Recently, a recruiter reached out to me. You might have received similar emails from recruiters.
Yet many product managers don’t know how to work with recruiters. Often, they just ignore such emails or use them only to gather salary information. What should do you do if you receive unsolicited recruiting opportunities? How do you evaluate new product manager jobs and work collaboratively with a recruiter?
Step 1: Know What You Want
Some people are annoyed when they receive an email from a recruiter. Yes, there are times when I’ve received poorly written recruiter messages. We all get spam, but the majority of the time, what’s not to like? Someone took the time out to write a nice note, even if it’s an automated note. Who doesn’t like being wanted? Thus, I’m always responded to every recruiter's message.
But before you reply back, do you know why you’re responding?
There is where it’s good to evaluate your current PM job in four areas:
Money: What is your total compensation, including the non-monetary or fringe benefits. Yes, we all have bills to pay.
People: How are the people you’re working with, including your peers and manager? People matter when you are spending a lot of time together.
Role: What are your responsibilities? What do you do most of the day?
Learning: What amount and type of learning are you gaining? Is the things you’re learning the things you want to learn?
There is no correct answer to your self-assessment. Only you can perform it. Two people with the same compensation, working with the same people, doing the same job, and learning the same thing may have vastly different reflections. It depends on your expectations and wants.
After you’ve rated your current PM job in these four areas, you want to ask:
Are you spotting any trends over time? While you might have ranked “learning” low, is this a consistent rating or a recent phenomenon?
Do you value each area equally or is one area very important? For example, maybe it is all about the money and that’s okay.
The entire point of this exercise is to “KNOW WHAT YOU WANT”.
Step 2. MAKE THE RECRUITER UNDERSTAND WHAT MATTERS
Recruiters have a job. That job is to match the company or hiring manager with job candidates. In return, they are compensated. To make the match, many dimensions need to be a “good fit”.
The recruiter has a point of view on what is a good fit, but the candidate, you, should tell the recruiter what’s important. That’s where the KNOW WHAT YOU WANT assessment comes in. Once you know what matters, communicate that to the recruiter.
In most cases, compensation and role are easier for the recruit to assess. A recruiter should know the compensation range and structure. The recruiter should also know some general information about the job responsibilities (YMMV).
On the other hand, most contingency recruiters don’t have as much knowledge about the people or learning. Unlike in-house recruiters, they don’t work at the company they are helping recruit. Thus, unless you’re working with an in-house recruiter, asking and expecting contingent recruiters to discuss candidly the people you’ll work with and what the growth opportunities are is a poorly set expectation. Instead, I often ask how the recruiter knows the hiring manager to know what kind of relationship exists.
Step 3. CRAFT A SPECIFIC REPLY
In most cases, I use a pretty standard reply when a recruiter reaches out. If I’m not interested, I say so upfront and thank the person.
If I am interested, I reply and tell the recruiter two things:
Am I actively job hunting or passively?
What I care about the most in my next role.
At the same time, I ask a few questions to the recruiter.
What’s the name of the company, so I can research their product(s)?
What’s the name of the hiring manager, so I can research the person’s background on LinkedIn?
What is the target compensation range?
Is this an individual contributor or people manager role?
Not every recruiter will be willing to share this information over email. Many will want to jump on a call, but I’ve found that more experienced recruiters understand why you are asking and try to provide the information when it’s available.
Below is an example email template I’ve used.
Thanks <Recruiter’s Name> for contacting me. Appreciate it and hope you’re having a good day.
I’m interested in learning more because I am <actively job hunting>. For my next role, I’m seeking:
A
B
C
But before I get too ahead of myself, would you share the name of the company and hiring manager so I can do some research. If the company is a good fit, I’m happy to jump on a call and give you my resume or any other information you might need so you can get the credit. I understand how contingent recruiters work. Rest assured, it's not my intention apply directly.
If you’re looking for more information about my background, you can find my resume on Linkedin and my product writing on Substack.
Lastly, if you have other questions you want to evaluate me that’s not on my LinkedIn, I’m happy to answer via email.
Hopefully, this saves you and I time.
<Signature>
A closing word on playing the salary game.
Often, I hear product managers talking to recruiters solely as a way to gather information about potential salaries. You don’t need to go through and pretend you’re interested in a new job if the sole objective is to gather salary comparisons. An experienced agency recruiter who has placed candidates is often willing to share current salary information in the market. You can ask directly.
Leave a comment and share what you do when you’re talking to a recruiter. And if you’re a recruiter, tell us what you think PMs should do instead.