Is networking the best way to get a product manager job?

A common question that we here at Product Manager Dojo receive is the importance of networking when it comes to finding a product manager job. Is networking really the best way to secure your next PM role?

The answer is that in most scenarios, while networking can certainly be effective and should still be done, applying online is the superior option for anyone looking to land their next product role. To better understand why that is, let's unpack the two main types of networking that job hunters utilize:

1) Cold/Weak Networking

Cold or weak networking is basically reaching out to random hiring managers, product managers or recruiters on LinkedIn, trying to set up a call and then attempting to get a referral at their companies. This is the most common way of networking that we see and the success rate is very low. This is because most of the people you reach out to will never respond back to any of your messages. So even getting these folks on the phone in the first place is already difficult.

But let's say you do manage to land a PM or hiring manager on the phone, then getting him or her to agree to refer you and having that go anywhere is even more tough. Most folks are hesitant to refer people that they've only spoken to once for 30 minutes. After all, when someone does a referral, he or she is essentially putting his or her reputation on the line. And even if this person does actually refer you, that referral doesn't amount to much in the hiring process simply because the person referring you can only say "Well I don't really know him or her nor have we ever worked together but he or she sounded like a good person on the phone and had decent communication skills." Unfortunately that just isn't a strong enough argument for a company trying to find their next product manager.

2) Warm/Strong Networking

Warm or strong networking is more focused around leveraging people you know or have interacted with before to try and get referrals or introductions. This could be friends, former co-workers, old college classmates or professors, ex-roommates or even your training buddies down at the gym. Second degree connections can also work well (ie. you don't know this person directly but both of you share a very close mutual contact). The key is that they know you in some way, shape or form and as such, are much more likely to vouch for you.

The challenge here is that for many of you, you probably simply don't have that many friends or contacts at all these different companies that can refer you. At Product Manager Dojo, we work a lot with international students and particularly for this cohort, since they've only been in the US for a few years, their network just isn't broad or deep enough to really utilize warm networking to its full potential. However if you do, then warm networking is definitely the way to go.

Therefore, if you find yourself doing a lot of cold networking trying to find your next product manager job, then we recommend that your time and effort would be better spent on applying for PM positions directly. Not to say that you should not continue to network, but that most of your efforts should be focused on applying online. The return on investment on applying online in numbers is significantly higher than cold networking.

If you are interested in breaking into product management or are having trouble landing interviews and/or offers, please schedule a free call via the Contact page. We would love to chat and see how Product Manager Dojo can help.