How I became a Product Manager with NO EXPERIENCE!! ft. my PM coworkers

[@chloeshih]

if you're interested in product (or are an awesome unichlo), check out Dovetail here! ➡ dvtl.link/colorsofchloe also, i was thinking what community hypetrain type comment to make. i see lots of other communities send the same message together (like a comment raid), and it's kinda cute. one time i was doing a tech panel, and the chat in zoom was spamming "UNICHLOS UNITE". if no one else has better ideas, maybe that should be our community phase. LMKWYTOK?!

[@Aquariusmoon_lover]

Is Sri Indian?

[@zeanut]

Very cool vid! You got some hard working PM friends! My journey to PM took much longer (3.5 yrs) so for all those who think you're falling behind, don't sweat it. Run your own race and you'll get there one day!

[@chloeshih]

They’re definitely great! And man yeah I did feel super behind when I couldn’t get in, but glad things worked out in the end ☺️

[@raulfernandezjr5295]

What helped you finally land the job after all that time ?

[@zeanut]

@@raulfernandezjr5295 Few things: - Staying the course; knowing that I liked the work involved in being a PM and understanding that my longer term goals were aligned with what a PM does. - Networking. People are more likely to trust you if they know you can deliver or have seen you deliver on previous initiatives. - Doing well at what you're doing now. I see tons of people thinking they could be XYZ job but are really poor at the job they're currently at. That just tells me that your chances of being poor at the next thing will likely be very high.

[@raulfernandezjr5295]

@@zeanut thank you for the feedback.

[@abinayajayalakshmi]

@@zeanut should we really have to build a product to become a PM?

[@samanthatslee]

Love how you intertwine lifestyle Vlogs and career talk. Also really appreciate the different stories from your peers near the end! 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

[@chloeshih]

yay! i'm so glad you enjoy it!! i definitely enjoying editing the lifestyle component a lot more. this feels way more creatively exciting for me to make and share out. thanks for dropping a comment!! :D

[@kuangao59]

Thank you so much for sharing your transition and helpful resources! Especially glad to hear pm's focus on the user and big pictures instead of hiding behind codes or designs.

[@TheJazzaJAR]

Hearing other PM’s who have organically fallen into that career path resonates

[@chloeshih]

yay glad to hear!!

[@SelenaTrevino]

omg my new fav channel, you're literally amazing!

[@chloeshih]

ahh thank you!! omg just checked out your channel. it's incredible!!

[@sonyakhan2172]

Chloe - What! Such a small world, I went to college with Sri. Love your content as always, killing it girl. Really glad you’re in a better place, you seem much happier than at TikTok ❤️

[@chloeshih]

omg yass! sri is incredible. i absolutely love her!! and yes discord has been amazing to me. thanks for being here in my journey, sonya!!

[@BrightSunnyDay96]

Answering question: I'm here for the lifestyle content

[@chloeshih]

Aww yassss!! Thank you for dropping this comment on lifestyle! I actually loveeee making lifestyle vlogs these days. Glad the vibes bring you joy!! I shall bring moreeee!! 🥰

[@ChrisDenman]

Loved this video! As a Project Manager hoping to break into the Product space I'm trying to gather as much info as possible about ways I can leverage the skills I've picked up to get my foot in the door!

[@tedjeoteheri5735]

The internal transition block is so relatable can’t even lie. I’ve currently decided to leave instead of being strung around.

[@chloeshih]

it really do be like that! glad you decided to make moves on your own. can't allow someone else to just take control of your career!

[@maeday8401]

Thanks for this video! I’m currently doing a data analytics internship and am looking for ways to leverage that and move into product management and this was really helpful!

[@JasmineeeWu]

Aww love this video and the editing is so aesthetic! :))

[@chloeshih]

Gotta bring in those *tech girlie* vibes haha

[@dianae18]

Not a loot of people tel you that you must have PM experience to get a job but it’s 100% true. I have been applying to junior/associate roles and even those require experience.

[@chloeshih]

man it was incredibly frustrating. i know there are people who get in without experience, but it's definitely the exception and not the norm.

[@바니박]

This is my first time watching your video, but I LOVE it. Thank you for sharing your journey! It helps me a lot.

[@chloeshih]

aww yay! so glad you like my video!! got lots more to come :)

[@kevinsandoval467]

Hey Chlo! LOVE your videos and this one was great too as usual! I'd love to see a video on PM Interview Prep right now (as you hinted at 7:50) and what are the best (not outdated) resources as well as your advice! You're the best!

[@reinaldomarquez534]

Your content is amazing. Beyond educational your skills at content creation are top notch. Thank you for helping out the community!

