Recordings and Notes from a bootcamp on ‘Acing the PM Internship’
A comprehensive roadmap for students starting on their PM journey
With the rise and rise of product companies, interest in product management as a career path has exploded. But, breaking into product management is a tricky business. You have the classic ‘chicken and egg situation’. Companies usually want to hire you only if you have prior PM experience. But how will you get ‘actual PM experience’ unless a company hires you in that role?
Enter the wonderful concept of Product Management Internships.
A win-win for both the candidate and the company. The candidate gets to start their PM journey. The company gets the chance to offload some Product work without having to enter into a long term commitment. (Though different companies could have different motivations for hiring PM interns)
Securing a Product Management Internship is not a straightforward task though. With little formal guidance available in this regard, lot of folks are confused on what to focus on and what not to focus on.
With a goal of providing students a clear roadmap to get started in the field of product management, Aaditya Srinivasan and I conducted a bootcamp on Acing the PM Internship.
The bootcamp was conducted over two weeks (July 24th/25th and July 31st/August 1st). The bootcamp featured a total of seven sessions. Each session was followed by a Q&A with the participants.
The sessions covered the following topics: Profile building, resume building, myths around product management, leveraging LinkedIN to secure an internship, cracking the written case, cracking the in-person interview and converting internship to a full time offer. (The topics were decided based on a survey done before the launch of the bootcamp)
The content of the entire bootcamp can be accessed from here.
Following is the list of topics covered in each session.
Session 1 — Building a profile for the PM Role
Profile building refers to working on your skills, achievements, expertise etc in order to enhance your prospects in a certain domain. In the context of Product management, certain skills and achievements help you differentiate yourself from hundreds of other candidates.
In this session, we talked about how candidates can build a profile that makes their candidature stand apart.
Topics Covered
What qualities does the profile of a good PM candidate demonstrate
Various elements of a good profile
Building projects using No Code tools
Using No Code tools to build projects
How to use Case competitions for profile building
How to use courses/certifications for profile building
Session 1 Recording Link:
Session 2—Common worries of PM aspirants
Lot of people are worried whether they are the right fit for the role or if they possess the right skill sets.
The purpose of this session was to dispel some common myths associated with product management.
Topics Covered
Following questions were answered during the session:
Can I crack the PM role if I don’t have any coding experience?
Can I crack the PM role if I am from a non-technical background?
How do I get a PM job without any prior PM experience?
Job description for PM roles sounds so overwhelming. Do I have the right skillsets.
I am not from a Tier 1 college. How does that affect my chances?
I don’t have an MBA degree. How does that affect my chances?
Session 2 Recording Link:
Session 3—Masterclass on Resume Building
Resume are a very important part of any product manager’s toolkit. It helps convey to the recruiter what you bring to the table and whether you are a right fit for the role. If done right, resumes can help you get get a shot at your dream companies.
The purpose of this session was to cover all the aspects involved in making a stellar resume.
We also had a special guest for the session — Saumya Pandey (Head of Talent Acquisition at Perfetti), who helped give us a recruiter’s perspective on resumes.
Topics Covered
Purpose of a Resume
General Thumb Rules regarding resumes — size of resume, role of resume reviews, use of templates.
How to Showcase Work Experience/Internships in the resume
Framing Sentences using STAR Format
How to quantify the impact of your work
How to identify and use keywords in your resume
Basic formatting tips for resumes
Walkthrough of a real resume
Common Mistakes made while building a resume
Session 3 Recording Link:
Session 4— How can PM Interns maximize chances of getting a PPO
Once you have gotten the PM Internship, the next step is to understand the kind of work you will get and how to maximize the chances of getting a PPO.
This session covered tips and strategies that can be used to boost one’s chances of getting a full time role.
We also had a special guest for the session — Malvika Chaudhary (ISB Co’21 and Ex-Goldman Sachs). She shared her experiences of getting an internship in product management, the lessons learnt and how can one maximize their chances of getting a PPO.
Topics Covered
Why do companies hire Product Management Interns
Limitations of a PM Intern
What are the different kinds of projects interns get
Skills to develop to do well in these projects
Challenges you will face and how to overcome them
Session 4 Recording Link:
Session 5— Leveraging LinkedIn to get PM roles
When it comes to job searching, LinkedIn is the most powerful tool out there. If used wisely, it can help you get updated about Product management internships, reach out to the relevant people in the organization, identify whether a company is the right fit for you and build a strong network.
In this session, Aaditya Srinivasan talked about how LinkedIn can be used to achieve the above mentioned goals. He also gave a hands-on demonstration on using LinkedIN, AngelList for job search.
Topics Covered
Benefits of LinkedIn
Walkthrough of a LinkedIn Profile and LinkedIn Profile Basics
Building a Network on LinkedIn
Scoping out the right companies
The right way to send cold emails
Session 5 Recording Link:
Session 6—Cracking the written Case
The written case submission forms a very important part of the Product Management Interview Process. It is meant to be a test of the following skills: product sense, structured thought process, articulation, diligence and creativity. Whether you are applying for PM interviews through college or laterally, its important to prepare well for them.
In this session, we focused on the four main aspects of any kick-ass case submission — Structure, Articulation, Research, Originality.
Topics Covered
Bringing structure to the written case
Bringing articulation to the written case
Bringing research to the written case
Bringing originality to the written case
Optimization Techniques for making your case study better
Common Challenges faced and how to overcome them
Session 6 Recording Link:
Session 7—Cracking the In-Person Interview
The Product Management interview entails questions of various types — Behavioral, Product Design, Root Cause Analysis, Success Metrics, Guesstimate etc. Each of these questions requires a structured approach in order to be able to tackle these effectively.
In this session, we discussed the different question types along with the approach that can be used to solve them. We also solved some actual problems in order to see how theory gets converted to practice.
Topics Covered
Behavioral Interview Questions
Product Design Question and CIRCLES Approach
Root Cause Analysis Question
Why do you want to be a product manager
Success Metrics Questions
Guesstimate Questions
Sample Questions covered — 1)Tell me about a time when you overcame a challenging situation to achieve something, 2)If The number of transactions on Flipkart are falling, then what could be the possible reason(s), 3)Estimate the number of washing machines sold in India
Session 7 Recording Link:
It was a great experience conducting this bootcamp. Interacting with so many bright and enthusiastic students across the nation, made me confident that we have a terrific set of product leaders in the making.
On the personal front too, I learnt a lot. From my co-presenter Aaditya, from our special guests — Saumya, Malvika and from all the participants who enriched us with their probing questions and post-session conversations.
Hoping to continue doing my bit towards helping built a strong product culture across the nation that is based on respect, empathy and a commitment to excellence!