How to Get Into Product Management in 2026

Breaking into product management without experience feels impossible. Job postings demand 3-5 years of PM experience. Bootcamps promise shortcuts for thousands of dollars. Headlines claim AI will replace product managers entirely.

The reality? I've interviewed over 100 product managers throughout my career, and the most successful career transitions didn't come from expensive courses or panic about AI—they came from strategic preparation and understanding what actually matters in this role.

In this article, I'll share practical strategies to help you identify which companies will be a great fit for you and how to land your first product management job in 2026—including how to leverage AI as your competitive advantage rather than fear it as your replacement.

Understanding What Product Management Really Is

Before diving into tactics, let's address something many candidates overlook. Books like INSPIRED describe the ideal state of product organizations. But reality always looks different.

More than 70% of companies don't have a product vision, strategy, or roadmap. They expect you to create them. Many teams don't work in an agile fashion and aren't autonomous. There's a lot of top-down decision-making out there. You'll need to talk to many people to make changes to the product. And you're definitely not the boss of your team members.

That's totally fine—and actually represents an opportunity.

Product management requires energy and focus. You'll learn to deal with pressure, uncertainty, chaos, and people. It won't be easy, but understanding these realities upfront gives you an advantage over candidates who expect textbook conditions. Understanding what makes a great product manager will help you focus on developing the right skills from day one.

I recommend reading about the key experiences that changed how I think about product. It contains learnings and wrong expectations I had when I started working in product.

How AI Is Changing Product Management in 2026

Let's address the elephant in the room: Will AI replace product managers?

The short answer is no—but AI will absolutely change how product managers work. And here's the good news for aspiring PMs: about 75% of a product manager's day involves meetings and stakeholder management. This "people work" is the least susceptible to automation and won't be automated by AI anytime soon.

"AI will not replace you, but a person using AI might."

This quote captures exactly what you need to understand. AI isn't your competitor—it's your force multiplier. PMs who learn to use AI tools effectively will outcompete those who don't.

Skills That AI Amplifies

AI makes certain PM activities dramatically faster and more effective:

• Research synthesis: Analyzing customer feedback, market research, and competitive intelligence
• Documentation: Writing PRDs, user stories, and technical specifications
• Prototyping: Creating mockups and validating concepts quickly
• Data analysis: Finding patterns in usage data and metrics

Skills AI Cannot Replace

These remain fundamentally human and increasingly valuable:

• Stakeholder alignment: Navigating organizational politics and building consensus
• Strategic thinking: Making trade-offs between competing priorities
• Cross-functional leadership: Inspiring engineers, designers, and business teams
• Customer empathy: Understanding the emotional and contextual needs behind user requests
• Ethical judgment: Making decisions about what should be built, not just what can be built

If you're entering product management in 2026, your AI fluency is a competitive advantage. Show that you can use AI tools in your side projects. Mention specific tools you've used (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, AI prototyping tools) in your CV. Prepare to discuss how AI could enhance your target company's product strategy in interviews.

Finding the Right Product Management Job

There are several questions I recommend asking yourself when looking for your first product role. Don't just think about them—write down your answers:

Why Do You Want to Become a Product Manager?

"Always start with why" is a great quote from Simon Sinek. What's your "why" and what makes you excited about product?

What Are Your Strengths?

Do you have a technical background? Do you love design and user interfaces? Are you good with numbers and data? What do you want to learn in the near future?

What Industry Would You Like to Work in?

This is a key question. What industries interest you? Don't answer with "I have no preferences" or "I like them all." Be specific and choose your top 3-5 industries.

If you're struggling, ask yourself which products you enjoy using. That might help identify the industry.

In Which Environment Would You Like to Work?

Are you more of a startup person who likes working closely with colleagues and sharing responsibilities? Do you prefer structured environments in bigger companies? Are you more interested in big B2B projects or do you like to change the lives of end customers (B2C)?

Once you've got clarity, start searching for job opportunities. And once you find some...

Don't Apply Right Away

These are your hot leads. I recommend first applying to jobs you're less interested in to train and gather interview experience. Save your dream companies for when you've practiced.

Should You Take a PM Course or Bootcamp?

This is a question I get asked constantly. My honest answer: it depends, but many aspiring PMs waste money on expensive bootcamps that don't deliver on their promises.

"A lot of boot camps are simply overselling an idea with a lot of promises."

