Sachin Rekhi

Listen: SoundCloud | PMLesson
Transcript: PMLesson
Original Essay: 5 Paths To Your First Product Manager Role

I was recently invited on the PMLesson podcast to share the 5 most common paths to landing your first product management role. We discussed each of the following ways to break in as well as best practices for each path to increase your chances of successfully making the leap.

1. The computer science graduate
   
2. The engineering undergrad + recent MBA graduate
   
3. The adjacent role
   
4. The entrepreneur
   
5. The domain expert

Listen: Exponent | Sound Cloud
Transcript: Exponent

Stephen Cognetta invited me to join the Exponent podcast to provide a deep-dive on how to master answering the most common product management interview questions.

We spent quite a bit of time talking about product management case interviews, which have become a very common element of PM interviews these days. We also talked about how to answer more open-ended questions, like why do you want to work at this company? Or why do you want to be a product manager? As well as a question like, tell me about your favorite product and why?

Video: The Style of Product Management
Slides: The Style of Product Management
Essays: The Art of Being Compelling | Engaging in Product Debates

In January I was invited to Atlassian to share my wisdom on product management with the global product organization. I decided to delve into the style of product management, covering some of the critical soft skills that are so crucial for the success of product managers. I dove into the art of making a compelling argument, a task a product manager does every week in their role, whether it's with peers, R&D team members, executives, and more. I shared 6 specific style techniques that can be used to make effective arguments. I also dove into how to engage in productive product debates, which product managers also often find themselves in. I talked about how to make these discussions effective, fruitful, and ideally enjoyable instead of how dreadful they often end up being.

Video: What is Product Management?
Slides: What is Product Management?

In January I was invited to the UserTesting Sales Kick-Off in Napa Valley to give a keynote on product management. This was a far more foundational talk compared to many I've given in the past, really trying to establish what the role is all about for those just starting to get familiar with it.

I set out to address three key questions in this session:

1) Where do product managers fit in the R&D organization?
2) What do product managers do?
3) How do product management roles differ?

Listen on: Mixergy | iTunes

I got a chance to sit down with the famed Andrew Warner of Mixergy, who's shared the startup stories of over 1000+ entrepreneurs in podcasts and videos. In this candid interview we cover everything from my entrepreneurial roots, my first two startups, as well as the story of my current startup, Notejoy.