[@akanksharawat5129]

PLEASE cover product interview prep!!!!!!!

[@roryroopa]

This was soooo inspiring omg. Learned a ton. You're incredible.

[@chloeshih]

aww i'm so glad to hear rory!! are you pursuing the PM career path?

[@roryroopa]

@@chloeshih I'm currently a content specialist at a news app. I previously worked at a health tech startup. I'm interested in the PM path! I've always like hearing from PMs because they're such visionaries and so organized. It seems like a tough career to break in to for someone with my background (journalism) so I'm trying to bridge the gaps 😅

[@vedantgupta5160]

Wow ! Thanks Chloe for this . It's super amazing and motivating for student like me who wants to pursue same field. I watched half now in my office hrs( my manager came haha he also saw for some secs and told me good vlog (he don't know it's pm thing)) saving next half to watch and enjoy later 😂⚡⚡⚡🙌

[@chloeshih]

Haha omg thanks for watching during office hours. Taking big risks here! Glad your manager likes the video too!! Excited for you to watch the rest!

[@tinaaaaw]

The purple tiles in the bathroom is kinda really cute!

[@chloeshih]

Yeah!! The Airbnb bathroom was so cute! Also the lighting was ✨immaculate ✨. The rest of the house was just real big and spooky tbh 😣

[@desiindianfightshere]

Please make more such videos in this product manager series

[@JeremiahPeoples]

“Nature is so hd…. Damn” 😂

[@chloeshih]

😂😂 yeah dude i've been living on my 1440p monitor this whole time and finally saw some wicked resolutions out there.

[@jamesmar7250]

Hi thank you and your coworkers for your stories! I found it really fascinating. I was kinda curious if a typical pm does coding? Thank you for your time!!!

[@chloeshih]

it depends on what PM role you're in! i'm on a consumer product and it's not expected of me to code. some products are pretty technical and it requires a good level of technical knowledge from PMs.

[@Lee-br3ym]

Chloe! Thanks for sharing you experience! I am trying to transition from the film industry(post Production) into tech and I can see most of my skill are transferable. Im not sure if I should go back to school for Computer Science or a PM Certification. What are some entry level jobs I should be looking into? thanks!

[@GlowinginTech]

great video! so nice to hear a story where you were able to move into what you truly enjoyed! what advice would you give to someone who wants to go straight into PM with no previous work experience at all?

[@chloeshih]

it's pretty tough tbh! i wasn't successful in doing it, but my advice is to starting building your own products (websites, apps, etc.) and either submit it to a hackathon or just try publishing it online and see how it does. it's really important to understand how to ship product!

[@GlowinginTech]

@@chloeshih love that advice! as software engineers we are big on participation of hackathons, and how participating in projects like that can contribute to your portfolio massively. I can imagine that for product, it's beneficial to have a way to demonstrate how you can engage with and lead a team to deliver results.

[@venice94]

I would really like to know how to best answer qns like what’s your favourite product or least favourite. I’ve a sense of what I think a product mgr should work on, the angles etc but it’s hard to articulate the same from the user side.

[@JeremiahPeoples]

Let’s goooo!

[@Taskade]

Awesome update!

[@ranwang707]

Hey Chloe! Thanks for the video!! While I enjoy the market/user research, competitor analysis, and feature testing side of product management, I'm not really into running meetings and managing project timelines. What product positions would you recommend to people like me?

[@gabrielleal6710]

Exactly what @@walterwhite003 said. Sounds a lot like UX research. You should look into it.

[@dynamics9000]

wow this is a wonderful video... thumbs up ! !

[@arushigaur7208]

Hey Chloe this is my first time watching your video. I really liked it. I am a project manager but like big picture things. Building a product that can solve some people problems is something I crave. But the thing I noticed in your video is that everyone looked very extroverted. I am an introvert and reserved person and I felt can introverts be PM too? Or extroverts are chosen always?

[@juanmarti4671]

Interesting question. I am a SE that have worked with different PMs and I can say from my experience, no. That's not a blocker, your primary job is to convince the team that this is the right way to go in terms of features and improvements to make. You can use tools to help you out. For example i had a PM that he didn't say much, but he showed us Data. The team followed his guidance even when he was introvert because he used the tools and the data to speak for him. Best wishes in your process

[@arushigaur7208]

@@juanmarti4671 thank you so much for responding. This really encouraged me! I think trust could be made by data.

[@SoniaBlade]

One of these days I'll work at discord as a pm! I got some ideas lol!

[@chloeshih]

amazing!! looking forward to it!

