Should You Change Your Company as a Product Manager?

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Last month, we published a blog post by Shyvee Shi titled “Transitioning Into the Role of Product Manager.” In it, she shared an overview of what a product manager does and the skills required to make a successful transition.

In this post, we’re taking a different approach. Instead of discussing how to transition into the role of a product manager from another career, we’ll focus on how to decide if you should make a change to a new company. 

The Criteria to Stay at Your Current Job

Don’t decide to move to a new company until you closely examine the criteria to stay at your current job. By doing this, you force yourself to think objectively about the pros and cons of your position.  There are five key questions to answer:

1. Are you excited about the problem you’re solving or the solution you’re working on?

If you’ve ever worked a job you don’t like — a job that you dread showing up for — you know that you’ll never reach your peak. You’ll always feel bogged down in one way or the next. 

So, if you’re not excited about the problem you’re solving or the solution you’re working on, it’s time to at least consider making a change.

Along with the primary question, you should also answer this: why aren’t you excited about the problem you’re solving or the solution you’re working on?

Once you know what’s bothering you, it’s easier to decide if you can personally make a change or if things could get better in the future through external forces, such as a new manager or leadership team. The deeper you dig the easier it is to effectively answer this question. 

2. Do you like the team culture?

You could be working on the best product in your industry. You could have strong feelings about the problem you’re solving. You could be 100 percent confident that your solution is the best solution for the market. But if you don’t like the team culture, you’ll find it challenging to “give it your all” and remain a valuable employee over the long run.

Here are some team culture-related questions to answer:

• Do your team and the company as a whole have the right values and principles?
• Do they do things the right way in your mind?
• Are you aligned at the value level?
• Do you work well alongside your teammates?

You may not have positive feelings about all these details, and that’s okay. What matters is that you’re satisfied with your team and company culture overall. 

3. Do you believe in the CEO, leadership team, and your manager?

This goes along with having a favorable opinion on team and company culture. Companies with a strong CEO and leadership team are much more likely to succeed. Furthermore, when a good example is set at the top, it trickles down to the bottom. This makes it more likely that you’ll connect with your manager and co-workers.

Conversely, companies with weak leadership are more likely to remain stagnant, or worse yet, tumble to the point of no return. Should your company go down the wrong path, you’re likely to find yourself searching for a new position anyway. 

Answer these questions:

• Do you feel like a valued member of your team?
• Does your manager help you achieve more?
• Is your manager concerned about you reaching your career goals?
• Do you have a relationship with your colleagues that’s built on trust and respect?
• Do you feel out of touch with your manager and everyone else up the chain of command?

You either believe in your company’s leadership team or you don’t. 

4. Do you see yourself continuing to grow in key areas?

Closely examine your professional path to determine if you’re growing in key areas. This comes in many forms, such as:

• Knowledge that will help you achieve your short and long-term career goals.
• Additional responsibilities, which could help you move up the career ladder. 
• Significant upside, such as if you’re getting equity in the company. 

Without at least some value here, the opportunity cost is very significant. Measure this before deciding to stay put or move onto a new company. 

5. How long have you been at your company? 

You don’t want prospective employers to think you’re a job-jumper. So, knowing how long you’ve been at your current company is imperative. For example, there’s a big difference between being at a company for six months and two years. 

If you’re new to your company — such as one year or less — consider if it makes more sense to stick around for several months (or in some cases years) until you have a more established work history. You don’t want to give the impression that you jump ship when things get hard. 

Are There Other Attractive Alternatives?

At this point, you may have decided that it’s time to change your company as a product manager. You’ve thought everything through and this appears to be the best path forward. 

Before you get ahead of yourself, think about your next move. Are there other attractive alternatives available? Do you want to stay in the same industry or make a change?

Also, when possible, it’s best to change PM jobs when you can leap forward in your career. For instance, if you currently work as a PM, determine if now’s the time to seek employment as a senior product manager. Should you find that it’s not time to move up the career ladder, it’s often best to stick with and develop your professional skills at your current company. 

Summary

If you decide to make a move, don’t delay in preparing yourself for the PM interview process. Even though you’re experienced and knowledgeable in the field, advanced preparation is still critical to nailing your interview. 

Start by reviewing our list of 2500+ PM interview questions. From there, find a mock interview partner who can help you refine your interviewing skills and prepare for anything and everything that will come your way.