Crafting Your First Product Resume
Everything I wish I knew creating my first PM resume
There is no degree you can put on your resume that spells ‘Product Management’. Additionally, every product manager has a different story about how they landed their first job in product. So, I think it’s safe to say that for many trying to put into words why they are a great candidate for an entry level product position, the path to PM can be a bit foggy.
My path into product is only one of many; however if there is one lesson to take away, is that there is a lot to learn from the career paths of others. In continuously working on my resume and following the work of my peers, other PM interns, I want to shed some light on what is important in an entry-level product manager’s resume. Not sure what an entry-level position into Product might look like, I highly recommend giving this guide a read.
Be Concise And Articulate
Every bullet point should be as strong as an English essay thesis statement.
A well-written thesis statement conveys the “what”, “how”, and “why” a piece of literature is important to read and understand. Identically, every bullet point on your resume must convey what you delivered, how you measured that success, and why your deliverable is valuable; is what you contributed valuable to your team, the product, the company, etc?
Vivien Ding, a 3rd year Systems Design Engineering student from the University of Waterloo tells a great story in every bullet point about her project’s accomplishments and how she’s brought value to the companies she’s interned with. Here are some the checkpoints to look for:
- Impactful starting word
- Deliverable identified to have business value-add
- Answers the what, how and why of her contributions
Hone Into Your Product Experience/Exposure
If you’re coming from a highly technical background, perhaps, you have a competitive advantage. However, don’t be disillusioned to believe that flexing highly technical terminologies and developer libraries will impress a product hiring manager.
It is more valuable to communicate the business or customer value of your projects over its technical complexity, because as a Product Manager, that is how your success will be measured. You need to answer the questions of ‘who actually cares about what I built?’.
What you might not know from her resume, is that Theresa DeCola studied for two years in Electrical Engineering, where many projects she completed would not seem to sit in the realm of product. Now a fourth year Management Engineering student, she has gone from building, to managing highly technical projects by communicating her contributions in terms of business value-add. You can see in her resume, her technical projects point to high visibility of her work and measured improvements to company processes; clear business value in her work.
If you don’t think you can find enough product perspective in your work experience, it might be useful to try a position in Project Management first, or taking on a leadership role in an existing project and try to practice thinking through your product lens to help your project become successful.
Focus On Your Project Accomplishments
Set yourself up to tell great stories in your interview.
What accomplishments on your resume are going to get hiring managers to want to interview you? Once your resume gets your foot in the door, how are you going to tell a story about why you’re an outstanding candidate?
One of my most important principles going into any internship, is finding a ‘golden egg’ project. This is the project I want to show off in my answers to interview questions where I share with prospective employers how I am capable of exceeding expectations. I describe these as my ‘Most Notable’ projects.
Get Feedback
Like any good product, iterate, iterate, and iterate that resume.
It is important that your resume is easily understood. Getting feedback from friends and peers who can point out what parts of your resume sound confusing can help you determine where you may need some more word-smithing or better refinement.
I got these questions on asking for feedback from this article. *Note: this article is targeted to full PM positions, so be weary of other advice that may not be applicable to entry-level positions. After someone has given you feedback on your resume, ask them these questions, for a great pulse on what will stand out when hiring managers read your resume.
Can you describe what I do and what makes me good at it?
What do you feel is my greatest accomplishment, after reading this?
A Word of Advice
Product Management positions are highly competitive. Don’t feel discouraged if you can’t land a product management position right away. Before I landed my APM internship at Loblaw Digital, I applied 3 other separate times and got rejected. Instead, I tried to put challenging work on my resume and continue learning about product fundamentals and prepping for the product interview.
Although products are built in sprints, its development is a marathon of a journey; your career is no different. Continue to develop your product skills and experience, have a hunger to learn, get feedback on your performance, and be aware of your personal and career growth. You can do this.