[@UrmatG]

This is the 3rd video of you I'm watching and I just realized that 'unichloes' is how you refer to your fandom. At first I thought you were giving a shout out to the 'Uniqlo' clothing brand that I assumed you were working for 🤦‍♂

[@chloeshih]

LOL yes hahah. the "unichlos" came about from my twitch streams. it has a lot of origins. but basically the combo is because people are unique / unicorns. the other reason was that someone asked me where to find wholesome people (in the context of dating), and i said they're shopping at uniqlo haha

[@denizasr]

3:40 that manager was toxic af

[@chloeshih]

Seriously. Definitely an indicator of bad management.

[@Joolie]

ty for this video

[@chloeshih]

thanks for watching julie

[@eddiemao3527]

i only got that part " i got rejected EVERYWHERE" . literally everywhere. halp QAQ

[@chloeshih]

OMG YOULL GET THRU THIS I BELIEVE IN YOU!!! FIGHTING!! 💪💪💪

[@lamianhouse9505]

Hi Chloe, Not sure why I am here, but because I am considering transitioning my career path to PM. Been working in Hospitality for approx 8-10yrs. And at the age of 39, do you think I could make it to transition as a PM or Intern PM?

[@lloydmo9409]

Hey Chloe, really love your channel! I had a question with regards to the interview prep. You mentioned how books like Cracking the PM Interview is an outdated resource. Could you recommend some resources that are up to date so I can look them up? 🙏❤

[@chloeshih]

Hmm I think decode and conquer is still better. I used productmanagementexercises.com I also have some resources listed in my discord server (linked in the description)! Lots of other people in the community also can share their perspectives if you post in our forum channel!

[@jaimesmith1086]

Thanks Chloe for sharing your experience. Wondering if I can get your thoughts on this: I recently discovered product management but my impression so far is that I can be paid well (sweet sweet tech salary), don't need to code, don't need any special certifications/MBA/MS Computer Science (or any specific degrees for that matter) or specific experiences. Seems too good to be true. Wondering if I am missing something?

[@amiamka]

Your video is really inspiring me. I was a BD and accidentally become a PM of a children app 2 years ago. But only with a small team of 2 engineers and one designer. I am the only PM on that product, and I learned by myself how to do it. Actually its really fun! I decided my career life as a PM at thst time. Unfortunately, the product not going well and i got lay off 6 months ago. I even blame my self at that time 🙈 Sadly i got rejected by all company that i applied as PM. I don't have a clue what’s wrong with my interviews. After 4 months unemployed I got a job offer but not as a PM which honestly makes me sad 😢. But last week i enroll PM course for the next 3 months to reach my career dream. Please wish me luck 🙈

[@chloeshih]

omg fahmi! i'm glad you're working towards your career goals and not giving up. best of luck in the journey! i know you'll get there!! congrats on starting the PM course! that's really exciting. :)

[@amiamka]

@@chloeshih thank you for your reply! Really appreciate your support and encouragement

[@lemonstar1261]

I keep seeing product manager certificates popping up. Are they worth it? Or is it better to start as a UX/UI specialist and work my way up? Help!!

[@yas_she_can2116]

What’s your typical Philz order?? I love that place ❤️

[@chloeshih]

Omg I actually have no idea how to order there. I typically get normal vanilla iced lattes, but philz has all these special drinks. What do u get?

[@nayelyguzman8863]

Im a manufacturing production planner and I’m thinking about going into tech and i think production planning is similar to being a PM. Is anybody on here that have made this switch or have any advise on where to start?

[@Dan-lq6dg]

I'm a PM too!

[@chloeshih]

yay!! dan!! :D

[@augustus7055]

Hello Chloe, I have watched over 30 of your videos and you've motivated me to consider this as a career. I am currently doing my masters right now but I hope to break into product next summer - possibly for an internship. I would love to know how to find some mentors in the industry, especially people already innovating in this space. I would love to build relationships. You're already a mentor to me, but I would love to find people to converse with regularly on this topic. Also finding friends like yours would be so cool too haha. All your friends are great!

[@chloeshih]

Hi Augustus! Hmm mentors are definitely hard to find. Are there people in your current network or past jobs that you can connect with? Otherwise, I have a discord server (linked in description) that you can post in to find support for your questions! There’s lots of amazing tech professionals there!

[@augustus7055]

@@chloeshih AN ICON! I've never used discord before so I may be too new to function but I'll come say hi. :) You're the best.

[@chloeshih]

@@augustus7055 it's a little complicated!! but it's similar to slack. def check out the career-advice channel!!

[@LinzyLinz7]

When you said they dangled a carrot in front of you, that hit home. In my last review they literally said " we'll dangle this carrot in front of you and talk about it possibly six months from now" 😐😐😐 No. Just No. 😅

[@chloeshih]

holy cow... they actually said that?! that's really unprofessional and pretty traumatizing. makes me infuriated!! absolutely not!

