TL;DR: I want to upgrade my career trajectory as a product person from the ho-hum conservative company to a faster pace organization with smart people. How can I demonstrate my ambition as a job seeker?
I have about 6 years of experience in product roles, 4 years as a product owner and 2 as a product manager. My roles have been in companies that use technology extensively but don’t identify as “tech companies.” For instance, my first three years as a PO were at a major financial firm working on banking integrations and my most recent 3 years have been at a publishing company working on SaaS products that deliver the publisher’s content.
At the same time, I've launched a side project and made a couple of real B2B sales, which has been very rewarding, too. I am a self-taught programmer. I want to keep growing this side business.
I consider myself a top contributor and leader and I want to move into a more challenging product management role at a tech company because I'm frustrated by colleagues and executives that aren't very ambitious or technically skilled.
But I don't know how to switch into a PM role at a more aspirational company. The job applications are all about "how to do product" in the VC/SV sense of the discipline, which we distinctly don't do at my current company.
How can I demonstrate to potential employers that I'm the "right caliber" of PM to make this jump and get my career onto a higher trajectory?
I live in the Raleigh, NC area and cannot relocate.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
1. You have an excellent track record in your career of Product
2. Your side projects sound very compelling. Certainly something employers will take notice of.
3. You are self-motivated. People love that.
4. You have a wide range of skills within Product which means you are a versatile product person.
So, knowing all of that the only things I can think of (and apologies if this comes off as harsh) is that you are limiting your scope within Raleigh, being complacent about searching for a job, or there is something else that is missing in this equation.
If you are only willing to work in Raleigh, then you are going to have limted opportunities due to geographical restriction. This is not to say that there aren't ambitious and awesome companies and positions in the area, just that there are areas outside of Raleigh that might have exactly what you are looking for.
Lastly, with your wonderful experience and awesome side projects, you have to ask yourself if you are presenting it to employers correctly. Is your CV showing off your skills? Do you have a portfolio that highlights the extent of your work? Are you networking enough and sharing your skills with other product people? If you are, then it is just a matter of being patient and persistent because it looks like you have the chops to be a great PM anywhere.