What does a product manager do 2

What does a product manager do 2

First of all, what is a product manager?

A product manager is someone who bridges the gap between business and technology. They quite literally manage the product(s) that a company wants to produce and that a development team needs to build.

How that manifests in day-to-day, however, is much less clear-cut. My experience being Product Manager at Scouted, for example, hasn’t been by the book by any definition. From the way that I got into the position to my day-to-day responsibilities, my job as a product manager (PM) has always been interesting. But that’s what’s been great about it! Just like most jobs, there’s no ‘one way’ to be a PM. I’ll walk you through how I got here, how I learned to do the job well, and what you can expect in the role – you never know, Product Manager might just be the job you’re searching for!

How I got into Product Management

I started at Scouted as my first job out of undergrad, working as a Talent Associate to help candidates through their job search. I helped candidates optimize their profiles, worked with our Account Management team to coordinate interviews and help manage pipelines, and provided leverage to our Head of Customer Experience. My role at Scouted was always evolving as I took on more responsibilities and honed more of my analytical skills. I started using more of our insights and analytics tools to pull reports and optimize our processes, and eventually started taking on more responsibilities that required more tech and less human interaction/user support.

My slow transition into the more analytical side of things had a catalyst in March of 2018 when we had a major tech overhaul and a need for product management within our team. It was the combination of my work as a Talent Associate and my background in computer science that put me first in line out of those on my team to become a Product Manager. I had already gained an intimate knowledge of our platform and product working as a Talent Associate, from both the user perspective as well as from a backend, technical admin perspective. That experience combined with my 3 years studying computer science in undergrad put me in a position to help manage the gap between business and development, and become a technical product manager at Scouted.

How I learned to be a Product Manager

Our current CTO, who has over 20 years of experience in building tech companies, first walked me through the guidelines of my new responsibilities. We decided I’d jump right in and work 50/50 as Talent Associate & Product Manager to see how it went. Even though I knew our product basically inside and out and had experience coding and learning computer systems, this in no way made me fully equipped to start managing the product on my own. Once I got into the position, it was up to me to teach myself as much as I could, and quickly. The first and most substantial way I did this was by reading.

I read a lot of blogs when I got started. I mean a lot. Because we were in this transition period with our tech, I had to simultaneously fill in my knowledge gaps, ramp up to my new daily responsibilities, and help pick up and organize the pieces of our current tech. Blogs were my quick way to familiarize myself with the basics of product management, and I read (and still continue to read) books by established sources to work through the role and how I should structure it – one of my go-to’s is The Lean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen.

Check out some of my favorite blog sources below:

This role was not built in a day, though. Just like we iterate on our product, I iterated on my approach to this role from everything I learned in my reading. I worked with our CTO and development team to find out what worked best for all of us (and what definitely did not work), and after a few months of trial and error, created a process that was cohesive with our entire company’s existing workflows.

Additionally, our CTO put me in touch with other Product Managers to be mentored and to share experiences as we all iterate through the role. Through talking with other PMs, I got to learn that pretty much everyone has gotten into that position in different ways and comes from different backgrounds. Learning about how they manage the position has helped immensely both to overcome the learning curve and to know that other people are experiencing the same things you are and have the same questions and challenges.

Day in the life

A day in my life as a PM varies, especially since I work on another team at Scouted to keep helping out with candidates’ job searches (#startuplife), but there are definitely some common themes with any PM role.

User Input

Here at Scouted, we talk to our candidates every day – whether that’s through interview prep, resume feedback, or in my case as a product manager, hearing the problems and questions people have when using our product. We use email and ZenDesk to manage our candidate communication, with ZenDesk being my main way to hear from our users. By running our support channel, I know immediately when users need help using our product. This, along with many other monitoring tools that help us collect feedback and user behavior trends, allows me to keep a finger on the pulse of our site. We’re a small team here, but as you become a more experienced PM or if you work at a larger company, you’ll go from speaking directly with users daily and seeing their input first hand, to hearing more synthesized accounts of user feedback, and even conducting or observing user interviews to get their input in real time.

Prioritizing

If I had to pick one word to define product management, it would be Prioritization. Everyone is coming to you with things – broken things, things we need to build, things we’d like to build, dreams for the future, etc. You need to be able to decide which one should be tackled first, if at all. Fear not, as you hopefully have some groundwork to help you with these decisions. This help comes in the form of your Company Vision and a Product Roadmap – the long-term strategic plan for your company’s product. Not everyone has a fully established product roadmap, but it’s pretty safe to say that every company has a vision – aka what your company is trying to accomplish. Its end goal. The product(s) your company has and the ones you plan to build should all do their part to help accomplish that company vision as a baseline requirement.

Once you make sure every feature or idea achieves that baseline goal, I like to prioritize based on other important aspects like how many of our users it will reach, if it will help generate revenue or acquire more users, if it makes things more efficient, or if it helps build our brand. I also manage tech emergencies as they come up, and dig into things that might look like emergencies in order to get to the root of the deeper problem before they get to the development team. You have a certain amount of resources, so you not only want to make sure time is being spent on the right things first, but also that the development team can work largely uninterrupted in order to finish those prioritized items.

Once you have determined something really is a priority, then you get to write what’s called a ‘user story.’

Writing User Stories

Once you have an idea of what the users want and need, and how that aligns with the company vision, you’re ready to write a story. A story is a way of clearly defining what your development team should build when they’re ready to build it. It lays out the end goal of a feature or update from the perspective of a user. This helps guide you and the development team and allows you to look at the finished product and ask ‘Did it accomplish the original goal?’

