Best ways to hire a product manager for your upcoming product release

Charles Dearing

July 11, 2019

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Product managers are the bedrock of the development team. They ensure cohesion between the staff and administrators while providing a guiding hand to the development of the product. Without a skilled product manager, getting a product to launch is nearly impossible. However, expert product managers are not a common commodity and thusly the cost of hiring can be extravagant.

Many businesses, especially new ones, decide to move on without one due to the rates or conditions. However, this is widely considered a bad move. A business without a product manager is a ship without an anchor. The answer simply lies in the remote market.

What are the first steps to hiring a remote product manager? Here are 3 essential steps for hiring top remote product managers, consultants, and freelancers:

Consider leveraging freelance marketplaces

Remote product managers can be a wonderful addition to your team. In fact, remote members can easily synch up with members of your team that report to the office.

If you’re not familiar with the process of hiring remote product managers, but you still want to reap the benefits of hiring a remote team member, then you may want to consider perusing freelance marketplaces to find an immediate hire that fits your project’s needs.

Freelance marketplaces allow you to get a feel for the hourly rates product managers charge, how much contracting a full-time freelancer may be, and how quickly you can do it. Companies like Toptal are pricier for example, but offer high-quality freelancers and guarantee matches within a few short days.

Confer with other product managers

If you know employed product managers, then you may want to ask for their expert advice. After all, if you want to hire a top product manager, you may need to know how a product manager thinks. What sites do they go to when they’re looking for a job? Which freelance marketplace is most trusted? What are the best platforms, tools, and online communities?

Ask questions like:

Which job boards did you use to get your job?
Where do you go for product manager resources?
What are the essential skills of product managers?
How do you fulfill your job duties remotely? What tools do you use?

If you don’t know a remote product manager personally, consider reaching out to product managers on LinkedIn or another professional networking platform.

Put together a project outline or job duties page

If you haven’t already, it’s important to build an outline for your project. Even if you’re still in the idea stage, it is absolutely vital that your company clearly outlines what the remote product manager will be doing.

If you’re planning on hiring them as a full-time remote product manager and expect them to work on several different projects with different clients, end goals, and tools, then you’ll want to build a thoroughly-researched job listing, replete with responsibilities as well as the education and experience required.

Be sure to be very clear about the position being remote and whether or not the job requires any amount of travel. In addition, outline what the remote team member will have to provide (for example, a high-speed internet connection and their own office space).

Conclusion

Remote freelance product managers are just as effective, potentially even more so, as their traditional counterpart without incurring the cost or the time sink. Remote product managers have shown to be effective forces and a lifesaver for companies who need a guide for their product.

Remote product managers typically have a varied work history with every kind of situation possible. They have outrun deadlines and slid under budgets in the most unlikely of scenarios. However, there are some tips needed before one embarks on the hunt for a product manager. First and foremost, you must take advantage of freelance marketplaces online that can find a good match for your needs.

In the marketplace, you can preview their rates and experience so that you are prepared before the interview even begins. It is also important to meet with a number of freelance product managers as they have a tendency to surprise you.

An unimaginable fit for your company culture could become the savior of your product with a few simple questions. In the world of remote, it is best to keep your arms open. Remote product managers are the answer to your product development needs.