Directors of product management are the leaders in the product development lifecycle and work with their teams to get consumers the best products while minimizing any excessive internal spending or other inefficiencies in the process.
This is a well-paying executive-level profession that and as such, you will be expected to be particularly qualified and experienced. For a title at this level, recruiters will want to see at least 10 years in the product development industry and will want to see at least a bachelor’s degree in product management or a related field. Beyond that, a master’s degree or relevant certifications will be very welcome and may give you an important edge over the competition.
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A director of product management works with their product managers and other related staff to ensure that the company’s product development is an efficient and effective process. You will lead the entire product lifecycle from the concept stage to the distribution and sales stage.
To be successful in this position you will need a strong knowledge of the industry you are working in and the products you are developing. You will also need strong project management and interpersonal skills as you will be working with multiple stakeholders both internally and externally. Here is a recruiter-approved resume sample. Take a look.
This position is multifunctional and that should be reflected in your experience section. Recruiters need to know that you have experience developing strategy, leading a marketing effort, managing teams, budgeting, etc.
Indicate to recruiters the skills you are particularly strong at by including your proficiency in brackets. This candidate has marked some skills as advanced and experienced. Do not feel like you must include any proficiency for skills you are not exceptional at.
As a Head of Product, you inhabit a space that's a blend of strategy, creativity, and execution. Your role is to translate business objectives into compelling product narratives. In crafting your resume, display a keen understanding of the market and demonstrate how you've adapted to recent shifts like the acceleration of remote work or the increased focus on data analytics. Emphasize how you've navigated these changes to drive product success.
Moreover, remember that the Head of Product role often sits at the junction of multiple departments. Showcase how you've collaborated with teams such as Engineering, Marketing, and Sales to deliver phenomenal products. A record of compelling cross-departmental interactions will speak volumes about your suitability for the role.
In your Work Experience section, detail your involvement in all stages of the product lifecycle: ideation, development, launch, and evaluation. This shows that you can handle the full responsibility of a product, which is essential for a Head of Product role.
Pepper your resume with instances where you led teams or collaborated with different departments. Emphasize the outcomes of these collaborations such as successful product launches or improved processes. This will show your ability to foster interdisciplinary teamwork, a critical trait for Heads of Product.
A head of product is also sometimes called a director of product. Your job will be to oversee the work of product managers and the overall product lifecycle. While you will need a history of experience in product development, this role will see you mostly take on the overseeing role and you will not be as hands-on as the product managers.
You will be in charge of creating budgets, studying the consumer market, analyzing development and sales data of the company’s product, problem-solving for product managers, etc. You need to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills as this position will mostly comprise you being in discussions with other team heads and external stakeholders. Take a look at this strong resume that includes all of the above.
Recruiters will expect all candidates to have many years of experience in product management. Being able to include product manager certifications may therefore give you an edge in the candidate pool. Certifications indicate your drive and also expertise.
Managers have different management styles and many use a couple of popular management methodologies like Agile, Scrum, Lean Six Sigma, etc. If you use a particular management methodology and have certification in it, make sure to include that in your resume as this candidate has effectively done.
As the name suggests, a product marketing director manages the marketing staff for the company’s products. For larger companies, you may specialize in specific products in the company’s product offerings, while in smaller companies you are more likely to be put in charge of the marketing for all the products on offer.
In this position, you will lead the development of marketing strategy, analyze the consumer market and marketing trends, work with the product development and product marketing teams to coordinate strategies, etc.
This is an executive position so your resume will need to show at least 10 years in marketing and/or product development, and recruiters would prefer to see at least a bachelor’s degree in marketing, sales, or a related field.
This is a senior operations position in marketing. It will be beneficial for recruiters to see how you grew into that position so focus on marketing positions. This candidate has progressed from a marketing analyst to a product marketing director.
The tools section in your resume should indicate that you are active in the industry and know the tools used. So ensure your tools section includes any new industry standard technologies. You can also go a step further and investigate which tools a prospective employer company uses and include them in your resume.
