members supported your project. Ex: worked with 15 engineers, 2 designers, 2 data scientists, etc.)
• Highlight 1 or 2 high profile users or customers
• Explain marketplace positioning, Ex: the first app on the market to combine A, B and C.
• Talk about press coverage. Ex: written up in Wired’s 10 companies to watch
• Show how quickly you and your team executed. Ex: from idea to the first 10,000 users in 4 months
• Talk about how hard it was to get into your program. Ex: 1% acceptance rate, one of 10 chosen from over 12,000 applicants

BONUS: What your boss’s boss puts on their resume

Identified the need for veteran focused job services, now a major cost center staffed with 120 headcount driving 12% of annual revenue

Key projects include:

• Veteran Employment Center website — the #1 veteran job search portal resulting in 40% of all veteran job placements each year
• Veteran job interview practice chatbot — used by over 100K customers in the first month, resulting in a 30% higher rate of placement among users
• The first national database of local job placement services — increased utilization of in-person services by 55% in the first year

Note that many VPs don’t even have accomplishments like this, so don’t beat yourself up if your projects haven’t spawned the creation of a new 100+ person organization… yet!

Actively job hunting?

Check out my other posts on General Tips for PM Interviews, and The Google PM Analytical Interview — The Most Common Mistakes.

Best of luck with your search! And if there are any other topics you’d like me to cover drop me a line on LinkedIn.