6 Proven Steps to Become a PM in the Next 3 Months ⚡️

Hey there! It’s Aneesha :)

I spoke to a few of you last week on our WhatsApp group chat. Most of you said, “I don’t know where to begin, Aneesha. It almost feels like I am not made for product management. I feel lost 😔”.

Guess what? When I started my journey, I often said to myself “Aneesha what are you even thinking? This isn’t for clowns like you” LOL 🤣.

And then I started Product Monk, with a co-founder. I started with case studies. I knew I was good at it. And what most of you don’t know, I also built tools under Product Monk (but had to pause because my engineer left 😭).

And as I always say - Yes, the path is rocky, but the path exists, my friend!

I want to say a lot to you today!

Here’s a thing about the education systems of today.

They have successfully made you think that YOU alone are no good. That you NEED an expert, or someone else, to tell you if what you “know” or “think”, is right or wrong.

How? Do you remember how your teachers would always ask you to justify your answers by referring to experts’ findings, thoughts, or works?

I don’t blame them, honestly! That behavior makes sense if you’re talking Science or something 🤷‍♀️ 

But, do you see what damage that has done to you? You don’t trust yourself anymore!

You see, you HAVE to trust yourself if you’re considering product management. That’s what I want you to do before I start to tell you anything about getting started with your PM transition journey!

How do I Begin my Transition? 💥

After all the motivational talk, let’s finally start 😁.

To help you have some direction, I am going to start getting into the very basics and first steps to begin your transition into product management.

I am going to consider that you’re very new to product management.

1. Time for Self-Reflection: Is PM right for you? 🤔 

You need to take some time and sit down with yourself.

Product management can be a nightmare. But once you crack the code, it’s going to come naturally to you!

Take help of this list and see if you see yourself in these ✅:

• You think of solutions to any problem 💡 

• Your ideas are always more creative and innovative than others 🎨 

• You’re good at digging into minute details 🧐 

• You get things done no matter what! 👷 

• You like things organized, systematic, and well-prepared 👔 

• You can talk to anyone in a professional setting. You also don’t hesitate to initiate a convo 🗣️ 

• You plan every chore or task you do, be it at home or work. And have a strategy to execute it! 🤔 

• You identify important things that need attention first, rather than realizing later (after you’ve probably spent time doing the unimportant thing first) 💭

If you saw yourself in the above list, you’re almost ready for PM.

But wait, product management may still not be suitable for you, if you cannot change/eliminate any of the below (if applicable) 🥴:

• You avoid meetings, or are always a silent listener in meetings 🏃 

• You don’t like it when things don’t go your way 😑

• You try to build/do everything yourself 🤦 

• You’re easily carried away by appreciation 🥳 

• You take criticism to your heart 💔 

• You want to be left alone and try to avoid people and communication 😨 

• You think what you know is right 😌

• Learning new things is the last thing you want to do 😩 

Well, if you saw yourself anywhere in the above list, you need to reconsider your plans. You need to sit down with yourself and get thinking…

Can I change this? Is this trait of mine too bad? Is product management right for me?

Turn reflection into action:

• List your top transferable skills. After reflecting and gathering information, compile a list of your strongest transferable skills.

• Provide specific examples. Don't just list the skill - showcase how you've used it in real-world scenarios. Quantify your achievements whenever possible to make your descriptions impactful.

If you have thought about it, then you should take the next step 👇️.

2. Learn product management and build your skills 📚️

You need to start learning. You want to, like any other career path, start building your skillsets to enter.

Here are ways to build your skills as a PM.

Build foundational knowledge of product management:

• Courses and Certifications: 
  
  Online platforms like Udemy, Coursera, and Product School offer product management courses with varying depths.
  
  You can also consider Post-graduate certifications from reputable institutions like Great Learning, ISB, and IIM-Kozhikode, which also offer hands-on projects to validate your knowledge.
  

• Books and Articles: 
  
  Dive deep into product management concepts through books like "Inspired" by Marty Cagan, “Hooked” by Nir Eyal, "Cracking the PM Interview" by Gayle Laakmann McDowell, and articles on blogs like "Product Coalition".

Gain practical experiences from:

• Internal Initiatives: 
  
  Look for opportunities within your current company. Volunteer for projects involving user research, data analysis, or collaborating with cross-functional teams.
  

• Side Projects: 
  
  Take initiative and build a simple product yourself or with friends. This hands-on experience will give you a practical understanding of the entire product development cycle.

  More on this in point #4.
  

• Freelancing: 
  
  Consider offering product management freelance services in areas you excel, to gain experience working on different products and with various clients.
  
