LitPM

In this episode, we're joined by Aurelie, a product manager at Printify, a Series A startup enabling anyone to start a custom merchandise business with zero inventory through on-demand fulfillment and a global network of print partners. Aurelie's journey from business school to a coveted APM role at Shopify is full of insight and determination. After realizing her resume needed serious building to break into product, she founded The Product Project to build PM skills, pursued a CS minor to close technical gaps, and developed a philosophy around embracing 60% readiness to keep moving forward. Listen in as we discuss her experience with imposter syndrome, the power of community, and the bold choice to move to Europe to grow her career in tech. This episode is packed with inspiration and practical advice for anyone on the path to product management.

In this episode of LitPM, we're thrilled to welcome our first-ever data scientist—Camelia, Head of Data Science at Black Crow AI. With a background that includes stints at Codecademy and Uber, Camelia shares her journey from mechanical engineering to data science, and how she partners with product managers to drive results. We dive deep into her experience with experimentation, A/B testing, and the evolving role of AI in e-commerce. Plus, Camelia gives us insider tips on what data scientists look for when interviewing PMs. If you're a PM (or aspiring to be one) looking to master collaboration with data scientists and understand the world of experimentation, this episode is packed with valuable insights! Time Stamps (1:52) Background and intro (6:52) Transitioning to Data Science from Mechanical Engineering (9:58) Experience working with PMs (14:00) Technical data skills required for PMs (19:36) Experimentation: how to set it up, when to experiment (30:38) Impact of AI for data scientists (34:56) What Data Scientists look when interviewing PMs

In this special episode, we chat with Angela, a Wharton grad who started in investment banking at RBC Capital Markets before pivoting to tech. After realizing she wanted to explore her creative side, Angela hustled her way into a product role at Autodesk, quickly rising to a Group PM position within three years. She then led product teams at major tech companies like Brex and Meta. We dive into Angela's journey from banking to product management, discuss how the role has evolved, and explore the future of product management in the era of AI. Whether you're into product, tech, or just looking for great career advice, this episode is packed with insights, laughs, and practical tips. Tune in for a fun and fascinating conversation! (2:08) Background and Intro (6:31) Role as investment banker (8:48) Evaluating product and tech (13:42) The evolution of the product role post ZIRP (19:32) The curated approach to landing product interviews (35:56) How AI is shaping the role of product management

Welcome to episode 21 of LitPM! Today, we're joined by the amazing Stephany, currently a Group PM at Atlassian. Stephany has an impressive background, having worked at notable startups like Glossier and Attentive, and kicking off her journey with the renowned Google APM internship. Post-college, she joined Facebook's rotational product manager program, where she contributed to key features like Instagram Stories. In this episode, we dive deep into Stephany's career and her unique perspective on product management. We explore her entry into the field, the various archetypes of product managers, and the work she did at Meta. We also discuss her transition from big tech to startups, her move into product leadership, and how she excels in her current GPM role at Atlassian. Whether you're aspiring to break into product management, curious about how FAANG PMs tackle challenges, eager to advance your product career, or simply interested in the tech industry, this episode is packed with valuable insights. Tune in and enjoy! Timestamps: (1:50) Background and Intro (4:17) Google APM internship (9:21) PM archetypes  (14:22) Meta's RPM program (19:02) Building products at Meta - IG Stories vs. Snapchat (30:37) How to prepare for PM role with no background or experience (33:21) Choosing Big Tech vs. Startup as a New Grad (37:19) Exiting Meta for Startups (39:37) Transitioning into Product Leadership (43:30) The evolution of the GPM role (48:20) How product role has evolved over the years

We are celebrating Episode 20!

