Create projects that show you're job-ready.

Understand the role, signals, and hidden asks in any JD.

Proven ways to build a resume that gets your profile shortlisted.

Attract the right opportunities and get discovered by top companies.

Getting Shortlisted

Build a sharp first impression across every touchpoint.

In the past, you may have wondered: Why is LinkedIn even important, really?

For context: Hamsini, a GX member landed a role after the marketing head of a company saw her LinkedIn profile! This is the power of a fully optimized LinkedIn. 

Add a professional profile picture. It should be front-facing, slightly smiling, with a flat background. Preferably, get your image shot at a studio. Won’t take you more than 15 mins.

Don’t add selfie/ cropped image out of group photo/ old photo from 2010.

 item — the first thing someone sees even before they land on your profile so make sure it is reflective of your professionalism!

 design- preferably with the branding of your current company. This helps to highlight brand loyalty and professionalism.  Avoid putting up quotes, random thoughts or something that gives a ‘want to be’ vibe.

The headline needs to be very crisp. Add your current role and company. This is what you want to be known for. Remember, this is the first thing audience sees even in LinkedIn search results. Don’t be a wanna be - “I’m on a rocket ship” But if you have sold your company to Disney, do write.

The ‘talks about’ section right below the headline should be updated with 

This is valid if you frequently post and share content on these topics, without any posts - this would not be relevant.

If you’re open to relocating to another city for work - set that city as your primary location on LinkedIn. It helps people connect with you and initiate conversations.

The Featured section helps you to highlight your posts or samples of your work, and is an 

 approach to demonstrate your knowledge and skills.

The first three lines of your about section should create curiosity and intrigue. Only if you are able to get the reader hooked here will they click on see more. The about section should not sound sale-sy. It’s the story you want people to relate, recall and remember you by.

 approach while writing your experience. That is, write about the 

Ensure this section is completed, especially with details about your professional degree.

Write simple one line highlighting key projects, achievements or wins for each school you add in this section.

For courses and experiences pursued additionally, feel free to highlight the learnings, skills developed and projects undertaken. Add GrowthX to the education section (not the experience section) - this helps you connect with Alumni, companies, and more.

Put down your top 3 skills. Write about something that is your superpower or is a niche for you. Don’t write stuff that does not lead to your potential outcome (hire/get hired)

You want to get recommendations only from someone you’ve worked closely with or someone you’ve deployed projects with.

Get recommendations from someone who adds trust to your place, not someone who borrows trust. Which means, it should ideally be someone who is senior to you or is currently working in a leadership role — this way their recommendation adds more credibility to your profile.

Open your notes and list down people you want to seek recommendations from. Once you have more clarity, start reaching out to them.

Checklist to ensure you have completed every section:

As the final step - take a look through your profile, and ensure these steps are completed:

✅ Your profile picture is professional, recent and shot in a studio.

✅ Your cover photo has a minimal design - preferably with the branding of your current company.

✅ You’ve updated a short and crisp tagline with your current role and company.

✅ Your ‘About’ section is completed, with super clear insights about your superpowers, career journey, motivation and goals.

✅ Each experience is updated using the STAR method. Highlight impact and clear wins.

✅ Make sure Education section highlights key learnings, projects and your GrowthX journey as well.

✅ You’ve picked and showcased the top 3 skills that showcase your functional expertise.

✅ You’ve received recommendations from someone you’ve worked with, someone very impactful.

✅ You’ve proofread your content, and made sure there are no spelling, grammar or punctuation errors. 

Build trust via your LinkedIn profile

Marketing resume format that works

Profile sections that catch recruiter attention

RazorpayX partnerships: What their JD reveals

What makes professionals memorable

Product Management is one of the most sought-after roles in today's job market. With thousands of Product Managers listed on LinkedIn and countless job applications for every open position, standing out can seem nearly impossible. This is especially true if you have little to no prior experience in the field. You may find yourself asking: How can I differentiate myself from hundreds of other applicants? How can I prove my skills and potential without a traditional track record?

Despite the high demand for Product Management roles, many candidates do not have a comprehensive portfolio to showcase their abilities. This gap presents a huge opportunity. By creating a detailed and well-structured Proof of Work (POW), you can effectively demonstrate your expertise, critical thinking, and impact.

Picture this: You’re in an interview and the interviewer asks about your experience with user engagement. Instead of giving a generic response, you pull up a case study from your portfolio that details how you improved user retention by 20% through a feature enhancement you led. You walk them through the problem, your solution, the process, and the impressive results, all backed by data. This turns the conversation in your favor, making you a memorable candidate.

