I’m trying to create something like a structured roadmap for the next three months before I start seriously applying to APM programs and direct roles. I don’t have any contacts in PM yet—no mentors, no PM friends, nothing. I have a finance background and decent analytical skills, but I’m basically starting from scratch in terms of knowing who to talk to or what the actual landscape looks like for entry into PM. I’ve been reading a lot about the importance of networking, but “go network” isn’t a plan.
So I’m trying to map out something more like: which types of people should I actually be trying to talk to first? Should I start with APMs or more senior PMs? Should I be attending events or is that a waste of time relative to cold outreach? How do I actually use the first 90 days to build both knowledge (like understanding what good product thinking looks like) and genuine connections (not just transactional coffee chats)? Is there a sequence that makes sense here that’s smarter than just blasting out 100 cold messages and hoping something sticks?
I feel like I need to build a map before I start executing, because I don’t want to waste the first few months doing inefficient stuff. What would you do if you were starting from truly zero?
ok so real talk: theres no magic sequence. you start by talking to whoever will talk to you, and you look for patterns in who responds and why. first 30 days, just focus on getting any meetings. apm candidates, senior pms, doesnt matter. the goal is understanding how people think about this stuff. only after 4-5 conversations do you start targeting more strategically based on what youve learned.
ok so like exploration phase first then strategy phase? that makes sense
Strategic 90-day structure optimizes for both knowledge acquisition and relationship building. Days 1-30: Research phase. Consume one PM-focused podcast weekly, read case studies from three companies you find interesting, and conduct 8-10 informational conversations with anyone in product (APMs, junior PMs, senior PMs—variety matters). Goal is understanding the landscape, not building specific relationships. Days 31-60: Pattern recognition phase. Analyze which conversations were substantive, which people seemed genuinely invested in helping, which companies aligned with your values. Target 6-8 deeper conversations with people who seemed most engaged. Goal is selective relationship-building. Days 61-90: Strategic targeting phase. Based on patterns identified, create shortlist of 10-15 target roles or managers. Refine outreach based on everything learned previously. This sequence typically yields 2-3 high-quality connections by day 90.
Creating a structured plan is a great move! You’re going to build genuine connections through this thoughtful approach!
I mapped out something similar and it actually helped a lot. First month I just talked to people, asked bad questions, learned what I didn’t know. Second month I could ask better questions. By month three I actually understood what I was looking for. The progression felt natural and I wasn’t just copy-pasting cold messages toward the end.
90-day networking effectiveness increases measurably with structured sequencing. Phase 1 (exploration): 10-12 conversations, target 25-30% response rate from cold outreach, success metric is conversation completion regardless of depth. Phase 2 (qualification): 6-8 deeper conversations, target 40-50% response rate to follow-ups with demonstrated learning, success metric is genuine mutual interest. Phase 3 (targeting): 4-6 strategic conversations, target 60%+ response rate reflecting relationship quality, success metric is introductions or direct hiring conversations. Total outcome goal: 3-4 actionable connections by day 90. Response rates improve significantly when introducing genuine learning between phases rather than treating all outreach identically.
also, dont wait for some perfect moment to start reaching out. like literally this week, make a list of 10 people, write them personalized messages, and send them. the sooner you get the first conversation under your belt, the faster you learn what actually works.
ok im making that list today. just gotta start somewhere at this point
I went to a couple PM meetups early on and honestly it was useful just to hear how people talked about problems. Gave me vocabulary for my later conversations. One person from a meetup actually turned into a real connection later. So events can help if you’re thinking of them as learning, not as direct networking.
90-day timeline expectation data: assuming 50-100 cold outreaches over 90 days, expect 5-8 initial conversations. Of those, roughly 40-50% convert to second conversation. Of second conversations, approximately 25-35% result in ongoing relationship or introduction. This yields 0.5-1.5 high-value connections per 100 outreaches. Your 90-day goal of 3-4 actionable connections requires approximately 200-300 total outreaches (cold messages plus event networking combined), suggesting 2.5-3.5 new outreaches daily across the period. This volume enables sufficient pipeline diversity to source strategic connections.
last thing—keep notes on who you talk to and what they said. youll start seeing patterns way faster if youre actually documenting the conversations instead of just doing them and forgetting them.
notes are a great idea actually. gonna set up a spreadsheet to track this
Documentation serves multiple purposes: (1) identifies patterns in your own thinking and questions you’re asking, (2) enables more thoughtful follow-ups referencing previous discussion, (3) reveals who showed genuine interest versus obligatory engagement, (4) creates audit trail of your learning progression visible in later conversations. This meta-awareness typically accelerates relationship quality significantly because you’re not repeating early mistakes across all conversations. By conversation 10-15, you’ll have markedly better questions and positioning because you can see your own improvement.