Check your product manager CV against the job advert
Product adverts look for someone who finds the right problem, ships a solution with a team, and measures whether it worked. Show each step.
Start with your advert
Every product manager advert is different. The list below is what adverts for this job usually ask for, not what yours does. So start with your advert:
- Read the advert and copy out every "must have" or "essential" line, then the "desirable" ones.
- For each one, find the line in your CV that proves it. If you can't point to a line, that's a gap.
- Fill the gap with something true: a duty, a setting, a qualification or a result you really have. If you don't have it, say what you have that's closest, or leave it out.
Our guide to matching your CV to a job description goes through this in more detail.
What product manager adverts usually ask for
Discovery and user research
Why they askGood product decisions start with understanding users.
How to show itDescribe how you learned what users needed.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Ran [interviews / tests / data analysis] with [users] to understand [problem].
Roadmaps and prioritisation
Why they askAdverts ask how you decide what to build.
How to show itName your method and a decision you made.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Owned the roadmap for [product area] and prioritised using [method], choosing [decision] over [alternative] because [reason].
Working with engineering and design
Why they askPMs lead without direct authority.
How to show itDescribe your team and how you worked.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Worked with [number] engineers and [designers] to ship [feature or product].
Metrics and outcomes
Why they askAdverts want PMs who measure impact.
How to show itUse real metrics you tracked.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Tracked [metric] after launch; it [changed how], measured with [tool].
Only use a line if it's true for you. Swap each [gap] for your own detail: the setting, the number, the tool or the result. If you can't fill a gap honestly, cut that part of the line.
Mistakes that cost product manager applications
- Listing features shipped with no outcomes.
- Claiming the whole team's work as your own.
Questions
How do I move into product management?
Show times you identified a user problem, worked with a team to fix it and checked the result, whatever your job title was.