FutureCircle

Aspiring to Hired: How to Land Your First PM Role

Tinder

Qualcomm

IEEE

Nanyang Technological University

Arundhati Kurup

Product Manager at Tinder

Understand what Product Managers do, the skills hiring managers look for and common entry points to the field

Understand the PM Role & Hiring Landscape

Learn to position your experience, build a great resume and leverage projects to stand out even without prior experience

Craft a Standout PM Application

Get actionable insights on tackling product sense, execution, and behavioral interview questions, along with frameworks

Master the PM Interview Process

✅ TL;DR - a short version- I am a Lead PM @Booking.com &amp; ex-Dev, so I've been in both the tech and product worlds- I focus only on what PMs should know: "what"/"why" of tech, because "how" is infinite, and it is not our job- 1500+ students have already enjoyed the course online and offline; see reviews below- This course is 20% theory and 80% practice: you'll solve 200+ exercises yourself because that's the way to learn- Schedule: (a) a live session on Tech 101, (b) 2 weeks of self-practice, (c) a live session on building a product architecture together- Check out free resources below: lightning session on Tech 101s and the micro-learning on the e-commerce shop use case- All students get a mini-simulator (SQL, ML/AI foundations, Product Planning, Product Discovery) worth ±100$ for free. And now a longer version... ✅ WHY THIS COURSEAccording to the survey (650 respondents), these are the top 3 reasons why PMs want to boost Tech skills:- 56% want to speak the same language with their team: communicate effectively in the "devs" language, and understand what decisions the team makes- 61% want to be able to pre-estimate features without being dependent on their team and, more generally, deliver projects on time- 39% want to get a job in a BigTech company, where tech skills are a must, and 28% already landed a job with a product requiring tech skills- and now, there's one more reason: AI prototyping is hyper-hyped, and Replit/Bolt just built a full-stack app for you in 2 minutes. But... what actually happened? You really need to understand the principles behind what LLM is doing for you. If you found yourself in one or more categories, this course will help you, as it has already helped 1500+ students (see the review screenshots below). ✅ WHO IS THE AUTHORI am a Lead PM @ Booking.com, started 10 years ago as one of the first Tech PMs in the company. Before that, I was a Software Developer / PhD in Computer Science. I have knowledge from both the tech and product worlds, and I am happy to share it with product managers across the globe. ✅ ONLY WHAT PM SHOULD KNOW, NOT MOREEven though tech can be fun, it is not necessary (and sometimes harmful) to dive into "how" too much—this is the developer's territory. That's why, in my course, I only focus on "what/why" you need as a product leader. No GIT, no databases internals, no load balancers—you just don't need it to do your job, so kindly leave it for your team and focus on what you should know as a PM—there is already enough to master. ✅ THE COURSE STRUCTURE 1️⃣&nbsp;Part 1: Live session: Tech 101sWe start with a Tech 101 live session. In 3 hours, we learn and immediately practice the most important tech topics: Frontend/ Backend, Services, APIs, and Testing. If you only do this session, you already know the core. 2️⃣ Part 2: Practice (200+ exercises)Time to roll up the sleeves. I have a 10-chapter story full of exercises based on real job situations. You will build a Taxi startup, evolving it with a Food delivery department, a Scooter rental app, and even a music streaming service like Spotify! Check the course's table of contents: one by one, you will master these topics with virtual colleagues like the CEO Daniel (he is bossy), Principal PM Jane (she guides), Jr. PM Ivar (he always needs help himself), your Engineering Manager Helen, and so on. If you want to understand if such a format suits you, check out this mini-lesson, which consists of three small exercises — just get the Free Resource below. Now, imagine you need to solve 200+ such exercises. Sounds like fun? 3️⃣ Part 3: Live session: building a product architecture togetherAfter you have mastered the theory and practiced yourself, we meet again, choose a product (e.g., a social network for car owners), and build an architecture, API, etc., in groups of PMs. Students love this part! if the group wants more, I offer an optional session to solve one more start up use case together. ✅ CHOOSE YOUR LEVELI understand that everyone has different aspirations and time schedules. That's why you can pick the depth yourself: - Bare minimum: attend both live workshops- Solid knowledge: solve all 10 chapters of the exercises; they are self-sufficient in explaining the material (can finish after the cohort's end date)- Full Package: both live workshops + all 10 chapters of the exercises (can finish after the cohort's end date)- God Mode: all of the above + one more end-to-end bonus use case with my feedback 🚀&nbsp;ON TOP YOU GET... - A practical mini-simulator worth ±100$ for free. Choose from SQL, ML/AI foundations, Product Planning, or Product Discovery.- You also get 50% off for large simulators: A/B testing or Product Analytics.