“POW helps drive the interview. I drove the questions in my favour because I had talking points. At one point I was asking them more questions based on my research, that went my way.“

"Why build proof of work when recruiters might not even look at it, what's my ROI on this?"

Because when it’s your turn in the interview hot seat, that POW isn’t just a document—it’s your game-changer. It’s what shifts the conversation from “Can you do this?” to “Here’s how I’ve already done it.” In a sea of candidates, your POW is what makes you unforgettable. 

The entire process of building a solid POW to crack PM roles has been broken into a structured framework.

 Here's what you'll achieve from this course:

Introduction: Understand what POW is and how it will help you stand out 

Step 1: Set your career goal and identify the key skills you need to showcase for that role

Step 2: Select the right projects and problem statements to build your POW 

Step 3: Access various templates and understand the approach to building POW

Step 4: Get a hang of the various success metrics and visuals to include in your project

Step 5: Learn how to build a professional portfolio 

Step 5: Add your POW to you resume and LinkedIn and distribute it to the right audience.

Proof of Work (POW) in the context of product management is all about showing, not just telling.

It’s your chance to present a tangible demonstration of your skills, experience, and accomplishments. It’s a portfolio that showcases real projects you’ve worked on, the problem statements you’ve dealt with, and the solutions you’ve implemented.

A lot of people who are new to product management feel like they can't break into the field because they lack relevant experience. But here's the good news: Proof of Work isn’t just about what you did in a job. It can include case studies and projects you’ve taken on independently. Even if you are just starting out, hypothetical or personal projects can demonstrate your PM capabilities and your understanding of the product development process.

It’s all about showing that you have the skills, knowledge, and mindset needed to succeed as a product manager.

Your resume only tells part of your story, but with a compelling portfolio you can display your skills and experience in the best way possible.

Proof of Work goes beyond a basic resume or a list of job titles and responsibilities. It's not merely about theoretical knowledge or untested skills. Instead, it’s about demonstrating your capabilities in action. It provides concrete evidence that you have the necessary knowledge and skills to excel in product management.

Proof of Work for Product Managers is not yet a common practice, especially in India. Many product managers don't have a portfolio or personal website, often viewing it as an unnecessary add-on. But here’s the thing: a compelling Proof of Work can really help you stand out from the crowd.

A traditional resume lists your skills and experience, but a portfolio showcases them in action. It highlights your problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and passion for products, giving you a distinct edge over others, especially during interviews.

Moreover, if you're someone without any prior experience, this is your opportunity to demonstrate that you have what it takes. A well-crafted Proof of Work can effectively convey your capabilities and potential to prospective employers.

So, while creating a Proof of Work might seem like an extra step, it’s absolutely worth it. It allows you to show what you can do, not just tell. The extra mile you go now could be the difference between landing the job and being overlooked.

Before you start building a POW, first get clarity on what your goal is and what are the key skills that you will have to showcase to be the right candidate for the role. 

How to show product thinking through projects

🗣 Resume is your chance to highlight your relevancy for the role, your leverage to succeed in the role and your impact in previous roles you have been in. This is what helps a potential hiring manager understand you and shortlist you, if there’s a match.

But what does this really mean and how to show this in resume?

This is everything in your profile that showcases why you are a perfect match for the requirement the company has.To highlight this, you need to go through the product, the company profile, JD, speak to 5-10 users, understand the market and industry.

Identify keywords that standout. Use them to showcase your experience better. Make sure you don’t add what’s not true, at some point in interview - they will figure this out and it won’t reflect well on your candidature.

Industry knowledge, user insights, hands-on experience working on similar problem statements in current/ previous org is your unique leverage for that role. 

Research well and identify the roles you wish to apply to. Make sure the goals you are setting for yourself are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) or MARS (Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Strategic).

These are pure numbers and metrics you moved. Your contribution to the orgs goal - user growth, revenue, etc whatever it was. 

These numbers are for you to showcase two things - a. You were able to solve problem statements and impact the north star metric. b. You are aware and know what impact did your work drive. Knowing these numbers is your way to show you measure them and track them.

Use STAR format to write these down in your experiences 

S - Situation, T - Task, A - Action, R - Result

This essentially means - Writing down what was the 

📌 For every single thing mentioned on your resume, you should be able to answer upto two levels of ‘Why’ questions asked by the interviewer. You should know your metrics, your problem statements and projects inside out.

Don’t add filler words, don’t make it templatized, don’t use GPT - It shows.