Join us on this episode of LitPM for an insightful chat with our homie Ben! He went from the first Risk hire at Gusto to a Product Manager, and he's sharing his journey with us. Learn how he navigated the transition, talked to his boss, and identified the perfect company for career growth. We'll also delve into the highs and lows of product management and how Ben's now using his experience to start his own company. If you're aiming for a career shift, this episode is a must-listen. Hit play and enjoy! Timestamps: (2:56) - Introduction and background (7:47) - Thinking about breaking into product (13:14) - Identifying a company that will allow growth into a product role (18:32) - Finessing the internal transition into Product (33:50) - Biggest fallacies in product and learning gaps (37:15) - Leaving product and how to explore early ideas as a Founder

Our guest today is Sam, a product manager who shares her two-year odyssey, navigating from her background in electrical engineering to the unfamiliar terrain of product management. We journey alongside Sam as she deliberates between traditional education routes like an MBA and more specialized options like product bootcamps. Discover why she ultimately chose the immersive environment of a product bootcamp, specifically the renowned Co.Lab program, which offers students a simulated work experience mirroring real-life product management scenarios. For those considering a career pivot into tech without prior industry experience, Sam's insights are invaluable. Tune in as she reveals the pivotal moments of her journey, from education decisions to landing that first job post-bootcamp.Whether you're a non-technical professional eyeing a transition into the tech world or simply seeking inspiration from real success stories, this episode is tailored for you. Join us as we unravel the secrets to breaking into product management, one story at a time. Timestamps: (2:42) - Introduction and background (5:13) - Exploring a career switch into Product (10:56) - Evaluating Product Bootcamps (15:46) - The Co.Lab product program (30:02) - Getting that first job post Bootcamp

In this episode, we're joined by the homie Amir Prodensky. Amir's first job out of college was in Banking, but he always knew he wanted to get into Tech. He first made a transition into a BizOps role at Revolut and eventually into a Product role. He later became one of the first business hires at an early stage Stripe backed fintech company and is now the CEO and Co-Founder of Strada, a YC-backed automation tooling company. Amir talks through how he discovered product management and why he ultimately decided to leave a path of certainty in Banking to pursue the tech industry.  This episode is for friends in Banking who are thinking about switching to a career in tech as well as anyone who is looking to switch internally into a Product role Timestamps: (1:51) - Navigating high school and college (4:29) - Experience in Banking as a new grad (9:40) - Switching to Tech as BizOps hire (29:24) - Thoughts working in Tech  (36:45) - Navigating the internal transition into Product (45:24) - Skill gaps as a newly minted Product Manager (51:27) - Reflecting on the transition and general career advice

This is part 2 on Dara, the chief product office at HiveStack, an adTech company based in Montreal with over 150 employees. Dara is an incredible hustler and grinded his way from Associate Product Manager to VP of Product within three years. In this episode we talk about: The importance of questioning the why before jumping into execution Why it's important to build a strong relationship with engineers, and how to do so The #1 important thing to focus on as a successful product manager Trade-offs on staying at a product large org vs. jumping to a smaller org as the first product hire The transition from individual contributor to product leadership What product strategy means How every PM can accelerate their product careers

(Episode Part 1/2) In this episode, we're joined by Dara, Chief Product Officer at HiveStack. Dara's story is an inspiration – starting from a customer support role, he made his way up to becoming the Chief Product Officer of a 100+ employee company in just 5 years. Today's discussion is split into two parts We'll delve into Dara's unconventional strategies for breaking into the tech industry and transitioning into product management.

Nora is a product manager at Microsoft. Nora has an undergraduate degree in Chemistry. In this episode we talk about: How she went from Chemistry to breaking into product at Microsoft Why she rejected her offer from dental school to follow her intuition How her interest in product started Her approach to being more effective at networking events Crafting a product resume for someone without product experience Preparing for the Microsoft interview What it's like being a new product manager at a big organization

Quincy is a senior product manager at Shopify. Previously, Quincy worked as a product manager at SSENSE and eventually switched over to become the head of personal styling, managing a team of +30 people. In this episode we talk about: Entering product from a consulting background The benefits of switching teams as a product manager and being a generalist Exiting the product role into a completely new domain How to learn when constantly context switching Being a generalist vs. specialist PM

Andrew was a senior product manager intern at Amazon, and currently a second-year MBA student at Harvard Business School. In this episode, Andrew and I focus on the product recruitment process. Topics range from the approach to applications, effective sources of prep content, a breakdown of the different types of interviews, the struggles of the process, and dealing with rejection from interviews. This is a critical podcast for you if you're thinking about or are currently recruiting for a product manager position.