Here's when a PM course might help:

• You have zero exposure to product thinking and need structured foundations
• The course offers hands-on projects with real feedback
• It includes mentorship from working product managers
• The price is reasonable (under $500) or employer-sponsored

Here's when to skip the bootcamp:

• It costs thousands of dollars and promises guaranteed job placement
• The curriculum is mostly video lectures without hands-on application
• It focuses heavily on FAANG-style case interviews (most PM jobs don't interview this way)
• You can learn the same content through free resources

Free Alternatives That Work

• Podcasts: Product Bakery (my podcast), Lenny's Podcast, The Product Podcast
• Books: See the Essential PM Books section below
• Communities: Mind the Product, Product School Slack, local PM meetups
• AI-powered learning: Use ChatGPT or Claude to create personalized learning paths and quiz yourself on PM concepts

The best investment is building something yourself—which brings us to side projects.

Building Experience Through Side Projects

You may have heard that companies prefer candidates with experience. That's true. But there's a way to gain experience in a short timeframe without needing a PM job first.

You don't need to build the next Facebook or Amazon. Here are some practical projects that demonstrate product thinking:

• Build your own personal website
• Start a blog or newsletter about a topic you're passionate about
• Build landing pages to test product ideas
• Become an active member of a community or club
• Open and grow a Facebook group, Discord server, or Reddit community
• Start a book club and facilitate discussions
• Host a podcast (maybe together with a friend)

How to Use AI in Your Side Projects

In 2026, demonstrating AI fluency through side projects is a significant differentiator. Consider:

• Using AI to analyze user feedback or survey responses for your project
• Creating AI-enhanced features (chatbots, recommendation engines, content generation)
• Documenting how you used AI tools to accelerate your development process
• Building a portfolio site with AI-generated design variations you tested

At the end of the day, it's not about building a website or community with 100k visitors. It's about the fact that you built something from scratch and can articulate the product decisions you made along the way.

If you spent the next 30 days, every day, for 1 hour on a side project, how many new things will you have learned afterward? These are experiences no one can take away from you.

Polishing Your PM CV

There are great templates on the internet. But ask yourself: who are you writing your CV for? As a headhunter or hiring manager, you read through hundreds of CVs per week. On average, you only have 2 minutes to review a CV and make a decision.

What can you do to stand out?

Do This

Your CV should be easy to read. Use space and make sure all your experiences are listed vertically in one column. That's the easiest way to read it. If you put achievements in two columns, it might look fancy but is hard to scan.

List the most relevant topics in bullet points and highlight key achievements and learnings. Be specific.

Bad example: "Introduced a new feature to increase sales"

Good example: "Developed and launched a credit card checkout feature that increased conversion rate by 15%"

If you can't explain specifically what you've done and why, you're out. The art of product management is clear communication in written and verbal form.

For side projects, make them specific to the job you're applying for. If you're applying for a Junior PM role in eCommerce where data analysis is required, highlight that you analyzed your website with Google Analytics and decreased bounce rate by doing XYZ.

Highlight AI Experience

In 2026, add a section or bullet points about AI tools you've used:

• "Used ChatGPT to synthesize 50+ customer interview transcripts and identify key themes"
• "Built a prototype using AI-assisted design tools, reducing iteration time by 60%"
• "Created product documentation using AI writing assistants, then refined for accuracy"

Don't Do This

Don't try to squeeze everything onto one page if you have a long vita. Use space and make sure content is easy to read.

I have a strong opinion about skill ratings like "5/5 Jira, 4/5 Scrum, 3/5 German." Don't do that. What does 5/5 Jira mean? Are you sure you know everything about Jira? There are always people who know more and might grill you during the interview. Highlight them as core skills without the rating.

Don't fake your CV. If you worked for 2 years as a Product Designer and got promoted to Product Manager for another year, don't claim 3 years of PM experience. People will find out. Honesty is the best policy.

Targeting Your Applications

Instead of mass applications, focus on your hot leads. Update your cover letter and CV for each application.

Let's look at an example fintech Product Manager role (from Trade Republic):

• Gain deep insights into the mechanics of a high-performance fintech bank
• Manage your own key projects and develop new trading functionalities from scratch
• Be responsible for analyzing and managing new trading features from concept to launch
• Manage and extend external partnerships within trading, settlement, and regulatory services
• Understand the trading ecosystem, competitor landscape, and customer needs through research
• Collaborate closely with Engineering, UX, Operations, Legal, Marketing, and Business Development

The key requirements from this posting:

• Data and insights
• Project management end-to-end
• External partnerships (negotiation)
• Market research and domain expertise
• Decision making
• Collaboration

If applying for this role, highlight these topics in your application. Use the same vocabulary from the job ad in your cover letter. People compare your CV to the job ad—the more matching points, the higher the likelihood you'll make it to the next round.

