A guest post by Barry Doctor, product marketing manager at Katun, Inc., and lifelong observer of cool gadgets and tech toys, who is green with jealousy of those who obtain these toys in their early stages.

While it is the goal of some product managers to simply obtain enough time off to properly enjoy the holidays – rest, relax and recharge. Others wish for more QA resources and a CEO that shares a change in company direction more than 6 weeks before launch of that major new product. Others were hoping for a job or an acquisition. Since fulfillment of these abstract items is particularly difficult, we’ve chosen some unique, obscure products that solve a market problem or cause a product manager to exclaim “that’s cool” out loud.

 In no particular order:

• A Mac Mini the world’s most energy efficient desktop computer www.apple.com/macmini/
• iPad – it does things no tablet PC, netbook, or e-reader could. www.apple.com/ipad/
• Kindle portable e-book reader www.amazon.com/kindle
• Xbox Kinect “controller-free gaming and entertainment experience” www.xbox.com/en-US/kinect
• Vacation trip to Maui – memorable ‘nuff said www.visitmaui.com/
• Flying car – Chitty Bang Bang for the new Millennium by Hammacher Schlemmer http://www.hammacher.com/Product/11812?promo=homepage_hero
• Solar Fuel Cell Car Experiment Kit – for the eco-responsible http://www.thamesandkosmos.com/products/fc/fc2.html
• Dropbox subscription www.dropbox.com
• Twitter Schwag http://mashable.com/2009/12/13/twitter-gift-guide/
• Odd geek gifts http://mashable.com/2009/09/26/geek-products/
• Dishwasher with a touch screen http://www.fastcompany.com/1701278/your-dishwasher-could-really-use-a-touch-screen
• A new 4G Android smart device from T-Mobile. www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones
• Invitation to Facebook email www.facebook.com
• LumaTwist, your own personal satellite http://www.fastcompany.com/1702627/wanted-your-own-personal-satellite

Finally, a holiday season wish:

I wish the sponsors of the product management community could come together. Their fractured appearance is evident to everyone in product management. In this season of giving and friendship, let’s find a way to develop and grow the community, not create new wedges.

Regardless of what you believe, here is to wishing you and your family a very Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night!

Follow Barry on twitter, or contact him through his LinkedIn profile.

How many times have you read a job posting or heard of an opportunity and said, “I can do that job or I have the some of the skills or qualifications to do that?”

In talking to a number of friends recently, it’s apparent that what many of us are doing is hunting snipe.  Snipe hunting for those of you that didn’t grow up in the south or other areas where random pranks took place in deserted locations, is basically practical jokes where inexperienced people are told about a bird called the snipe and are challenged to catch it while running around in the woods carrying a bag and making strange noises.   

Is your job search a Snipe Hunt? If so, there’s the reality that there’s nothing to capture, you’ve been left alone in the woods and even the most experienced hunters know that running aimlessly around in the woods will get you lost or worse.  So what should you do? What is your distinctive competence or unique ability to deliver value to a company?

The New Rules of Obtaining a Job require that you have a distinctive competence and can convey this in multiple ways. So how do I obtain one and where do I start?

Lights, Camera, Action – a mentor and friend challenged me on the first day of my new quest to digitally record myself as I asked the following questions:

▪   Who are you?

▪   What are you great at?

▪   What are you passionate about?

▪   What aspects of your last job were you most passionate about?

▪   What ideas or business related issues wake me up in the middle of the night?

▪   What types of problems do I enjoy solving?

▪   What intangible assets do I possess that people most comment or notice about me?

With your recording, review your comments.  You may want to review these several times. As you review the content, write down the following:

▪   Three recurring themes I hear about myself.

▪   Key points of who I am.

▪   Three points of what I’m passionate and good at.

▪   Three single words that describe me and my capabilities.

With this information, you are ready to create your distinctive competence.  In the next post, we’ll discuss how to construct your distinctive competence and how it will be used.

Now, put down that snipe hunting gear and pick up the digital recorder.

If you’re reading this post, you’ve recognized that searching for the next position isn’t what it was a few years ago. For those who’ve been displaced after holding a steady gig for three or more years, it may seem like you’ve stepped out of a time machine.

Let’s be honest, the rules have changed. If you are using the same routes, pushing the same resume (CV) to the same recruiters and contacts you have, you may be wasting your time. Let me repeat myself. There are “New Rules of Obtaining a Job.” 