The collection of stories is known as a backlog, and it’s your job as PM to manage that backlog and make sure everything in it is well written with all the necessary details. You might inherit a lot of stories, as was my case, but even if you’re starting from ground zero, you’ll eventually have many many stories, which you’ll constantly redefine, reevaluate, and reprioritize as company goals shift, resources grow or shrink, or emergencies come up. What all of these stories will have in common is that they’re explicit and to the point, and are fully detailed so you could, in theory, hand them over to the development team and they can start building.

In theory.

In actuality, you’ll want to meet with your developers, which brings me to my next daily task.

Meetings. Lots of meetings.

You meet with internal company stakeholders, you “meet” with users, and you meet with your development team to make sure everything is in sync and good to go. How much I meet with people depends on the day and what I’m trying to accomplish. If I need a better understanding of a feature request from a team member, I’ll make sure to meet with those who requested it.

Since my work affects a lot of people, I start with the people who are in the trenches with that product feature in order to get a foundation, then work up to meeting with teams as a whole, including the decision makers who will need to sign off on the final approach we come up with. No matter the type of day, I’ll have at least one 15-30 minute meeting with our development team to go over the progress for the day, any questions they have for me, and what they’ll be working on next. This is called a standup. They’re great for keeping everyone on the same page and keeping us moving toward our final goal of some releasable feature, bug fix, or update to the site. I’ll also sync on the priorities for the week with our founders and CTO to make sure we’re all on the same page and that I didn’t miss anything or mis-evaluate tradeoffs of long term goals.

Testing

But how do you know these approved and fully-produced things work? Testing! The last major part of my day is product testing. Once our development team finishes a sprint, and they’ve tested it internally for quality assurance (QA testing), it then gets sent over to me where I run through the typical flows of the user who will be interacting with the new feature/fix/update. This responsibility, again, comes with being a PM with a younger product but is so valuable for making sure we’re releasing things that we’re proud of. I make sure to cover all our bases in testing as a normal user, and many times recruit the stakeholders I originally met with when building the feature in order to make sure it works as we expected. Some things do slip by, in which case we’ll keep doing smaller ‘smoke tests’ when it’s live with our users to make sure everything is working like it should. This is also the benefit of having an ear in our support channel, as I’ll hear pretty quickly from users if something isn’t working as it should.

So what skills does all this take?

As I mentioned earlier, my experience as a PM has been at a small startup with a young product, so a lot of the skills I find helpful in the role come along with our company being at this stage. So while a PM at a more established company who manages just one product out of many might not need to juggle as many balls, for example, in general, you can expect to need the following skills and traits to thrive in a PM role.

Adaptability

You’re never ‘finished’ building a product. You iterate, the product backlog grows, things break, users request features, your company product goals shift, etc. You need to be ok with constant change and shifting priorities. There are two sides to this coin – you do get the satisfaction of releasing an item you’ve seen from start to finish, but the product itself is never done and dusted so to speak. Keeping a level head amongst an influx of issues from all sides of the company is essential so you can stay sane and make sure things still get done.

Listening

Your end goal is to help build and maintain products that serve your company’s purpose, which in turn is solving some need of your user. In order to effectively do this, you need to listen to the users, your internal stakeholders, your bosses, etc. You receive lots of feedback as a PM, so when users or stakeholders discuss certain aspects of your product, the ability to listen carefully and dig into what people are really getting at will help you filter through the noise and ground your priorities in your overall goals.

Clear communication

Part of keeping a level head amongst the influx of things coming at you involves a lot of communication – you and the engineering team can’t do everything that the users and stakeholders need, so be upfront about that, set expectations, and keep everyone on the same page and in sync. Great communication skills also come in handy for writing those user stories so that there’s no misinterpreting what a feature should look like or do.

Technical skills

There are technical product managers, which is the camp I fall into, as well as non-technical. You don’t have to have coding experience but I can say that it’s helped me a lot to have a general understanding of how certain technical things work with our site, especially as we were also transitioning development teams in the process.

Conclusion

No matter how you get there, product management is a great way to effect long-lasting change in a business. Your responsibilities may vary by company, industry, experience level, etc. but ultimately, you are constantly working to improve the experience for your users and drive home the purpose of the product and business. Finding a product and mission that you’re passionate about is key because there are few things more satisfying than releasing a feature that has a direct and tangible impact on your company and its users.

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How to quantify your work experience and why you should

We’ve talked before about how to leverage your soft skills like communication and analytical thinking in your resume and cover letter in order to land the job. But it’s not just showcasing your soft skills that’s important–putting emphasis on the numbers matters, too.

At Scouted, we always recommend including statistics or any quantifiable benchmarks in your resume. This gives future employers a clear picture of what you accomplished at your old company and what you could do for the next. Quantifying your work experience is also a great complement to behavioral interviewing, which requires you to tell a story that illustrates how you solved a problem or dealt with a given situation. Including the numbers in the bullet points of your resume is likely to increase your credibility, since it’s verifiable “proof” of your hard work and success.

The good news is that you don’t need to be a finance professional or in a management role in order to quantify your work experience. Start by asking yourself these questions for each job (and each bullet point!) that’s listed on your resume:

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How much did you do?

Answering this question gives the hiring manager reading your resume or conducting the interview an idea of how much responsibility you were able to take on. Suppose you are an entry-level PR professional. In a first draft of your resume, the bullet points you include might be something along the lines of:

Managed public relations communications including press releases and media kits

But what if you rewrote that bullet point to include metrics that point to the full scope of your work? It could look like this instead:

Managed public relations communications, including 100+ press releases and 10 media kits, for 10 clients in the financial services industry

Now, that’s a lot more specific!

