A person never honestly knows what interviewers and
recruiters seek when making their case for a product
manager or project manager position.
Accomplishing difficult goals, managing various aspects
of projects are common for experienced workers.
Read an interesting piece by Lou Adler in which he
indicates his admiration for people who have an “achiever
pattern” in their recent experience. There is more to your
preparation if this is how you wish to market your skills:
- Specifics
- Motivation
- Well thought through examples
- Understanding of what interviewers will be doing with
both your spoken (screening and on-site interviews)
and written (resume, etc.) data: comparison to other
candidates
- “Presence” in professional settings, Internet, and in
person, showing confidence. adaptability and
desire to learn
This is from a “recruiter’s perspective,” a perspective not
many technical people consider. He has presented this in
various forums (contains several resources) and it has a
following. For those with interest in start-ups, business
development and are open to new challenges in business
Adler can be a solid resource.
BUSINESS POSITIONS, WORKING WITH RECRUITERS,
PREPARATION DETAILS
January 3rd, 2013 at 1:39 pm
One of Adler’s comments is worth highlighting:
” [Lou Adler] Few have actually answered this opening
question, which was the primary point of the post -
Who’s the better candidate: someone who can do all
of the work with half the skills and experience, or
someone with all of the skills and experience?
The assumption is that the quality level is the same.
Of course, if the output isn’t equivalent you need to
make a different judgment.
My point [Adler’s] is that focus of the assessment
needs to emphasize the output, not the input,
i.e., absolute level of skills, experience, academics.”