Wharton Career Advisor
 Squeezed Out by a Merger

A product marketing manager responsible for the launch of new products worldwide seeks advice for a career search after a merger with a larger company:

My responsibilities will be taken over by their current product management team. More than 80 percent of my experience is in sales and sales management. The last 2 years I have been a product manager. I need to decide whether to look for opportunities in product marketing or go back to sales. The reason why I initially accepted the product marketing role was because it would give me needed product management and marketing experience that I lacked in a sales role. My ideal job would encompass sales and marketing in a director or vice president level, but I need help in how to position myself.

Please advise.

Peter Cappelli
George W. Taylor Professor of Management
Director, Center for Human Resources

You've had experience in both sales and product management, so a position combining the two would make a lot of sense. Product management is a more scarce skill set than sales, and employers are interested in ones' most recent experience, so you've done them in the right order.

What you want to find next is a more senior-level position, either one where you directly handle both product management and sales, such as director level, or, failing that, at least where you handle product management for a bigger product line. The step up requires additional tasks, particularly the coordination and oversight associated with executive level tasks. You might get this experience with a more responsible product management job. Two years in product management is not bad, but other companies may want to see even more experience before offering you an executive job.

The best place to look for a position that represents a substantial step up is inside your own organization. They are the ones who are most willing to take a chance on someone who has not done the exact job before because they know a lot about you — whether you are generally competent, whether you learn quickly, whether you are motivated — so the risk associated with giving you such a position is lower.

Mergers create a lot of turbulence, but there is also opportunity in the restructuring. It's crucial to look good to the incoming leadership team. Manage the hand-off well, even if it means cheerfully showing them how they can get rid of your position more quickly — it's going to happen anyway. There will be new positions created with other product lines, possibly even the one associated with your business. If you can't get your ideal position in the executive ranks immediately, look for any position that gives you more of the oversight experience that director or VP-level executive positions require. Even a task force or a temporary "acting" position would help.

The other thing to do, of course, is to begin to look outside, especially to competitor companies. Best bets are smaller competitors who are interested in acquiring the skills you've learned in your current job. You may be able to secure a "director" position at a smaller company, earn your executive credentials, and then cycle back around to a similar position at a more substantial organization.

Monica McGrath
Executive Coach and Wharton Adjunct Associate Professor of Management
Faculty Associate, Center for Leadership and Change Management

Where are you now? Mergers and acquisitions tend to make one feel as though everything they have done in the past is irrelevant and meaningless, especially if what you have been working on "ceases to exist." That's not really the case, but it can feel that way. When in the midst of a transition like this, you will probably experience a roller coaster of emotions, and it is wise to set things in motion now to make the transition easier.

  • First, build in support as you start into the transition. A good career counselor or even regular meetings with a trusted friend who has faced a similar career transition can help you stay focused and provide a pragmatic sounding board for your strategy.

  • Second, take an analytical approach to your job as product marketing manager. Consider each important activity of the last 2 years and determine what skills and strengths you brought to those accomplishments. For example, if you assembled a cross-functional team to address an adverse press reaction to a product launch, you would have certainly advanced the following skills: influencing without authority, taking command, and negotiating the political landscape. Once you begin this process, you will find a list of competencies you have developed in the last 2 years. This will also help you determine if you need additional experience in marketing before your next career step.

  • Third, create a focused and strategic plan of action integrating your short-term and long-term career goals. The realities of your personal financial situation, timing, current economic realities in your industry, and your long-term goal to become a vice president will need to be considered in your action plan.

  • Finally, it is time to gather information about your industry and the opportunities for someone with your experience and skills. Use your business network to learn the insider's view of a targeted company.

Your considerable experience in sales does not have to limit your options. Those well-developed skills will always be an important part of your personal toolkit. As you move forward, stay alert to industry reaction to your 2-year experience as a product marketing manger. Continue to build a confident and strong case for what you have learned in the past and how you can contribute to a new organization.

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