If you don’t always know the exact number or if that number varies, it’s also okay to give a range. When talking about your experience in management or leadership positions, for instance, you might say that you “supervised a team of 12 to 15 junior-level employees” and provide additional details about how you were involved in their onboarding, continued development, and day-to-day tasks.

How often did you do it?

This question describes the frequency of your actions. If compiling financial reports is an important component of your job, talk about how often you completed those reports and what the process entailed. For example, this resume bullet point might look like:

Compiled weekly expense reports for the company’s New York office, liaising with seven account executives and two senior managers.

Talking about frequency also works well when you complete a lot of work in not a lot of time. For example, an op-ed editor might describe one of her job responsibilities as:

Reviewed 25 article submissions per day and narrowed down to the top two for publication in the next day’s newspaper.

Using metrics to show sustained effort further emphasizes your skill in completing specific tasks relevant to your current job (and your next job!).

What were the tangible results, and over what time period?

This question underscores your impact on the company’s bottom line. How did you improve efficiency in your organization, or reduce costs, or grow the business? A marketing manager might write a resume bullet point that looks like this:

Grew the number of organic Facebook leads by 40% year-over-year, resulting in a 15% increase in revenue from paid social media marketing.

Similarly, someone who works in fundraising might write:

Launched a six-month capital campaign resulting in $8.2 million in donations, a 30% increase from the previous year’s campaign.

Demonstrating a clear financial impact on a business indicates your value as an employee, and also better positions you while negotiating your salary or asking for a raise.

How to Get Started

If reporting is a regular part of your job, such as in marketing, sales, or finance, it may also be easier to quantify your work experience as it relates to a specific company. Regardless, keep a document of personal metrics just for yourself in order to recall the things you’ve accomplished in the past that you can bring up later in resumes and interviews.

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5 favorite interview tips career coaches

With the New Year right around the corner, now is the perfect time to get a head start on your 2020 job search. If you’ve already polished your resume and started sending out applications, chances are you have started hearing back from some companies to schedule an initial phone screen or an interview. But if you haven’t been to a job interview in a while or if this is for a position you really want, it’s normal to look for guidance on how to maximize your chance of performing well.

Since not everyone has access to a college career center or a personal career coach, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best advice for how to handle job interviews, courtesy of leading experts in the industry. Here are some of our favorite pieces of advice from Career coaches, from the first handshake to the thank you note.

1 | Tell a story!

“The single most effective thing you can do in an interview is to make your experience come alive through stories or examples. … Telling a good story is the most powerful way to stand out from the competition, since our brains are wired to remember the imagery, the drama, and the emotion that’s conveyed in a good story.”

– Robert Hellmann, president of Hellmann Career Consulting. Source: Forbes

Scouted’s take:

We always tell our candidates to tell their story – starting with their resume. Have friends and family read over your resume and ask them if your career progression makes sense, if questions about career gaps arise, and also if it’s generally clear and easy to read. Next, practice telling your career story before your interviews to make sure you’re able to communicate it in a clear and concise manner, especially if you’re looking to make a career change.

2 | Do your research and come with questions

“Most interviews will end with a chance for you to ask a few questions. Failure to ask anything may be interpreted as disinterest or a lack of preparation, so it is important to have a few questions ready. Some of your prepared questions may have already been answered during the interview, so always prepare more questions than you actually plan on asking.”

– Kristen Gilbert, Career Coach with Evolution Coaching

Scouted’s take:

Kristen said it best! One of the best ways to show your excitement about a position is to come with insightful questions about it or about the company as a whole. It shows you’ve done your research, that you’re smart, and that you care about the role you’ll play there.

3 | Never badmouth a previous employer.

“No matter how you left things with your recent job, avoid badmouthing your former employer or letting your anger enter the interview room. You shouldn’t lie about the situation, but you also don’t have to provide any details, either. Acknowledge the past, but don’t dwell on it. Instead, focus on explaining what you learned from your most recent job: about yourself, your skills, the type of role and work environment in which you thrive, etc. and how this experience has led you to this job. Your goal is to ultimately guide the conversation back to why you’re excited about this job opportunity, at this company, and why you are a good match for the role.”

– Amanda Augustine, Resident Career Expert for Talent Inc. Source: Fast Company

Scouted’s take:

We agree 100%. Yes, there are not-so-great managers out there and everyone has a bad experience in their lifetime. The thing is, it’s hard for hiring managers to understand both sides of the story and if you badmouth your previous employer, they could picture you doing the same thing to them in the near future. Instead, play it safe and talk about what you learned at your previous company and what you’re looking for in your next role.

4 | Show your excitement

Ask great questions. People who care about a subject want to know as much as possible about it. Asking why the company adopted a new advertising plan or soliciting the interviewer for their thoughts on why the firm recently was named to a list of great places to work demonstrates admirable curiosity. Such detailed questions also show you’ve done your homework—another sign of a passionate candidate.

Go the extra mile. For people who are passionate about what they do, going above and beyond often comes naturally. Hiring managers can’t help but notice genuine actions, so don’t be afraid to be yourself.

Reiterate interest afterward. Lastly, solidify your passion as the real deal with an impressive follow-up. A heartfelt thank-you note displays gratitude as well as provides further opportunity to share something about yourself or your excitement about the position.

– Beth Braccio Hering, Career Advice Writer. Source: Flexjobs

Scouted’s take:

We’re about it. We’ve seen great candidates get turned down for jobs simply because they couldn’t iterate their passion for the company or specific role. Before you go into your interview, know why you want this specific role at this specific company and communicate that clearly to your hiring managers.

