455: Stop making these mistakes when trying to get your next product job – with Erika Klics

How to stand out as an applicant for a product management position We are talking with Erika Klics. Erika is a former Head of Talent for tech companies who became a Job Search Strategist for startup and scaleup Directors, VPs, and department Heads for Product Management and other functions in tech.  She sent me an email message that got my attention, and I’d like to read part of it. She wrote, “In a past life, I sat on the other side of the table supporting hiring teams to define processes, find candidates, and make great hires. And I noticed a few patterns along the way….When it comes to PM leadership roles, hiring teams would share the same small handful of reasons for rejecting candidates. ‘They just weren’t quite strong enough.’ ‘I liked them, but who else do we have?’ ‘We need them to be more strategic.’ ‘They’re great, but I’m not sure they’re senior enough.’ They used different language, different lenses, but it was the same across almost every scorecard. Candidates were missing something, but hiring teams couldn’t articulate what it was.  So I started paying attention to who was getting the offer and what they did differently. Erika will help us not make the mistakes that lead to you not getting the job—she even has a system for job seekers she calls the Inevitable Edge Method. Summary of some concepts discussed for product managers [3:24] What are some reasons you see product leaders not getting the jobs they’re trying to get? There are different flavors of product managers and different focus areas. Often, hiring decisions depend on whether you have experience in the area the company needs. I see a lot of product management leaders get all the way through the hiring process and then get generic rejections. Why is that happening? It’s about building trust at every level of the interview process with other leaders, the team, and cross-functional leaders. Build trust that you can do the job they’re looking for and take the product wherever they need to take it next. [5:28] How can product leaders get feedback on why they were rejected? Build relationships along the way. The stronger a relationship you have with the recruiter, the more likely you’re going to get feedback from them and the more likely you will land the role. Even if you’re not the right fit, if you’ve built the relationship and connected on a more human level, it’s a lot harder for them to ignore your email when you ask for feedback. This feedback is not always actionable but it can give you peace of mind. It’s usually not you; it’s the company. It’s not that you’re bad at your job. The company was looking for something else. Often startups do a couple of months of interviewing not to find the right person but to figure out whom they want to hire. If you’re the first candidate going through a hiring process, it’s pretty hard to get the offer. [8:41] How can product managers build trust and position themselves to get the job? Build a relationship from the beginning, starting with the first recruiter screening. Get to know the person who’s going to guide you through the process. Give small signals—when they ask, “How’s it going?” give a little anecdote instead of just saying, “Great.” Warm people up in conversation. It sounds simple, but a lot of people get into interview mode and it has a very different feeling than just a conversation. Read between the lines—a skill products managers need every day anyway. Think about the context clues you can pick up and what’s not being said. Are there particular challenges in the product? Are there cross-functional collaborators? Where does the product fall within the suite of products? These clues can help you position yourself as a better cand...