Important to note, every resume has to be a tailor made document for the specific role, specific company and specific JD. This is the first touch point between you and the hiring manager/ TA who is evaluating you for the role - you will be evaluated against hundreds/ thousands of applications that role would have received.

Putting yourself in the TA/ Hiring managers shoes on the other side who will evaluate your profile is a good way to critic and optimise the resume.

📝 The most critical aspect that helps you standout is your 

, and 99 out of 100 applicants won’t think about this.

These are projects - at work, personal ones that you have worked on. These projects build massive trust in your profile - it shows how you think, how you solve, how you document and how you apply all the skills you have mentioned in your resume/ LinkedIn profile.

Your proof of work is a reflection of you. It’s your way to show how would you solve a potential problem statement at work using the skills you have developed.

Proof of work is not a replacement for lack of relevant experience, it doesn’t discount the fact you have never worked on similar problem statements before. However, it allows you to show intent, skills and effort that helps you standout.

 There is no template for this, if you have gone through the immersion and CRAFTs learning and built assignments during the same - you know what Proof of Work is. If you have gone through Capstone experience, you know what depth means.

1/ Make sure your resume is not more than 1 page.

Recruiters typically receive hundreds of applications for a role, and do not have time to skim through long resumes.A concise resume makes a better first impression, looks more professional, and is easier to read.

What has worked for someone else might not work for you exactly as it is, don’t duplicate templates and use them. Instead look at the brand tone of the company you are applying to and try to make your resume in harmony with it.

3/ One resume for every job application is the worst mistake to do.

This is the first touch point between you and the hiring manager/ TA who is evaluating you for the role - you will be evaluated against hundreds/ thousands of applications that role would have received.

You should put effort in customizing your resume for every role you are applying to - this allows you to truly showcase why you are a right fit for the role and also helps with ATS.

4/ Use action verbs to highlight your contribution.

Look at specific asks in the Roles and Responsibilities section of the JD and identify what are the skills required in the form of keywords.

Quantify your impact and contribution in terms of % or specific metrics you owned or solved for. Avoid writing in first person in your JD. It looks informal and unprofessional.

5/ Maintain consistency and optimize for what works for specific JDs.

Understand if the role requires a focus on impact or skills and see you can highlight that in your resume. Keep reflecting and optimizing your resume to make it better, get feedback wherever possible from the hiring manager/TA.

Understand what the reader interprets of your resume, sometimes that’s not in alignment with what you actually want them to conclude.

6. Increase your chances of shortlisting by linking your Proof of Work.

Adding in your POW in resume helps the hiring manager understand your strengths, your thought process, structure to solve ambiguous problems. It is also a great way for you to build confidence and trust in your approach of solving.

Make your resume customized to get shortlisted

Profile tweaks that make you discoverable

Skills and experience they're really seeking

Write your first post

Structure that makes reviewers want to hire you

Craft a professional portfolio to build your personal brand and elevate your career. 

Step 1: Set your goal and identify the key skills 

So you've understood from the previous section that proof of work can help you stand out in a competitive job market. Before you start building one, you need to first understand that the objective is to show a potential employer that you have the necessary skills and knowledge to be the right fit for the role. In order to do that, you need to be clear on what is expected from a PM. 

It's essential to clarify your career goal before creating your proof of work. Your goal might either be to make a functional transition or to advance your career in product management. By setting clear career goals, you can tailor your proof of work to highlight the specific skills and achievements that align with your objectives.

Goal 1: Transition to a new role or industry

Such as moving from a generalist role to a specialized one (e.g., project management to product management)

By securing higher-level product management roles ( Early → Mid ) or leadership positions ( Mid → Senior). Also by transitioning to different companies that align with their larger career goal.

Now, take a step back and think about your broader objectives.

 Grab a pen and paper, or jot down notes on your device. Define what your ultimate career objective is—whether it's advancing to a specific role, transitioning to a new industry, or making a significant impact in your current field.

2/ Identify Required Skills Based on Goal

Alright, so let’s break it down. Product management combines strategy, design, leadership, and marketing, all rolled into one to get a product off the ground.

Now, depending on where you want to go in your product management journey, you’ll need to focus on different skills. That means picking up projects and case studies that highlight exactly what’s needed for your goals. This way, your portfolio isn’t just a random collection—it’s targeted to show off your capabilities in the areas most relevant to your desired role.