Essential Product Management Books to Read

Before your interviews, read at least one or two of these foundational books:

• Inspired by Marty Cagan — The classic guide to building tech products customers love
• Continuous Discovery Habits by Teresa Torres — How to continuously engage with customers to inform product decisions
• Escaping the Build Trap by Melissa Perri — How to become an outcome-focused organization

If asked in interviews what you're reading or which books shaped your thinking, these are excellent answers.

Preparing for the PM Interview

To land a job as a PM, you need a basic understanding of product and engineering processes. It's crucial to understand how to plan and build products, including working with user stories and epics and collaborating with engineering teams and stakeholders.

"Product management is like learning language—being dumped in the environment is the fastest way to learn." — Shaun Russell

Next to the product management craft, you should be able to pitch yourself. Make sure you're authentic. When people ask you to introduce yourself, they listen carefully. The way someone talks about themselves says a lot.

If you're not sure about your pitch, train with friends, colleagues, or consider working with a Product Coach. They can provide structured feedback and help you identify blind spots.

There are non-negotiables for PM interview preparation:

• Check out the company homepage (especially "About us")
• Use the product and sign up if possible
• Take notes about things that are unclear or you don't understand
• Google the founders and C-Level executives
• Check YouTube for talks and interviews
• Check social media activities
• Figure out what customers think about the product through reviews

Be Ready to Discuss AI

In 2026, expect questions about AI in product strategy. Prepare answers for:

• "How would you use AI to improve our product?"
• "What AI tools do you use in your work?"
• "How should we think about AI-powered features for our users?"

The Expert-Level Tip

One of my mentees recently applied for a healthcare company. He figured out that competitors had launched multiple new features. He created a 13-page slide deck highlighting the pros and cons of the competition, plus suggestions on how the company could respond with better features.

He shared that presentation with the VP of Product via LinkedIn before the interview.

He walked the extra mile. He got the job.

If you do something like this, your presentation must be on point. He added substantial data and spent about 10 hours analyzing the market.

Cracking the PM Interview

Not every company interviews like Google or Facebook. Here are basics that will help you stand out:

Answering Questions on Point

What matters is what you say and how you say it. Great product managers are great communicators. Be honest, transparent, and clear.

The STAR framework helps structure your answers:

• Situation: Explain the circumstances of your example
• Task: Describe your role and responsibility
• Action: Explain exactly what steps you took
• Result: Share the outcomes of your actions

Keep sentences short. Make full stops. That's what PMs do.

When discussing collaboration, use "we" instead of "I." They want to know if you're a team player.

Always Be Honest

Leaders want to figure out what you don't know. No one expects you to know everything. If you don't know something, admit it and follow up on what the answer is. That shows you're curious, humble, and willing to learn.

Ask Good Questions

It's not only about your answers—it's also about the questions you ask.

Company-related questions:

• What's the company vision and where do you see yourself in 2-5 years?
• How many people are you planning to hire in the next 6 months?
• How are you planning to evolve your current business model?
• What's the current focus of the leadership team?
• What makes your competitor [name] so strong?

Product-related questions:

• How do you measure success for the feature you're building currently?
• What's the North Star KPI for this product?
• How big is the team and in which framework do they work?
• What do your customers like most about the product?
• What's the biggest pain point customers want you to solve?

Questions for yourself:

• What will be the biggest challenge for me when I start?
• What books should I read before I start working here?
• What's the career path for a Junior Product Manager?
• How are new Product Managers onboarded?

One More Secret to Finding Your PM Job

You might have noticed I haven't added CV examples or cover letter templates in this article. I did that on purpose.

Do you think your future boss will provide templates to define a product strategy? Or a roadmap? Or how to solve conflicts?

They won't. There's no silver bullet to success. You can't lose 50 pounds by going to the gym once.

Product management is all about self-empowerment. Great product people are willing to fail, learn, and iterate. Persistence is the best way to succeed.

The 2026 PM is AI-augmented but human-centered. Master the tools, but never forget that your ability to understand people, navigate complexity, and make difficult trade-offs is what makes you irreplaceable.

I wish you all the success in your job search. If you'd like to discuss your progress, reach out to me on LinkedIn.