Start to speak the same language with your team

Course syllabus

Tech 101s: we'll get to know each other and master the tech basics.

Live workshop 1: Tech 101s

Solve 200+ exercises and practice on 5 use cases.

Self-paced work

Now, after you have practiced enough, we will meet as a group and build a start-up's architecture from scratch.

Live workshop 2: architecture of a start-up

Course schedule

Non-tech Product/Program Managers: to effectively communicate with the team and assess the complexity of&nbsp;projects

Jr. Product managers to quickly start their careers, gain respect from the team, and deliver their first projects successfully.

Entrepreneurs/founders to build confidence in a world of technology, hire the right team and turn ideas into services

Who is this course for

What you’ll get out of this course

Understand all core concepts of tech and lead the team with "what/why" without getting into "how" of development

Speak the same language with your development team

Build a skill to estimate the development complexity of the features and products you deliver

Better estimate projects/features and meet deadlines

Prepare to answer BigTech's PM interview questions like "Can you build the architecture of a Taxi app?"

Become more confident with technical interview

🦾🤖 Master tech skills from scratch in 2 weeks with practical workshops and an immersive job simulator 
⚙️ by Lead PM @ Booking

Cohort June'25

Vladimir Kalmykov

Cohort May PD

Cohort Aug'25

The reality facing every senior product leader: shipping features isn't enough anymore. Your roadmap is packed, your team is executing, you've implemented AI enablement but revenue growth is stalling. The gap between building products and driving business is widening. I've seen this pattern repeat across fintech, healthcare, real estate, 4 marketplaces, social, mobile, web3 and AI. The result is that you end up building features that launch but are not enough or your sales/marketing teams don’t know how to position and sell, and your career gets stuck. Instead of business results there is finger pointing and stress. The most successful product leaders solve customer problems and move the business differently. After scaling products to $285M at Braintrust, owning 0-30% of IPO revenue at Nextdoor, and building risk reporting platforms at Blackrock (that 3 teams before failed at), I've developed a system to help senior product leaders: -Transform product roadmaps into revenue engines-Build GTM strategies that drive sales-Create alignment between product, sales, marketing, finance and exec-Turn technical capabilities into market advantages-Design market adoption accelerants-Get noticed by execs and advance their careers How You'll LearnPM to G(T)M strategies is a live, hands on intensive where you'll learn to combine product execution with business strategy. Learn proven GTM frameworks through real case studies. Immediately apply the learnings to your work in boutique peer cohorts which combine group coaching with the power of collective learning and ongoing community. Through my courses and coaching, I've helped product leaders make this shift, and advance the business. Let me show you how to THRIVE in the gap between shipping and impact and unlock your career growth. Each of the four hands on sessions combines frameworks, real world business cases, templates, AMA and AI enablement to help coach you today and build a system for growth going forward.

Make quality business decisions and elevate your career.


Tuesdays & Thursdays

1.5 hours of lecture, optional AMA and course work.

May 20,22, 27,29


2 projects each week to apply course learnings to your immediate work.

Weekly projects

Growth-Stage PM You're trusted to ship features and lead projects, but you're hitting a ceiling in your career growth.

New Product Leader Your first management role is exciting, but no one taught you how to speak business and influence executives.

Product Director driving growth in mature markets: Transform your established product lines into new revenue streams.

You'll master proven frameworks to transform features into market opportunities and revenue. By the end of this module, you'll have a GTM strategy for your product, critiqued by peers and refined through my experience scaling and positioning products.

GTM Strategy Design


You’ll learn to build compelling business cases and revenue models that get executive buy-in through real case studies and frameworks. Then you'll create a financial strategy and experiments for your product, with feedback from leaders who've faced similar challenges.

Speak the Language of Finance

Develop skills to align executives, R&amp;D and GTM teams around a unified GTM vision. You'll build and present an executive GTM plan, practice board-level Q&amp;A with me, your peers and build your AI Board negotiation coach.