3/ The Shifting Nature of Product Management Roles

As you progress from a junior to a senior level in product management, the nature of your role evolves significantly. Initially focused on executing tasks and getting things done, your responsibilities shift towards a more leadership-oriented position. This transition involves guiding teams, setting strategic direction, and influencing product vision and strategy. It's a shift from doing to leading, where your impact extends beyond individual tasks to shaping the broader trajectory of product development and organizational growth.

From extensive LinkedIn search of PM job listings, here are the common skills required for the role:

So it’s worth digging into and understanding the scope of the PM roles in each stage.

1. Early Level (Junior/ Associate Product Managers)

In the early stages of your product management career, you'll be primarily focused on executing against a defined strategy or roadmap. Your responsibilities include ensuring the team operates effectively day-to-day and provides support for product development. You'll typically work on relatively well-scoped problems with a general direction set by senior leadership.

Moving into mid-level product management, your role expands to setting strategic direction for your product or portfolio. You'll advocate for resources needed to support your strategy and coordinate efforts across multiple teams, including partner teams, to ensure alignment and delivery. Client and stakeholder engagement becomes crucial as you communicate the product vision and gather feedback to refine strategies.

3. Senior Level (Senior Product Managers)

At the senior level of product management, your focus shifts towards defining the overarching purpose of your organization or product line. You take on leadership in setting the organizational culture and ensuring overall effectiveness. This includes allocating resources strategically across various priorities and leading transformative changes within the organization. Your role involves navigating complex challenges and driving initiatives that shape the future direction of the company.

Now that you're clear on what skills are required for PM roles across different career stages, the goal is to build a POW that will showcase these skills. In order to do that, you need to identify which projects are relevant for a PM role and then build choose the right project to work on. 

What companies expect from PM candidates

What hiring managers notice in your resume

What their requirements reveal about growth stage

Marketing leader framework on leveraging AI for personal branding

What their hiring tells us about gaming growth

Which project types impress product leaders

Identify what is the right projects to build your POW on

Why most PM resumes get rejected

Think of the GrowthX community as a thriving ecosystem; your active participation is like water to a garden. Attend our immersion programs, participate in offline events, and join discussions on Slack. 

For instance, participating in conversations on #

 and offline events not only boosts your knowledge but also gives you the chance to interact with like-minded professionals.

you make it easier for others to recognize and remember you

, setting the stage for deeper connections.

Engage regularly with community members, offer your help, and share your expertise. For example, if a fellow member is struggling with a growth challenge, offer insights from your experience. This kind of organic relationship-building makes your interactions less transactional and more personal.

We have seen serendipity happen for hundreds of GrowthX members over the last few years.

Actively participating and contributing to the community is an excellent way to showcase your capabilities. For instance, if you lead a successful project within the community or share a valuable case study, you demonstrate your skills and potential to others.

Trust and competence are crucial factors in professional referrals. You build a reputation that encourages others to support you by consistently showcasing your abilities.

Personal interactions provide better context and help others understand who you are and what you bring to the table. For example, a casual chat over coffee during an event can often lead to more meaningful connections than an online interaction.

Offline interactions that led to successful job referrals for Dhaval and working together in capstone let to Deepak finding a mentor in Nagga. 

Screenshot 2025-03-11 at 1.34.29 PM.png

For example, if you help a fellow member by reviewing their resume or providing a job lead, they are more likely to support you in return.

6/ The long-term investment in relationships

By nurturing your connections and actively participating, you create a support system that will be there for you when you need it.

Building and scaling products with fellow members is just one of the many examples:

The relationships you build & nurture today will be the foundation of your success tomorrow. It truly pays to be good.

Looking forward to seeing you thrive within the community! 💙

How to approach the GX community for job leads

and how to leverage the network!

Launch strategies that actually drive results

What marketing hiring managers prioritize

Frameworks that speed up your portfolio building

Starting a project may seem daunting initially, but with a systematic approach, it becomes manageable.

Messages that actually get responses

As you continue building your Proof of Work (PoW), it’s crucial to shift your focus towards defining and showcasing the success metrics. While templates lay the groundwork, the true power of your PoW lies in your ability to identify and communicate the key metrics that demonstrate the impact of your work. Remember, as a product manager, your role revolves around not just completing tasks, but driving results. A project without clear, measurable outcomes is like a ship without a compass. In this chapter, we’ll dive into the essential metrics you should include and explore how to use visuals effectively to make your PoW not just complete, but compelling.

Imagine you're a pilot navigating through the skies. Without precise instruments to measure altitude, speed, and direction, it would be nearly impossible to reach your destination safely and efficiently. In product management, metrics are the instruments that guide you to your goal.

