Once you have connected with a few people from your target audience, the question is: What do I ask them? Or how do I get them to talk to me? And more importantly, how can this interaction lead to my dream job?
The key to success is asking for AIR
This is a concept made popular by Marc Miller from Career Pivot. When connecting with your target personas, make sure you are not asking them for a job. That will come later. Instead, ask them for AIR:
- Advice
- Insights
- Recommendations
By asking for AIR, you are looking to better understand a particular vertical, industry or company. This information will help you prepare for future interviews and will also help you validate whether this company/industry/area is really what you are looking for.
Here are some examples of what you could ask each of your personas.
Advice from hiring managers (primary personas)
- What skills and experience are they looking for in PM candidates?
- How is the Product department set up?
- What are some of their biggest challenges regarding their product or the Product department?
- What do you like/dislike about working in this industry/company?
- What are some of the challenges and opportunities for growth in this industry/company?
- How did you get to be where you are today?
- What can you do to prepare yourself for when a new opportunity opens up in their team?
Advice from secondary personas
- How do they interact with Product Managers?
- What makes a good Product Manager in that organization?
- How does Product Management help make their job easier?
- What challenges do they see between their area and the Product team?
- Can they connect you with hiring managers or recruiters, to ask for more advice?
Advice from buyer personas (recruiters)
- What is the profile they are looking for when hiring Product Managers?
- What is the recruiting process like?
I recommend spending time crafting a list of questions you’d like answered. The more prepared you are, the better the impression you’ll make. Remember that even if these people don’t have an immediate opening, if you succeed in getting AIR, they’ll keep you in mind for future opportunities at this company, or at whatever company they move on to.
And speaking of preparation, when you talk to your target customers, make sure you have answers for questions they might ask. For example:
- Practice walking people through your experience in three minutes or less.
- Know how to showcase your experience without sounding arrogant.
- Do your homework on their company, including the latest news, their value proposition, their product portfolio, and market trends in their industry.
- Have a clear story of why you are interested in talking to them and learning about their company. Remember, you are hunting for your “dream” job, not just “any” job.
The big picture
It’s important to understand that the process of making connections and getting insights takes time. You are learning about your customers’ needs and building your sales funnel. It won’t happen overnight. Remember that you are chasing your dream job. You are evaluating and learning about all of your options and possibilities. You are actively opening doors for your career.
The next lesson helps you prepare for the actual PM interview. Once you find your dream opportunity, you need to be ready to close that deal! The more prepared you are, the better your chances will be. Are you ready for the final stage? See you in the next lesson!
Additional resources:
- Asking for AIR, by Marc Miller
- Lean Customer Development, by Cindy Alvarez