Jobs: Product Management

Salary information and career progression

Opportunity

Digital Product Design roles require a wide range of specialised skills. This makes the hiring process extremely competitive.

Digital product design is a growing area, expanding past UI, UX and Interaction design. Digital product design is the process used to solve a digital function. For example, creating a service from an application that solves a clear need using functional design.

• Popular industries for Product jobs

  Product Design specialists can now find themselves working in all kinds of industries, from healthcare, retails and fashion, to tech and finance, with more businesses than ever releasing digital products. These products include mobile apps, videos, e-learning courses and web apps (including SaaS products). In fact, there is a high demand for Digital Product professionals in the SaaS sector, with such specialists playing a pivotal role in ensuring SaaS products are well designed and meet user and business needs.

• Recent changes for Product jobs

  Consumers are increasingly using digital products across a variety of devices, so it’s become unacceptable for products to be on a single platform with a single interface. The role of a Product Designer has therefore become more varied in recent times, and they must be able to adapt to audience demand and deliver exceptional experiences across different formats.

• Future prospects

  According to a survey by LinkedIn, Product Management was the 8th most promising job role of 2018, with Product Designers enjoying a good salary, strong job openings and significant opportunities for promotion. The prospects for those in Product roles, therefore, appear healthy.

  A large number of those in Product roles are UI and UX Designers who are increasingly referred to as Product Designers. Many move into Digital Product Management roles with a much wider range of accountabilities, such as processing consumer insights and measuring a product’s success.

• Salt’s advice for getting a new Product job Employers’ requirements

  As Product roles can be quite technical, Digital Product professionals must have a keen understanding of web development, from coding to layout. Considering many start off as UX and UI designers, this is usually not a problem. As well as being technically minded, you must also be able to communicate your ideas effectively, both to colleagues/stakeholders and your target audience. Management skills, creativity and analytical abilities are also a must.

  Portfolio requirements for Product specialists

  Product specialists need to show experience in a wide range of areas, including:

  • Producing user journeys
  • Translating audience research
  • Taking user-centered design processes and applying them to product development
  • Managing projects
  • SaaS

  Interview preparation

  Interviewers will likely ask you about the projects you have previously worked on and how you made them a success. This not only enables them to gauge your level of expertise, but illustrates your communication skills and how well you can explain complex concepts. Employers may also ask you about your knowledge of their company and your understanding of their processes in order to see how well you’d fit in.

  Educational requirements

  A degree in computer science, human computer interaction or design will stand individuals in good stead, although extensive experience in product design or marketing in place of these qualifications may be enough for candidates to be considered.