Andrew is a senior product manager intern at Amazon, and currently an MBA student at Harvard Business School. Previously, Andrew worked in Business Operations at Airbnb and as a management consultant at McKinsey. In this episode, Andrew and I talk about his journey into product management from his days in college, why he ultimately used an MBA as a transition into Product, his thoughts on recruiting into product from business school, and how to overcome the technical barrier when recruiting as a non-technical candidate.

Jesar is a product manager at Whatsapp. Previously Jesar worked as a product manager at Codecademy and was part of the inaugural twitter APM class. Jesar and I talk through: her journey into product management, her experiences with the Twitter APM program, her thoughts on the product interview process, the challenges that she faces as she reflects on her career as a PM, and her approach to these challenges.

Paul is the first product manager at Kepler, a tech company with the mission of bringing the internet to space. In this episode, Paul and I chat about the responsibilities of a satellite operations engineer, breaking into product internally, working with and inspiring engineers, our opinions on product management courses, and leveling up as a product manager.

Jenny is a product designer at NextDoor, a social networking platform for neighbourhoods based in San Francisco. Jenny previously worked at Shopify and Wattpad. In this episode, Jenny and I chat about the super critical relationship between a product designer and a product manager. The conversation covers: how to give feedback on designs, the role that designers play in product development, how to practice “design” thinking, and the differences between product design and graphic design. Sponsored by nomilkshop.com

Kiki is a senior product manager at Rent the Runway, a fashion tech company based in New York City. Kiki was previously a product manager at Microsoft and has spent half her career as a PM in big tech and half at a scale-up / startup. In this episode Kiki and I chat about the differences between working in big tech vs. at a startup as a product manager. We cover the interview process, culture, the scope of work, personal fulfillment, and other random fun topics. Kiki shares her advice on how to be successful as a PM in both types of organizations and talks about the next steps in her career.

Adam is the head of product at Flinks, a fintech company based in Canada. In this episode Adam and I chat about his path into product management, how he quickly made his way into a product leadership role, how he was able to accelerate and grow his career as a PM, what it means to be a product leader, and his thoughts on hiring great PMs.

Steffi is an engineering manager at a leading music streaming tech company. Steffi speaks to the role of the engineering manager and how she typically collaborates with product managers. Steffi talks about the different areas in which she coaches product managers and the qualities of a good PM from an engineering lens. We spend extensive time talking about tech debt, which I believe is important for every lit PM to understand.

Ryan is a senior product manager at Disney Streaming. Ryan shares his experiences of being laid off from a product role at Zola during the global pandemic and how he bounced back to land a senior product role with Disney within 4 weeks. The has been extremely difficult for people across the world and we hope that this episode will be helpful to anyone looking for a new role during this period. Episode Transcription 2:15 - Background information leading up to layoffs 8:51 - Urgency to getting a new job 11:25 - Actions after lay off 14:42 - Networking + Mock interviews 21:40 - Dealing with interview fatigue + stress 23:27 - Dealing with rejections 27:00 - Disney interview process 32:09 - Learnings from recruiting during the pandemic

Anand, a technical product manager at Amazon, walks us through his experiences interviewing for product roles. Episode Transcription 0:35 - Approach to applying to product roles for the first time 3:18 - What are the different types of PM interviews? 5:40 - What base knowledge does it take to answer PM interview questions? 7:27 - Did the Masters degree helped with product interviews? 9:39 - Thoughts on using product interview frameworks 16:19 - Are you happy now that you're a PM?

(Part 1 of 2) Anand is a Technical Product Manager at Amazon. Anand comes from a non-tech background in chemical engineering and went to work as a management consultant out of undergrad. Anand talks about how he ultimately used a technical masters degree to help him springboard into product management. He discusses some of his experiences as a management consultant as well as the trade offs between an MBA and a technical masters. (Part 2, coming soon) Anand speaks to his experiences interviewing at different tech companies and provides detailed advice on how to approach the product management interview.

Eric is a Product Manager at SSENSE, where he works on the mobile shopping experience. Eric has been interested in the role of product management without knowing about the role itself for many years before he became a product manager. He talks about how his experience through high school and college led him to learn about the product management role, and how he pivoted from his consulting role to become a product manager. Eric also touches on his experiences interviewing at big tech companies like Google and Facebook, and how he eventually ended up at SSENSE.