Facts about PM Recruitment

Timeline

It typically starts around August and could go all the way till the beginning of summer.

Types of programs

  1. APM or RPM
    1. Program: rotational programs at big tech; small class size (~10, see apmlist.com); great support and community (social events, cohort travel, mentorship)
    2. Companies: Google, Linkedin, Facebook, Uber, Lyft...
    3. Recruitment: you're interviewing for the program, not a specific team; application opens usually for a short period of window around the same time every year
  2. Other entry-level PM positions
    1. Program: non-rotational position for a specific team; class size depends on headcount
    2. Companies: Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe...
    3. Recruitment: you're applying to or matched to a specific team during the application process, so you will talk to the hiring manager (your future manager) directly; application opens sporadically as headcount opens up

Application process

These are all the potential steps I've seen, but of course, the specific process/order depends on the program:

  1. Submitting application: resume + essays (sometimes)
  2. Recruiter screen: a short phone screen with recruiter, mainly behavioral
  3. Take-home assignments: answer a given prompt (e.g. improve the product you're interviewing for) with a doc or slide deck
  4. Product interviews: interviews with product managers/hiring manager
  5. Partner interviews (rare): interviews with your future cross-functional partners (engineers/designers/UX researchers/etc.)

My Recruitment Timeline

I didn’t get my first offer until March. Pretty scary, I know. But that’s one thing I learned from tech recruiting: good things take time, so don’t give up!

Fall 2020