6 Red Flags on a Product Manager Job Offer

Do you fear that the “Product Manager” position you are applying for may not be what it is labeled to be? Here are my 6 red flags that would prevent me from applying. The 4th one is really crushing:

1) “You will lead the development team”
While this is not a red flag, it can force you into at least asking what this leading implies during the interview process. It can be correctly interpreted as negotiating with the dev team the right sprint goals and working together towards a better product. I can also mean an expectation of being a tech leader which a Product Manager is not.

2) “You will be responsible for timely”
A classic red flag showing how a company confuses product and project managers. Of course, it’s not like a PM is outside a space-time continuum, but if something is not delivered on time, this should not be a PM’s fault, nor competence to ensure that in the first place, scope and estimations are locked.

3) “You will choose the right technology”
A more direct, negative version of point one. You can be a tech leader if you are hired as a technical product manager. Otherwise, you might find yourself being asked to do then you signed up for, It will be especially difficult without the right tech background.