Executive Presence


Master launching products that drive immediate revenue impact through applicable templates and real-world case studies. Your final project combines your learnings into a complete launch framework, incorporating peer insights and my direct feedback.

Growth Execution Engine


Go-to-market, financial acumen, executive presence and influence  - master business skills that transform great PMs into business leaders.


Elena Luneva

CPO, GM, VP in multiple industries teaching PMs to master GTM and drive growth.

May GTM Masters

June

Breaking into Product Management is not easy. I know; I've supported over 4,000+ professionals in the past 8 years&nbsp;to break into Product management. I've worked with top institutions like General Assembly, Melbourne Business School, Harvard Innovation Labs and my school at Product Academy to help people make the career transition. ---This is a 10-week COHORT with 40+ HOURS of async content and WEEKLY 1.5-hour practice sessions with a cohort size of 12 to 14 passionate and&nbsp;ambitious tech professionals. ❤️ Our 5 Step Process Over the next 10 weeks:This course will prepare you for the 12-month journey with knowledge, experience and a cohort of accountable peers to prepare for job opportunities. ✅ Step 1: Understanding the foundations (Weeks 1-2): Understand PM Basics, Business, and CustomersGain a strong foundation in Product Management, exploring what PMs do, the skills required, and how to align business goals with customer needs. ✅ Step 2: Strategy &amp; Discovery (Weeks 3-4): Develop Product Strategy and Identify OpportunitiesLearn how to craft a product strategy, assess market dynamics, and uncover customer insights to define valuable opportunities. ✅ Step 3: Roadmapping &amp; Execution (Weeks 5-6): Build Roadmaps and Deliver ValueTranslate strategy into actionable roadmaps while managing execution, technical feasibility, and product launches. ✅ Step 4. Interview Prep (Weeks 7-9): Master Product Sense, Analytics, and Behavioral InterviewsPrepare for the most challenging aspects of PM interviews, including product sense, analytics, and behavioural assessments. ✅ Step 5. Career Launch (Week 10): Build Your Brand and Nail Your Job SearchPolish your profile, create a job strategy, and position yourself to land your first PM role with confidence. 💡 What you'll get: - Proven, Real-World Approach: I quit my job, moved to the U.S., and restarted my career to validate that my teachings actually work. Through countless rejections, rebuilding my network, and landing a role in a double unicorn company. I’ve discarded theoretical fluff and distilled what&nbsp;actually works—I’m living proof of the results you can achieve. - Personalized Attention, Tight-Knit Cohorts: With only 12–14 carefully selected participants per cohort, I prioritize building camaraderie and providing personal guidance. This isn’t a mass-market course; it’s an intimate, hands-on experience designed to support you every step of the way. - Lifetime Refund Guarantee: If my teachings don’t work for you, I offer a 100% Lifetime Refund—no time limits, no questions asked (except how I can improve). I stand by your success and am invested in your journey, even years after the course. ⏰ Time Commitments: Time is truly our most precious asset! That's why I've created this course to help you make the most out of the time you invest. Your commitment will be about ~ 4.5 Hours to 5.5 Hours Per Week: - 1.5 Hours of Live Classes Weekly (12PM Fridays for AEST | 6PM Thursdays for PST) - 2 Hours of Self-paced Learning Weekly - 1 Hour of Optional Office Hours Weekly (TBC with Cohort) - 1 Hour buffer for Group Discussions / Socials / (at your own pace) ---❤️ Preparing you for your Product Career Journey Breaking into Product Management takes about 12 months, and you can't get 'certified' as a PM, unlike what most institutions sell. Here's what actually happens based on what I've seen coaching hundreds of students:- Most people take about 6 - 12 months to transition into the Product Manager role. Depending on their experience, skills and job market opportunities- The&nbsp;first 6 months of the journey&nbsp;involve having the right knowledge before embarking on the competitive job market. Otherwise, you'll get rejected so many times you'll give up.- The next 6 months of the journey focuses on building a network, marketing yourself, and seizing opportunities. The trick is to build a pipeline of opportunities and be ready when the experience/market fit role comes.(Of course, if you have a background in Business, Design, or Engineering, this process can be quicker.) 💎 WHAT'S THE ROI? Besides the joy of building products to help people solve problems and leaving a legacy in this world... - Product Managers get paid $120K - $150K on average and can get up to $500K-$1M in more prominent companies.(https://www.levels.fyi/t/product-manager?countryId=254) So this is why most people in Tech SCALE into a Product role; it's a great role with a high ceiling. 💡 WHO WILL YOU BE LEARNING FROM? You'll be learning directly from me, Dave Wang (aka Product Dave) 👋 I've been doing Product for 17+ Years. Not just 'work-experience but 'product-experience'. I started from the bottom up as a Junior PM and worked my way to Product Leadership roles at Linktree, Expedia, Vodafone, CommBank, and Airtasker. I wanted to follow the same path as my students so I quit my $250K+ job and moved from Australia to the US.&nbsp;Starting over as a Product Manager—building my brand, networking, facing rejections, and trying again. After&nbsp;8 months of rejections, I finally landed a role as a Senior Product Manager in a Unicorn company within the industry I love. Starting again has been humbling, but the best thing is that&nbsp;I know what I teach works, not just in Australia but worldwide. You’ll learn from behind the scenes as a BEGINNER, a PRACTITIONER and a HIRING MANAGER. You can learn more about me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/productdave/ 🤔 WHY AM I BUILDING THIS COURSE? The common heart-wrenching mistake I've seen a lot of people is they pay $5K to $10K for a Certificate and realise the Certificates don't even help them get callbacks for interviews. That's because there are NO Certificates for product management are recognised by the industry.(Anyone telling you otherwise is lying to you) The only way to break into Product Management is through learning, doing, and networking. In fact, without any certifications or fancy degrees, I have helped hundreds of people secure Product Manager roles in companies like Amazon, Canva, Zendesk, Atlassian, and many others. ❤️ MY PROMISE TO YOU I've seen so much success in my course that I can guarantee a Lifetime Refund.&nbsp;If you've attended the class and completed the work and find it was a waste of your time. I'll give you a 100% refund at any point in your career, now or later.&nbsp;Just reach out, and we'll issue a full refund. The only question I'll ask is how I can improve. Another promise I want to make to you is that this is a highly curated cohort and only 12-14 people will be selected each time. If you're still 'exploring' if Product Management is the right role for you - check out my self-paced course here: https://www.productacademy.io/ Learning from self-paced material is the best way to start for people still exploring. (Scroll down to the download section for the guide on why) Plus, I will be here when you are ready.

