Where To Work?

Marty Cagan argues that when looking for a product job, the most important factor is not the company's name but the manager you would report to. Before leaving a current feature-team role, he suggests first trying to improve the situation from within, since even individual contributors can influence their environment. For those job hunting, he advises researching the hiring manager through LinkedIn and personal networks, and presenting yourself as someone eager to learn and invest effort. He cautions that even strong product companies contain weak teams, so candidates should understand how a company actually operates during interviews. The guidance matters because a good manager drives career growth far more than brand recognition does.

01Key takeaways

• Before quitting a feature-team role, try to improve it first by building your own skills and running a small experiment.
• Judge each team on its own merits, since even top product companies have teams that are not empowered.
• Research the hiring manager's background on LinkedIn and ask mutual contacts what working for them is like.
• Tell interviewers you want to learn from them and are ready to invest the effort to grow.
• Prepare by understanding what strong product managers do and what the company, products, and leaders are like.
• Use interviews to observe how the company operates and set realistic expectations, knowing no company is perfect.

02Key sections

Try to improve before leaving

Individual contributors can often shift their working environment by building their own product skills and bringing designers and tech leads along. Running a small, trust-building experiment with management is a practical way to start.

Company names are not enough

Even well-regarded product companies have teams that are not truly empowered, so a famous brand does not guarantee a good role. Evaluating the specific team matters more than the reputation of the organization.

The hiring manager matters most

The person you report to shapes your growth more than anything else, especially for newer product managers. Candidates should research the manager's background and ask people who know them what they are like.

Show up as a committed learner

In interviews, signal that you want to learn from the manager and will put in serious effort. Managers at strong companies take hiring seriously, so prepare thoroughly on the role and the company.

Spot how the company really works

Interviews reveal a lot about how a company operates if you know what to look for. Reviewing material on what strong product organizations look like helps set realistic expectations, since no company is perfect.

03From the post

“A partnership dedicated to teaching best practices to product teams and product leaders”

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.