In today’s competitive job market, securing a Product Marketing role is more challenging than a year ago. However, Product Marketing remains essential for business success, with companies continuously investing in this area.

If you’re looking for your next role, here are six key product marketing traits that recruiters, talent acquisition professionals and tech startups are actively seeking:

Effective Communication: As a bridge between Product/Dev and Sales/Marketing teams, mastering the art of quickly understanding stakeholders' motivations, reasoning, and success metrics is crucial. Your ability to translate complex technical information into clear, understandable terms for various audiences will set you apart. A deep understanding of product development processes helps you set accurate expectations for Sales, Marketing, and the broader market.

For instance, when launching a new feature, a product marketer must succinctly explain its benefits and technical specifications to both the sales team and potential customers, ensuring alignment and clarity.

Empathy: Your interactions will span various internal and external customers, from buyers and users to prospects and engineer, requires a high level of empathy. Cultivating empathy will empower you to truly grasp the challenges the company needs to address to succeed. By understanding and anticipating customer pain points, you can tailor your messaging and solutions more effectively. When conducting customer interviews and feedback sessions, empathy allows for genuine understanding of user experience and can lead to more impactful product improvements.

Cross-Collaboration: Engaging with multiple teams across the customer journey is essential. Understanding prospects' pain points, industry trends and converting product features into value propositions for Sales are vital skills. For example, when working closely with the customer success team, you can gather valuable insights on customer experiences and outcomes, using this information to refine product positioning and support materials.

Articulate: Clearly communicating the product's problem-solving capabilities to customers is crucial. Those who avoid using jargon and present a compelling story of how their previous organization's solution addressed customer needs will make you shine during the interview process. Demonstrating the ability to simplify complex concepts into persuasive and relatable stories is key. For instance, when describing a product feature, focus on how it directly benefits the user, weaving in real-world scenarios that resonate with your audience.

Balanced Analytical and Creative Thinking (Left & Right Brained): Strive to excel in both strategy and creativity. Your responsibility as a Product Marketer will encompass driving growth and profitability, while collaborating with creative minds to craft compelling messaging for the market. For example, analyzing user data to identify trends and then working with the design team to create visually appealing and impactful marketing materials.

Storytelling: Showcase your strong communication and storytelling skills beyond simply explaining product features, instead focusing on conveying the product's significance and how it empowers customers to achieve their goals. Demonstrating a deep understanding of the target audience and crafting compelling narratives will make you a valuable asset. For instance, instead of simply listing features, tell a story about how a customer used your product to overcome a specific challenge, highlighting the journey and the positive outcomes.

As you aim to secure a new role, keep these product marketing traits in mind. Looking for more ways to prepare for your next interview? Visit Martyn Bassett Associates’ blog - they are experts in all aspects of product and product marketing hiring.