Defining your non-negotiables: How to get your next PM job series [1/4]
Define your non-negotiable requirements for your next PM job to ensure your next job fits within your life goals.
Maybe you just got laid off. Maybe you’re employed but looking. Maybe you’re happy as a clam but your CEO has recently realized that “macroeconomic changes have made it impossible for him to want to pay you”(1).
This article covers step one of how I got my second PM job. I hope it’s helpful! Pls lmk in the comments or by replying to this email! Unless it’s not helpful. Or you didn’t like it. Then… just… pls don’t reply.
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15 months ago, I joined Spotify as a Senior Product Manager on their New Product Innovation team, based in Stockholm, Sweden. I wanted to live abroad and work on 0 to 1 products(2), and this role gave me the chance to do both. Before Spotify, I worked in product management at LinkedIn for 4 years.
^me, Jan 2022, standing in front of Spotify HQ in Sweden, freezing
On paper, my move from LinkedIn to Spotify was fast and easy. I began interviewing with Spotify in Sept 2021 and accepted an offer in Oct 2021. In reality, it took me about 2 years. One of those years was spent working with a career coach. Here’s the step by step process I wish I had had.
Overview:
Figure out what you want (this article)
Get interviews
Get offers
Choose offer
Step 1: Figure out what you want
For me, this step was the hardest but once completed, made the next three steps comparatively easy. I found it hardest because it required deep, honest soul-searching about what I wanted in my life.
I found talking with a career coach, with mentors, and with friends to be helpful(3). But ultimately, completing this step required me digging into myself by myself to disentangle what I wanted in my life from what society, family, mentors, friends wanted for me. Out of the two years I spent trying to get a new job, this step took me about 1.8 years. Hopefully, it takes you less time. Note: if you just got a laid off and need a job *now* to pay your bills and don’t have the luxury of soul-searching, I get it. In that case my next posts may be more relevant.
My “deliverable” for this step was a short list of “must haves” for my next job. These were non-negotiables. My list had three elements on it:
Relocate to Berlin, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Madrid, or Barcelona(4)
Work on 0 to 1 B2C products
Not toxic work culture
But wait! What about finding a world-class manager? What about company stage? What about, the big daddy of them all, finding a ~*~*~*problem~*~*~* you’re passionate about?!
Those dimensions are important. Of course I had preferences on all of those. But for me, they weren’t actually deal breakers at that point in time(5).
This newsletter is a Judgement Free Zone. Your “must haves” are your “must haves”. They might look similar to mine or completely different. That’s not for me to judge. My only recommendation is that the criteria you choose be:
Aligned with what you really, truly, actually want
Specific enough to eliminate some stuff
Not so specific that you don’t have options
Maybe your criteria is obvious to you. If so, nice! Maybe it’s not. If so, I feel you. It wasn’t obvious for me either.
Here are some “personas” to illustrate what I mean. I’m taking some liberties—many of the characteristics of these imaginary people are ones I don’t personally have so feel free to tell me I have no idea what I’m talking about here(6).
New Dad Dan. New Dad Dan (he/him) is a straight 32 year old new Dad living in San Francisco with a fat mortgage. His wife Jill works too. He’s currently an L5 PM at Meta. He doesn’t abrasively correct you when you say “Facebook” rather than “Meta”, so you know he’s not the worst. He’s also a feminist. Not the annoying Man Feminist who really wants you to know he’s a feminist. The cool kind. I digress. Dan doesn’t like his new boss and wants to move but doesn’t know where to start. He subscribes to This Is Fine, and after reading this article works out that his “must haves” are 1) work/life balance, 2) good pay, 3) no relocation requirement, 4) remote some or all of the time. He wants to be present for his new kid, plus he wants to be able to make his mortgage payments. Dan also hikes a lot, and is interested in climate tech. But, that’s not a dealbreaker for him so it doesn’t make his list.
Eager Ifeoma. Eager Ifeoma (she/her) is a 27 year old PM at a startup in London. She doesn’t have dependents or a mortgage. She’s very talented and ambitious but feels unappreciated on her team. She wants to move roles but isn’t sure how. She also reads This Is Fine and, after reading this post, takes some time to reflect on what she wants next. After some reflection, she decides her “must haves” are: 1) big opportunity for professional growth, 2) based in Europe, 3) women represented in leadership.
Money Max. Money Max (he/him) is a 25 year old living in Seattle. Max was at Microsoft, but recently got laid off. Max is a first generation immigrant and the first person in his family to go to college. Max has a lot of student debt, and since he started working in tech has started helping his family with money. As a result, it’s important to him to continue earning a large, reliable salary. He’s also really into the music scene in Seattle, so doesn’t want to move. Max is, you’ll never guess, *also* an avid subscriber to This Is Fine (3 in a row what are the chances). He reads this post, loves it, shares it, and then makes his own list. His list is: 1) high pay, 2) based in Seattle.
Passionate Penny. Penny (she/they) is a 33 year old PM II at Google, living in NYC working on Google Cloud Platform. Penny has a serious partner who’s also based in NYC. Outside work, Penny is involved in several social justice organizations. She likes her coworkers but wants to align her job with her passion for working with under-served communities. She’s financially stable after several years at Google. Penny subscribes to This Is Fine, and often replies to my emails to say thanks for writing and with great suggestions on topics I should cover. She reads this article, and starts working on her list. She decides the must haves for her next role are: 1) working with under-served groups, 2) located in NYC, 3) not big tech.
There you have it! Step 1, complete. When I started this article I thought I’d cover all four steps but this is already getting kinda long and I wanna go do some other stuff this weekend. So you’ll have to wait till next weekend for part two.
In the meantime, let me know what you thought of this article in the comments or via a reply to this email! Even a quick reply like “nice” or “cool!” or “I’m proud of you son. You’re enough just as you are. Even though I never say this, I do love you”(7) will make my day.
Until next time,
Lachlan (he/him)
(1) https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/macroeconomic-changes-have-made-it-impossible-for-me-to-want-to-pay-you
(2) “0 to 1 products” is one of those stupid tech terms that ppl in tech use even tho it’s confusing. It means building a new product rather than optimising an existing product ie 1 to 1.1. I think it comes from Peter Thiel’s book “Zero to One”.
(3) I found therapy, SSRIs, and meditation also very helpful… but that’s for a future post.
(4) There are lots of cool places in the world. Europe is one of them but obviously not the only one. Happy to explain why I chose it over others if you’re interested!
(5) The realisation that what I cared about at one point in my life could and probably would be different then what I cared about at another point in my life was big for me. It’s kinda obvious when you say it out loud, but I found that internalizing that took a lot of pressure off my decision.
(6) I don’t know what it’s like to be a Dad, to be Black, to be a woman, to be first generation, to be non binary, or to be the first person in my family to go to college. Nonetheless, I included these characteristics in some of my personas to try to make them more representative. I based them on friends of mine who do have these characteristics so hopefully they don’t sound completely off.
(7) This is a joke. My Dad does say “I love you” to me. Or does he…?
PS: Does my starting each title with "TIF [article #]" make it look more legit? I see other ppl do this so I thought I'd do it too. Idk lmk.
loved this! glad i subscribed :)
This is a great piece of write and I have learned a lot from it ( Its the personas for me!). Well done, Lachlan.