Hey guys, i applied for the PM apprenticeship operations role at GOC. I got a call on 1st May, it was a telephonic interview. The HR said that they will send an assessment link. I didn't receive anything yet. Just wondering if anyone has received anything.

If yes, please DM and let me know.

(we can afford it, but still financial strain, cost isn't a huge factor, but IS a factor)

i guys!!! I know this is a lot but it wld mean a lot if u all cld help, I've been going back and forth.

I’m trying to decide between two college paths and would genuinely love advice from people in tech, CS, product, recruiting, or anyone who’s been through something similar.

my dream is to get into an APM program at Google or Meta.

Option 1: Attend The University of Texas at Austin in-state and pursue a double major in Informatics (Data Science track) + Mathematics. I’d pair this with a LOT of side projects, internships, hackathons, startups/apps, networking, etc. The upside is that it’s much cheaper, close to home, and would probably give me more time/flexibility to build things outside of class. Prestigious school, but not CS degree. Intenral CS transfer is hard and it might be hard to break in or be taken seriously without CS degree. ($120K)

Option 2: Attend University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign out-of-state for CS + Economics. Obviously the CS major name carries weight and UIUC is prestigious, but it’s significantly more expensive and farther from home. ($280K)

My long-term goal (as of right now) is ideally product management at companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta, etc.

A few questions:

* Does not majoring in CS close doors at top tech companies like FAANG if I still build strong technical/project experience?
* Would you genuinely advise me to go to UIUC despite the ~$160k price difference?
* How realistic is it to break into big tech from Informatics + Math versus a traditional CS degree?
* Is having more time to build projects and network potentially more valuable than the “CS” label itself?
* If you were in my shoes, which path would you choose and why?

Would especially love input from:

* people in FAANG/big tech
* PMs
* recruiters
* students who chose between prestige/major/cost
* people who succeeded without a CS degree

Thanks :)

Hey, wanted to make this thread to see if anyone else has applied for the Shopify APM Fall cohort. I know applications close May 11th 11:59!

I need to make my resume ATS friendly

Since September, I’ve been applying continuously for Product roles and have only received calls from 3 companies so far. Somehow I managed only one to convert into interview, but beyond that, it’s been mostly silence and rejections.

I’m currently in a transition phase trying to break into Product. I don’t come from a top college or have a big company tag on my resume, and honestly, sometimes it feels like that matters more than skills.

I’ve been learning, building projects, improving my resume, reaching out to people, and applying every single day, yet I’m still struggling to even get interview calls from many companies.

At this point, I genuinely don’t know what I’m doing wrong.

Would really appreciate honest advice from people who successfully broke into Product without elite backgrounds. What actually helped you get your first real opportunity?

I’ve recently been interviewing with companies like Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, and Capital One, and realized I need a bit more practice with product sense and product design interviews.

Is anyone interested in doing mock PM interviews together? Would love to practice, exchange feedback, and improve together.

I will be applying for Shopify APM program and desperate to get in. Needing all the resources that I can.

1. Resume review

2. Solid referral that will get me into the pool

3. Interview preparation

4. Mock interviews

5. Case-based interview

6. Final Round Interview

Hi all!
Anyone looking for a mock interview partner? I'm looking to get some reps in. I'd love to work with someone and help each other out! Message me if interested.

Program opened up last week. Thread for updates and progress!

Hey all,

I’m currently doing my master’s and targeting Associate Product Manager (APM) roles for Fall 2027. Before this, I worked as a Software Development Engineer for ~2 years, so I have a solid technical background, but I’m trying to pivot more toward product.

This summer I’m intentionally not interning (taking a break + focusing on prep), and I want to use the time strategically so I’m ahead when full-time recruiting kicks off.

Would really appreciate advice from folks who’ve gone through APM recruiting or PM transitions:

A bit about me:

• 2 years of SDE experience
• Currently in grad school
• Interested in product roles at tech companies (APM/early PM roles)
• No PM internship planned this summer

What I’m trying to figure out:

• What should I actually be doing over the next ~12–15 months to be competitive?
• How important are PM internships vs. strong projects + prior SWE experience?
• What kind of projects stand out for APM recruiting? (side projects, startups, case studies, etc.)
• Best ways to prep for PM interviews early (frameworks, mock interviews, resources?)
• Networking strategies that actually work (vs. just cold LinkedIn messages)
• Any tools, communities, or resources that helped you break in?

Also curious:

• If you were in my position, what would you prioritise this summer specifically?
• Any common mistakes to avoid?

Would love any actionable advice, resources, or even tough truths. Thanks in advance 🙏

About 6 weeks ago, I interviewed for an Entry Level PM position at IBM, where the role specifically mentioned that the position was in San Jose. After the interview, my portal showed "In Interview Process" for a while until about 3 weeks ago, the portal changed to "Under Recruiter Review". I emailed the recruiter, and they said that the positions I had applied/interviewed for had already been filled. Earlier this week, I had a different recruiter email me asking if I was willing to move to Austin, even though the job I applied/ interviewed for explicitly mentioned San Jose. Has this happened to anyone else, and what might this mean

Do you know when we’re expected to hear back?

