Top 20 Tips for Finding Product Jobs in Houston

Top 20 Tips for Finding Product Jobs in Houston

As is covered over at runrex.com, product managers generally lead and work across teams to get their product designed, built, and launched. They are responsible for getting data, analytics, and expertise together as well as making the final call on product decisions. If you are looking for a product manager job in Houston, here are 20 tips to help you find one.

Be well-versed in the essentials

If you are to appeal to hiring managers and employers in Houston and land a product manager job, then the gurus over at guttulus.com recommend that you learn how to speak the language of a product manager. It is important to understand the concepts of what it takes to be a product manager if you are to convince employers you are the best candidate for the job.

Learn how to write code

If you want to make yourself extra-marketable, then you should consider brushing up on your tech skills. As explained over at runrex.com, product managers who know how to write code are called ‘technical product managers’ and are a rare breed, which is why they are in extremely high demand as they are better able to lead the developers who will build their products.

Demonstrate UX experience

According to guttulus.com, a product manager won’t succeed if they don’t keep the end-user in mind throughout the design and creation process. This is where a user experience background comes in handy, which is something that will make you super attractive to employers in Houston.

Hone your analytical thinking skills

Product managers are problem-solvers with vision. During any project, inevitably, there will a problem, which is why you will need the analytical skills to work around them or change directions. Honing these skills will help you find product manager jobs in Houston.

Consider how you would improve a product in your current company

If you have noticed a weakness in your current company’s product – or have an idea for a new feature in mind – then you should flesh it out and think through how you would implement the feature and why. Craft a problem statement and a mini business case around why the problem is worth fixing and the upside to the organization if it is fixed. This will prove your worth to the company and help you land a job.

Learn how to lead

As explained over at runrex.com, lots of teams work together to make a product, and the product manager needs to help facilitate that collaboration. If you can show leadership skills, using examples, then you will be very attractive to employers.

Hone your prioritizing skills

A day in the life of a product manager often involves being bombarded from all sides with requests from clients, questions from employees, instructions from the boss, and hundred tasks to juggle and decisions to make. Prioritizing and delegating are key, and they are skills to hone if you want to find a product management job in Houston according to guttulus.com.

Practice your listening skills

From discussions over at runrex.com, this is a skill you can work on no matter what your current role is. Practice listening skills with coworkers, clients, and even off the job with your friends and family if you want to land a product management job.

Consider if you want a creative or technical role

When you are looking at job listings, you will find that there is a wide range of product jobs out there. Some companies are seeking candidates with creative skills while others are looking for someone with more technical skills to help maintain an existing product. Consider which of these two fits you best before applying.

Focus on products you are passionate about

You can narrow your job search down significantly if you focus on products you are passionate about. Given that, as a product manager, you are responsible for setting the product’s vision and direction, it is almost impossible to do that for a product you don’t care about. It will also be evident during the interview, which will damage your chances of getting hired.

Get plugged in to the online community

If you are new to the world of product management, then you will be happy to know that there is an online product management community that is both active and incredibly welcoming to newcomers according to guttulus.com. Get yourself involved and set up with online platforms such as Quora and Medium and you will find jobs in Houston.

Don’t forget about social media

Continuing from the previous point, you should also get plugged into the conversations on social media when it comes to product management in Houston. As explained over at runrex.com, follow the right hashtags on Twitter and other platforms and even comment on other people’s work to get started.

Attend meetups

While being online is great and extremely useful, nothing beats good old-fashioned going out and meeting people in real life. Product managers attend meetups not just to keep up with the industry, but also to potentially recruit new hires. Therefore, if you are serious about looking for a new job, then it is not a bad idea to attend meetups and then mention it while you are mingling with new folks you meet at these events. You can find information on meetups in Houston over at guttulus.com.

Check out Meetup.com

On a related note from the previous point, if you want to supercharge your search for product management meetups near you, you can always head over to Meetup.com to find local product management events in Houston.

Sign up for job boards

There are lots of useful places where you can find companies hiring product managers. They include job boards like Mind the Product Jobs, PMHQ Jobs, Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn Jobs, among many others.

Know the books to read

Product management is a fast-changing field of expertise, and you will be learning as you go along. As covered over at runrex.com, there is a lot of available reading material online, such as:

Product Leadership by Martin Erikson, Richard Banfield, and Nate Walkingshaw

The Lean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen

The Art of Product Management by Rich Mironov

Among many others.

Optimize your resume

Your resume is the first thing that plays a critical role in getting the call for the interview. This is why you should optimize it by making sure that it is short and precise, and that it is tailored to the job application. You can find more tips on how to improve your resume over at guttulus.com.

Leverage LinkedIn

As covered over at runrex.com, you should also make sure that you make connections on LinkedIn as much as you can. Approach Houston recruiters or try to get a referral from employers working in these companies as chances are higher for an interview call if you get some referral.

Attend product launches

Lots of product launches are held in Houston every week, and you should do your research, find out about those that interest you, and make sure you are in attendance. Not only will this be an excellent opportunity to learn from some of the best professionals around, but it will also provide you with an opportunity to network and land a job.

Clean up your social media

Finally, you might think you have all your ducks in a row when it comes to looking for a product management job in Houston, from your resume to killer networking skills, only for your social media posts to let you down. Make sure you clean your social media profiles and remove any problematic posts to ensure that you come across as professional when hiring managers check you out.

Hopefully, these tips will help you land a product management job in Houston, with more tips and then some to be found over at runrex.com and guttulus.com.