Sasha Kapur (Ross, ‘21) spent her summer as a Product Management Intern at Hulu. During her summer, Sasha got the chance to build a data tracking and visualization system that served as a customer feedback hub along with the opportunity to test out her product management skills. In this interview, Sasha spoke about her journey to Product Management, her internship experience, and her advice to those interested in a Post-MBA Product Management Career.
MBASchooled: What did you do for your summer internship, and what was the scope of your role?
I worked as a Product Management MBA Intern on Hulu’s Platform Services team.
My main project was to build a data tracking and visualization system that served as a customer feedback hub. At its core, this project required me to ask tons of questions to quickly identify users’ pain points, prioritize capabilities based on business implications and technical feasibility, and communicate effectively with several different audiences.
MBASchooled: Why did you choose to recruit for product management, and what were your favorite parts of the PM role during your summer internship?
I find Product Management attractive because it blends of creativity, strategy, and technical problem solving.
When I worked as a teacher, understanding students’ individual needs and building creative solutions was a daily task. My experience in EdTech then grew my interest in developing not just creative but also strategic and technical solutions to solve users’ needs at scale. One of my favorite aspects of my internship was applying all three mindsets (creative, strategic, and technical) during Hulu’s Hackathon. For a week, I had the opportunity to work with designers and software developers from different teams to prototype new capabilities for Hulu Watch Party.
MBASchooled: What were some of the things that helped you be successful in your summer internship?
My mentors and colleagues at Hulu equipped me to be successful by providing guidance, feedback, and a healthy dose of autonomy throughout the summer. I was amazed by how willing my colleagues were to discuss my project or speak broadly about my career goals.
A key piece of advice from one of my supervisors was to “be bold in asking for peoples’ time.” In a remote environment, this mindset helped me forge connections not only with my teammates but also with PMs, Designers, and interns across the company.
MBASchooled: As you think back to your first year at Ross, what classes, experiences, opportunities were most helpful to the work you did as a product management intern? As a first year MBA student, I participated in a startup pitch competition. My team identified a pain point, brainstormed solutions, crafted a business narrative, and pitched to multiple audiences. I’m glad that Ross’s Zell Lurie Center for Entrepreneurship offered this experience, as it’s exactly what my summer was all about!
This year, I’ve also taken Big Data Analytics, Interaction Design, and Accessibility. These courses equip me to better manage the full product lifecycle and bring inclusivity to the forefront of my work as a PM.
MBASchooled: What was an important lesson that you learned from your summer internship?
Prior to Ross, I worked at early-stage EdTech startups where the Product Manager owned everything from UX design to technical project management to sales enablement and more.
This summer, I had the chance to experience how each of these functions are distinct yet collectively contribute to product development at a later stage company, allowing me to better understand what product development looks like at scale.
MBASchooled: What advice do you have for MBA students considering internships in Product Management?
If you’re transitioning into Product Management like I was, reflect on how your past work experiences relate to the responsibilities of a PM and consider what aspects of your non-PM background might strengthen your capabilities as a PM. Help the interviewers see the connections between your past experiences and the job at hand.
Want to learn more about MBA Product Management Careers? Check out our MBA Product Management Resources