Latest news with #ProductManager
Entrepreneur
21-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
What I've Learned About Being a Product Manager from Harshibar
Recently, I watched Harshibar's video about her experience as a Product Manager at a unicorn startup called Coda. As someone interested in tech careers, her insights resonated with me and... This story originally appeared on Calendar Recently, I watched Harshibar's video about her experience as a Product Manager at a unicorn startup called Coda. As someone interested in tech careers, her insights resonated with me and offered a realistic glimpse into the PM role that goes beyond the glossy job descriptions we often see. What struck me most was how she described the constant context switching required in her position. This isn't just about multitasking—it's about rapidly shifting between different mental frameworks, projects, and stakeholder needs throughout the day. The Hidden Challenges of Product Management Harshibar's morning routine reveals something many aspiring PMs don't consider: the precious value of uninterrupted work time. She mentioned having a block from 9 to 11:30 AM for solo work because most of her team is in various time zones. This is fascinating because it highlights how PMs must strategically guard their focus time. Finding large chunks of time without meetings is like discovering gold in the PM world. This protected time allows for the deep thinking work that drives product decisions, whether preparing write-ups, responding thoughtfully to messages, or planning upcoming projects. The back-to-back meetings that fill her calendar after this morning's block showcase another reality of the role. I understand her comment about how draining back-to-back meetings can be—especially when you're new to the job. The mental stamina required to stay present and engaged through hours of video calls is substantial. It's difficult when all your team members are new. Teams you are familiar with and friends make a big difference. New teams are hard to break into personally, which a PM must do. The Mental Gymnastics Required What I found most insightful was Harshibar's description of the mental gymnastics involved in PM work. She explained: The kind of interesting and challenging aspect of being a PM from my experience at least is that there is a lot of context switching involved in the role… I'm basically meeting with some people who are in the best of their field whether it's design or engineering or marketing… To step into a meeting as a product manager and to kind of drive a decision or lead some product vision I need to come up to speed with what's going on. This perfectly captures what makes the role both exciting and exhausting. PMs must: Quickly absorb complex information across multiple domains Ask insightful questions that move projects forward Make decisions without always having a clear 'right answer' Switch contexts between wildly different projects throughout the day Mental flexibility is both the greatest challenge and the most valuable skill a PM can develop. It's not just about knowing a little bit about everything—it's about knowing how to navigate uncertainty with confidence. Finding Balance in a Demanding Role What I appreciate about Harshibar's candid take is how she acknowledges the need for breaks. She mentions stepping outside, having coffee, or playing with her dog Yogi between meetings. These small moments of respite aren't luxuries—they're necessities for maintaining the mental clarity needed to perform effectively. The remote work aspect of her job at Coda also offers flexibility that wouldn't be possible with a traditional commute. Instead of spending up to an hour and a half traveling each way, she can use that time for focused work or personal restoration. The PM role seems to demand a careful balancing act between intense focus and intentional breaks. Without this balance, the constant context switching might quickly lead to burnout. My Takeaways for Aspiring PMs After reflecting on Harshibar's day in the life, I've developed a few thoughts for anyone considering this career path: Protect your focus time fiercely—it's when your most valuable work happens Develop strategies to manage your energy through meeting-heavy days Practice the art of context switching as a deliberate skill Build in small breaks to reset your mind between different projects Recognize that feeling mentally stretched is normal, not a sign of inadequacy The PM role clearly isn't for everyone. It requires comfort with ambiguity, strong communication skills, and the ability to make decisions with incomplete information. But it offers a unique challenge for those who thrive on variety and enjoy connecting different disciplines. I'm grateful for Harshibar's honest portrayal of her experience. It's refreshing to see beyond the job title to the lived reality of product management—its demands and rewards. For anyone considering this path, her video offers valuable insight into what the day-to-day entails, beyond the buzzwords and job descriptions. Photo by fauxels, Pexels The post What I've Learned About Being a Product Manager from Harshibar appeared first on Calendar.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Technical Product Manager Interview Prep Course 2025 - Interview Kickstart's Adds GenAi For Tech Product Managers Program
