How to enter the Internet industry and become a product manager? How to become a product manager without project experience?

In the last decade , The position of product manager is growing , Quickly become an important position in Internet companies . Because of this , Many people hope to become product managers , Or want to change the world , Or want to enter a high paying Internet company .

But because I have no experience before , You will feel difficult again , Let me show you this article , How to , Become a product manager .

If you want to switch to the Internet in the near future , Product manager may be one of the most ideal positions you can choose .

What does a product manager do ？

Now more and more SaaS The company is aware of the value of product led growth , Continuously recruit product managers . that , What exactly does a product manager do ？

The work and responsibilities of the product manager include the following aspects ：

• Analyze the market and competitors

• Research and create user roles

• Planning product functions

• Coordinate relevant teams （ Development 、 Operation, etc. ）

• Develop a roadmap

• Manage customer feedback

• Communicate product strategy and vision

• wait ……

It sounds a little stressful , But it's not as complicated as it looks , Have certain characteristics 、 After learning , It is not difficult to succeed in changing careers .

Several characteristics of a good product manager

Because product manager is still a relatively new position in development , So many people in the industry enter the product field from different industries and disciplines . They all have some common characteristics , To sum up, it includes the following aspects ：

• Good at communication

• Strong flexibility

• Ability to solve problems

• Be curious about new things

• Have empathy

Let's analyze these characteristics ：

Good communication skills of product managers

Communication is the core of product manager . As we mentioned earlier , Product management covers a wide range of fields , Including operations 、 Development, etc. . In order to effectively carry out the work of product manager , You need to be able to manage all the different teams involved . The only way to do this successfully , It means good communication .

This means building strong relationships with members of other departments , Communicate your work strategies and ideas , So you need strong written and oral communication skills .

Flexible product managers

When you start as a product manager , You may often receive some work with different contents . The day before , May be analyzing customer feedback , Optimize the product ; The next day , You may be discussing how to promote a new feature .

If you are the kind who likes to do routine 、 stick in the mud , People who like to do the same work every day , Then the product manager may not be suitable for you .
The work of the product manager is diverse , So we need to be flexible and adaptable , For this reason , Product managers may be more suitable for generalists .
Product manager's ability to solve problems

actually , Every task of the product manager can be described as one thing ： solve the problem . The main task of the product manager is to solve one problem after another .

The scope of these problems ranges from obvious “ We need to solve customers' problems ”, To more subtle “ What color is best for this button ”.

If you like making solutions , And like the cool feeling after solving the problem , Then the product manager should be very suitable for you .

Product managers are curious

Some people say , Curiosity Kills the cat ！ If this is true , So it doesn't seem to apply to product managers . Because the key point for product managers to deal with problems is “ Why? ”. such as , Why do our users want this function ？ Why is it difficult for users to find this setting ？ Why is our menu on the right ……

If you want to be a successful product manager , You need to be curious , Have a strong desire to understand the world around you .

Empathy of product managers

Product managers build products for users, not for themselves , Good product managers use their empathy to understand users , And do this . You need to be able to go deep into their minds , Understand what users think , This is the way to build successful products .

More Than This , You also need to understand the needs of the company and its internal personnel , Balance the company's goals with the needs of users , You even need to motivate people who work with you every day .

How to start from scratch , Become a product manager

Most product manager positions require previous product related experience . But product manager is still a fairly new position , It's natural that many people don't have the experience they need to recruit . Experience is needed to gain experience , So when I became a product manager , It's a bit of a paradox .
Let's jump out of the box and think about this problem , The following are some effective ways to become a product manager .

1、 Work as a product manager in the current company

If you have already worked on the Internet or come into contact with information systems , Especially in the early stages of start-ups , Then you may concurrently work as a product manager . Although it's hard , But it also provides you with a great opportunity to gain valuable experience as a product manager .
If you work for a company that doesn't have a product manager position yet , You can even create your own opportunities , Talk to your current boss about your interest in the work of product manager , Can undertake some tasks beyond the current workload . He is likely to , Like your extra active job requirements .

In this way , You can gain real product manager experience in the current company . That is to say, you will be transferred to the post of full-time product manager in the later stage , Left a valuable experience .

2、 Build your own products

If you are not currently working in the Internet field , But I want to get involved in this field , You can also design your own products according to your own ideas .
You can conduct user research 、 Market demand research begins , Know your competitors 、 Understanding the market , To determine your product positioning , And start designing user processes 、 Product planning roadmap, etc .

When the early product planning is completed , You can even keep looking for developers to write code , If your product is good enough , Maybe eventually you'll have your own Internet startup ！

3、 Study various project courses of product manager

Now there are a lot of resources on the network , Including online courses 、 Books and so on. . If you want to change careers , It is very necessary to find some product manager courses on the Internet .

A final summary

• The five key qualities that every product manager should possess are communication 、 flexibility 、 solve the problem 、 Curiosity and empathy .

• Want to gain experience as a product manager , Can solve product problems for the current company , Gradually enter the post . perhaps , You can build your own Internet products .

• Take the product manager project course .

Last , I wish everyone a successful career change , Get a high salary ！