Nicole Newman (Booth, ‘20) entered business school with an interest to pivot to a career in product management. After successfully navigating the internship recruiting process she landed a PM Internship at Adobe working as a Product Manager Intern on an AI/Machine Learning product. In this interview, Newman shared some of her tips to successfully navigating the product management internship process, and her experience as a summer product management intern at Adobe.
MBASchooled: What did you do before business school, and why did you choose to recruit for Product Management roles?
Prior to business school, I worked as a Data Science and Operations Manager for KIPP Schools – the largest charter school network in the United States. In my role, I helped principals and school administrators leverage data to inform decision-making. My day-to-day ranged from responding to technology-related questions from a queue (think: my Tableau dashboard isn’t working) to submitting compliance reports to government officials. No day was ever the same.
While on the job, I learned SQL to extract columns from databases. I became fascinated with visualization, and soon added R and Python to my toolkit. My hands-on experience with coding, combined with my ability to generate creative solutions with limited information, shaped me into an ideal candidate for product management roles. As I begin to explore internship possibilities, my previous skills and strengths seemed to align more fluidly with product management.
MBASchooled: What was your recruiting process like? How did you end up choosing this role considering you were also recruiting for other roles/functions as well?
Unlike banking, consulting, and corporate recruiting, the tech sector mainly sources candidates just-in-time (JIT), or as a direct response to an immediate hiring need. Often, applications for big tech (eg Google, Facebook, Amazon) are due prior to November. Once an application is submitted, however, it may take months before a recruiter contacts you. For instance, I submitted my application to Adobe in September and did not receive an offer until seven months later in April. Decision making varies from firm-to-firm, and a candidate’s best strategy is to exhibit patience.
I wanted to gain two new skills from my summer internship: exposure to an AI discipline such as machine learning, and experience with large enterprise customers. It was imperative that I demonstrated by business acumen to future employers, since I came from the education sector. Ultimately, Adobe offered me both of these skills through its AI/ML Product Manager Intern role.
MBASchooled: What did you do during your summer, and what were some of the key learnings from your internship?
I executed a business model for a newly-launched data science platform partnership ecosystem, with a goal of maximizing revenue streams during each phase of the product roadmap. I spent the bulk of my summer conducting competitive research, interviewing data science teams, and translating the needs and wants of enterprise CIOs into future-focused revenue opportunities.
During my internship, I learned the true meaning of cross-collaboration and working in non-hierarchical teams. Soliciting feedback and working iteratively was essential to gaining buy-in vital multiple stakeholders.
MBASchooled: What was a challenge you ran into during your internship, and how were you able to overcome it?
I had to influence my management team to shift their profit driver from a platform-as-a-service model to a systems integration model as a product manager intern. As I conducted competitive intelligence, I learned that ML platform’s largest revenue driver is through systems integration (end-to-end digital transformation), rather than plug-and-play applications, as predicted by senior leaders. When I presented my manager with my findings, through charts and financial models, he was unconvinced. I took a step back and thought how could I better communicate this information in a way that is tailored to my specific audience.
First, I began gaining buy-in with multiple stakeholders – from internal engineers to external data scientists. I addressed concerns in my presentation that my manager raised. During my final presentation, I was amazed at how engaged my boss and his managers were. For the first time, I saw them internalizing my recommendations and taking action. I learned that it’s important to present information in a language that others can understand. In such a presentation-driven culture, for instance, I had to learn how to navigate this nuanced culture to gain buy-in.
MBASchooled: What classes, experiences or programs from your first year at Booth were helpful to your summer internship?
Surprisingly, I pored over quite a few financial statements during the summer. Since I had the technical and product background, classes that focused more on core business skills (eg accounting, microfinance, and marketing) were extremely valuable for me.
MBASchooled: Coming into the summer, you had an interest in exploring Silicon Valley. What did you think of it, and what did you learn from being exposed to it?
Spending my summer in Silicon Valley was one of the best experiences in my life. Everyone I met in the bay was so friendly and open to discussing the latest technology trends. I learned so much from my interactions, even beyond Adobe. Because there is a concentration of established firms and startups all within an hour drive, I had the opportunity to network with alumni and recruiters across a breadth of industries and functions. Silicon Valley is definitely a great place to enhance your career options, whether you have an interest in Product Management or not.
MBASchooled: What should MBA students who are interested in Product Management do to put themselves in a good position to recruit for Product Management internships?
The top three things I would recommend are:
1) A pre-MBA product management internship
2) Hands-on experience in at least one technology
3) Conduct informational interviews with Product Managers at firms you’re interested in.
I obtained a pre-MBA product management internship through Startup Summer, a school-sponsored program in which rising MBA students join a Booth-led start-up during the summer before they begin their MBA.
Secondly, I highly suggest MBA students gain experience or expertise with at least one technology (eg Machine Learning, FinTech, Digital Marketing) and demonstrate examples of leveraging the technology in their resume. Often, Product Management roles are expertise-specific, so having a capability will help candidates stand out.
Lastly, one should reach out to their MBA network and conduct informational interviews with a variety of companies. Find out where Product Managers spend most of their time, since responsibilities vary from company to company. Reflect on what’s right for you, and where you will best fit.