Welcome to your guide to Product Management careers. Here we’ve gathered resources and connections to support your career journey into Product Management. Choose your next step below:
I Want to…
What is Product Management?
Product management is a strategic discipline that oversees a product’s journey through it’s entire lifecycle – from planning, development, launch, and support to ongoing enhancement. It involves defining the product’s vision, strategy, roadmap, and features, ensuring they align with business goals and customer needs. Product managers own product vision and strategy as well as planning for the development of their product.
Types of PM Roles
Product Managers apply deep understanding of business principles, market trends, and competitive landscapes to make informed product decisions. They are effective cross-functional collaborators who often bridge work between different teams, like engineering and design. Exceptional communication skills support them in gathering feedback from customers, convey strategy to stakeholders, and leading teams toward success.
By Target Audience
- Business-to-Consumer (B2C) PM Roles
- Business-to-Business (B2B) PM Roles
By Product Focus
- Consumer Product Manager
- Technical Product Manager
- Platform Product Manager
- Data Product Manager
- AI Product Manager
By Expertise
- Growth Product Manager
- Product Marketing Manager
- Digital Product Manager
Skills
Companies seek candidates with product management experience, or closely related experience, and a strong quantitative and technical skill set. Candidates who have launched their own businesses may have also developed the capabilities of a product manager.
| Product Skills | Product Lifecycle, Product Development, Marketing, Go-to-Market Strategy, Project Management |
| Business/Management Skills | Communications, Leadership, Influencing, Management, Sales, Innovation |
| Technical Skills | JIRA, Excel, Tableau, SQL, Python, API, AWS |
More Learning Resources
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Javier Bello Medina, MBA ’24
“Breaking into product management is challenging, but I believed MIT Sloan could be the catalyst I needed to transition effectively and secure a PM role in tech. And it was!”
Karishma Sewaramani, MBA ’24
“I knew I enjoyed building things but wasn’t sure how to channel this interest. My journey began to take shape when I started my MBA at MIT Sloan, where I discovered that product management was the perfect fit for my skills and interests.”
Labs and Certificates
Product Management Lab (PM-Lab) 15.785
Hands-on introduction to product management with an emphasis on technology-driven enterprises across a variety of industries.
Product Management Certificate
MIT Sloan’s newest certificate develops qualified product managers who are prepared to lead every step of a product’s lifecycle.
Entrepreneurial Experiences
Industry Clubs
MIT Sloan Product Management Club
Learn about product management through events and peer/mentor networks.
Technology Club
Join events and network with Sloanies who are passionate about tech.
Sloan Industry Advisors and More Contacts
MIT Sloan Industry Advisors in Product Management
Connect with alumni industry specialists in Product Management.
Explore Your Network
Tour options for finding PM contacts through MIT and MIT Sloan student, alumni, and company directories.
Depending on your degree program, companies may begin to engage with you the summer before classes start, so it’s important to be prepared. For example, candidates in the 2-year MBA program can find Amazon’s summer information sessions here.
What You Need to Know
Hiring Trends: MBA Classes of 2022-2024
The top industries where MIT Sloan graduates have accepted Product Management roles are: Technology (60%), Finance (13%), Manufacturing (8.7%), and Healthcare/Biotech/Pharma (6.5%). Nearly all successful candidates have 3+ years of work experience, and the majority have 5+ years of experience.
Click to see more Product Management Industry Hiring Trends for the two-year MBA program.
Job Boards and Job Sites
Career Central
Search jobs posted for candidates in MIT Sloan’s portfolio of programs.
MBA Exchange Job Board
Search Tip: From the ‘Jobs’ menu, select ‘Project/Product Leadership’
Job + Internship Sites
Job boards across MIT and targeted industry and internship job boards.
Explore Companies Where Sloanies Have Accepted Roles | Links to Current Opportunities
Use the links below to explore current openings at companies where MIT Sloan graduates have landed opportunities. These links go to company job pages and are filtered for product-related roles.
Coinbase
Databricks
Dell Technologies
Dropbox (filter by Product Management)
Expedia
Google
IBM
Intuit
JP Morgan Chase
Top Tools to Prepare for PM and Technical Interviews
The Product Manager Interview (Copies available: CDO E52-331)
How to Master the Modern PM Hiring Process (Book overview with Lewis Lin)
CDO’s career advisors and coaches are a great place to start your journey. As you gain more clarity, connect with MIT Sloan Industry Advisors and other members of the community who might be a source of information and leads for your career journey.
Career Advising + Coaching
Book an appointment:
MBA/LGO/MSMS | MFin | MBAn | SFMBA| EMBA
PM-Specific Guidance
Connect with Sloan Industry Advisors in Product Management.
Explore Your Network
Explore your options for PM contacts across MIT and MIT Sloan.