5 | Remember to follow up with a thank you note.

“Right after the interview (no more than 12-24 hours) is when you should send a thank you note to your interviewer. However, there are three common mistakes to avoid: 1. Do not group all interviewers on one thank you note. Send each individual a separate note. 2. It’s OK if your thank you note is sent via email, but do not forget to secure the email address of every interviewer before you leave, hang up the phone, or disconnect the video call. 3. Do not make your thank you note boring and predictable. Take notes during each interview, and capture unique things each interviewer said or asked you about. Then incorporate those into your thank you notes. Refer back to something you discussed or learned from them.”

– Dana Manciagli, President of Job Search Master Class®. Source: Forbes

Scouted’s take:

Long story short: out of all the applicant’s applying to the role you want, you don’t want to be the one who forgot the thank you note. It’s a small gesture, but it makes a difference.

In short, be sure you enter every interview prepared, passionate, and grateful. What’s the best piece of resume advice you’ve received? Let us know in the comments below!

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Answer whats desired salary

There’s always a point in the job process when you are asked the dreaded question: what are your salary expectations? This might be a line to fill out in the initial application, a standard part of the phone interview with HR, or a conversation with the hiring manager after the pool has been narrowed down to a few candidates. Regardless of when the question arises, you need to be prepared to give an appropriate answer that won’t undervalue your worth or jeopardize your chances of advancing in the interview process. Before you hit “submit” on that job posting, keep these tips in mind for answering the “desired salary” question whenever it comes up.

Deflect the question as long as possible.

Ideally, the salary discussion should be a signal that an offer is on the way. But not all companies have that perspective. Sometimes hiring managers will ask early on in the interview process for your salary expectations, perhaps even before you’ve met anyone in person. The last thing you want to do is be caught off guard and blurt out a random number, especially when you don’t really know yet what the position entails.

In reality, the best time to discuss salary expectations is at the end of the process, after you’ve had an opportunity to learn about the position and demonstrate how your experience is a good fit. If asked for your desired salary toward the beginning of the recruitment cycle, you can reiterate your interest in learning more about the job before giving a concrete answer. Similarly, if your desired salary is asked on the initial job application, you can write “negotiable” or “commensurate with job expectations.”

Not to mention, is extremely important to reiterate how excited you are for the chance to work at the company and the position itself. As a candidate, it’s important to never let it look as though you’re only after the money the job provides. Companies want candidates that are invested and passionate about the work, so remind hiring managers that you are!

Don’t give away your salary history

Sometimes rather than ask for salary expectations, a hiring manager will ask you what your current salary is. Often, the tactic behind this is so that the hiring manager can offer you a slightly higher salary than what you’re currently making, but the offer might still be below market rate or what the company is really able to pay. Not to mention that is some states, asking about past salary is illegal.

On the flip side, many people switch careers or industries over time, and sometimes this involves taking a pay cut. If you are moving from a more lucrative industry (like engineering or financial services) to a typically lower-paying industry (like nonprofits), you might be comfortable taking a lower salary–but the bigger numbers in your salary history could scare a hiring manager away.

To avoid these issues altogether, focus all discussions instead on the salary data you’ve collected (more on this in a minute), how your qualifications meet the job description, and what you expect your salary to be for the new position.

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Be prepared with research

It’s not just enough to want a specific salary. You need to see how your work experience and the job itself fit into larger market trends. Online resources like Glassdoor and Salary.com provide insight into salaries for specific positions, companies, industries, and locations. You can also use one of the salary calculators offered by PayScale or LinkedIn to get a more personalized look at your worth in the job market. These will also take into account your educational experience, location, and other factors that would statistically affect your potential salary.

One additional factor you should consider is if you will be an exempt employee (which means you are not eligible for overtime) or nonexempt employee (which means you are eligible for overtime). During the interview process, learn what your expected hours will be and if working nights and weekends will happen a lot. Armed with this additional information from the company itself, you will be better equipped as you conduct salary research to determine a fair wage.

Give a range rather than a single number

So you’ve done the research, deflected the question until it’s almost offer time, and now you are ready to share your desired salary. Rather than lock yourself into a specific number ($50,000), it’s better to offer a range ($50,000 – $60,000). When determining your range, the higher number can be aspirational; it’s possible that the company can offer you the upper range, but if not, the lower range looks much more “affordable” by comparison. Of course, make sure the lower number in your range is still high enough that you would be comfortable taking the offer.

Remember to negotiate

If you receive an offer that’s lower than you expect, it never hurts to ask for a higher salary or what additional compensation opportunities (bonuses, merit raises, commissions, etc.) are available. In addition, you might consider negotiating other benefits such as vacation time, tuition assistance, and remote working options. Remember, you can say no to an offer that does not match your desired salary, based on your industry research, work experience, and job responsibilities. The job that deserves you is out there somewhere, and it’s okay to keep looking.

Looking for more job advice? Subscribe to the Scouted newsletter and check out the other articles on the revamped blog!

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10 startups were excited about this month

Also read: how to get a job at a startup

Startup jobs are becoming more and more popular, not just among Scouted candidates, but job-seekers everywhere. The idea of getting your hands dirty, wearing multiple hats while simultaneously learning valuable skills, and making a difference from day one appeals to a lot of people.

While startup life can be demanding (ie. the wearing multiple hats thing and the potential, nay, guarantee for some late nights), they come with a lot of upsides as well. They often allow employees to own stock in the company, provide (at least the occasional) free lunch, offer more or unlimited vacation time, flexible work hours, and usually have a more collaborative environment.

