You're starting a Product Management internship. How can you make the most of it?

To make the most of your Product Management internship, show ownership by treating products as your own, taking full responsibility from start to finish. Conduct thorough research to understand the market, competitors, and customer needs, which will inform your product decisions. Demonstrate dedication and commitment by working hard and going above and beyond in your tasks. Stay curious, continuously seek feedback, and learn from your experiences and colleagues. Lastly, build relationships with colleagues and professionals to gain valuable insights and opportunities.

Before the internship, set goals you want to achieve. Are there certain product skills you want to learn? Set up focus time to dive into your assigned work or project and ask questions when you get stuck but try to troubleshoot on your own first. Your manager will be glad that you tried to navigate it. Set up time to connect and network with other product managers even if you don't directly work with them. Connect with people in product adjacent roles.

When setting goals for your internship, it's essential to do so with purpose and intention. Understanding the "why" behind your goals serves as a guiding light throughout your journey. It not only keeps you accountable but can also act as motivation and inspire you to take action. As you progress towards your goals, this sense of purpose brings a sense of achievement, making your efforts all the more rewarding.

Embarking on a Product Management internship is a thrilling journey of growth and learning. To make the most of it, you should plan to immerse yourself in the world of product management. From building a network to reading industry insights, taking on leadership roles, and managing time effectively, every step will be a building block for your future success. You should aim to seize every opportunity, learn from experienced professionals, and stay curious to absorb all the knowledge this internship has to offer. This experience will not just be an internship; it will be a stepping stone towards a fulfilling career in product management.

In setting goals, prioritize developing a deeper understanding of the company’s culture, values, and mission. Focus on building relationships, not just with your direct team but across other departments. These two fundamental steps span beyond the internship to provide long-term success!

Everything Starts by Understanding the Product always -Unless it's gonna be overwhelming your self you just try to catch everything but noting -my favorite Product Person Marty Cagan Once said product manager is a creator not a facilitator - If you don't have clear understanding for the product you will lost. 1. Understand What's going to be developed 2. Understand Why you need to develop that feature 3. Understand for who you are going to develop that - Understand User need 4. Understand How it's gonna work like the future Every step starts with understanding and the Question why? -Like If the Why is strong the how gonna be simple.

Starting a product management internship is the best place to put all that you have learnt in theory to practice. Don’t be scared of putting your hands to work, don’t shy away from tasks! To do this and excel in your internship, you need to first start with the basic steps; a clear understanding of your product, the goals, objectives and vision of the product. A clear of understanding of your product will help you with your research, development and tasks.

Gaining a thorough understanding of your product is crucial. Immerse yourself in its vision, strategy, and development stages. Engage with it as a user, gather and analyze user feedback, and continuously question and explore its aspects to uncover insights about its impact, user needs, and market opportunities. This deep dive will equip you with the knowledge to drive its growth effectively.

Take the time to thoroughly understand the product or products you'll be working on. Familiarize yourself with its features, functionalities, target audience, and competitive landscape. Dive deep into user personas, customer feedback, and market research to gain insights into user needs and pain points.

Deeply understanding the product is essential, but go beyond the surface. Become a product advocate. Identify passionate users: Connect with those who truly love the product to understand their needs and motivations. Analyze competitor offerings: Understand your product's unique value proposition in the market. Develop a product vision: Contribute to shaping the product's future direction based on your insights. By becoming a product advocate, you showcase your potential as a future product leader.

First, a deep understanding of the product(s) is highly required. Also knowing what the users need and what makes them want to come back to the product. When this is done, you'll need to have a clear understanding of what the business goals are for the product. After these, you'll need to find out what your personal goals are and what success means for you in the next 3 - 6 months in the role. With your product sense, ensure you focus on aligning these 3(your personal goals, business goals and user goals). Lastly be open to corrections and feedbacks and that will set you on the right path for continous improvement and growth. Iterate until you get there.

Learn everything possible about the product you are managing. Get closer to the users of the product and get to understand their pain point. To get this pain points get a feel of the product itself and delve deeper into what problems it has. This helps a lot. Never stop looking for problems. The more problems you find the better for the product.

Networking can improve the outcome of any internship. For example, you may be put on a team of 6 working on a small project. Networking and seeking other opportunites outside of your team gives you exposure throughout the entire organization and makes you a candidate that is eager to learn.

Take advantage of the opportunity to learn from experienced Product Managers, engineers, designers, and other cross-functional team members. Shadow them during meetings, collaborate on projects, and ask questions to gain insights into their roles, responsibilities, and best practices.