The vice president of product management is tasked with leading the product team. This is a very senior position and you will be expected to have a wide range of skills and experience in all things product development. You will be at the helm in strategizing, product development, product marketing, sales logistics, and analyzing sales data.
You will spend most of your time talking to other product directors or managers so interpersonal and communication skills are key. You will also need to show a long history in product development to indicate to recruiters that you are well-experienced and knowledgeable in the department that you are leading. This resume sample does a great job of letting the applicant’s experience shine effectively.
Show recruiters that you are a hardworking and successful developer by showing promotions in your career. It will also show recruiters your dedication to your profession. This applicant started as a junior product manager and moved their way up to a VP of product management position.
Director of product concerns themselves with every step of the product lifecycle. You will strive to lead your team to develop products that consumers want, in the most time and cost-effective way. A big part of your job will be creating KPIs for your staff and assessing your staff’s performance against those KPIs.
Recruiters would like to see at least a bachelor’s degree in product engineering or a similar field and would like to see a successful history in the same industry your company operates in. Some recruiters may require a master’s degree but fortunately, this is not usually a requirement. Here is a resume sample to inspire you.
Managers have different management styles and many use a couple of popular management methodologies like Agile, Scrum, Lean Six Sigma, etc. If you use a particular management methodology and have certification in it, make sure to include that in your resume as this candidate has effectively done.
Metrics make a resume more digestible and impressive. It is favorable for a recruiter to know exactly how much you saved your company because of your efficiencies, or by what percentage you increased sales of products. Look at how this candidate has successfully used metrics in their resume.
A product director is focused on the success of the product development cycle. You will be working closely with product development staff and will develop strategies that will lead your teams to success. You will motivate your teams to meet their KPIs and will problem-solve whenever their teams need them to.
Recruiters want to see over 10 years in management, and more specifically product management, and will be looking to see evidence of experience in their industry or with their products or similar products. We have included a successful resume sample for this position. Take a look.
If you speak the native tongue of a large group of stakeholders, whether internally or externally, it would be extremely beneficial to add the language to your resume. Make sure you include how proficient you are in each language.
The resume is tailored to the product director job this candidate is applying to and mentions the job title at the top of the resume to get past ATS. They use specific keywords relevant to the industry. You should too.
As a hiring manager who has recruited product management leaders at companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, I know what it takes to create a compelling Director of Product Management resume. In this article, I'll share insider tips and examples to help you showcase your skills and experience in a way that will catch the attention of top employers.
As a Director of Product Management, you need to demonstrate your ability to define and execute product strategy that aligns with business goals. Provide specific examples of how you:
Avoid generic statements like:
As a Director of Product Management, your resume summary is an opportunity to provide a high-level overview of your qualifications and experience. While a summary is optional, it can be particularly useful if you're a career changer or have a lot of experience that may not be immediately apparent from your work history alone.
When writing your summary, focus on highlighting your most relevant skills and achievements, and avoid repeating information that's already covered in other sections of your resume. Use keywords related to product management to help your resume pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS).
The work experience section is the most crucial part of a Director of Product Management resume. It's where you show the impact you've made throughout your career. Recruiters and hiring managers look here first to assess if you have the right experience for the job.
In this section, we'll cover what to focus on in the work experience section, with examples of what to include and avoid. By the end, you'll know how to write a compelling work experience section that will impress hiring managers.
The education section of your resume plays a crucial role in showcasing your qualifications and academic achievements to potential employers. When applying for a Director of Product Management position, it's essential to highlight your relevant educational background and any specialized training or certifications that set you apart from other candidates.
Strong action verbs tell a recruiter your role in a specific accomplishment. Directors of product management resumes should use action verbs that are relevant to the product development cycle. Action verbs like "Launched", "Trained" or “Supervised" are strong action verbs that effectively showcase director of product management skill sets.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
When writing your resume for a director of product management position, you need to include all skills relevant to the product development process. So think of the skills, techniques, and technologies you use when researching consumer trends, developing products, developing marketing strategies, managing staff, etc.
Here are some hard skills suggestions from director of product management postings.
Add these skills to the skills section on your resume.
You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Director of Product Management job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
