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Profession transitioning is tough for professionals. Whereas inertia holds down many, some nonetheless summon the braveness to launch new careers. This is actually because the good points of such transitions might be engaging, particularly when transferring to a high-earning or fulfilling job. Previously few years, many Africans have entered Africa’s rising tech scene in droves, taking on alternatives, studying on the job and ultimately securing roles within the world tech market.
A positive method to reach the ever-changing world of tech is to search out roles that swimsuit one’s archetype, expertise and keenness.
Subomi Salami is a major instance of a profession transition professional, as she has held roles in several fields, from administration consultancy to product advertising to product administration. Salami studied economics on the college and was on her strategy to changing into an economist or accountant when she began taking internships. In her second yr on the college, she landed a administration consultancy internship at KPMG, and by the subsequent yr, she secured a advertising internship at Google. She loved Google’s work atmosphere and the perks and have become fascinated with the tech world. Quickly after, she determined to pursue a profession in tech.
Nevertheless, after she graduated from College, getting a job at a widely known tech firm wasn’t a stroll within the park. Within the meantime, she bought a job as an account supervisor at Softcom, a Nigerian tech resolution firm, the place she bought the corporate’s tech instruments to shoppers trying to scale.
Whereas at Softcom, she realized about product administration from a good friend and have become concerned about switching to that subject when she did extra analysis on what it entailed. Nevertheless, she didn’t know easy methods to. Ultimately, she discovered about Meta (previously Fb)’s Rotational Product Management (RPM) Programme—an 18-month programme that permits professionals with out levels or tech trade expertise to transition into mission administration at Meta—and utilized. After weeks of rigorous preparation, she aced the job interviews and bought the job.
Salami, now working from Meta’s workplace in London, is grateful for her profession transition. Alongside the best way, she was capable of transfer international locations, multiply her earnings, and enhance the standard of her life. We caught up along with her to debate her strategy of transitioning into the completely different roles she has held.
How did you get into Meta?
Again in January 2020, in the beginning of the yr when everybody was planning out their lives, I doubled down on my job purposes. I used to be interviewing for 3 product advertising roles at Google, because of the connections I made throughout my internship. Then COVID occurred in March and Google paused my purposes. However I used to be fairly optimistic I might get a kind of roles. Throughout COVID, I used to be working in a gross sales function, nevertheless it required assembly individuals so gross sales had been low, particularly in March, April and Might. I had a whole lot of time on my arms so I continued making use of for jobs.
I had heard about product administration, however I wasn’t actually positive what I wanted to do to turn into a product supervisor. It gave the impression of a extra fascinating function than product advertising, which I had expertise in. I began making an attempt to examine how I may work as a product supervisor. As a result of I’ve all the time had this objective to start out my profession in massive tech corporations after which determine issues from there, I began making use of for product administration roles at Google and Fb (now Meta). I utilized for Meta’s Rotational Product Administration Programme (RPM), went via a three-stage interview course of, bought an employment provide in October 2020, and resumed in June 2021.
What had been the roles you held earlier than Meta?
My first ever job was as a administration advisor intern at KPMG, after which I joined Google as a product advertising intern. At Softcom, I used to be a tech salesperson, so I labored with shoppers and bought the corporate’s merchandise. Once I joined Softcom, I used to be requested if I needed to work in gross sales or advertising, however regardless of having expertise in advertising, I selected gross sales as a result of I needed one thing that might permit me to talk with random individuals and construct among the mushy expertise that I needed to have. I additionally liked the one that was heading the gross sales staff, so I needed to be taught from him.
How do college students stand out and snag high-level internships as you probably did?
The very first thing is analysis, lots of people don’t have entry to info. Lots of people don’t know there’s a Google internship that occurs yearly. It’s the dearth of entry to info that individuals have to fight first. The second factor I’ll say is to turn into an fascinating individual. You are able to do this by studying books, watching documentaries, and TV exhibits and studying issues outdoors of your course. It’s going to assist you might have good conversations as a result of, on the internship stage, a whole lot of my interviews had been very conversational. The one purpose why these conversations had been fascinating was that I knew sure issues. So, it’s good to have data about completely different matters and random issues, it means that you can be well-rounded.
Was that the identical for the Meta interview?
It was a bit completely different. These conversations nonetheless occur and nonetheless assist. However a product administration interview is much like a case interview. In order that they ask you particular questions. There are two kinds of questions you might be requested: product sense and product execution. A product sense query is likely to be a query on how you’d construct an condominium constructing for blind individuals. However in fact, the query will probably be associated to the work of the corporate you might be making use of to. You need to determine the way you scale issues down, prioritise, and determine dangers. General, the conversations sometimes occur throughout the confines of those questions.
What piqued your curiosity in product administration?
To be sincere, I simply thought it was a cool job. I feel again in 2020, I met a product supervisor in Nigeria and bought to find out about product administration, however I didn’t know what he did. Then we had a dialog and he informed me about his job. I felt it was cool and determined that it was what I needed to do. I began doing extra analysis into it. Whereas working at Softcom, I all the time needed to maneuver nearer to the tech a part of issues. However l was not technical in any respect. I initially thought product managers need to be tremendous technical. I imply, in the event you’re working with engineers, you most likely need to know easy methods to code or perceive a few of these programming languages, or perhaps you might have a pc science diploma to be able to perceive their work. Once I spoke with my product supervisor good friend, I spotted that there’s a lot extra to product administration moreover being technical. It doesn’t damage to be technical however it is just a small a part of the job. The function grew to become extra interesting and gave the impression of an excellent place to be in tech. Furthermore, I used to be getting bored with gross sales and advertising.