Do you have the startup spark in your eye?

This week at Scouted, we wanted to highlight several startups we’re – really – excited about this month. Some of them you’ll find are hiring on Scouted. Some, we just had to mention anyway.

Catchafire

Catchafire is a social enterprise on a mission to realize the future of social impact work. The company’s goal is to catalyze greater impact in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors by connecting nonprofits with talented people who want to do pro bono work (read: they’re like a Scouted for non-profits). The team is comprised of diverse thinkers and people on the constant pursuit of professional and personal growth. This is the perfect opportunity for smart, ego-free do-gooders who want to change the status quo while working with an incredibly talented and impressive team of people.

Check out open roles on Catchafire here.

Boxed

What if you could get things at a wholesale price instead of the retail price while shopping? With fast and free shipping and no membership fees, Boxed does that for you. The only condition is that you will be only shipped a box. Their team tests and selects a range of the most popular products so buyers can be confident in your purchase. Shop tried-and-true household favorites as well as new, hand-picked brands.

Boxed has received $243 million in funding. Currently, it is working as an authentic wholesaling store that sets it apart from the rest. Simplified shopping is something we all can look forward to, thanks to this startup. (Source: Cloudways.com)

Garner Health

Garner Health wants to help employers give their employees access to the best quality healthcare providers. By conducting analytics on individual doctors, changing the financial incentives baked into normal health insurance plans, and offering consumer-friendly tools, Garner guarantees employers a 10% savings on healthcare costs while improving quality outcomes for employees.

But here’s what makes Garner awesome: The company is led by Nick Reber who was on the leadership team at Oscar Health and saw the company through early-stage growth and success. And with Reber at the helm, Garner has secured venture funding and is ready to build out its pre-launch team in the areas of data science, product, and engineering. Not to mention the competitive salary, early-stage experience, and a high-energy team.

Check out open roles at Garner Health on Scouted!

Duolingo

Language-learning app Duolingo has opened up new opportunities for smartphone users. Being bilingual looks great on a resume, can open life up to new cultural opportunities, and research has shown it can even delay symptoms of dementia. Now with a new round of funding from Google parent Alphabet, the fast-growing language-learning platform is looking to expand its technology, marketing and staff.

Duolingo, which offers the most-downloaded education app in the world, just raised $30 million in a Series F funding from Alphabet’s CapitalG late-stage growth venture fund, becoming the first Pittsburgh-based tech start-up valued at more than $1 billion by venture capital investors. Duolingo’s new valuation is $1.5 billion. It has raised a total of $138 million, including from existing investors such as Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, Union Square Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Drive Capital, Ashton Kutcher, and Tim Ferriss. (Source: CNBC.com)

OpenInvest

Openinvest is a mission-oriented fin-tech startup that has built technology to support socially responsible investments. It was started by ex-Bridgewater employees (who we know well – they are super smart and really good guys), and they just closed their Series-A funding last year (from top VCs including Andreessen Horowitz, System IQ, QED, etc). They are in an exciting growth stage and gearing up for the next round! They have a transparent and supportive culture, and they are dedicated to using technology to bring honesty and transparency to financial services while making socially responsible investing accessible to everyone.

They are looking for a super-smart, highly analytical and creative thinker to join their team as Financial Product Manager. One of their financial products is essentially an index fund with an ESG overlay, and you’d be responsible for the conceptual thinking and idea generation to power/optimize their algorithm, and then work with their tech team to implement your thinking. You’d be in the thick of it, directly influencing their IP. Experience in a highly analytical role at an asset management fund/investment management fund is required, but experience in (software) product management is not (but an interest in PM is definitely a plus). This is a great opportunity to join a mission-oriented startup well-positioned for success and to get in on the ground floor before they take off!

Check out OpenInvest roles on Scouted here!

Hinge

Hinge is the dating app that’s great at one thing: setting you up on great dates. That’s why they learn your type based on the people you like, show off your personality with icebreaker prompts, and let you know who likes you so you can easily start a conversation. So if you’re looking for a BFF, a job, a pen pal, or a hookup, Hinge isn’t the place for you. Hinge is the dating app made for dating, and they’re good at what they do. On Hinge, 3 out of 4 first dates lead to second dates, and they’re the #1 dating app mentioned in The New York Times wedding section. (Source: AngelList)

Alma Health

Alma simplifies access to high quality, results-oriented therapists and coaches. Their mission is to make meaningful therapy and coaching experiences easily available in uplifting and supportive environments that celebrate self-growth. To do that, they bring together communities of independent providers and support them through shared access to beautifully-designed office space, best-in-class technology, and community events and training focused on delivering high-impact care for clients.

Alma is pioneering a new practice model for therapists to elevate the therapy experience and simplify access to care. They are creating a space for mental healthcare professionals to build co-practicing communities powered by technology and shared services. End goal? Making mental healthcare simpler for those who need it. This past June, Alma Health closed their Series A round of funding, backed by First Round, Box Group, and Primary Ventures just to make a few of their top investors.

Check out open roles for Alma Health here!

ClassPass

A fitness membership that lets you enjoy diverse and exciting ways to work out. Founded in 2013, ClassPass is the leading membership to the world’s largest fitness network. With over 8,000 partners in 39 cities worldwide, ClassPass provides members a variety of fitness experiences to choose from, including yoga, cycling, Pilates, barre, running, strength training, dance, sports, videos and more. Recognized as one of Forbes’s Next Billion Dollar Startups, ClassPass leverages proprietary technology to dynamically merchandise and surface over a million fitness classes for a seamless booking experience that facilitates discovery. (Source: AngelList)

Blend

Blend makes the process of getting a loan simpler, faster, and safer. With its digital lending platform, Blend helps financial institutions including Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank increase productivity and deliver exceptional customer experiences. The company regularly processes nearly $2 billion in mortgages and consumer loans daily, helping millions of consumers get into homes and gain access to the capital they need to lead better lives.

