When applying to pmm jobs, how important is it to align your past experiences with the new role? (For instance, if you worked in ecommerce, only apply to ecommerce roles.)

It's common for people to move from one industry to another. If you're in eCommerce right now, don't feel like you have to apply for only eCommerce jobs. At the end of the day, it’s really about how fast you can learn and hit the ground running in a new role. I'm a firm believer that you'll learn 70% of a new role while on the job.

If you’re making it to the 2nd and 3rd rounds, that signals to me that the hiring manager thinks you have the right experience/skills from your resume. Many factors could be at play, but it may be that you haven't gone in-depth on the core skills they're looking for, or other candidates may be stronger in certain areas, such as market expertise (totally making this up). So they could think you won't be able to onboard or ramp up as fast as someone from the same industry. But that’s your chance to prove them wrong!

• Prepare, prepare, prepare: Doing your homework is so important. How much you've prepared really shows in interviews. And as I've mentioned before, go-getters will be considered more favorably by hiring managers (IMO). So spend a few hours researching the market, the company, and its competition ahead of your interviews. Then use that knowledge to frame your answers and ask thoughtful questions in interviews.
• Show them you're a quick learner: People hire for experience/skills but, more importantly, team fit and potential. Have in-depth examples at the ready of when you proactively learned something new, took on an ambiguous initiative, etc. Make sure you frame your stories with the situation, task, impact, and result.

While it is always easier if your past experience is directly related to the new role you are exploring, it does not mean that you can’t get a job outside of that scope. The key is figuring out what skills or attributes that they are looking for. Then, you need to figure out how to position your past experience so it appears to apply to the challenges that they are trying to solve. PMMs need to be great storytellers, so this is your opportunity to apply those skills to get the job you want!