The second edition of the ProductDive Beyond Boundaries conference took place on Saturday, June 8, 2024, and it was a success.
Having attended the first edition as a participant, I got to participate in this edition as a volunteer, allowing me to combine learning and networking with serving (something I love to do). Firstly, I registered as a participant, but when I saw the call for volunteers, I decided to go for that and I didn’t regret my decision.
Should I volunteer or not? (From a volunteer’s lens)
The typical worry for most volunteers at an event is whether they will be able to make the best of the event, in terms of attending sessions they are interested in, or networking with the participants. This is a valid concern, and it is where adequate preparation comes in, and having a good volunteering lead too.
Here are some tips to navigate that challenge, as I did in my case.
Before the event: The first thing I did was to indicate to volunteer with the registration team as this would not need me to be running around during the event. Next, I noted the speakers I would love to connect with, identified the breakout session I wanted to participate in, and had a fair sense of what I hoped to get out of the event.
On D-day: I got to the venue early enough, worked with my team members to ensure we were mostly set up before the event commenced, and agreed on the structure/flow of our team.
Once the event commenced, we connected via live stream at the registration stand; this way, we were able to combine note-taking with checking participants in.
During the networking session, I identified key people I wanted to speak to and engaged them with the thoughts/questions I had, I also connected with my fellow volunteers and took a few pictures (oscof).
For the breakout session, we got someone to attend to participants while attending the session we were interested in. I joined the session on B2B Product Management – CRM and it was great learning new things about the CRM space in B2B product management from Francisca.
Before leaving the event, I got some gifts from the event sponsors. I mean, who doesn’t like a free tote bag with freebies in it?
After the event: Networking beyond the event is one thing I’ve learned to do, and I’m still working on it. I ensured to establish a connection with the people I had earlier met on Linkedin or their preferred social media handles, highlighting what we discussed as a way of introduction. And here I am, sharing my experience with you too as a way of giving back.
It felt great to wear my event volunteering hat again after a while and I look forward to more of these opportunities.
Now for my fellow and upcoming Product Managers, Let’s Talk.
Here are a few notes from the event that I found helpful either through a speaker’s session or through my one-on-one convos. I’m sharing them with you so you can also learn and we can grow together on our PMing journey.
In prepping for PM interviews, here are some things recruiters are looking out for:
- Authenticity: It’s important to be self-aware, honest and true to yourself
- Communication skills: Hiring managers want to see how you structure your thinking, your ability to engage during conversations – conveying your thoughts in a relatable way, and your ability to think on the spot and come up with creative responses.
- Research ability: How much do you know about the company, their products, or their values? This will shine through the way you respond to the questions asked. Take time to research the company online and maybe talk to current staff to know what to expect and how to prepare and answer questions.
- SMILE: This can fall under the communication skill, but can also stand alone. It’s important to look the interviewer in the eyes and smile as you engage and respond to them. This connotes confidence and ease.
- Technical skills: This is important, but I added it last cos in climes like the UK and Europe, many recruiters are keen to see your non-technical skills even more than the technical skills.
On communication skills, here are some helpful tips Lucas shared with me:
- Learn to signpost your responses: Use numbers or points to highlight what you want the interviewer to pick from your response. For example, when asked to give scenarios when you worked on a retention project, you can respond this way – “Sure, I’ll give you two examples of times when I worked on a retention task….” This gives the recruiter a sense of what to expect and remember from the conversation.
- Always think of the altitude of response each question deserves: Before responding to a question, try to judge how much depth of response suffices before responding.
- Practice, practice, practice: This goes without saying, the more you practice, the more your confidence builds and the better you perform at interviews.
On stakeholder communication/engagement, especially for folks like me who would rather let their work speak for them.
Have a routine schedule for stakeholder communication. It could be to send a weekly update to your immediate higher-ups; a fortnight sync across your implementation teams; or a monthly or 6-week update to other stakeholders.
The update cadence would depend on who your stakeholders are, how often they should be engaged and what level of update they need.
I hope this helps you. Special shoutout to Millie for this tip.
Thank you for reading this far, I’m sure you’ve found one or two helpful tips. Do you attend events in your field/industry? What has your experience been so far?
For my PM folks, I have a “would you rather question” for you.
Would you rather be a B2B or B2C product manager?
Which do you prefer and why?
Do share with me in the comment section, I’d be reading and responding to them.
You can catch a replay of the conference on ProductDive channel.
Love and Light Always,
Esthitude
