Junior PM looking for an opportunity

lucostilla·Jun 08, 2023

Posted in:Product Femtech Early Career Job Hunting Job Board Career Growth

Hi Elphas,

I hope this message finds you well.

I am reaching out to seek your valuable help, advice and guidance regarding my current situation. Last year around June my company stopped to pay me. Unfortunately the company broke just a few months ago and I was laid off.

Without taking any “holiday” I have been actively applying for new opportunities in a Product Manager position with about one year of experience.

Initially, I experienced some success, securing interviews and even reaching the final rounds with several companies but finally companies were out of budget or the position was not need it anymore.

However, I have noticed that even if I could be attractive for some companies because of my diverse profile, the last month I suffered a significant slowdown in terms of interview invitations. At the same time, I am concerned that my approaching one-year experience mark might be raising red flags for potential employers.

Given these circumstances, I am seeking your help on the best course of action moving forward, because I’m really disappointed of my results. I started to do some things to improve my profile, but I need your help to get a new job:

Starting a Master in Product Management
Exploring opportunities at LinkedIn and the job pages
Connecting with influential people on my network to get at least a first interview.

Personally, I am getting to the point that “I don’t know what else to do”.

Has anyone suffered the same as me? How did you overcome this situation? If anyone could check my CV, profile or give me any suggestion It’ll be really appreciated.

When I was laid off, I never anticipated that I could feel disappointed so many times and frustrated after more than 20 interviews. Anyway, I keep on going.

Thanks for your support and advice, I appreciate being part of this community.

Best regards,

Lucia

Iynna·Jun 09, 2023

Hi Lucia,I am sorry to hear your situation, it sounds like you've really been on go go go mode and hope you sneaked in some resting periods. But these are all big questions. I think you should definitely keep on building the network and reframing that you can get a job vs you need a job (even though you do need one). I think the moment one can feel desperate, it becomes a turnoff for employers :( i'd suggest checking curated board like Elpha's elpha.com/jobs we have partner companies actively recruiting. @cgbl also had some really good insights on places to find employment so definitely connect with herAnother thing, if you're available on June 20, definitely come to our Elpha members chat https://elpha.com/posts/eno5yzdr/elpha-member-chat-june-20-how-to-master-technical-literacy-for-product-managersLastly we have tons of PM both junior and senior, you should chat with them! @LauraFiglez @melisaperez @jennagain @ramyaseetharaman @joniec @avanderlinde are just a few I can think of and who recently joined Elpha (yay)!

lucostilla·Jun 21, 2023

Thanks for your support🙏🏼

cgbl·Jun 09, 2023

Thanks for tagging me, @iynnaHey @lucostilla, hope you are doing well!I posted a list of Job boards you can use. My fav website is wellfound.com https://elpha.com/posts/9gjqlqd/were-you-laid-off-are-you-looking-for-a-job-i-want-to-helpI highly recommend Elpha's board: elpha.com/jobs as well 😊Some ideas:1) Join Slack/Discord communities like Mind The Product: https://www.mindtheproduct.com/product-management-slack-community/ Many people like to post jobs in communities instead of Job boards and hire people that are already 'vetted' by the community 2) Volunteer as a mentor. Personally being a mentor has helped me make great professional contacts and become a reference for colleagues.3) Reach out to your ex-colleagues, customers, and professional connections and let them know you are looking and just say hi, so they remember you if/when they are looking. Ask them to refer you if any role arises.4) Ask your closest contacts to leave a review for you on LinkedIn maybe? That way you have social proof of your skills5) You mentioned doing a Master in Product Management. Can your teachers/mentors refer you to a job? 6) Try looking for a mixed role with Product Management. Don't limit yourself to Product Manager/Owner. Where do you look usually? On LinkedIn? I have never found a job on LinkedIn, but friends that have found, suggest applying to roles that:- Were published 24 hours ago- Have less than 10 applicationsYou can set these two filters and get notifications of new roles every day.Best of luck with your search,Carmen

lucostilla·Jun 21, 2023

Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I've already joined some communities on Slack and I got really good insights. I'll keep on focusing on building my PM profile by connecting with valuable professionals like you. Thanks again for your help 🫶🏼