I need some guidance on advancing my product management career. I’m having trouble getting past the final interview stages and want to know what I should focus on to improve my chances.
My Background:
I’m a product manager in Toronto with about 7 years of work experience. I started in telecom doing operations work, then moved to fintech as a product owner, and now I’m at a startup consultancy where I handle both product and client management tasks.
Current Challenge:
For the past few months, I’ve been trying to get back into a regular product role at a fintech or tech company. I’m making it through the initial rounds and case studies, but I keep getting rejected after talking to senior leadership like the head of product or CTO.
The feedback varies. Sometimes they say the position got cancelled or changed to a more senior role. Other times they tell me they picked someone with more specific industry knowledge. I’m not sure if my experience level matches what companies want these days.
What I’m Considering:
- Taking some product management courses to get better at frameworks and strategic thinking
- Working with a career coach who specializes in PM roles
- Switching to strategy or operations roles temporarily to build more expertise
- Going back to school for an MBA to reset my career path
Has anyone else dealt with this kind of situation? What worked for you when you were stuck between interview stages but couldn’t close the deal?