Building leverage to crack product roles
Imagine every hiring manager trusting your capabilities before they even meet you. Dive in to find how.
This newsletter will help you create a proof of work that catches the hiring manager’s attention and makes them want to talk to you—now.
You’ve been applying for product roles—dozens of them. And the replies? “Your profile doesn’t fit,” “We’ve decided to move forward with other candidates,” or worse—no response at all. Sound familiar?
Here's the truth: your resume isn’t the problem. The real issue is that you’re not showing them proof of what you can do. Your skills aren’t just words on paper—they're solutions to real problems. The idea of making portfolios to show past projects, case studies, and personal work is common among designers/ creators. But in recent years, it’s been on the rise among operators and leaders across growth/ product working in tech companies.
Why is this happening?
It’s simple: You’re essentially the product in today’s job market. Your proof of work is a unique leverage you have to show the skills you have and your portfolio is a personal website, an interactive experience that sells you.
It builds trust
Hiring managers don’t want promises; they want proof. Your proof of work/ personal projects shows what you can do.You stand out
Resumes are everyone’s way of applying. But a polished portfolio? That sets you apart from the hundreds of applicants hiring managers scroll through daily.It showcases real skills
Skills listed on a resume are just words. But your proof of work puts those words into action. It demonstrates what you can accomplish using those skills.
What you’ll learn today -
#1 How to choose the right project?
Not all projects are relevant & impactful. We’ll guide you on selecting one that showcases the skills that matter most for your next role.#2 Building the proof of work
More than just creating something for the sake of it. You’ll learn how to build proof of work that’s relevant, impressive, and directly aligned with the jobs you’re targeting.#3 Creating a solid portfolio
Your personal website doesn’t need to be flashy, but it needs to communicate value. Learn how to put together a compelling portfolio that gets noticed.
Understand what is Proof of work
Proof of Work (POW) in product management is all about showing what you can do. It’s not just about listing skills; it's about demonstrating them through real work.
If you have proven experience in product management, the proof of work will be a way to show how it translates to the product/ company you are applying to. If you don’t have any product experience, proof of work is your chance to show how your existing skillsets can add value to the role.
A great proof of work consists of four core elements:
The right and realistic problem statement: This isn’t about guessing. You need to identify a real problem by doing user, product, and market research. Carefully dissect the job description (JD) to understand what issues the company needs to solve, then tailor your proof of work around that.
Clear context setting: What does your strategy or proof of work solve for? Define the goal accurately. Set measurable objectives—use numbers where possible. The more clarity you offer, the more impressive your proof of work becomes.
Pack it with insights: Don’t just share assumptions and solutions. Add deep insights that the hiring manager probably doesn’t know. Your proof of work should add value and showcase your ability to dive into product details.
Format it well: Your proof of work needs to be easily consumable and engaging. If the reader can understand and summarize your work effortlessly, you’re much more likely to get that interview. A clear format increases your chances of landing a chat with the hiring manager.
Who should consider building it?
Now, Let’s get to work.
Step 1/ Set your goal & identify the skills needed
Before building your proof of work, take a moment to define your career goal.
Aiming to transition into a new function/ industry?
for example, going from a business/ strategy role to a product role, with no previous product experienceAdvancing in your current role?
for example, going from APM > PM > SPM roles.
Once the goal is clear, pick projects that are relevant to the roles you want.
For example, If you’re targeting a fintech product role, align your projects around core competencies like risk analysis or compliance. Your goal is to show that you can apply your product skills to specific fintech needs, like handling large data sets securely.
Understand the landscape of a product role, narrow down your strengths that overlap with the requirement of the role - and double down to ensure they shine through in the project.
To understand this better, you can refer to this module
Step 2/ Pick the right project to build
The proof of work you build has to be relevant to the role you are aiming to crack. Looking at the JD of the role to identify the potential problem statements you will solve in the role, will give you leverage to choose the right one.
Everything you need to know about this is here.
Note: If you are aiming to send your proof of work to a potential hiring manager/ Founder, it’s best if you have built it on the same product/ parallel product with the same ICP. This allows them to establish relevancy between what you are showing and how you will fit in.
Here’s a zoomed-out view of how your GrowthX projects can be used depending on the role you are transitioning into -
Note: In the part where it says Capstone project, you can build one independently by picking the companies on top of your wishlist. Abhinav did exactly that here, it’s a mini version of the Capstone project at GrowthX that highlights all the relevant levers.
