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Over the last month, I had the opportunity to review over 150 Resumes and SoPs.Here are the top few consistent issues.Resume SNAFUs:Please make sure your resume is no more than a page long. Aggressively edit out things that are not relevant. Pick a few projects/roles and be detailed instead of writing a laundry list.Focus on impact. Most resumes talked about what the role/responsibility was. Instead, write what YOU actually did, what you learned and what was the impact of your work. Use metrics where possible.SDEs, please do not include a cluttered “Skills” section with MS Word and Excel and Java and OOP listed on there. You’re expected to know the fundamentals.SoP SNAFUs:Most people leave out the “Purpose” part of the SoP. Talk about your dreams, your goals, your purpose and why that university/course is the right fit to help get you there.Your SoP should not simply be an elaboration of your resume. Use it to tell a story. Walk the reader through your journey and have a theme to your essay.SoPs while important, may not play a deciding role. LoRs almost always do. Get them from people who can really assess you directly. Give each recommender a theme so that their letters cover diverse areas.In case we haven’t met before, I’m Rohan Kamath.Thank you for reading. I hope I could help you learn today. :)

The job search process has been dramatically altered by the internet, for a large part because of the transformative nature of LinkedIn on recruitment practices.As a headhunter, I am on the receiving end of applicants using LinkedIn and traditional job portals. I have access to LinkedIn Recruiter, a VERY expensive tool that allows us headhunters to post LinkedIn job advertisements thus providing people like YOU the option to apply directly via LinkedIn.Similarly, my internal systems post my advertisements on every other type of job portal, like: Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, Simplyhired, and a myriad of other “job aggregator sites” as they’re called.Let’s talk about the pros and cons of each of these submission methods, so you can decide which way you want to go.#1. Applying through LinkedIn with your profile:What happens after you submit?At the receiving end of your submission, the person who posted the job (the job poster) will have most likely elected the automatic ALERT option so that they receive an email every time someone applies to their LinkedIn job advertisement (advert). The email body consists of bullets directly from your LinkedIn summary/job experience content.Your resume is usually also on that email as an attachment*. If you have a great resume that is RELEVANT, only then you’ll receive some type of communication from the job poster or their boss (phone or email or LinkedIn message). Check out my article on resume design for maximum effectiveness.If you’re not of interest, you will not hear back. You’ll have to chase the job poster for feedback. If you’re really passionate about the job, it doesn’t hurt to reach out directly to the job poster. If you don’t hear back after repeated attempts, again, you’re doing something wrong in terms of self-promotion and content/format/job experience and they are still, sadly, not interested.*If your resume is not attached for whatever reason, the job poster will still evaluate your LinkedIn profile because they PAID for the advert! They want to receive good applicants, but usually the people who apply are not a fit, so if you ARE of interest, you WILL hear back. Especially in Candidate-dry markets; recruiters are dying for the best candidates and stalking the market, thus if you’re a fit, you’ll definitely hear about it.PROS: The application process is easy and you can apply to multiple jobs with relatively little work. You don’t have to fill out complicated forms on various company sites, you can just simply attach your resume and press submit on the LinkedIn platform. The job poster will receive your resume directly in their inbox.Also, LinkedIn adverts DO expire (live for one month, renewable), so most likely the role you’re applying to on LinkedIn is relatively recent, and is probably still LIVE if it’s still posted or if the job poster is somewhat responsible and will keep tabs on their marketing channels. Again, these are expensive adverts, so most likely the jobs posted on LinkedIn are REAL, relatively recent, and actively responding to applicants deemed to pass the initial evaluation.CONS: If you don’t have a relevant, clear, and strategic LinkedIn profile, you’re dead in the water. What constitutes a good LinkedIn profile? You’ll have to request my answer so I can address this separately. :) Your LinkedIn profile and your general status in the industry will come into play here. Most likely, if you’re very experienced in the industry/job that you’re applying for, you’ll have mutual connections, groups, and keywords with the job poster.If you don’t have any mutual contacts, any relevant information, or TOO MUCH INFORMATION, that will count against you! If you’re applying for a finance job, and the job poster sees that your LinkedIn profile is filled with marketing, sales, accounting, operations, and some finance key words, you’re damaging the chances of obtaining an interview request because you’re over-marketing and diminishing your relevancy to the niche skill/job that they’re recruiting for. Other candidates with more relevance will be placed ahead of you in the roster.By trying to be a master of all, you’ll actually be viewed as a master of none!Remember: Less is more.#2. Applying with your resume to a job directly:What happens after you submit?Your resume will be lodged into the internet black hole. Hopefully the person on the receiving end is actually monitoring the applicants, which may be or may not be the case! People are busy: the hiring entity on the receiving end of your resume at the company could be an HR person who has just gone to vacation, or to an internal recruiter, who is handling 20 other roles, so who’s to say that either of them will actually catch your resume on the receiving end for that particular job posting?PROs: I really don’t see any pros to submit to companies’ websites these days or even other job portals like the ones I mentioned. Too little control and your information is too accessible for identity theft and variety of other issues.CONs: It’s a lot of work to submit directly - you have to fill out different forms for different companies/jobs, provide customized Cover Letters for each (that won’t be read anyways).SO WHAT’S THE BEST STRATEGY MOVING FORWARD?No matter what, recruiters/HR staff are accustomed now to using LinkedIn! Even the hiring manager who is responsible to oversee the new hire prefers to look up the candidate on LinkedIn before the phone interview!You should:#1. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is totally in line with your resume, so that you’re telling a congruent, consistent, and true story. People will be turned off by discrepancies or irrelevance. Make sure you have a tight marketing message that proves you are who they’re looking for.#2. Use LinkedIn to reach out to hiring mangers, recruiters, and ex-colleagues directly! Write to them! You can purchase inmails or even get free inmail trials or find their email address online. Just reach out directly, skip the line and the wait!Of course, there are lots of nuances and steps you’ll have to learn, but this is a starting point!Disclaimer: LinkedIn does not allow for affiliations, I declare that my company, Dandan Global, has no affiliation with LinkedIn in any way.