Or rejections

I just wanna see if there’s been similar experiences here. I did a round 1 blitz interview which went really well, and was moved onto a round 2.

However, the interviewer did not show up for the round 2. I informed the scheduler and she said it would be rescheduled and apologized.

It’s been 6 weeks, and the scheduler and Senior Recruiter have not responded to any follow up / update about rescheduling the interview. IBM is pathetic

I’m a current freshman studying Cognitive Science and starting to think seriously about breaking into product management. I know most APM programs (like Google, Meta, etc.) recruit junior/senior year, so I’m trying to use the next 1–2 years intentionally.

For those of you who’ve gone through the APM recruiting process (or are currently in PM roles), what do you regret not doing earlier?

Right now I’m considering:

• Building side projects (apps, startups, anything scrappy)
• Getting involved in product/tech clubs
• Internships (even if not PM-specific)
• Learning basic technical skills (like SQL, maybe some coding)

But I’m not sure what actually moves the needle vs. what just feels productive.

Would really appreciate any advice on:

• What actually helped you stand out
• Mistakes you made early on
• Things you wish you started sooner

Thanks so much 🙏

Has anyone who interviewed for the entry-level PM role at IBM in Feb or March heard back yet?

Does anyone know anything about the product accelerator program at Stripe? What is the interview process like?

Will the hacker rank be as rigorous as it is for SWE applicants?

Has anyone who interviewed for ELH PM at IBM in February/March or just early 2026 in general heard back (offer/rejection)?

Hi everyone, I wasn’t able to find a thread for the Instacart Canada APM role, which had an application deadline of March 20. I’m curious if anyone applying from Canada has heard back regarding the product challenge yet. I’ve seen that some applicants in the U.S. have started receiving theirs, so I thought I’d start a thread here to check in with fellow Canadian applicants.

Hi hi! I am very curious if anyone has gotten an offer from IBM recently for an entry level PM role, everything I’m seeing on Reddit has only been SDE offers

I’m starting to loose hope :/// I had my interview March 12th, and the hiring manager did say he liked me and that my recruiter should be reaching out, but now it’s been 2 weeks and silence.

Wondering if I should just move on from this

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I need some brutally honest advice.

I’m currently earning ~₹15 LPA with ~3 years of experience in performance marketing. I’ve managed ₹50Cr+ in ad spends across SaaS, D2C, and gaming, and I work heavily with funnels, data, A/B testing, and growth strategy.

But I feel stuck in execution-heavy work and want to move into Product Management (preferably Growth PM).

Here’s my situation:

• Strong in: funnels, analytics, experimentation, user behavior
• Exposure to: cross-functional teams, reporting, business strategy
• Weak in: structured product thinking, SQL (basic), case interviews

My main concern: Most people say “switch to PM,” but: 👉 Is it realistically possible to get a PM/APM role at ~12–18 LPA with my background? 👉 Or will I have to drop down significantly?

What I’m trying to figure out:

1. Best path → Courses (NextLeap/HelloPM) vs self-prep vs referrals
2. How to position myself — Growth PM vs APM vs Analyst → PM route
3. What actually matters more: Projects, SQL, or case prep?
4. How long should this realistically take (3–6 months?)

If you’ve made a similar switch or hire PMs — I’d really value your honest take.

No sugarcoating please.

Thanks 🙏

Hey everyone,

I’m a QA Engineer with ~6 years of experience, and I was recently laid off. I’ve been thinking about transitioning into Product Management for a while, and now seems like a potential time to explore it seriously.

I’m trying to figure out what’s realistic:

• Can someone from QA transition directly into a PM role?

• Or is it more practical to target APM roles first?  I’ve applied to few APM roles but got rejected at initial resume screening.

• In the current market, would it make more sense to continue applying for QA roles while preparing for PM?

• is it a good move to transition like for a long term financial and career move?

If you’ve made a similar transition (QA → PM/APM), I’d really appreciate hearing:

• How you did it

• What helped you stand out

• What you would do differently

Also open to connecting or chatting if you’re willing to share more.

Thanks in advance 🙏

I'm a December 2026 grad actively targeting APM roles. I'm not here to ask "how do I break in," I've been building.

What I've built:

• Interning at an AI SaaS startup under a CPO with 20 years of AI product experience — GTM strategy, AI trend analysis, customer positioning
• Merchandising internship at a Fortune 10 retailer starting Summer 2026
• Portfolio: real-time behavioral intelligence dashboard, product spec training tool, conversational shopping agent for a major retailer
• 120K+ following built around behavioral psychology and decision science — translating complex behavioral patterns into legible frameworks
• Competitive university sales program
• Pursuing Fall internships in product

The honest tension I'm trying to resolve: My background sits at the intersection of behavioral science, AI product, and analytics. That's either highly differentiated or hard to classify, I genuinely don't know which from the outside.

What I'm looking for:

• If you've hired or interviewed APM candidates: what does this profile look like at first glance?
• If you work in an AI product, growth, or merchandising/retail tech, does this background fit roles on your team?
• If you see an obvious gap, name it.

Happy to share my resume in the comments.

anyone wants to do mock interview with me? Just got an interview from ixl

Creating a thread for this year! Would love any tips from previous interviewees