How do you demonstrate your product's impact to potential employers?

1 Define your product's impact

The first step to demonstrate your product's impact is to define what impact means for your product and how you measure it. Impact can be different for different products, depending on the problem you are solving, the market you are serving, and the goals you are pursuing. For example, impact can be measured by revenue, retention, engagement, satisfaction, referrals, social good, or other metrics. You should be able to articulate what impact your product has on your customers, users, and the business, and how you track and report it.

2 Showcase your product's impact

The second step to demonstrate your product's impact is to showcase it in various ways, depending on the context and the audience. For instance, creating a portfolio or website that includes screenshots, videos, demos, testimonials, case studies, and data can help you highlight your product's impact. Additionally, updating your resume and LinkedIn profile with quantifiable achievements and results can be beneficial. Furthermore, preparing a pitch or story that summarizes your product's impact in a concise and compelling way using the STAR framework can be useful. Lastly, sharing your product's impact on social media, blogs, podcasts, newsletters, or other platforms can help you reach and engage with other product managers and influencers.

3 Align your product's impact

The third step to demonstrate your product's impact is to align it with the needs and expectations of the potential employers you are targeting. To do this, research and analyze the company, product, market, and role you are applying for, and tailor your product's impact accordingly. Highlight relevant skills, competencies, and experiences that match the job description and company culture. Emphasize the value proposition and differentiation of your product in relation to the company's product or market needs. Also, address the challenges and opportunities that the company or product is facing or pursuing, and how your product's impact can help or contribute.

4 Validate your product's impact

The fourth step to demonstrate your product's impact is to validate it with evidence and feedback. You should be able to back up your claims and statements with data, facts, and testimonials that support and verify your product's impact. For instance, you can provide metrics, charts, graphs, reports, or dashboards that demonstrate the before-and-after or the trend of your product's impact over time. Additionally, you can share customer or user feedback, reviews, ratings, surveys, or interviews that reflect your product's impact on their needs, pain points, or goals. Moreover, collecting endorsements, recommendations, references, or awards that recognize your product's impact on the industry, the community, or the society is also essential for validating its impact.

6 Demonstrate your product's impact

The sixth and final step to demonstrate your product's impact is to actually demonstrate it in action, if possible and appropriate. Showing your potential employers how your product works, how it solves a problem, how it delights a user, or how it achieves a goal is key. To do this, you can bring a laptop, tablet, smartphone, or device that can run your product and offer to show a live demo or walkthrough of the features and benefits. Additionally, creating a mockup, prototype, wireframe, or storyboard that illustrates how your product's impact can be applied or improved for the company's product or the market's needs is beneficial. Lastly, taking a challenge, test, task, or project that the company gives you or that you propose yourself and delivering a solution that showcases your product's impact will demonstrate the value of your product.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?