Blackblot^® Product Management Expertise™

Those in the field of product management must possess a multitude of skills with a cumulative emphasis on strategic thinking and numeric analysis. Responsibilities may vary from company to company, but the core job function encompasses formulating market requirements and contributing to the search for the most productive way to build long-term profitability for a product.

Blackblot recognizes the dynamics of hiring in product management and strives to assist employers and candidates alike. By providing training programs, tools, and methodology implementation services that establish a cohesive set of well-documented standards, terminology, and work models, Blackblot helps bridge the interaction of both parties and promote shared understanding. Blackblot also helps facilitate the development of an individual's knowledge through the availability of Blackblot's PMTK Book and Content Retention Tools.

Hiring managers, when looking for qualified product managers, carefully consider and query candidates in four key areas:

• Domain Expertise - specific industry experience and technological know-how.
• Functional Expertise - knowledge of processes, tools, and techniques to plan/market products.
• Soft Skills - non-technical skills, primarily communicative (written, verbal, and presentation), used in business.
• Strategic Aptitude - long-term planning and decision-making abilities that help achieve corporate objectives.

Product managers' curriculum vitae and actual job interviews often explore the four key areas as follows:

• Domain Expertise
  • Industry experience.
  • Workplace accomplishments.
  • Appropriate blend of education, training, and credentials.

• Functional Expertise
  • Writing quality market requirements.
  • Ability to execute specific product management tasks.
  • Understanding of relevant terminology and definitions.
  • Knowledge of product management processes and procedures.
  • Familiarity with product definition and management team structures.

• Soft Skills
  • Thought leadership.
  • Communication skills.

• Strategic Aptitude
  • Professional development.
  • Executing a product definition process.
  • Product and market strategy formulation.

Additional insight into the factors of career success can be found in Malcolm Gladwell's revealing article, The Talent Myth.

For more information about Blackblot's approach to product management professionals' career development, please download the evaluation copies of the PMTK Professional Development Plan and the PMTK Curriculum Vitae templates.

For more information about Blackblot's approach to team management and product management roles, please download the evaluation copies of the PMTK Role Descriptions, PMTK Job Description and the PMTK Interview Process templates.