By Wiktoria
Product Management is a process that ensures product development goes smoothly, as well as strategic direction, and ensures it meets market needs and business goals without causing any major failures. In the agile way of working, product owners are the core responsible persons for increasing the product value by managing the product backlog and prioritizing tasks.
As per Scrum Alliance, Product Owner roles attract a high number of applications (averaging 70 per role), and a majority of companies (66%) report extreme difficulty in finding suitable candidates to fill these positions. This means employers value credible product owners from the market. So now you get excited about how to crack this role. In this article, you get guidance on how to land product roles that most recruiters look for.
Product owners are the voice of the user inside the organization. Let’s consider the restaurant environment, the customers are the people who will eat there, and want delicious, affordable food. Suppose the chef & kitchen staff are considered as a development team, as they are experts in cooking. Here, the product owner is the head chef or restaurant owner who bridges the gap between the customer and the kitchen staff.
The following are the key responsibilities of the PO in the agile way of working.
Defines the Vision
Manages the Wish List (The Backlog)
Prioritization
Clarifies for the Team
Accepts the Work
A product owner is like the CEO of the product. They don’t just simply manage the team of developers; they are completely responsible for the product’s success through making smart decisions about what to build and in what order.
The product backlog is a prioritized wish list or a to-do list for the entire product. It‘s a single list of everything that might be needed in the product, written from the user’s perspective.
Product Backlog management is important for product roles, because it acts as a single source of truth for all product work, ensuring the team focuses on the highest value item on a priority basis. So simply, Product owners streamline the product management process.
Getting the product roles in 2025 and beyond is highly competitive, the reason is that companies are preferring candidates with prior experience or specialized skills. Compared to entry-level, mid-level, and senior-level roles, they have more opportunities. Recruiters are valuing adaptability, strategic thinking, customer-centricity, data-driven decision-making, and the ability to communicate across teams as top-priority skills in candidates.
As per the hiring trend survey of the Institute of Product Leadership, global organisations have extended Product Management functions by nearly 30% since 2020. 18% of graduates took up product roles, up from 12% in 2020 (ISB’s 2024 Career Report), and 1500+ multinational global capability centers (GCCs) now operate in India, fueling demand for PMs to manage products for global markets.
The above stats and facts are examples of market insight about this role.
Beyond tools, knowledge, and certifications, the HR recruiters are looking for some key qualities for PO roles, which are:
User-Centricity & Empathy: Continuously listen to customer feedback and observe their needs, struggles, and emotions to create products. Build from their perspective.
Analytical & Data-Driven Professional: Make a habit of collecting and analysing the data to inform all decisions, not only depending on instinct. Make quantitative judgments.
Technical Acumen: Find out new emerging technologies in the field and explore how they work to stay competitive with the current industry trends.
Strategic Business Mindset: Take time to understand the “why” behind the business agenda. And find out connections between trends and market changes.
Leadership: Don’t just manage by giving orders. Make trust and strong relationships with teams, take ownership, and serve better.
Collaboration: Aligning different team members towards common business goals. Encourage open communication, mutual respect, and shared accountability.
Communication: Maintain clear and concise messages to your team and audience. Before speaking, actively listen. Pay attention to body language to ensure clear and respectful exchanges.
To crack the product roles without experience is a challenge. It’s not easy, but also not unachievable.
Dedicate yourself to educating. Take online courses, attend bootcamps, or read books to learn key topics such as user research, market research, product execution, and problem-solving.
Create a Projects Portfolio. You don’t need the title to start a job. Re-frame your current work in product management terms. For example, if you are in support, gather user feedback and identify common pain points that could be solved with a new feature.
Network and market yourself. Through product management communities and organizations, attend industry events, and connect with experienced product managers.
Find a mentor to get guidance. Customize your resume with transferable skills from the previous role that match with PM responsibilities.
And at last, the more effective way is getting CSPO certification, which can be a very powerful one for landing a product role without experience. It brings you a strong foundational knowledge of Agile and Scrum, making you stand out as the most eligible candidate in the eyes of employers.
There are huge and diverse opportunities across this domain, from entry-level (Associate Product Manager, Product Ops Intern) to senior (Senior Product Manager, Chief Product Officer) roles across tech and other industries.
Some Common Job Titles:
You can achieve it if you are ready to invest in this industry.
Associate Product Manager (APM)
Product Manager
Senior Product Manager
Chief Product Officer (CPO)
VP of Product
Product Marketing Manager
Product Owner
Technical Product Manager
Product Strategist:
So always keep in mind, breaking into the product roles necessitates a proactive and persistent approach. Even though the above ways are helpful, recruiters always place high value on practical hands-on experience in tangible projects. So don’t wait for a perfect title. Start utilizing product management knowledge in your current role. Start creating transferable skillsets. Beyond your experience in documents, show some impactful results. Since the job market is competitive, sometimes you may face rejection. But stay resilient. Learn from each interview and consciously refine your approach. All the best for your new PM role. [NG-FA]
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