On Thursday, Sep 18, members of the BC Grad Tech Club attended the Boston Product Management Associations Career Night at the Microsoft NERD Center.  Starting with an hour of networking, we met like-minded MBAs from MIT and Babson and set the groundwork for future collaboration.  Likewise, we spent some time hearing about the great things going on at LogMeIn (where BC MBA Alum Steve Schult runs product for join.me).  After some tasty snacks and fruitful conversations, it was on to the main event: a panel themed on transitioning into Product Management.

There was about and hour of great knowledge but here are a few key take-aways:

• There is a great demand out there for Product Managers right now but everyone is chasing the same “mythical unicorns” with years of experience, cutting edge knowledge, and strong technical expertise.  Since these are hard to find, companies are willing to hire people making career switches but you absolutely have to demonstrate your translatable skills and communicate them in the language of your target industry.  Highlighting an end-to-end project you have completed and blogging are great ways to do this.
• 90% of companies use Linkedin at some point in the job process–you cannot be passive and you have to keep your profile up to date
• Storytelling and Communication are two of the most important skills a PM can possess
• Find a space you are passionate about and seek it out
  • Take your 2-3 proudest work stories you have and identify what they have in common, this can give some guidance
• Biggest No-Nos
  • Not knowing the market; who the customer is and what drives the market
  • Showing up on Day 1 and trying to tell people what to do; start by listening and learn as much as you can from other departments
  • Don’t guess, admit what you don’t know
• Find a mentor (internal or external)
• Formula for Cold Messaging on LinkedIn:
  • Keep it short but include 4 parts:
    • Statement of Commonality (Same school, shared connection, shared interest, etc)
    • Why them?
    • Call to Action (informational interview, etc)
    • Thanks!

We look forward to future events with the BPMA and to setting up some great on-campus sessions with a couple of the presenters!

-David LoVerme is a 2nd Year MBA at Boston College and the President of the Grad Tech Club