A product CV should show outcomes, how you made decisions, and how you shipped with engineering.
See the general guide: IT CV template (Romania).
TL;DR
- Lead with outcomes (activation, retention, revenue, cost, reliability).
- Show scope: team size, product area, stage, and constraints.
- Don’t write responsibilities. Write impact + trade-offs.
Quick checklist (before you send)
- Title: “Product Manager” / “Product Owner” / “Technical PM” (as appropriate).
- 3–6 strong bullets for your latest role, starting with 1–2 measurable outcomes.
- Mention discovery, delivery, prioritization, and collaboration with engineering/design/data.
- Include at least one clear decision: what you chose, what you didn’t build, and why.
Recommended structure (Product)
- Header (clean links)
- Summary (2–4 lines: domain + product type + what you’re targeting)
- Experience (outcomes + decisions + execution)
- Selected initiatives (1–3 max, with results)
- Skills (analytics, discovery, stakeholder management)
- Education/Certs (short)
What a strong bullet looks like (Product)
Useful formula: Outcome + context (segment/flow) + actions (discovery → decision → delivery) + result (metric or signal).
Examples:
- “Improved activation by ~9% by simplifying onboarding (interviews + funnel analysis + A/B iterations).”
- “Reduced support load on [topic] by clarifying UX and automating a manual step.”
- “Shipped an MVP in phases and reduced delivery risk while keeping the core outcome intact.”
No numbers? Use signals:
- faster delivery, less rework, fewer tickets, higher adoption, clearer roadmap execution, reduced risk via phased rollout.
Bullet library (Product)
Pick 6–10 that are actually true for you, then tailor them to the role.
Outcome-driven delivery
- “Improved activation by [X%] by redesigning onboarding (research → iteration → ship).”
- “Reduced churn by [X%] by addressing [root cause] across product + support.”
- “Shipped [feature] that unlocked [segment/use case], increasing adoption.”
- “Improved conversion at [step] by reducing friction and clarifying value.”
- “Reduced operational cost by automating [process] and simplifying the workflow.”
Execution & trade-offs
- “Defined MVP scope and phased rollout, reducing delivery risk.”
- “Aligned stakeholders on roadmap priorities using data + constraints.”
- “Introduced a lightweight experiment process, increasing learning speed.”
- “Cut low‑value scope from an initiative to hit a deadline while preserving the primary outcome.”
- “Established clear acceptance criteria and definition of done, reducing rework and late surprises.”
Collaboration
- “Improved team throughput by clarifying requirements and reducing rework.”
- “Partnered with design and engineering to simplify flows and cut support load.”
- “Coordinated cross‑team delivery with clear dependencies and realistic timelines.”
Discovery (understand before you build)
- “Ran user interviews and identified top pain points, then prioritized 1–2 initiatives with clear ROI.”
- “Validated a hypothesis with prototypes + testing, then adjusted scope before implementation.”
- “Turned support/sales feedback into a repeatable insight loop and a focused backlog.”
Data & instrumentation
- “Defined success metrics before shipping and ran post‑release reviews to steer follow‑ups.”
- “Added tracking for key events and dashboards, improving visibility into funnel behavior.”
- “Detected a metric drop post‑release and coordinated a fast fix/rollback.”
Stakeholder management
- “Set expectations through regular updates and documented decisions, reducing escalations.”
- “Resolved conflicting priorities by proposing options + trade‑offs and getting alignment.”
Common mistakes
- Describing a roadmap without outcomes.
- No numbers, no signals, no proof.
- Too many frameworks; too little what you shipped.
- Bullets that read like job responsibilities (“responsible for…”) instead of impact.
Useful keywords (use only what you actually did)
- activation, retention, churn, conversion, cohort analysis
- discovery, user interviews, usability testing, A/B testing
- roadmap, prioritization, trade‑offs, MVP, phased rollout
- stakeholder alignment, cross‑functional delivery
- instrumentation, analytics, metrics, post‑release review
Product CV template (copy/paste)
FAQ
How many bullets should I use per role?
Usually 3–6 for your latest role, 2–4 for older roles. Fewer is better if they’re strong and relevant.
I don’t have access to analytics. What do I write?
Use signals: fewer tickets, faster delivery, reduced rework, better rollout safety, clearer decision‑making, improved adoption (even directional).