Including the right metrics in your projects is essential for making informed decisions. Metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS), Client Retention Rate (CRR), Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), and a ton of other metrics provide invaluable insights into customer behavior and business performance. By tracking these metrics, you can ensure your initiatives are making a measurable, tangible impact.

When it comes to your proof of work, metrics are crucial. They allow others to see the concrete results of your efforts, highlighting the impact you’ve created. There are many metrics, frameworks like AARRR, HEART, North Star Metric, and methodologies like funnel analysis, cohort analysis, etc to help you through this. The key is to select the ones that align with your goals and add them to your projects.

Here’s a list of the commonly and widely applicable metrics to help you pick the right ones to add to your POW.

Now that you’ve identified the key metrics, it's time to focus on how you present  your POW. 

Visuals play a crucial role in making your PoW not only informative but also engaging. 

In the previous chapter, most of the templates would've specified that you need to attach visuals such as wireframes, mock-ups, user flows etc. The right visuals can turn a good PoW into a compelling narrative. In this section, we’ll explore the types of visuals that can elevate your PoW.  If you don't have any experience building these before, this POW would be a great way for you to get familiar because you will most likely dealing with these on the job. 

Here are a few examples of what visuals you can include in your POW - 

Don't worry, a lot of this will become simpler once you're familiar with the right tools and resources available to you. There are plenty out there. Also note that most PM job listings emphasize the importance of technical skills, often including experience with these very tools. So get your hands dirty and get familiar with them! 

Here are some that can come in handy while you're working on your PoW:

2/ Popular design tools that allow creating high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes

4/ Resources for Building Charts and Mind maps

So far, we've covered everything from how you can identify which POW to build based on your goal, what structure you can follow when you're building POW ( by following the given templates) and then we focused on two critical elements of your Proof of Work (PoW) that will make it stand out: defining key success metrics and presenting them through impactful visuals. 

In this chapter we discussed how identifying the right metrics is essential to demonstrating the effectiveness of your work, and how visuals can enhance the clarity and appeal of your PoW. By combining well-defined metrics with strong visual storytelling, you're not just completing a project—you're showcasing your ability to drive results in a way that is both clear and compelling.

Now, let’s move on to the next step, where we’ll guide you on how to build a professional portfolio and incorporate your PoWs into it. 

Numbers that prove business impact

Get a hang of all the important metrics and visuals you can include in your project to make it a compelling one. 

When you think of words like Technology, Design and Future, who do you think of?

A popular answer to that would be Steve Jobs. And the reason is simple: these keywords are integral to his personal brand.

Career growth = {Technical Skills + Personal Branding + Building Proof of Work}

Having only technical skills and proof of work is not enough — you need to be able to communicate them effectively. And this is where personal branding comes in.

You will have the following figured in the next 30 mins :

Why is personal branding important?

Get an in-depth understanding of the outcomes of this framework. 

Marketing roles, especially at desirable companies, attract hundreds of applicants. Many of these candidates have similar qualifications, experience, and portfolios.

Resumes and portfolios often only scratch the surface of your abilities. They can show what you’ve done in the past but not necessarily how you approach problems or how you think. A proof of work demonstrates your ability to analyze a specific company’s needs, devise strategies, and create actionable plans.

Because when it’s your turn in the interview hot seat, that POW isn’t just a document, it’s your game changer. It’s what shifts the conversation from “Can you do this?” to “Here’s how I’ve already done it.” In a sea of candidates, your POW is what makes you unforgettable. 

Now, the entire process of building a solid POW to crack marketing roles has been broken into a structured framework. 

Here's what you'll achieve from this guide:

Proof of Work (POW) in the context of marketing roles is all about showing, not just telling. It’s your chance to show what value you can add to the org. 

A lot of people who are new to marketing feel like they can't break into the field because they lack relevant experience. But here's the good news: Proof of Work isn’t just about what you did in a job. It can include case studies and projects you’ve taken on independently. Even if you are just starting out, hypothetical or personal projects can show your capabilities.

It’s all about showing that you have the skills, knowledge, and mindset needed to succeed in a marketing role. 

Proof of Work goes beyond a basic resume or a list of job titles and responsibilities. It's not merely about theoretical knowledge or untested skills. Instead, it’s about demonstrating your capabilities in action. It provides concrete evidence that you have the necessary knowledge and skills to excel.

A traditional resume lists your skills and experience, but a portfolio showcases them in action. It highlights your problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and passion for growth marketing, giving you a distinct edge over others, especially during interviews.

Let's look into that in the next module. 