[@LinzyLinz7]

@@chloeshih yess...and I asked, so what's the carrot exactly? And he couldn't give a straight answer. Ugh. Side note, why did you believe the book Cracking the PM Interview is outdated? I got it and so far it's a good read.

[@kl3664]

I am thinking about becoming a PM. I started and ran a successful ecom consulting business (about $16M in sales in 7 years), started a small crypto mining facility running off solar panels and starting a private fund. I guess I’m just looking for something a little more stable without 70+ hour work weeks now and curious if it’s the right fit.

[@Aquariusmoon_lover]

Pov- u are so lazy to watch full video so u break one video in 10 parts lol

[@raenfuu4281]

Hi Chloe, I am a PO for nearly 3 years now and I'm planning to apply for a remote position in developing countries like Canada, US, UK,... My question is, should I become a certified PO (with PSPO, CSPO, POPM,...)? Thank you very much and hope you can make a short video on this.

[@user-se8bt5wh8i]

Certification could help but honestly some people break through just fine without one. Employers just want to see that you have experience. Now if you get a cert, they could look at that as experience for sure. :) good luck

[@mcjovies36]

What advice do you have to get into tech? I work as a consultant in the pharma industry but would be interested in working in tech and becoming a PM

[@lizavetameta]

i wanna be pm so much

[@pekhuonglau4489]

I currently a Product Owner or Product Manager in Singapore in bank

[@chloeshih]

Amazing!! Let’s goooo!! 👏👏

[@jordinkleton]

Without an internship or shadowing opportunity, how can recent graduates get tangible experience "shipping features to users"? I've been applying to APM roles but have had no luck and maybe this is a main reason why.

[@chloeshih]

Yeah unfortunately I didn’t get a PM role after college. My friends at the end of the video did though! They were really involved in the Hackathon scene in college, so there’s lots of experience building and shipping things. Sometimes there are courses you can take in college where you have to improve software apps for real clients and help facilitate that. You can also reach out to small startups and do volunteer work to write product proposals for improvement.

[@TaroDominion]

Video starts at 4:29.

[@thebokchoyboy]

Microsoft intern gang

[@chloeshih]

gang gang

[@citrinehills7131]

did you take any courses to get into PM?

[@chloeshih]

i personally did not. i didn't know of them at the time and mostly practiced PM interview questions. wish i had more training before trying to break in tho!

[@butteredcrisp]

I currently have a goal to work as a discord to be a product designer premium

[@diyasaigol8541]

Is that a Monos suitcase at the beginning?

[@chloeshih]

yassss!! i love it!!!

[@diyasaigol8541]

@@chloeshih cool! I’ve been considering buying one, good to know you love it 😄

[@diyasaigol8541]

Also very cool that you work for discord :) I work on a similar product at Meta!

[@Stevenhammer8]

Sri is cute af

[@muffin0nmars534]

Soo, are you accepting mentee’s? 😮

[@chloeshih]

not 1:1 since i get a lot of requests, but i do have a discord where we help each other out with our career questions! check video descriptions!

[@karolinakowalczyk1977]

Hmm but don't you think that discovering what users really really want is more a job for UX Researchers? :D Of course the collaboration with pms is crucial :p

[@chloeshih]

Oh 100% UXR is core to that question. PMs also absolutely need to understand that as well. The process can be owned by either depending on the company or team, but they’re crucial to both roles!

[@karolinakowalczyk1977]

​@@chloeshih Yes but I am still wondering if tagging the data in dovetail/conducting interviews is a job for pm. I quess it depends on ux research democratization, however based on my experience pm asked too many leading questions and they didn’t have enough training to do it. What I do like is inviting pm for sessions, ask for review, discussing the data and insights :) I would love to understand your perspective Chloe!

[@chloeshih]

@@karolinakowalczyk1977 I think it really depends. i actually done the majority of my UX research myself since we never had enough UXR resources. i also used to work in startups, where there really wasn't a UXR hire and you're wearing multiple hats figuring out what to build next. in my experience, it was mostly at larger and more mature companies like facebook/meta where UXR really took ownership of this aspect!

[@karolinakowalczyk1977]

@@chloeshih Thank you Chloe for the answer! Since I work as a UX Researcher I had completely different experience 😅

[@karolinakowalczyk1977]

@@chloeshih even when I worked at the startup, it was startup with my resources :D

[@starrymorning3913]

Are you working from home now

[@chloeshih]

yes, i am! just posted a day in my life video working from home!!

[@itsmine5288]

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