Your Next Product Manager Might Be Waiting?Tables

How Service Industry Jobs Provide the Foundation of Fundamental Product Management Skills

The product management role has evolved over time to become a cornerstone of successful businesses. However, for those aspiring to enter this domain, the career path isn’t always linear. Among the myriad experiences that can hone skills valuable for product management, working in the service sector provides a unique, often overlooked, perspective. Leveraging these experiences can significantly shape a product manager’s capabilities, and here’s why.

My first real job was at a Winn-Dixie. I was all over that grocery store: bagging, stocking shelves, deli, frozen food, produce, and cashier. Of all my roles, it was the latter effort that was the most challenging. Grocery store customers in line to pay are in a hurry, their ice cream is slowly melting in their cart, they often have children begging for their attention and a candy bar, and they want the checkout line to move efficiently. Focusing on accurately ringing up their groceries, bagging everything appropriately (cold with cold, heavy on the bottom), and not getting too chatty were primary goals. Understanding the task your customers are trying to complete and psychological state they’re in at that time are important to understanding how best to serve them. Those are product management skills.

Service sector jobs revolve around customers. They’re not just transactions but are relationships that need continuous nurturing. Working in a customer-centric environment enables individuals to understand consumer behavior, needs, expectations, and how these elements change over time. Product management, at its core, is about creating solutions that solve users’ problems. The deep insight into customer behavior gained from service sector jobs can sharpen a product manager’s skill in designing products that truly resonate with their target market.

Moreover, working in the service sector also cultivates excellent communication skills. Whether it’s dealing with a disgruntled customer or explaining why the store is out of navel oranges, you’re constantly required to articulate clearly and effectively. Product managers, too, need strong communication skills to work cross-functionally with teams, facilitate meetings, pitch ideas to stakeholders, and represent the voice of the customer. Experiencing real-world communication challenges in the service sector can foster these necessary abilities.

In college, I worked at Kinko’s in the Desktop Publishing department and right after college, I waited tables at a Chili’s. Both experiences provided unique challenges and ample opportunities to solve customer problems, be it a ready-to-submit term paper or a bottle of ketchup.

One of the most vital responsibilities of product managers is to manage a product’s lifecycle, which demands exceptional project management and organization skills. The service sector routinely offers challenges that involve managing numerous tasks, sometimes in high-pressure situations.

On busy Saturday nights at Chili’s, I was often scheduled as the “expeditor,” standing on the line between the wait staff and the kitchen, organizing trays for the waiters, working with the cooks on redos or special requests, and keeping the food flowing from the kitchen to the table. “Fast food first,” was the mantra and it was my job to be the mediator and negotiate who got what when during “rush.”

Expediting requires meticulous attention to detail, coordination, time management and the ability to remain calm when an Awesome Blossom is already late and the waiter drops the tray on the way to the table. These skills can translate effectively into handling the intricacies of product management.

Customer feedback is the pulse of service sector jobs, as it directly impacts a business’s reputation and success. Learning how to accept, interpret, and act on feedback is a key learning outcome of service sector roles. As a product manager, you’ll need to assimilate customer feedback into actionable insights to improve existing products or build new ones. Moreover, understanding the art of handling criticism and turning it into opportunities for improvement is a crucial skill for a product manager, and service sector jobs provide an excellent training ground for this.

Furthermore, the service sector’s dynamic environment aids in developing resilience and adaptability, traits that are invaluable in the ever-evolving world of product management. Whether it’s a sudden change in a customer’s requirements or managing unforeseen challenges, the ability to think on your feet and adapt to change is crucial in both domains.

Empathy, a key aspect of service jobs, is increasingly recognized as an essential trait in product management. Understanding customer pain points, emotional needs, and perspectives are part of providing great service. As a product manager, this empathy extends to the user, helping to design more user-centric products that create value and improve user experience.

The path to product management is varied and versatile. Aspiring product managers can benefit from taking a unique route via the service sector, where they’ll gain exposure to critical customer-centric and interpersonal skills, project management expertise, and adaptability. The focus on customer interaction and understanding the nuances of service delivery can serve as an invaluable foundation for product management roles, fostering a deep connection to customer needs and developing the ability to design and deliver effective solutions. It’s about seeing the larger picture while understanding the minute details — a talent that is well-honed in the service sector.

Whether you’re an aspiring product manager or looking to hire one, don’t discount service sector experience on a resume. If you can stay calm and successfully serve a party of twelve late-night revelers asking for separate checks, you can manage a backlog prioritization or a product roadmap meeting with stakeholders. The best part is you won’t drive home smelling like a smoking griddle of steak fajitas.