Seek mentorship, but don't limit yourself to just your manager. Connect with product managers across different teams and levels. Cross-functional learning: Understand the challenges and perspectives of other roles involved in product development. Industry insights: Learn about different industries and how product management is approached in various contexts. Networking opportunities: Build relationships with potential mentors and future collaborators. A diverse network expands your knowledge and opens doors to new opportunities

Be on the look out for critical tasks that have been kept on hold simply because of the low bandwidth of the team. It may be a good place to leave a mark. It could be documentation, analysis, proper reporting, etc. Think of it this way - "What would you be remembered for when the your internship is over?"

It can be difficult to understand, then influence in the Product space through an internship. Be a sponge to understand the concepts of Product vs the Product itself. Offer up assistance to run an analysis or data driven exercise.

Take initiative by asking as many questions as possible and don't self reject by thinking that a question you may have is not important. If you are in a supportive environment the fact that you are asking questions shows that you are curious and have a growth mindset and that will really bode well for your growth and allow you to make the most of the experience.

Learn learn learn. Even though it’s an internship role that initiative and learn on the job as well. You already have theoretical knowledge of what is required but this time go the extra mile to make it happen and showcase how you can be of great value. I hope this helps someone reading this.

Once you’ve understood what the product is trying to achieve: - Be bold and loud about your ideas and suggestions - Do the customer research, do the analysis and gather the feedback faster than who was assigned to to it and share as your contribution - Always ask for feedback on things you try out on your own These three things endear you to the team and management and shows that in time you’d be invaluable as an employee

These are proven steps to earning team's trust below; firstly, you have to be data-oriented. When you make decisions that affect business or user needs. Ensure you're not working with assumptions. Back up your claims with real data. Secondly note that as a product manager you're not directly managing the people in your team but rather you're managing the product. Therefore you need to work with influence as against authority. Find ways to influence your team members to drive the product instead of seeking to manage them. Thirdly, endavour to not go back on your words. Ensure to deliver and commit to things you mention you'll do. Finally ensure to work with empathy, listen actively for improvements and give appraisals when needed.

-Find a mentor you can shadow, possibly a superior you learn faster when you watch others. -Get your hand on task, take initiative, and keep working on projects outside your comfort zone. -And take feedback from your superiors as an opportunity to get better, all these will help you achieve your goal and put you in line for greater opportunities.

Reflection is crucial, but seek constructive feedback regularly. Identify areas for improvement: Ask for specific feedback on your strengths and weaknesses. Set actionable goals: Develop a plan to address areas for growth. Build a growth mindset: Embrace challenges as opportunities to learn and develop. Continuous improvement is key to a successful career in product management.

Regularly reflect on your experiences, achievements, and areas for improvement during the internship. Keep a journal, gather feedback from mentors and supervisors, and identify opportunities to enhance your skills and competencies. Use this feedback to set new goals and make continuous improvements.

Embrace failure as part of the learning process. Not every idea will be a winner, and not every initiative will succeed as planned. What matters is what you learn from these experiences and how you apply those lessons in the future. Documenting these lessons can be incredibly valuable, not just for your personal growth but also as a resource for others in your organization or your network.

Here are some tips I'll give a product manager intern: 1. Be proactive by suggesting ideas, volunteering for projects, or offering to help colleagues. 2. Regularly ask questions when you're unsure about how to go about a task and seek feedback on your performance from your supervisor and peers. 3. Learn as much as you can from different teams and how they contribute to the product lifecycle. 4. Focus on building essential product management skills such as user research, data analysis, roadmap planning, and communication. 5. Keep a detailed record of the projects you work on, the skills you develop, and the outcomes you achieve. This documentation can be useful for your resume, future interviews, and personal reflection.

As an intern, you may work with stakeholders that find it difficult to trust your decisions but overtime, making data-driven decisions and having profound reasons for why you took that decision would buy their trust

One thing, I found really helpful is being very proactive during your journey. Volunteer for roles you wish to master, connect with people who are more experienced than you, be inquisitive and voice out areas where you have difficulties. This way you will get help quicker. Refuse to stay on the sidelines while everyone else is getting tasks done. Put yourself out there. Let everyone know what you can do, and even if you can't do it very well, you are allowed to learn on the job.

Starting a Product Management internship is a chance to grow professionally. Set clear goals, be proactive in seeking learning opportunities, and actively seek feedback. Network with industry professionals, stay updated on trends and document your achievements. Build positive relationships and stay flexible to make the most of your internship experience.