Most importantly, add projects that you have personally worked on instead of adding group projects where you have handled one of the many parts.
Step 3/ The starting point
It can be overwhelming to understand where to begin, knowing what’s right and what works. After speaking to 20+ hiring managers/ leaders in Product, we have learnt what they look for in a proof of work before going ahead with the candidate. These learnings have been collated and simplified for you below.
We have built the blueprint that will allow you to get started, you can use it for -
1. User, product, market research
2. Product teardowns
3. Feature suggestions/improvement
4. UX Design solutions & more
When building a proof of work, doing it on the specific product you are applying for always helps. Abhinav Jain, Director of New Initiatives at PocketFM built this project, it helped him get prioritized amongst other potential candidates, and you can directly hear from him to learn.
Even, Ashish Mundra, Product Manager at Zerodha Fund House put this together when reaching out to the hiring manager.
How you should approach picking the project -
If you are aiming to crack a role in fintech, dive into a product teardown of a digital bank. Analyze user flows, suggest improvements to KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures, or explore new ways to enhance transaction security.
Important: Your proof of work is your way of going the extra mile to show your intent, effort and most importantly - skills! Don’t do a half-hearted job here, by spending just 2-3 hours on it or using AI tools to generate it. That will do more harm than good, on your application and personal brand too.
Step 4/ Putting it together
A messy presentation undermines the entire point of building it in the first place. You don’t need to be a designer, but you do need to make sure your work is clean, structured, and easy to navigate.
Once you have built a few case studies/ proof of work projects, you can bring it all together in a portfolio. And to start with, you can build this on Notion. Here’s how Aamir from the GrowthX fam built one (helped him crack a role at Toplyne).
Presenting your work well is an important part too, it’s the first touch-point for anybody before even they get into the specifics of what’s built.
Here’s how you can build a solid portfolio to highlight your proof of work.
Ensure your personal brand across LinkedIn is on point too, use this to revamp. Hiring managers will always visit your profile when you reach out to them, make sure it is in sync with your portfolio.
Here’s a list of 200+ portfolios that you can take a look at for inspiration [Curated by Aakash Gupta]
Coming back to why put so much effort? 💫
Submitting your resume alone is a surefire way to get lost in the crowd. When you’re reaching out to hiring managers or founders, lead with your proof of work. Reference specific projects that solve problems they’re already facing. Show them you’ve already done the job they need someone to do.
Now, addressing the most obvious questions you would have - how much time should I put into building one, how many projects should I build, what if I don’t hear after sending it out?
How much time should I put into it?
Here’s a reality check. There’s no perfect answer to how much time you should spend on building proof of work, but this is not a shortcut. It’s an investment in your career—not just for landing a role now but for the long haul. Whether you're trying to crack a product role, take on consulting projects, mentor early-stage founders, or build a team in the future, your proof of work becomes your weapon.
How many of them should you ideally build?
The answer isn’t just about quantity; it’s about quality. Start with one or two well-crafted projects that align with the roles you’re targeting. These should be detailed enough to demonstrate your depth, yet concise enough to be easily digestible.
As you progress in your career, keep building. Over time, create a diverse library of projects that showcase your growth and ability to solve different types of problems.
What if I don’t hear back?
Distributing the portfolio is a whole different skill on its own, we will cover that ahead in upcoming editions. Remember that there’s no downside to building a portfolio. Even if you don’t immediately get responses from hiring managers, your portfolio remains an asset. The work you’ve done can be reused, refined, and repurposed for future opportunities. It’s not just about getting a job today—it’s about setting yourself up for long-term success.
Featured roles this week ✨
Lead Product Manager at SmartQ [Hospitality]
Brand & PR Head at Coverfox [Insurance]
Brand Manager at Youneek Pro Science [Personal care]
Growth Manager at Dodo Payments [Finance]
Product Marketing Manager at Saras Analytics [Technology]
Curated resources for you 🚀
Insights from the GrowthX Fam across Meta ads, content marketing for Series A startups & more.
Everything personal branding - LinkedIn, Resume, Portfolio & more
10+ Interview cheatsheets, to revise and practice on the day of the interview
[Event] Succeeding in B2B SaaS with Harsh Jain, product leader turned Founder
Focus on building as much leverage as possible, when the right opportunity arrives you will have all that it takes to bag it.
Block two hours this week to start building your proof of work. It could be the difference between continuing the job hunt and landing your next product role.