As one who is seeking a new quest, I have talked with dozens who are looking, engaged with several mentors who’ve challenged my approach and witnessed how the rules can influence your chances. In this post, I’ve one basic. If you’d like to know more, send me an email or tweet me.

The 80/20 Rule – this is a simple rule. Thirty to sixty days before you leave a position (whether voluntarily or involuntarily) and the 30 days following, you need to contact 80% of the people in your network. Who’s in your network? At a minimum, family, friends, neighbors, professional associations, former co-workers, former managers, community, and religious affiliation contacts should all be on the list. You should contact each one by phone. If you can meet face-to-face that’s better. If you connect by email, practice some etiquette and don’t blast emails to a distribution list. Be aware of other people’s time and schedules. This is a connection, not a therapy session. When you connect via phone, email or face-to-face don’t communicate a sense of urgency or panic.  

The 20% in the 80/20 rule is to build an additional set of contacts into your network equal to 20% of those you already have. This should always be people you don’t know, but could lead to a new opportunity. You can ask for introductions and I found using social media solutions is a huge plus.

Why social media tools? If you could find almost everyone you know, reconnect with lost or misplaced contacts and possibly use these as a conduit to a new job, how great would that be? I have a close friend who has used his high school, college and military alumni pictures and contacted everyone. What did he find? Several CEOs, numerous executives, managers and to friends that own businesses in his area of expertise.

Social media is a great extension to finding, build and connecting. I’ve heard social media tools called the “Past, Present and Future of networking.” Facebook is associated with those you know (Past) old school friends, friends and family.  LinkedIn is about contacts you know (Present) and tools like Twitter provide access to those you don’t know (Future).

I hope this had added some insight and things to consider. As you continue on your quest for the new opportunity, remember to stay focused, positive and connect with people who can support you and provide the lift you need.

[This is a Guest Blog from Robin Zaragoza. Follow Robin on Twitter: @BstnMelody)

Searching for a job is fun! I relish the opportunity to be put on the spot and asked to prove myself to a bunch of people I don’t know yet. I especially enjoy this when I’m not even sure if I’m interested in the company with which I’m interviewing!

Ok, maybe not. I actually find job interviewing to be somewhat stressful – kind of like the first day of school. There is an underlying excitement at the possibility of discovering something wonderful, but mostly I wonder, “Will they like me?”

Now isn’t that a surprise? I wonder “Will they like me?” not “Will they think I’m qualified?” I thought long and hard on why this might be, and at the end of the day I believe this to be a reflection of what I value in a company. I want to work with people I enjoy being around. Sure, I would *also* like to work with people that are ridiculously intelligent and can teach me the world over. But if we don’t have a good working relationship and I don’t enjoy spending time with you, I’m going to find it very hard to be effective in my job.

This week I interviewed with a company that on paper looks great. They fit my criteria: consumer web company, soon to be profitable, very supportive investors. The founding team has already had a major success with a previous company. The product itself is very compelling and customers seem to love it. The director of the PM team comes from an impressive background. I could go on and on, but you get my point. If this were a dating situation, this company’s profile on Match.com would get tons of hits.

But it’s not just about what’s on paper. That first impression matters. Without getting into details, one of the interviewers asked me to solve a trivia question. I certainly understand the purpose of relevant trivia questions, but I felt the exercise could not be used to draw any meaningful conclusions about my ability to be an effective product manager, nor could it be used to estimate my “fit” with the company.

But my opinion about the trivia question is neither here nor there. The main point here is that the interviewer asked a question that he thought was relevant, while I simultaneously thought the question was irrelevant. So what conclusion can I draw from this? This is possibly someone with whom I do not share common values, and likely would not enjoy working with. I certainly expect workplace diversity and disagreement at times, but if common values are not present, then we’ll never get to a common solution. And if I feel that way about one person at the company, perhaps I would feel that way about others.

There were other signs that perhaps this was not the right opportunity for me, so I don’t want you to think I have made up my mind based on a trivia question. What I am ultimately trying to convey is the importance of knowing your lines and drawing them when you have to. When looking for a new job opportunity, consciously decide what you value in an employer and potential colleagues and make sure you stay true to those values. Don’t ignore your “gut” if you walk out of a job interview and you’re just not feeling good. Trying to rationalize yourself into a situation – even in a poor economy when its more difficult to turn down a job offer – can ultimately lead to a bad situation in the future. I know…I’ve been there.

So what do you value in a company?