  Try to focus your freelance gigs on your strong areas of product management.

3. Identify your strengths and weaknesses 🏋️

You see, this is exactly where you might start to get lost. You’re trying to spread tooooo thin. This is what most starters do.

If you think, as a Product Manager, you have to function in every area of product management, then you’re wrong.

You need to focus on an area of PM that you’re sure you’re good at.

However, to be successful, you need to carry a few core PM skills with you for the rest of your life:

• Ability to identify and empathize with the needs, motivations, and pain points of your target users

• Acting as the voice of the user within the product development process.

• Developing a clear product vision and roadmap that aligns with the overall business goals.

• Effectively communicating product vision, strategy, and priorities to a wide range of stakeholders

• Identifying and analyzing product problems, then formulating creative solutions.

Ask yourself this know what you’re good at — Do you think you can process and understand concepts faster in Product GTM or Product Design? Do you need a double (or maybe even triple) take to understand the product roadmap?

Are you able to think further on an idea, or can ask different questions, and think of answers to them?

Notice yourself 🔍️. And when it starts to get clear, try giving yourself short assignments in the identified strong area(s).

4. Consider your transition path options 🛣️

You can take several paths to your transition journey. I am also going to mention the trade-offs with each path you might want to consider.

1) Transition internally in your company 👨‍💼

I wrote a whole post on this. You can read it here on making the internal switch as a PM.

This is generally the fastest and easiest way to get started! But you need these 4 “favorable factors” to help you do this successfully.

• A defined process of transitioning (which I have walked through in the post mentioned above 👆️)

• a chance to showcase your skills

• support from your existing manager and the PM team manager

• an open PM position to switch to later

Trade-off ❌: You are very likely to have a staggering work-life balance in this route. If your current job is already intensive/strenuous, I recommend against this.

2) Join an early-stage startup 🏪

Startups in their nascency, do not have many processes/operations defined. They often have a burning need for someone who can help their business grow.

You also get to work closely with founders when working at startups 👨‍💼.

Wellfound is a good place to look for promising roles at good startups.

You have two options here: 1. Work closely with founders, and thrive as a founding member or PM. 2. Work for a decent time and switch to a different company.

Trade-off ❌: Lower/irregular salary until the startup gets profitable or funded.

3) Build your product or company 👷🏻

You can take this route when nothing works out. While most PMs recommend considering this last, I very much second this path!

This was how I started with product management! I met a co-founder and built Product Monk from scratch. I left it to build Twice the Impact PM (this newsletter) with my twin, Areesha.

It is going to be challenging at first, for sure. You have to be the PM, the leader, the hirer, and whatnot! It’s going to be chaotic. But you have to strive if you really want to do it.

Trade-off ❌: You’ll have to work without direction, and will be required to focus on many areas in building your company, apart from developing your core product.

5. Build a PM project portfolio 🖼️

This is often scary for most aspiring PMs out there 😟.

A portfolio helps you make a name for yourself. It lets people in the community or job market know you exist.

This concept is very much imaginable and sensible when it comes to designers, developers, or photographers.

Because their works are more visual in form, right? So, how can you build a “portfolio” for a PM when their game is all strategic and mental?

A collection of PM projects in your PM area of strength will build you a whole PM portfolio!

Try to build a product of your own, imaginary or real, and document your entire process of building it.

If you’re not ready for it yet, you can try in-depth hands-on projects. Don’t worry, we have you covered 🤗!

Check out our Hands-on Projects page 🎊. We launch both free and paid projects!

6. Get Active on LinkedIn 📢

Please don’t tell me you haven’t!

What are you waiting for? All product roles to fill up 👀?

Just kidding!

But seriously, mate, if you haven’t already, please do it ASAP!

“Okay, but what do I talk about, Aneesha? 🙄”

Talk about your perspectives! Your experiences, your thoughts. Reiterating the point I made a couple minutes ago, TRUST YOURSELF, my friend. Because no one else will!

If nothing, share what you learned or read each day. Like this post? 😉

Maybe also share how you have been taking your transition journey. Try to initiate discussions, or ask questions that get people thinking! This way you’re going to attract the attention of people or companies you’re interested in working with.

There’s so much in this space for you to do!

Who knows, one day the company you’ve been dreaming of walks right into your InMail, and offers the PM job you’ve been working so hard for ✨!

Dream big, always! But work for it!

That’s all for today !

Stay tuned for some freshly baked PM tips, strategies, insights, weekly Q/A digests, and more right into your inbox!🚀

Cya!
Aneesha ❤️ 

Connect with us on LinkedIn:

• Areesha Shaikh

• Aneesha S

• Twice the Impact PM