At Blend, they’re building a digital platform for lenders and borrowers that makes the experience more modern, transparent, and accessible to traditionally underserved customers. Their platform vastly simplifies the loan application process and includes a simple, responsive, borrower platform and a full-featured lender experience. Blend engineers work across the enterprise and consumer software.

Founded in 2012 by a group of former Palantir engineers, Blend raised $130M from Temasek and General Atlantic in the summer of 2019. (Source: AngelList)

Morty

Morty is on a mission to revolutionize the outdated mortgage industry by letting people shop, compare, and close any mortgage option from any lender, completely online. They understand that buying a home is a big deal – and want to create a world in which this critical financial transaction is both accessible and simple. Morty just raised their Series A in August of this year (from top VCs like Thrive Capital and Lerner Hippeau) and is definitely a company to watch.

Why Morty? They’ve just moved into a sleek SoHo office (we’ve visited, it’s great) and perks are top-notch: Unlimited PTO, 100% employer-paid healthcare, a NEW MacBook pro, a stocked kitchen, team happy hours, and more!

Look for open roles at Morty on Scouted!

Startups are an exciting place to have a career. Learning opportunities are essentially endless and working with a team who’s passionate and where good ideas are truly valued can be really meaningful. Check out Scouted for even more startups and exciting companies who are hiring passionate and creative thinkers.

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This Small Interview Mistake Will Keep You From Getting the Job

Also read: 5 of Our Favorite Interview Tips from Career Coaches

If you’re familiar at all with how we work here at Scouted, you know that we put a lot of effort into being your job search liaison. Not only do we match you to great career opportunities, but we also share resume advice, help with job interview prep, and even help you navigate job offer negotiations.

We also act as liaisons for our partner companies, making sure both candidates and companies are all on the same page during hiring processes. In the midst of this, we tend to hear a lot of feedback on how interviews went, both from candidates and hiring managers.

Recently, we received feedback that we’ve heard before…, and we thought it was worth talking about.

After an interview, a hiring manager told us that the candidate “seem[ed] to be running away from her current company, not towards a new job/company.”

As candidates, it can be easy to think that if your resume and past experiences align with a job description, then you’re checking all the boxes on the hiring managers’ list.

That’s not always the case.

Seem harsh?

It may seem that way, especially to someone who is trying to get out of an unpleasant situation at work. But think of it this way…

Demonstrate a passion for the company

In a hiring manager’s position, they have to select one candidate out of five, ten, maybe twenty interviewees. If all other interviewees seem excited about joining the company and one or two give the impression that this is just another interview to get out of their current job, all things being equal, a hiring manager will ten out of ten times choose the candidate who is excited to join their company.

This company is the hiring manager’s livelihood. It may even be the company they started. As much as you’re worried about getting the job, a hiring manager is worried about you being the right fit and staying on for the long haul.

Show excitement for the role

We have all sorts of roles on Scouted. Anything from a CEO/Founder at a brand new startup to administrative positions at the largest hedge fund in the world, and many in-between. For the latter, we have many candidates with great backgrounds interview because the role is an awesome learning opportunity, not necessarily because the role is what they’d like to do long-term. Which is completely ok. However, we remind our candidates that it’s extremely important that they don’t go into an interview acting as if the role is a stepping stone.

Even in the most entry-level positions, hiring managers want to see that the candidate they hire is excited about the job itself. This candidate may be replacing someone whose work had been lagging, or they may be hiring someone into a totally new position. In either case, finding a candidate with passion for the role is of the utmost importance. And like we said before, if nine out of ten candidates seem excited about the job and you’re the one who’s… “Meh…” you probably won’t get an offer.

Speak positively about your previous employer

You may have heard this advice a lot, but it’s worth repeating here. Even if you had a bad experience with your previous employer, talk about the positive things you took away from the experience. It may feel disingenuous (because your previous experience really was horrible), but a hiring manager has no way to verify the negative information you’re sharing or to know that you weren’t actually the problem in the relationship. And, considering the hiring manager could be your next boss, they may be wary of the same issues happening again.

With that being said, talk about what you learned from your previous position, projects you completed, the growth you contributed to, and then about your excitement for the future and what you hope to learn at your new company in your new role.

Also read: How to Talk About Why You’re Leaving Your Old Company

So how can you show excitement?

One simple way to show your excitement about a role and a company is to do your research! Come with at least some understanding of what the company does and how you can help in their mission. Also come to your interview with specific questions about what the company needs, their culture, and how you can contribute to their success. When your interviewer asks, “Why should we hire you?” be prepared with a great, specific answer about how your skills will add to the company.

Also, feel free to simply say, “I’m excited!”

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Why you should start your job search with companies, not job titles

For most anyone, the typical job search process starts like this:

You take the experience you have and figure out the types of jobs where it would be a good fit. It might be the same type of role you had before, something slightly different where your skills still apply, or maybe you’re looking for something entirely new.

Whatever the case, we almost always start our job search with – you guessed it – the job. Our hopeful next job title is what we type into job search engines and what we CTRL + F to find on company websites.

But what if we started to think about our job search differently?

What if we looked at it from another angle?

Here’s what we’re proposing:

Why not start your job search with the company?