Santa Clara, Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Santa Clara, California - Interview Kickstart, a leading platform for interview preparation and professional training for career development, is attracting a lot of attention with the Interview Kickstart Tech Product Manager course reviews. The Tech Product Manager course is designed to help candidates gain technical skills and assist them in passing FAANG+ interviews. The course is specifically designed for current product and program managers to transition to technical product managers. For more information, visit: "I cracked a job offer this month with a very good salary hike. I joined IKS in February 2023 in the Engineering Manager batch. I was impressed by the coverage (DSA, System Design, Behavioral interviews, Offer Negotiations, LinkedIn search, Mock interviews, Coaching sessions, and Resume review sessions). Trust me, everything was super useful. In my job search, I used to make many mistakes but things got corrected after going through IKS 6-month curriculum. I took all 15 mock interviews which I believe was the best part. I started weak but ended much stronger. Additionally, the support team was so fast that all my requests were taken care of swiftly. I have never seen such fast responses. Overall, it is the best investment of my life", says one of the Interview Kickstart Tech Product Manager course reviews online. The Technical Product Manager course focuses on crucial topics like system design, scalable systems, and domain-specific product management topics. The curriculum is industry-benchmarked and led by FAANG+ instructors. Interview Kickstart goes beyond just technical knowledge and skills and focuses on leadership skills, team management, and running cross-functional teams, which are all essential for a technical product manager. As Interview Kickstart had announced earlier, the Technical Product Manager course also involves live mock interviews with hiring managers from companies like Google, Amazon, Meta, and other tier-1 tech companies. This allows the learners to gain real perspective into hiring standards and help practice domain-specific scenarios with detailed feedback. With the Interview Kickstart Technical Program Manager Course, the learners take 15+ live classes where they are taught about system design, program planning, program execution, program monitoring & reporting, and other topics. A 3-week career coaching module is also offered in this Technical Product Manager course candidates attend 3 live classes on topics like interview preparation, resume building & LinkedIn masterclass, and salary negotiation masterclass. This module makes the students ready for the challenging TPM interviews and crack them. During the 6-month support period, the learners go through 15 mock interviews that test and polish their interview skills, 1:1 technical/career coaching, and more. Interview Kickstart Technical Product Manager course reviews are a testament to the fact that graduates often report successful placements in high-paying roles in top-tier companies, leveraging Interview Kickstart's Technical Product Manager course and the invaluable insights provided by FAANG+ instructors. For more information, visit: About Interview Kickstart Interview Kickstart (IK), established in 2014, is a leading platform for interview preparation, specifically catering to tech professionals looking to break through major companies like FAANG and tier-1 companies. Interview Kickstart has a stellar record of successfully training over 20,000 alumni who have become successful in their careers and earned an average salary hike of 66.5% with placement in FAANG companies. Interview Kickstart offers more than 20 specialized courses that are designed specifically for job roles like software engineering, machine learning, engineering management, and more. These courses are offered by Interview Kickstart through a pool of more than 500+ instructors, mostly from FAANG companies, including hiring managers and technical leads from Google, Amazon, Meta, etc. Interview Kickstart is the most comprehensive learning platform offering a complete learning experience, from live instructor-led classes to over 100,000 hours of video resources and an enormous repository of practice problems. They also provide personalized 1:1 mentorship with FAANG interviewers, live mock interviews, and career coaching for resume optimization, LinkedIn branding, and salary negotiation. Interview Kickstart also provides 6 to 10 months of further support for any classes that one may have missed and access to self-paced content, mock interviews, and career coaching. It has ensured that graduates receive offers with a compensation package of more than $300,000 per annum, which makes IK a very transformational investment for tech professionals. ### For more information about Interview Kickstart, contact the company here:Interview KickstartBurhanuddin Pithawala+1 (209) 899-1463aiml@ Patrick Henry Dr Bldg 25, Santa Clara, CA 95054, United States CONTACT: Burhanuddin PithawalaSign in to access your portfolio
