Main takeaways: - Are Product Managers really mini-CEO's as people claim - How to acquire the Product Management skills while working in your current role - Networking is key

1. www.productschool.com
How to Break Into Product
Management Role by fmr Adobe PM

2. FREE INVITE
Join 35,000+ Product Managers on

3. COURSES
Product Management
Learn the skills you need to land a product manager job

4. COURSES
Coding for Managers
Build a website and gain the technical knowledge to lead software engineers

5. COURSES
Data Analytics for Managers
Learn the skills to understand web analytics, SQL and machine learning concepts

6. COURSES
Digital Marketing for Managers
Learn how to acquire more users and convert them into clients

7. COURSES
UX Design for Managers
Gain a deeper understanding of your users and deliver an exceptional end-to-end
experience

8. COURSES
Product Leadership for Managers
For experienced Product Managers looking to gain strategic skills needed for top leadership
roles

9. COURSES
Corporate Training
Level up your team’s product management skills

10. Agenda
● About me
● Who is a Product Manager and What is the role of a Product Manager?
● What are the core competencies of a Product Manager?
● How to transition into a Product Manager role?

11. Balaji Ananthanpillai
● Senior Product Manager, Envoy Global
● Former Product Manager, Adobe
● MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of
Business
2009 - 2012
Junior QA Engineer
2012 - 2015
Multiple hats at Morningstar:
QA Engineer, Project Manager,
Associate Product Manager
2015 - 2017
Product Manager at
Morningstar
2017 - 2018
Product Manager at Adobe
2018 -
Present
Senior Product Manager
at Envoy Global

12. Who is a Product Manager?
According to Business
Dictionary, a Product Manager
is
“A person responsible for
overseeing all activities and
functions associated with a
particular product or product
family. Also called a brand
manager in case of consumer
goods and services.”
Image Source: “What, exactly is a Product Manager?” By
Martin Eriksson

13. What is the role of a Product Manager?
● Set the vision for the product
○ Market Research
○ Customer Feedback
○ Quantitative Data
● Evangelize the vision, spread the word
○ Meet with different teams
○ Talk to them about the vision and your journey that got you there
● Actionize to execute that vision
○ Make
○ Show
○ Learn & Iterate
Make
ShowLearn

14. Core Competencies
Hard Skills Soft Skills
Product Strategy Communication
User Research/User Experience Curiosity, Empathetic, Courageous
Analytics Time & Stakeholder Management
*Technical Networking
Design Leadership
Product Development Process Ownership
Recommended article: https://www.productplan.com/soft-skills-career-growth/

16. How to transition into a Product Manager?
Image Source: “Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg?”
AsapSCIENCE

17. ● Work on a product or something remotely close to
it
○ Collect User feedback - Talk to customers,
do user research
○ Come up with new features, go into details
○ Come up with wireframes/prototypes
○ Data Analysis/Storytelling based on data
○ End-to-end Project Management
● Read, Read, Read
○ Lot of wonderful books, articles on Product
Management
○ But remember, reading can only help you so
much
● Prepare your Story
○ Why would you make a good fit for a
Product Manager role?
○ Why should the company hire you?
○ Build a portfolio of any wireframes,
prototypes, User Research document that
you might have put together
● Network
○ Meet with Product Managers within &
outside your company
○ Choose a mentor to work with
○ Solicit feedback, ask them to critique your
resume, your story
● Interview, Interview, Interview

18. www.productschool.com
Part-time Product Management, Coding, Data Analytics, Digital
Marketing, UX Design and Product Leadership courses in San
Francisco, Silicon Valley, New York, Santa Monica, Los Angeles,
Austin, Boston, Boulder, Chicago, Denver, Orange County,
Seattle, Bellevue, Washington DC, Toronto, London and Online