Essentially, what we mean by this is that candidates should narrow down a shortlist of companies you’d ideally like to work for rather than job titles. Doing this can essentially change the entire feel of your job search and might even help you land a great job. Here’s why.

You show your excitement for the company

We talk about showing excitement a lot. It’s really important to hiring managers! If you have a company on your list that you’d love to work for, check out the positions they may be hiring for and if any seem like a good fit for you. Even if you don’t see any, try proactively reaching out to a hiring manager or company recruiter letting them know that you would love to join their company. Be sure to mention why the company is specifically exciting to you and why you’d love to be a part of it. Also be sure to generally list your skills and experience (keep this brief in your email) and attach your resume. Lastly, be sure to ask for an interview to talk about available positions at the company.

Check out this email example:

“Dear Mr./Ms. Hiring Manager,
I’m writing today because for a long time, I have admired the work and mission of Company Name. Here is where you might insert a couple specific things you love like something you saw in the news or congratulating a startup on a recent round of funding.
In 2015 I graduated with an MBA from Boston University and went on to work for a small, boutique company where I was able to make a difference from day one. While there, I was able to develop an entrepreneurial and collaborative mindset that helped our company reach a 20% increase in annual revenue. If you’d like to see more details of my experience, I’ve attached my resume to this email.
I would love the opportunity to set up a time to visit with you to get your insight and suggestions on where my skills and abilities would be put to use at Your Company and to explore job openings.
Please see below for my contact information and I look forward to speaking with you soon!
Sincerely,
Your Name
Contact information”

By sending an email like this, you’re showing the hiring manager, CEO, whoever, that you’re passionate about their company. This is something that hiring managers are always looking for and it’s the and it’s the # 1 thing we see candidates get turned down for after an interview.

Passion is huge and you never know what doors it may open, which brings us to our next point.

You may be a great fit for a different role

Once you get your foot in the door, be sure to reiterate your love for the company, specifically. During interview preps, we often tell candidates to not simply seem excited about working at *a* hedge fund or *a* startup. We tell them to think of the reasons for why they’re excited to work at *this* hedge fund or *this* startup. It makes a big difference during your job interview and hirings managers will notice.

Let’s say that the company isn’t currently hiring for the typical job title you’d apply for. Don’t sweat it. If you’re able to show your excitement and communicate your soft skills or transferrable skills, they may very well be open to finding something that is available where you could still be a good fit. Hiring managers know that it can be hard to get top talent who’s also passionate in the door and if you’re both of those things, they probably won’t let you walk away that easily.

And hey, even if there isn’t anything available for you at the moment, that’s ok too. By being proactive and leaving your information behind, you’re doing what you can to let the company know that you’re a great option when a job does open up.

Last but not least, be proactive in following up with the company every few months to see if there are any new job openings. It doesn’t hurt to bring your name top of mind to an employer every now and then, even if you’re currently employed.

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How To Explain Long-Term Unemployment

In our society, where value is tied to productivity, being unemployed can be an extremely emotionally taxing and draining experience. The longer it drags on, the worse it can get. If you’re dealing with just a short period of unemployment, it can feel like an extended vacation. But the longer it lasts, the more it begins to weigh on your self-esteem and sense of worth.

Unfortunately, this can make it even more challenging to find work. When you feel down it is even more difficult to put forth the effort needed to find and apply to jobs. We’ve put together some top tips to help you keep your sanity while you look for your next right fit.

Find Ways to Stay Busy

It might seem counterintuitive, but it is actually easier to get stuff done when you have more going on. So even though you’re not working a 40 hour work week, if you can find activities and ways to block out your time, you may find that you are actually more productive overall. Finding time to exercise or take classes that you find intellectually enriching can help you feel useful and engaged. These types of activities can also be energizing, so even though you’re busy, you may find that you have more energy to put into your job search.

Go to Networking Events

Find networking events in your area that are related to what you want to be doing, and start expanding your network. This is doubly true if you are trying to shift industries and have very few connections in your target role.

Networking events are also a great reason to get out of the house, talk to people, and feel like you are taking steps in a positive direction. You never know who you might meet that will lead to something positive.

Also read: How to Master the Art of Networking

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Don’t be Afraid to Tell People You’re Looking for Work

Unemployment is often stigmatized, but if you share that you’re looking for work, you might be surprised at the help you receive! Even if your friends and family don’t work in your industry, they might just know someone who does. And having people in your corner can make you feel a lot less alone throughout the whole process. It’s also helpful to be honest about what’s going on in your life. Talking about it with loved ones can be very cathartic, and open you up to more opportunities.

Also read: When You Should Apply for a Job Even If You Don’t Meet the Minimum Requirements

Get a Part-Time Job

Even if you’ve been able to rack up some savings, after a few months of unemployment you may find yourself needing a way to earn an interim income.

Getting a part-time job that provides some influx of cash can take a lot of the pressure off of your job hunt. You don’t want to be put in a position where you feel like you have to take the first thing that comes along. A part-time job will also provide some more structure to your days and keep you busier! With the amount of freelance and independent contractor work available, a part-time job could even be something that you do right from your computer.

Also read: This Small Interview Mistake Will Keep You From Getting the Job

During your interviews

Be honest

It’s also extremely important to be honest about your unemployment gap. Employers realize that events happen that keep you out of a job for a while

**Talk about what you did do**

It’s important to be able to communicate your period of unemployment well to future employers. Whether you left to take care of family, because of a disability, took a year to travel, or just had a hard time finding your next gig, being able to explain the purpose of your gap during an interview will be crucial. This is why it’s important to stay busy during your unemployment period. This will show employers that you still had a purpose and stayed busy.

