At Pivotal Labs, this is what we look for in a PM candidate.
- Has shipped software. More than twice.
- Has worked collaboratively with small teams.
- Has delivered value iteratively.
- Has made data-driven product decisions.
- Strong focus on the user first and foremost.
- Can communicate easily with engineers, but does not need to possess the skills to implement technical solutions.
- Can quickly get up to speed on a new domain.
- Can build consensus with the product team and support consensus building with a broader group of stakeholders.
- Steps up and owns product decisions and the process to get there (even, or especially, when consensus is not achievable).
- Can identify alternative solutions to a problem; the high level pros and cons of each; and communicate this along with a recommendation.
- Can explain what success looks like and how to measure it.
- Creates opportunities to learn and validate early on.
- Has strong opinions, loosely held.
- Adapts to change and new information (even, or especially, when it means a product or business assumption was wrong).
- Believes in tight feedback loops and transparency.
- Empathizes with others’ perspective (users, clients and team members).
- Demonstrates passion.
- Fosters a culture of learning and sharing.
- Confident but not cocky: demonstrates humility.
- Explains complex things in an easy to understand way.
- Is engaging and interesting to speak with.
- Can adapt communication style to the situation.
- Breaks down work that needs to be done into small pieces.
- Can prioritize based on what the most valuable thing to do next is.
- Designs systems that are simple and effective.
- Can share a compelling narrative about a product: what problem it solves, for whom, how and why solving this problem matters in the first place.
- Can build trust with clients.
- Is self-sufficient and creates momentum on their own.
- Coachable and takes guidance.
Guiding principle: attitude and bias are as important as experience and skill.
Thank you to Graham Siener, Joanna Beltowska and the NYC PM team at Pivotal Labs for being day-to-day conspirators on all things product management.
Interviewing for PM roles? Check out Joanna Beltowska’s post, 3 steps to landing any Product Manager interview.
29 Indicators of a Product Manager’s Talent was originally published in Built to Adapt on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.