Entry-level Positions for Aspiring Product Managers
For undergraduate students seeking entry-level product management roles, Associate Product Manager (APM) internships or rotational programs offer valuable exposure to the field, as "no one expects you to know everything." Alternatively, a data analyst role provides "a sneak peek into how product metrics grow," building crucial skills for a future product management career.
Associate Product Manager (APM) Roles, Data Analysis, Product Metrics, Mentorship, Internship Programs
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Garima Yadav
Product Manager
Bukuwarung
Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India (graduated in 2017)
UCLA Anderson School of Management (Full Time MBA, current student)
Engineering - Electrical
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
International Student
Video Highlights
1. Many companies offer Associate Product Manager (APM) internships, providing exposure to the field without requiring prior experience.
2. Data analyst roles offer valuable insight into product metrics and growth, a crucial skill for product managers.
3. Mentorship and experience are more important than the specific product worked on early in a career; transferable frameworks are key to success in product management.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider?
I think a lot of companies don't hire PM interns directly, but they do have APM programs. These associate product manager roles are good internship positions because you won't have all the responsibilities of a product manager.
You will be working on a few aspects, but you will get exposure to everything. As an APM intern, no one expects you to know everything or to come with any specific background. This gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of what you want to learn and how you want to approach things.
Some companies even have rotational programs, so you're not locked into one product. You can work across different services within that company. I think that's really great if you're not able to find an APM role.
Another thing I recommend is working as a data analyst. Working in data and analytics, specifically data and analytics not business analytics, gives you a sneak peek into how product metrics grow and evolve over time. Data is a critical aspect of any product manager's life.
If you can find an internship role that brings you closer to that skill, you can use it as a lever to land a PM role in the future. Some companies do directly offer PM internship roles, and those are also very valuable.
It doesn't really matter which product you're working on early on. It's more important who you work with. If you gain mentorship and experience, you're more likely to be able to use those concepts and implement them in another product.
That's a very good thing about product management: the frameworks remain more or less consistent across different products. The kind of information you work with will vary, but you'll be applying the same framework. So, it doesn't really matter which product you pick for your internship or initial position.