Your Product Career Starts Here

<ul><li>Weekly 1.5 Live Practice Sessions</li><li>With 2 Hours of paced content and quizzes during the week</li><li>Final Project may take 3 - 4 Hours at the end of week 10 </li></ul>

Thursdays (US) or Fridays (APAC) 


Mid-Career Professionals You are a mid-career professional eager to transition into product management role. (BA, Design, Eng, PO, Project)

3 - 6 Months in your PM Career Transition journeyYou've ready enough books, completed self-paced course and you're ready for the next stage

The “Unofficial” Product Manager&nbsp;You’re already performing the duties of a Product Manager but lack the official title.

<ul><li>Gain&nbsp;first-hand knowledge&nbsp;of what a PM does through theory and real-life examples.</li><li>Develop a&nbsp;plan&nbsp;to network, build a personal brand, and navigate interviews effectively.</li><li>Formulate&nbsp;groups&nbsp;that collaborate to achieve the shared goal of breaking into Product Management.</li></ul>

Break Into PM With Realistic Knowledge, a Plan and a System for Ongoing Support

<ul><li>Multiple workshops with project created to help you apply what you have learned.</li><li>Optional student showcased on the Product Academy student alumni page. To help you build a brand for yourself.</li></ul>

Collaborative Projects to Help You Apply What You Learn (With a Final Presentation Listed on the Alumni Profile Page)

<ul><li>Granted access to a Miro Board of 20+ tools to help you through your journey</li><li>Tools will be filled out as we progress through the course.</li><li>Students are encouraged to take inspiration from each other; it’s not a competition.</li></ul>

20+ Exclusive PM Tools My Team and I Use Daily

<ul><li>Personalized mentorship demystifying insider secrets to acing PM interviews.</li><li>The secrets to walking into your next PM interview with total confidence, even if you've never actually worked as a project manager before.</li></ul>

 A Branding Blueprint to Make Your Profile Irresistible to Recruiters

<ul><li>You will create a job strategy to highlight only the best jobs that suit you. </li><li>The secrets to creating a PM-specific resume that gets attention.</li><li>How to craft the perfect LinkedIn profile that gets recruiting managers hooked (even without any PM-related experience).</li></ul>