How then did you make your transition to product administration?
Meta’s RPM programme is an efficient strategy to transition into product administration, nevertheless it’s onerous to get into. Once I utilized, I didn’t suppose I might get in. It was on the backside of my checklist and I utilized to verify I lined all bases. My preliminary plan was to transition internally and work as a product supervisor for a minimum of a yr or swap workplaces to work as a product supervisor inside Nigeria or research for a tech-related Grasp’s after which go on to turn into a product supervisor.
These are lengthy paths
Yeah, that was the lengthy path. However that was all I may see. I actually needed to depart Nigeria and I wasn’t getting a job. So I considered doing a Grasp’s diploma. On the backside of the checklist was getting a job. I don’t know why I stood out within the resume or CV phases, nevertheless it helped that I did observe rather a lot, as I had by no means performed a product administration interview earlier than. One thing I imagine is that while you need one thing actually dangerous, it exhibits. I practiced with lots of people and the individuals I do know that bought in had been people who needed it actually dangerous and did numerous practising as properly. Since I had performed a whole lot of interviews up to now from my job search, I used to be fairly assured with the concept of interviews. I had realized primary interviewing etiquette and simply type of easy methods to maintain the interviewer’s consideration.
How was settling outdoors the nation and right into a Huge Tech firm?
It was robust at first as a result of it was a giant change, regardless that I felt it was much less robust as a result of it was one thing that I had been anticipating for fairly some time. It was robust as a result of I had a brand new job in a brand new firm, in a task I had by no means performed earlier than, in a spot I had by no means lived earlier than. There have been a lot of latest issues and adapting to the adjustments that introduced took some time. Most of my fast household nonetheless lives in Nigeria. I used to be homesick for a bit. I went again residence after 5 months. However making buddies wasn’t tough for me. A variety of my buddies from Covenant had moved right here as properly, for college and jobs. So it wasn’t that tough to make buddies regardless that the constructing of that neighborhood was sluggish. However I’m on the level the place I’ve constructed a powerful neighborhood right here and I don’t really feel lonely. By way of my profession, it was onerous, as a result of, for the primary few weeks or months, I couldn’t inform what a product supervisor did. I used to be so confused. The RPM programme turned out to be the easiest way to transition as a result of there was a whole lot of help to determine issues.
How did it assist your profession financially?
Utilizing ₦750 Naira to £1 because the trade fee, I might say I multiplied my earnings by a minimum of 12 once I moved. Though, I’ll say cash was not my greatest motivator once I was making an attempt to get the job. If cash was my solely motivation, I most likely wouldn’t be as obsessed with product administration as a result of there are different simpler methods to make cash than being a product supervisor at Meta.
You sound such as you get pleasure from your present job.
Sure, undoubtedly. I don’t suppose there’s something I may very well be doing as a job moreover this. Possibly if there was an choice of not having a job, I would think about it. I haven’t seen every other roles that align with my pure expertise: battle mediating, speaking to individuals, offering readability and being proactive.
What would you say is the very best factor about your job and dealing at Meta?
The perfect factor about being a product supervisor is that I’m the person who’s accountable for ensuring we’re engaged on a very powerful factor for the person. That we’re continually pondering again to who we’re constructing for, and why we’re constructing what we’re constructing. I really feel like that’s such an essential function. In a whole lot of corporations, only a few individuals do this. I used to be going to say the very best factor was speaking to individuals however it might get tiring. I do like that, nevertheless it’s not the very best factor, it’s an excellent half. You get to talk to so many good individuals from completely different backgrounds and construct relationships. You make buddies on the job as a result of you might have conferences with some individuals a few times each week. The perfect factor about working at Meta, it has modified my life. I had all the time needed to work in any such atmosphere. The tradition right here may be very inclusive, welcoming, open and clear. The advantages are nice, you are feeling like you might be taken care of.
What recommendation do you might have for individuals who need to make an analogous transition?
I’ll say all the time go the additional mile as a result of most individuals don’t, so this already cuts out lots of people and go away only a few individuals to compete. If you happen to actually need one thing, do your analysis, and go the additional mile, you’ll be able to swap from being an account supervisor, or a content material author to no matter function you need in tech. I transitioned from a daily account supervisor and I feel anybody can do it.
Once I was making use of for this job, I keep in mind attending the data session. I additionally reached out to the recruiter about 5 days after I utilized and hadn’t heard again. Then the recruiter responded to my message and mentioned she had despatched me an e mail for an interview. I felt like she noticed my message, checked for my software, and doubtless favored my CV and felt I used to be an excellent match. Most individuals don’t do this. These had been additional steps I took as a result of I actually needed the job. After I bought the interview invite, I did over 50 mock interviews. And since my favorite mock companions had been in different time zones, I used to be sleeping late. Simply to be clear, I don’t suppose anybody wants to try this variety of mocks. Nevertheless it exhibits how a lot I needed it. I don’t know if doing 50 mock interviews helped me get the job nevertheless it most likely helped me get extra comfy with interviewing and with the interview format. And I bought the job, proper?
If individuals see my course of, they’d perceive what it means to need one thing. Lots of people say they need to transition into tech, get a relocation job or turn into a pacesetter of their subject, however the fact is that they don’t need it badly sufficient. As a result of in the event that they do, they are going to determine how methods to realize these objectives.
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