Are you thinking of moving from Market Research to Product Management in ResTech? Here are some suggestions on how.
ResTech is evolving fast, and so are career paths for research professionals. If you’ve worked in insights, analytics, or market research, you likely already have highly TRANSFERABLE skills for product management – but making the leap isn’t always straightforward. đź«Ł
The challenge?
✖️ Market researchers often struggle to showcase the business impact
✖️ PM roles typically favour candidates with tech experience
✖️Aligning research expertise with product thinking isn’t always intuitive
But the good news is that research professionals already excel in the key areas needed to be a great PRODUCT MANAGER (for example):
✔️ Customer understanding – you already know how to translate user insights into actionable strategies!
✔️ Data-driven decision making – whether it’s survey analysis or A/B testing, you’ve been shaping decisions with data for years
✔️ Market & competitive intelligence – market research involves understanding trends and forecasting – critical for product strategy
✔️ Stakeholder communication – presenting insights to senior leaders; managing cross-functional input? That’s product leadership in action, and as a researcher, you are a PRO in this!
So how do you transition?
➤ Learn PRODUCT THINKING âž” read “Inspired” by Marty Cagan (https://lnkd.in/eSR3GvCQ) and take PM courses (Google’s UX Design, Udemy’s PM 101)
➤ Get comfortable with TECH ➔ make your mission to understand Agile, learn PM tools like JIRA, Confluence, and SQL basics
➤ Gain hands-on experience ➔ shadow a PM, contribute to a ResTech roadmap, start a side project
➤ Reframe your experience ➔ use PM-friendly language on your CV and LinkedIn (e.g., “Product strategy” instead of “Market research”)
➤ Leverage your network âž” many PM roles aren’t publicly advertised – connect with industry leaders, attend ResTech events, and engage in product communities
Good luck!
