The Perfect Product Job Posting

May 30, 2023

Happy Monday everyone! There is a lot going on in the Cleveland Product scene, so let’s get to it!

Article of the Week

I’ve spent a ton of time reading Product job postings, either to explore a new role for myself, find a role to include in this newsletter, or to help someone in my network find a new role. And it’s become a recent obsession of mine to look deeper at these Product job descriptions - from Associate Product Manager to Chief Product Officer - to find what makes a great job description. And what did I find?

I’ve found many awesome Product roles and impressive organizations, but I have found very few awesome Product job descriptions, for lots of reasons. It could be that the job description was unnecessarily wordy (ex. 20 responsibilities). Or the qualifications were outlandish (ex. 10+ years of software engineering). Or the main responsibilities did not sound like a Product role (ex. project management, business analysis, testing, software engineering).

So how do you improve your job description to match the awesomeness of the role? Here are the three aspects I’ve recommended to clients and networking connections when writing amazing Product job descriptions:

  • Industry Title - We all know the titles are important but at the end of the day they also don’t mean a whole lot. When you are hiring, the title means a ton because there are general expectations of the role that the discipline has settled on. So when you are hiring a Senior Product Manager for example, candidates have a general expectation of responsibilities, qualifications, and salary. The role within your organization or industry certainly has nuance to it, but if you are loosely aligned with the industry, you can cast a wide net and get your role in front of as many good candidates as possible. And please, make sure the job description matches the job title.

  • Clear Responsibilities - Make sure the responsibilities are clear for the role. What are the most important daily activities? Who do they report to? Do they have influence or product strategy? Are they empowered to make critical decisions? Who do they work with most often? And one of my favorite - how often do they get to talk to customers? But be careful - don’t list everything. List the most important 5-7 responsibilities so candidates know what the most important aspects of the role are. Listing too many responsibilities shows that the organization doesn’t have clarity of the role, and it could dissuade awesome candidates from applying (particularly women).

  • Inspiring - Product roles are tough. They have many responsibilities and stakeholders. They require technical skills and people skills. They may be responsible for a high-profile or mission-critical Product. What keeps Product people motivated and focused is an inspirational mission and vision, strong Product leadership, and the desire to make an impact. So your job descriptions should clearly convey all that.

Product roles are difficult to fill even if your job descriptions have these three elements. But they are even more difficult if these three are missing. Best of luck in hiring your next great Product role, and feel free to reach out if you need any help!

Extra credit: What do you think of the Product job postings below? Do they pass the test?

Product Jobs of the Week

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About the Author

My name is Shawn Leitner. I started the Cleveland Product networking group in 2017, which helps to connect Product professionals around Cleveland, providing them with a forum to network, learn, and share stories. For my day job, I'm a Product Consultant & Coach for Pathfinder Product and help clients implement strong Product practices so they can create products that their teams love building and their customers love using. Connect with me on LinkedIn or feel free to attend one of my events either virtually or in-person. Always up for meeting for a cup of coffee also!