Product Gym by Elevate

Product Gym was by far the best career investment I’ve ever made. Yes, it does come with a a hefty price tag from the onset, but believe me, it more than pays off. I landed a position with a $45K salary increase within three months of joining the program. Before PG, I was a hot mess when it came to the interviewing process. Even though I am a senior-level leader, I was not able to articulate myself or craft a well enough story to reflect my level of experience. PG guided me through the process, gave me extensive training and the tools needed in order for me to overcome that hurdle. In the end, I had a total of 3 job offers to choose from, and landed my dream job that aligned perfectly with my experience. Couldn’t recommend them highly enough!

 PG is probably the only course I’ve taken/joined that actually provided RESULTS! As someone who worked in product, I was a bit hesitant especially with the price-tag attached but I am so glad I did! I’ve only started applying about a month and a half ago, and already hit 3 offers. The community is amazing and helps so much along the process, and the videos were definitely helpful. Before PG, I was getting around 1-2 rounds of interviews with PG in just a month I’ve gotten offers. This program works and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Put in the work and you’ll be working in Product in no time! 

 

Pros 

Intelligent instructors 

Friendly staff 

Helpful community 

Better than any other Product course (I’ve taken multiple) 

 

Cons 

No in person support but due to COVID, this should change soon. We did have a meetup recently, I couldn’t make it though. 

Product gym was probably the best decision  I made as I try to move my career from Asia to the United States. I found the instructors very knowledgeable and helpful, especially in helping you understand what questions you might encounter in your product management interviews. Not to mention that every instructor are all seasoned product veteran with plenty of relevant experience. 
 
On the other hand, one aspect that separates this program from others is the supportive community. Outside of the typical coaching calls and classes, you get to connect with members individually through the weekly casual calls. Everyone that I met was super supportive and willing to share their experience and struggles.
 
The program itself is not easy. You would definitely feel overwhelmed and sometimes question the whole process. You just have to believe in it! At the peak of my application process, I was receiving 15-25 interviews per week. From there, I was able to hone my interview skills and eventually land my first offer in 8 weeks. 
 
To improve: To have a databank of the Top 20 most asked PM interview questions PER interview round and have a guide on how to best answer them. Moreover, it would also be great to have a list of questions you could ask interviewers PER interview round. 

As someone who already has product experience, I was skeptical as to how much I would benefit from Product Gym. Prior to signing up for the course, I failed multiple product interviews and didn’t know how to improve and get closer to landing offers. If you are willing to put in the time and effort, you will immediately see results. Initially, I noticed a huge uptick in responses from applications, then I was converting round 2 and round 3 interviews. Now I am three months in and have already landed an offer! The process is meticulous and effective!

I will be the first to admit that I am a cynic and a skeptic to the core. I am also not a natural interviewer. I focus on the results I produce more than selling myself and felt the consequences of that when I was running into wall after wall in interviewing for PM jobs… before Product Gym. I'm in Nashville TN and currently handle Product Management and 2 additional roles for a fintech product. Needless to say I'm not getting properly compensated for the extra responsibilities and value I feel I bring to the org. So it was time for me to search for a new job.
My introduction to PG was what I could only describe as divine intervention. I was reading through a twitter thread about how job hunting sucks and after ending up down the rabbit hole of a sub-comment of a sub-comment, I saw a user say that her boyfriend was experiencing setbacks with interviewing but had recently got a job as a PM after going through a program called Product Gym. I knew this wouldn't be a paid ambassador or marketing troll considering how deep into the thread it was so I decided to check it out.
Trust me when I say I researched PG inside and out for a week trying to find everything - the good and especially the bad! I couldn't find anything negative so I decided to make the consultation call. After the call I researched for another week and got advice from my wise counsel. After I bombed a couple of PM interviews terribly, I decided that if I was going to make it to the next level (of life), I would have to make some investments into myself (oh yeah.. I'm frugal too). 
So I joined PG with my skeptical receptors still up… started the course materials they provided and started watching the recorded webinars since I joined in the middle of the cohort. The process is rough. Its supposed to be. If you think you deserve a middle mgmt job with a 6 figure salary, those aren't just handed out like voting stickers unfortunately - for most of us at least. And I struggled (and still do to a certain extent.. just not as much) because as I mentioned, interviewing is not one of my strengths. 
I finally started applying and getting my first rounds and I struggled (and still do to a certain extent.. just not as much) because as I mentioned, interviewing is not one of my strengths. With me not progressing like I wanted to, I started to get down on myself and ask was it worth it. But then after about a month in I noticed something… even though I was struggling with interviewing, it changed my life at work drastically. It was like the stadium lights came on and I could see everything clearly. I immediately began applying the frameworks, processes and theories I learned in their courses at work and realized that previously even though I was managing our product, I was not being a Product Manager. I guess I'm an experiential learner because as I began applying the lessons in real life I started to see my interview results progress. Let me tell you, when I got my first offer I almost had a heart attack. Being able to see the end result after long nights, constant moments of self doubt, packed calendars of endless interviews is a revelatory reminder to… TRUST THE PROCESS. If you work the program faithfully it'll work for you.

Before starting with Product Gym I was getting rejected for PM internships and now have landed an offer and made it to final round interviews for senior level positions. My background was initially in product design and before working with Product Gym I was really struggling to pitch myself as a product manager and effectively show that I have the skills for a product management position. The highest value for me has been the branding update and learning how to pitch myself to tell effective stories in the interview process. Some of the skill based courses were also really helpful to brush up on certain aspects of a PM job that I didn't have as much experience in. Overall I highly recommend Product Gym and I don't think I could've made the progress that I have without them.

OMG… where do I start from with how product gym has helped my career trajectory. I have being trying to transition into product management for over a year now, I took some bootcamps and online product management courses but all they offered was just educating you about what product management is whiles following a strict curriculum.  Product Gym gave me what I was lacking in my approach to branding my resume and presenting myself as an already seasoned PM. If you are still in doubts about joining PG, please go ahead and make that life changing decision to start the process as it WORKS. I went from not getting a single recruiter call for 3 months of doing it on my own to averaging 4-6 interviews every week.  You have to put in a lot of work to see results and I tell you it is a lot of work, but you will be glad you did. Thank you PG for setting up this program especially for aspiring PMs like myself who was able to get my PM role through this program.