Spending a tremendous amount of time sending your resume but not getting any response is defeating. These tips have helped me and my mentees get to the front of the line and land a meeting with the hiring manager. The approach will vary depending on whether you have a way…

What makes negotiation with co-workers different from a one-offs transactional relationship is that previous experience with the other party is tightly intertwined and must be managed carefully before the negotiation begins. Throughout the negotiation, how “enjoyable” the whole process will also impact future working relationships. …

Misinterpretation of requirements, loss of institutional knowledge, and more — Having been on both the client and service provider side, I know what each party wants to get out of the relationship — and it can be at odds with each other. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. …

Being the first PM hire is exciting. You were promised that you can “build your own team”. You took the job cause you get a more senior title. You get to work alongside the founders to co-create the vision. But be prepared for the surprises — especially if your last…

Knowing how to manage founders’ expectations is crucial to the success of your team and your work. The founders may or may not know what a product manager is supposed to do. They may decide to hire their PM because their investor or engineers told them to. Or they want…

Product Managers are often told to let engineers determine the how. The “what and why “ should be the focus of product managers. The lines are becoming increasingly blurry. Start-ups require their first engineering hires to possess product thinking to make sound technical decisions. …

Learn how to speak up when it’s the last thing you feel like doing — I second guess myself before hitting that hand-raising button ✋. I initially thought it was the fear of public speaking. As I dug deeper and self-reflected, I uncovered the real reasons behind my self-doubt. If you are finding your confidence to speak, I hope you will consider one of these…

Uncover the transferable skills and unexpected challenges during the transition from Science to Tech I wrote about how I got my first job outside of the lab and subsequently broke into tech. In this article, I want to share how the skills I developed in academia helped me advance my…

Know what and how to say intelligently in meetings is a skill product leaders need to master. Stakeholders turn to us to understand why certain decisions are made. Our teams turn to us for advice on how to solve problems. To practise giving more thoughtful and constructive answers, I would…