👋 If you’re new to this newsletter - Welcome!

What’s new from Coach Pri?

• Coaching certification update: I’m scheduled/approved to take the ICF (International Coaching Federation) ACC exam at the end of March!

• Book Recommendation: I recently finished a book called “You’re a Badass” by Jen Sincero, and highly recommend it - especially if you want to motivate yourself to take action on your 2024 goals!

• Youtube - need your input - What topics would you find most helpful for PM and Leadership-related youtube videos or shorts? I’d love to hear from you!

(P.S. In case you do not wish to receive this email, you can unsubscribe using the link in the footer).

Product Management News & Industry Trends

• Technology and pay trends in Europe: With Gen AI. coming to life, the role of data protection officers and others in that space is growing. The demand for skills in ML, data science and AI is growing, although there will be more restrictions than in the US given the progress on policies such as the EU AI Act. Also, there are differences such as the Netherlands has generally more Product Design jobs, France has more Product Operations roles, and so on. You can read more here (it even has a great breakdown by country).

• How NOT to adopt AI: A trend I am observing is where companies, especially start-ups, jump to the AI bandwagon, however, their basic product features are not fully functional. This can lead to customer attrition - so make sure you deliver user value first before you adopt AI!

• Here is a trend that made me smile - Product Philosophers — “The emerging trend of product philosophers- equipped with prolific writing skills and an uncanny knack for complexifying the simplest of topics, product philosophers ponder the meaning of roadmaps, team management, product leadership and more.” Read more.

Hiring and Layoffs

The latest on layoffs:

Apart from Google and Amazon - no large tech company layoffs last week - the market is stabilizing! Form Energy, Totango, & Turnitin were among the startups that declared layoffs recently. Check out more info about Layoffs on this site.

Who’s hiring for PM/UX/Data roles (in the U.S.)?

I know that looking for a job is hard! Here are specific links to Linkedin posts or job listings from hiring managers in my network, to make it easy for you 😅 

• Datadog is continuing to hire PMs & Product Designers in New York!

• Notion is also hiring PMs and Product Designers, also in New York.

• Figma is hiring PMs for Product Management & Product Support roles.

Check out this job board for more open roles.

PM Case Study Review of the Week

Here’s a case study example in more of a PM job interview format to help you sharpen your skills…

Amazon Alexa (smart-home product): “How would you improve Alexa to deliver superior sound quality to compete with market leaders?”

Try doing this exercise on your own, based on my suggested steps below (my signature top-down approach that I teach clients!):

1. Ask Clarifying questions, establish company and product goals, what are the success metrics, and what should be our north star metric?

2. Next - think about industry trends, competitors and what they are building/launching, and how user/customer needs are changing

3. Now that we know the company goals, success metrics, and industry/market trends, you can jump to user needs and painpoints!

4. List 5-6 user needs and pain points for Alexa

5. Prioritize your user problems and pick one or a few to work on

6. Now - think about a short list of possible solutions

7. Show off, or use your prioritization and trade-off skills to pick a few features you would work on, and explain WHY! (Hint: Make sure these are aligned to the success metrics and strategic goals)

8. Do a logical check of your answer/a review of it, to see what you missed, or what you could add, to make it even better (Hint: Interviewers LOVE PMs who can catch their own mistakes and improve things during the interview!)

   😄 Email me your case study at [email protected], and I can reveal the link to this case study!

PM Interview Tip of the Week

I collaborated with Stanford University last year, to write up interview tips, with specific case studies and examples, and recorded videos in their studio, that many clients and prospects have found very helpful - so want to share them with you all!

• Watch this YouTube video on “How to answer the top 5 interview questions”, and this one on “How to prepare for PM Interviews”!

• What are your biggest challenges in PM interviews? Please reply to this email and share with me, I would love to know!

Do you want to fast-track your Product Management Career? Here are some ways I can help:

Getting started: 

1. Check out my YouTube videos on PM careers, interviews and more. If you want to get notified when I post new videos, Subscribe! 

2. Referral Program: Refer someone, and if they sign up for any of my coaching programs (below), you get two 1:1 coaching sessions free!

PM Coaching & Training Programs - to help you Get and Excel at your dream job:

1. 1:1 PM Career Coaching Package (8 weeks)

2. “PM Level-Up Bootcamp” - Group Career Coaching (8 weeks) - I have updated the objective of this program based on input from prospective clients - this will now focus on helping PMs move to the next level faster - be it Sr. PM, Lead or Principal PM - includes career strategy, resume guidance, interview prep & mock interviews! The first cohort begins in April. Early bird pricing is available till March 30.

3. “Elevate” - Leadership & Communications Training (Bonus: You get ICF credits with this - useful if you decide to be a coach one day 😇). Coming up in May! Eligible for employer educational reimbursement. 

Have questions about how we can work together?
👉️Book an intro call with me to learn more!

💥 Despite the tough job market last year, I helped my clients land roles at Meta, T-Mobile, FedEx, CVS-Health, and more, often at one level higher! I would love to help you achieve your goals faster. Here’s what my clients say about me! 😃