A resume can literally make or break the deal for you. Therefore, it is critical for you to have a great resume in order to land in the job you want to. As a product manager, you are responsible for building a product and guiding its success while also leading the cross-functional team that is responsible for improving it. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while writing a resume· Be clear and use Quantifiable Data & Action Verbs to describe your previous work experiencesIt is important to be clear with what you expect and what you can deliver. It is best to mention your past experience with numbers so your potential employer has an idea about what you have delivered and what can he expect from you. An example for your reference:Product Manager2014-2018· Product manager for a high-volume software development firm.· Met over 130% of the revenue goal for all four years, and 160% in 2017.· Led 7 cross-functional teams from product conception through launch and multiple iterations. Increased 6 efficiency measures by 48%+.· Implemented Agile ideation plan, collecting and implementing 35% more ideas from employees than the historical best. Overall cost savings of $1.5 million.· Include your Hard and Soft skillsIn order to make an impactful resume, you must remember to include your had and soft skills in it, here are some hard skills to mention:Interpersonal SkillsStrategic ThinkingAnalytical SkillsUX ExperienceOrganizational SkillsYou can also mention some of the following soft skills:1. Leadership skills—to manage and direct your team2. Interpersonal skills—to interact with other teams to make sure your products succeed3. Coordination—to deliver products on schedule and balance priorities· Mention your educational QualificationsState the name of the institute; the years you attended it; the course that you pursued and the grade you scored. You must also add any achievements or any leadership positions you held during your time there, it will surely create a good image of you in the eyes of the hiring managers· Emphasize Your Certifications and AwardsWhile your skills section shows your potential what you can achieve, your certifications and awards showcase what you’ve already achieved. Given the technical nature of product management, you might need a particular certification to work on certain specialized products: If you have completed any certification course in PM you might want to mention it. Keeping that in mind, look closely and carefully at the job posting and check whether it mentions desirable certifications. If it doesn’t, mention any certifications that are linked to the company’s product line.· Add a covering letterYou might have read my experts saying to NOT add covering letters to your resume, and I agree, they are right because most covering letters are generic, like, I am XYZ, this is my resume, and I am keen to do the job blah-blah-blah. But that should not be the case. Let your covering letter be personal and passionate, it makes a difference. You should/can start by using the hiring manager’s name, then explain that you understand what they need and assure them, with evidence, that you can fulfill them.· Mention your contact detailsObviously, you won’t forget adding your contact details, that is your full name, your email address, your phone number, and your residential address, but here's the catch, you might forget adding a link to your LinkedIn profile. Nearly 85% hiring managers hire form LinkedIn profiles, so before you send in your resume, make sure to update your LinkedIn and fill it up with all your achievements and projects you have done or been a part of. It's sure to make an impact.Basically, these are some generic skills that are needed to write a good resume for a product manager job. In this competitive world, we should put the best foot forward. And also, while building the resume or applying for a job, you need to have the extra within you. Hence while I was researching, I found that to uplift your profile or say develop it, you can actually pursue a professional course.The paid one, the paid professional course gives you the top degree and certification.When I saw for the skill of resume building, I found out there is an institute, that teaches you these skills. The highlights, the quality, and approach match with what one should need for resume building and also job profiles for product management.The paid online course by upGrad,The Product Management Certification Program. One of the highlights of the course is Personalised Resume Building Exercise, which is of great help. All those generic points can be constructed and personalized according to your skills and experience. There are some other highlights also which is beneficial and will reflect really beneficial in your resume for a product manager job. Plus, skills, like User Research, Prototyping, and Data Validation will be learned by you if you do a professional course.And this when included in your resume, will create a very good resume for the product manager job.So let’s get the most out of what we have.