Job Strategy 2 Pager + Resume + Linkedin Updates

<ul><li>You'll receive 12 Months access to our Monthly hiring manager Q&amp;A within the community ($249 value) </li><li>Free Access to the alumni slack channel and your cohorts for life-time support</li></ul>

12 Months Access to Exclusive Monthly Q&A with Hiring Managers

Learn How to Break Into Product Management With Practical Knowledge and a Supportive Community

David Wang (Product Dave)

This cohort is designed for students who are based in Australia and the US West Coast timezones

Cohort 12PM AEST / 7PM PST 

"All PMs will be AI PMs in the future" This course is designed for product managers who are working with AI, whether you're just entering the space or already embedded in it: identifying the right problems, influencing technical teams, communicating tradeoffs, and building strategies that matter. In AI, most product managers are figuring things out as they go. The tech is fast-moving. The org is vague. The stakeholders have opinions but little clarity. This course won’t teach you how to train a model, but it will show you how to lead in this environment. You’ll leave with frameworks, mental models, and tactical tools for thinking clearly, prioritizing well, and guiding your teams with confidence. It’s based on what actually happens inside companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, and high-growth AI startups, not theory. The course is structured for people with limited time but high standards. This is not a beginner course. It's for people already in PM or technical roles who want to develop better judgment and become the person others trust to lead. The format is live and cohort-based, so you’ll get feedback from instructors and your peers. You’ll build your thinking muscle in real-time and walk away with a playbook you’ll use again and again. Expect candid discussions, clear examples, and rigorous critique. This course teaches practical skills: how to lead with clarity, prioritize under uncertainty, and develop durable product instincts in the face of complexity. Whether you're working with foundation models, building LLM-based features, or supporting infra teams, the same principles apply: sharpen your thinking, build alignment, and lead decisively. Learning outcomes:• Understand the distinct role of a PM in AI product development• Learn how to make prioritization decisions when outcomes are uncertain• Build stronger relationships with ML, data, and research teams• Learn how to avoid common failure modes in AI product work• Gain tools for storytelling, influencing, and aligning execs around an AI strategy• Navigate technical tradeoffs with clarity even if you don’t write code• Apply product thinking to novel, fast-changing problem spaces

Become a top 1% PM at your company in the AI era

If your events are recurring and at the same time, it might be easiest to use a single line item to communicate your course schedule to students

Feel free to type out dates as your title as a way to communicate information about specific live sessions or other events.

May 7, 2022

Schedule items can also be used to convey commitments outside of specific time slots (like weekly projects or daily office hours).

Experienced PMs: Looking to pivot into AI or currently working with ML teams and seeking to enhance strategic and technical capabilities.

Mid-career AI PMs: Aiming to refine leadership skills, strategic thinking, and gain recognition for their contributions in AI product work.

Founders: Leading AI product efforts and in need of structured decision-making frameworks and strategic guidance.

Aspiring AI PMs: Individuals with a background in software engineering or data science aiming to pivot into AI product management roles.

C-level Executives: Seeking to understand the fundamentals of AI product management to effectively staff and lead AI-focused teams.

Topics covered

How to reduce noise, recognize patterns, and avoid false certainty when there’s no obvious right answer.

Decision-making under ambiguity

Understand how to validate timing, market readiness, and defensibility for AI initiatives.

The "Why Now" for AI products

Learn the dynamics between model teams and product teams, and how to bridge goals across them.

Working with LLM teams (infra vs applied)

Use language, context, and clarity to get buy-in from both technical and business leadership.

How to earn trust from researchers & execs

Clarify roles in ambiguous teams and avoid stepping on toes while taking ownership.

PM vs TL vs EM roles in AI orgs

Design product strategies that are resilient to model drift, infra shifts, and competitive pressure.

Product strategy: constraints, moats, & goals

Craft compelling, simple stories that help teams and stakeholders understand what you’re doing—and why it matters.

Building narratives that get buy-in

Decide what matters and avoid shipping features just because they're possible.

Leading prioritization without falling into the “build trap”

Lead cross-functionally without getting bogged down in internal debates, confusion, or fear of stepping up.

Handling org politics while staying outcome-focused

A career guide for AI PMs who want to build great products (and get recognized for it).

Lightning Lessons

Aspiring to Hired: How to Land Your First PM Role