Sep 3 (edited) • General discussion
5 months later, I was offered my first "proper" PM role. Here's what I learnt:
Hi everyone,
A lot of you may remember my first post earlier in May this year. After many applications, lots of screening protocols, and a handful of interviews, I was finally offered a project coordinator role at an amazing company! And I'm wanting to share my experiences with everyone here.
LESSON 1: Spamming applications versus tailoring applications.
Coming from a mentality in early summer to get my name out to as many companies possible, this worked for the first few weeks. I was receiving responses back from companies ranging from engineering to healthcare and were interested in my diverse professional background. Once June/July hit, the resume views tanked and I wasn't getting anywhere. After tailoring my resume from a general PM perspective to one that is specific to each and every job, the responses increased again. Although I'm sure many of you know this lesson already, this was something I've now understood.
LESSON 2: Internal referrals are truly the only way to pass the first screening.
As someone who networks with absolutely anyone and everyone in my companies (including the individuals you think you would never need to contact), a co-op student who had interned at my current company was now working at my next employer. We had connected early on in my current job as we started during the same time. He was extremely willing to put my name forward as a great candidate for three jobs, and luckily the third one was a hit.
LESSON 3: Don't hide your unique personality during your interviews.
1 phone call with HR, 2 panel interviews in person, and 1 video chat with the director later, I heard amazing feedback from the recruiter. She mentioned that everyone thought I was "the one" after our conversations. What did I do? I was my absolute self. Before this interview I ensured that I would remain my upmost professional self to "sell" the vision of a young, driven corporate cog. I decided to give it a shot and introduce a bit more of myself - why I live the way I do, my personality, and my hobbies. During my chat with the director, I found that we shared a mutual interest in cars and motorcycles! The recruiter contacted me back the next day and mentioned that he's very excited to see my car and learn a bit more about my volunteer work with the local raceway.
LESSON 4: Things happen for a reason.
After months of thinking that my current company would not offer me full-time hours, the day of my first interview with my prospective company I received a cryptic message from my boss asking if I was still interested in bumping up my hours. I continued this conversation while interviewing with the new company, and ended up with two offers on my lap on the same day. While I would have loved to remain at my current company, the opportunities were short of my expectations when looking to move forward.
Although these lessons may be overused in the job market, they really are powerful once you notice them in your journey.
If you're wondering where I'm headed... they're keeping the "pulse" of med-tech innovation strong! Any guesses?
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5 months later, I was offered my first "proper" PM role. Here's what I learnt:
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