Move on

While it’s important to address your unemployment gap, don’t dwell on it. As soon as you explained your situation, move on to talking about how your skills apply to the job and what you bring to the company.

Long periods of unemployment can be extremely difficult and it’s hard to know how to cope. There’s no perfect formula, and different tactics will work for everyone in different ways, but we hope that some of these tips will help you get through your phase of unemployment. Best of luck and happy searching!

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How to quit a job well the best way possible

Quitting a job is usually awkward and filled with uncomfortable moments and grey areas. We want to help you navigate how to quit a job the best way possible because, even if you haven’t had to already, quitting a job is probably something you’ll have to do at some point in your life.

We often picture quitting a job like a Hollywood scene where the promotion one should have gotten after years of hard work ends up going to the physically blessed, junior employee and the underappreciated, deserving employee storms out with the perfectly crafted “gotcha” speech.

Quitting that way would be more interesting, however, in the real world, the people we currently work with are our connections, and we never know how leaving a job might affect future opportunities.

That being the case, we have a few tips below on how to leave a job gracefully. Take a look before writing up your resignation letter, you don’t want to miss something important.

Don’t tell your colleagues about your plans to leave before you tell your manager (and your manager’s manager).

It might be tempting, but it’s best practice to hold off on letting your work buddies know you’re leaving until after having a conversation with your boss. Worst case scenario, someone lets your resignation slip before you have a chance to share the news which will make for an awkward, blind-siding situation between you and the leadership team. Play it safe and keep your resignation on the DL until you and your supervisor can share it with your coworkers together.

Be as transparent as possible about your plans to leave

Sure, you’re probably not going to tell your boss when you’re looking for a new job, but as soon as your actual plans to leave are set in stone, be sure to be open with your boss and not wait until the last minute (or last two weeks, for that matter) to let them know you’re leaving.

Quit in person

Of course, resigning from a job is probably going to feel uncomfortable,but that’s not an excuse to share your departure over email. That’s on the same level as breaking up with your ex over text. Safe to say you might not be on great terms with your boss afterwards. The first step of quitting is always having a talk with your supervisor.

Give at least two weeks notice

Two weeks notice is the absolute minimum amount of notice you should give when quitting a job. While it can be hard to stay motivated in your role after already turning in your resignation, what you need to ask yourself is this: “How hard will I be to replace?”

Say you’re in a position where you wear many hats or hold a lot of responsibility. In that case, you should probably reserve almost a month (or more) giving your company time to find a replacement and leaving you time to help train them during the transition. If you’re in a junior position and it wouldn’t be that hard for someone to learn what you do, two weeks notice is probably fine – but this is a critical conversation that you should have with your manager.

Train your replacement

Whether you’re an entry-level employee or a high-level executive, this is something you should always offer to do after resigning from a role. At the very least, it will help your employer not feel as though they’re being hung out to dry and really appreciate the help.

Any time you resign from a role, it’s important to show you are grateful for the opportunity you had. Being empathetic to their situation is not only the right thing to do, but it will enable you to figure out the best transition plan possible – one that ensures you leave on a good note with your manager and team.

Pro tip: Even before you plan on leaving a role (which, if you’re reading this, it might be too late, but good to keep in mind) it’s a great idea to keep a running “playbook” of how to do your job. Once you learn something or have mastered a task, add it to the playbook. If your departure falls before the new person arrives, outline your day-to-day, monthly, quarterly, and high-level responsibilities, as well as any institutional knowledge you (or your manager) might view as important to share. This way, when the time comes for you to find another job, half the training work for your replacement has already been done!

Write a two weeks notice letter

While it’s important to have an initial conversation with your boss(es) about your plans to quit, you’ll also need to write a formal resignation letter.

Every resignation letter needs these four things:

A statement that literally states you’re going to resign
A short explanation of why you are leaving
The date of your last day of work
A brief thank you

Here’s an example:

Dear Mr. Smith,
Please accept this letter as a formal notice of my resignation from my role of Business Development Associate at Your Company. My last day of work will be November 7, 2020.
I’ve recently received an offer to work as a Business Support Coordinator at XYZ Company and after consideration, I’ve decided to pursue this new role.
I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity to work at Your Company for the last 3 years. I have learned many new skills that I know will aid me in my next role. [Feel free to add something personal here].
During the transition, I would be happy to assist in finding and training my replacement if that would be helpful.
I wish you and the company continued success and hope to stay in touch in the future.
Sincerely,
You

Finish strong

Like we said, it can be difficult to find the motivation to work hard until the end of your notice, especially if you’re excited to get out of your current situation. That being said, it’s important to leave on a ~~good~~ great note and finishing strong will help enormously with that. The nice thing is, your days probably won’t look like a typical work day as you may be tasked with finding and training your replacement.

Say goodbye to your teammates

Ah, the farewell. Again, it’s all about leaving on a good note. Even if you’re keen on a nice and quiet goodbye, this really is a time where you shouldn’t leave any loose ends and saying goodbye – simply put – is a classy touch.

Even after a farewell party (if you’re lucky enough to have one) on your last day of work, be sure to write a goodbye email thanking your coworkers for being great to work with and how you hope to keep in touch. Hopefully you mean it, but if not, at least it’s a nice touch. And make sure to share your personal email with the team so that people can reach you after you leave!

In conclusion,

It’s always extremely important to leave a job on the best terms possible.

We honestly can’t stress this enough. You never know when you may need a former boss or coworker as a reference or if they’re a connection with someone at a company you will want to work for down the road.

Ever had a good or bad experience leaving a job? Share your story in the comments below and what you would have done differently in hindsight.

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