Product Managers often find themselves debating whether they should become recruiters or consultants because they want to gain more experience in different areas of Product Management. Some people believe that becoming a recruiter is better because you’ll get experience working with different products and companies. Others think that becoming a consultant is better because you’ll gain more experience working on different projects and areas of expertise within Product Management, and also because you’ll be paid more.
At the end of the day, they both require strong skills and experience in Product Management; however, here are some key differences between recruiters and consultants.
Product Management Recruiters
Recruiters focus on selling services. They will often go out and find clients who are looking for their type of service, contact them to learn about what they need, and convince them that they can solve their problems. This requires excellent communication skills because the recruiter has to clearly communicate how their product management recruiting firm can help the client achieve their goals. At the same time, recruiters must also have strong analytics skills to easily measure whether or not a company’s needs are met after working with them. Since recruiters spend much of their time marketing themselves online, they should also know how to use social media effectively as well as SEO (search engine optimization) tools to drive traffic back to their website. While recruiters don’t have to worry about solving problems since that’s not what they’re selling, if a client expresses interest in learning more from the recruiter about how their product management recruiting firm can help them solve a particular problem, they should be prepared to provide as much information as possible.
Product Management Consultants
Consultants work with clients to help them implement their own strategies and solve problems. Consultants may or may not have experience working with the type of company they are currently consulting for, but it doesn’t matter because there is a process consultants follow when they first start working for a new company. First, the consultant will need to learn as much as possible about their client’s business model (industry, customer base, etc.), target market (who they’re selling their products and services to), and strategy (how they plan on getting a leg up over the competition). Second, once the consultant has learned everything they can about the client’s business model, target market, and strategy, they will then be able to advise them on how best to implement their Product Management consulting strategies. This is where communication skills come into play because consultants must be able to clearly communicate not only with their clients but also with any additional stakeholders present at meetings (e.g., employees). Finally, consultants should have strong leadership skills so that they can coach their clients on how best to solve problems within Product Management, even if it means doing some of the work themselves.
Product Managers who work as consultants tend to learn more about different types of companies/businesses than those who just focus on recruiting roles within one specific company or industry. They will have to understand the client’s business and write proposals/presentations that answer their clients’ needs so that they can easily understand.
Similarities between Product Management Recruiters and Product Manager Consultants
Both of these roles are important for the growth of your company. Recruiters are responsible for finding new talent, which means they need to have excellent negotiation skills. Product managers play a more long-term role that is best suited for those who want to be on the front lines of product strategy, building products from scratch or dividing existing monoliths into microservices.
Product Managers need to be able to convince clients that their services are worth the investment and demonstrate the value of what they’re proposing. They must be able to quickly establish rapport with clients, which includes coaching them on how best to articulate their needs. Product Managers learn about different types of companies/businesses across many industries, whereas product managers who work as consultants gain more experience within the technology space.
Both roles require excellent communication skills because you will often be presenting your ideas or vision to potential clients in order to attract new business. Product Management recruiters tend to have a strong sales background, while Product Managers who work as consultants generally have very strong consulting backgrounds. This means they may know more about different types of companies/businesses than someone with a strong sales background.
Conclusion
In conclusion, becoming a Product Manager Recruiter requires a strong background in Product Management and excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Being a Product Manager Consultant, on the other hand, requires an equally strong background in product management as well as business development experience and excellent communication skills.
