1. Attracting and Recruiting Product Managers

In this lesson, part of our Product Leadership course, we'll discuss how to attract and develop product professionals. We'll cover four key areas: attraction and onboarding, retention and engagement, developing product talent, and evaluation and the non-negotiables between leaders and team members.

Let's begin with attracting and onboarding product professionals. In today’s competitive market, attracting talented individuals is challenging—whether they are senior-level professionals or juniors with high potential. Regardless of level, we aim to bring in the best possible candidates for each role.

Components of a Good Job Posting

When writing a job description, there are some essential components to make the role attractive, especially for people looking to work at mature and reputable companies. Here’s what you should include:

Company Introduction: Start by explaining what your company does and what the product is about, especially if the product or company isn't well-known. Provide context about the industry, particularly if it’s a niche one.
Role and Activities: Describe what the day-to-day activities of a Product Manager look like in your company. Specify whether the role is focused on managing stakeholders, experiments, innovation, developing products from scratch, or interacting with users. Set clear expectations from the start.
Performance Expectations: This is a key element I like to include—how the person will be evaluated. Define what a good job looks like at your company. Including performance criteria helps set expectations right from the beginning.
What You Offer: Highlight two or three company differentiators—benefits or aspects that make the role special. Focus on what will truly attract top talent.

Be creative with the job post. If possible, create an engaging career page, or even record a short video. Avoid overly long descriptions—most people will skim through large blocks of text, missing important details. Additionally, work closely with HR to modify templates if necessary. HR might have a standard template for job descriptions, but you should adapt it to add more details about expectations and day-to-day activities.

Where to Recruit Product Managers

Writing a compelling job description is only part of the challenge. Finding and recruiting talented PMs is the more difficult part.

Networking

Your personal network is often the most effective recruitment tool. Have you stayed in touch with your network? Do you engage with product professionals through LinkedIn or at industry events? Creating content and participating actively on LinkedIn can help you establish an authentic presence. Share insights, join discussions, and stay genuine—people are naturally attracted to authenticity, and this can lead to attracting people who want to work with you.

Job Boards

Posting on job boards, especially those dedicated to product roles, is another way to recruit PMs. For example, the PM3 job board is a great place to find talent. However, don’t rely solely on job boards or the recruitment team. You need to take a proactive role in the process.

Recruiters often face low response rates, as the market is competitive and many talented people receive multiple offers. Engaging personally with prospective candidates can significantly increase the likelihood of them joining your team. Many talented individuals I’ve hired weren’t actively seeking a new job, but after a conversation about the company’s challenges, they were interested in learning more.

Recruitment Collaboration

Communicate openly with recruiters. Explain what stage the team is in, the challenges you are facing, and the specific skills and qualities you are looking for. If the recruiter understands your leadership style and the qualities that would complement your style, they are more likely to find a suitable candidate.

For example, you might tell the recruiter that you are not very organized personally and that you want to hire someone who is strong in that area to balance the team. Or you might need someone who is highly analytical to complement your strategic thinking. Avoid recruiting someone solely because they are similar to you—instead, focus on building a diverse team with complementary skills.

Hiring Mistakes and Lessons Learned

Let me share some real-life examples of hiring mistakes and lessons learned. These are anonymized, but I think they offer valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t.

Hiring for Execution Only

One mistake I made was hiring someone purely based on their ability to execute. I needed someone who could get things done, especially since the team was having trouble making decisions and needed a push toward execution. While this person was great at project management, I neglected to assess their product knowledge, which turned out to be inadequate for the role. In the end, they moved on because the role wasn’t a fit, and I realized that my emphasis on one strength had led to a gap in other necessary skills.

Hiring Senior Talent from a Different Field

Another mistake was hiring someone highly senior in a different field—imagine someone from sales, customer success, or marketing—who wanted to transition to product management. They struggled to adapt to being a beginner again, even though they had extensive experience in their previous field. As a leader, I didn’t do enough to gauge whether they were ready to start over with a fresh mindset and embrace the “beginner’s mind.” In hindsight, asking questions about recent learning experiences and assessing their openness to new challenges would have helped me make a better decision.

Hiring for Potential in a Less Mature Company

A successful hire was someone who came from a less mature company where product practices weren’t well established. This person showed great potential and was keen to grow and develop their skills in a more product-focused environment. Sometimes, talented people are overlooked or underutilized in their current roles, and if they’re eager to take on new challenges, they can be fantastic additions to your team.

Hiring Someone with Domain Knowledge

Another success story was hiring someone with deep domain knowledge in marketing for a product role in a marketing product. This person was already working in a product role but at a less mature company. Because of their expertise in the specific domain, they were able to contribute significantly, even as they learned more about product practices. However, I ensured they had the humility to embrace new learning and adapt, which turned out to be critical to their success.

Conclusion

Attracting and recruiting talented Product Managers requires more than just a good job posting. It involves personal engagement, clear communication with recruiters, and understanding the specific needs of your team and organization. Remember, a great hire is not just about skills—it's also about finding someone who complements the team’s strengths and aligns with the company's culture and goals.

Consider each candidate’s potential, but also assess whether they are ready for the specific challenges they will face in your team. Be proactive, genuine, and thorough throughout the hiring process to ensure the best fit for both the candidate and your organization.