http://tinyurl.com/cdea7y

Find a really, really pro-active recruiter. I found one a couple of years ago at ABRS. But, this is more about luck than anything else.

Dare I say it, Monster is great as you sit back and get calls on introductions to head-hunter types..(but there is a lot of chaff.)

I’d say Linked-In has become massively useful over the last 6 months, as more and more people use it as a serious way to find people.

Anyone who doesn’t have a job at the mo – good luck!

Wait let me take that back…. I use the term headhunters for unsolicited, off-target cold calls from recruiters who used to print money when things were good.

My opinion changed when I got my last job through a recruiter who really was like a sports “agent”. He coached me through the whole process and was a joy to work with.

So if looking in the Washington DC area, I highly recommend Ryan Keller at JR Associates (boutique firm) – http://www.jrassociates.com/

P.S. no kickbacks were given for this endorsement – not even a $5 *$$$ card (that’s Starbucks for all you SMS junkies).

Most recently, I was part of a downsizing in October that completely eliminated the product marketing department of the company I had been with for 4 years. I think they did the right thing – they realized the only way through the crisis is to sell what they have, with minimal continuing engineering. Once things turn around, they can ramp up for the future again, assuming there is a future remaining for them.

This week I received an offer to start as product marketing manager at a company that recently received their B-round of funding and is in growth mode. Here’s what has worked for me:

- Find a small company or companies that need PM work but can’t afford to hire. Both times I’ve done this through my network contacts. Be flexible – let their business priorities guide your contribution, and don’t be afraid to stretch into new areas – this time around I ended up learning a lot about CPC advertising and SEO, made a great contribution, and learned a valuable new set of skills.
- Start very cheap, or free, and establish your value. Over a short amount of time, you can use the power of reciprocity to negotiate an increase. Both times I’ve done this, I’ve been able to grow my income from a very low starting point to about an $80k/year run rate, which is about half my target compensation, but WAY better than what unemployment pays, and sufficient to keep the bill collectors at bay.
- Once you land this “tweener” position, don’t think of yourself as unemployed, or even underemployed. You’re making a great contribution, you’re still growing, and you’re able to pay your bills. Now be patient, be positive, and let your network work for you.
- Dig in and work hard, and eventually an opportunity will present itself. In my case, both times this came in the form of unpublished positions – the hiring team contacted people in their network looking for good talent, and I got referred into the jobs by previous bosses.

In the first case, my in-between time was about 11 months. This time it was 4. In both cases I enjoyed the work very much, met great new people, and grew my skillset. In both cases, I would have enjoyed continuing the work indefinitely, but had to give it up for “an offer I couldn’t refuse”.

I hope this helps.

Norton

PS – despite trying pretty hard, I’ve never gotten a callback or interview from Monster, the Ladders, Careers.com etc. etc. My resume and cover letter skills apparently stink, or these services just don’t work. They are not part of my strategy at all anymore.

Of the listed product manger jobs, my favorite would be the one at the Hawaii Science & Technology Council…!

- Dr. Jim Anderson
The Accidental PM Blog
“Home Of The Billion Dollar Product Manager”

- Dr. Jim Anderson
The Accidental PM Blog
“Home Of The Billion Dollar Product Manager”