A PM recently asked me,

“I think I’m a higher-level PM… but I keep getting down-leveled when I get offers. What do I do?”

I’ve heard this more times than I can count.

And I’ve lived parts of it too—especially early in my career, when I felt like I was being seen for less than what I brought to the table.

And later on, when I was ready to step into a bigger role—but didn’t see the opportunities show up.

So let’s talk about it.

If you’re feeling stuck in your level, not being seen fully in interviews, or ready to move into leadership, here’s what I’ve seen actually work—for myself, and for PMs I’ve coached and worked with.

1. Develop an In-Demand Skill

Start by specializing in something with broad applicability.

This might sound obvious, but the truth is—specificity is what makes you stand out.

I started as a Growth Marketer at Lyft, where I learned everything I could about rider growth, partnerships, and referrals. That one deep skill—growth—helped me move into product at Elemy, leading the Family Growth team, and later at Ancestry, where I worked across broader growth challenges.

There was a thread.

I became known for something.

And that made it easier to move between companies and roles.

If you want to level up, start by asking yourself:

• What should I specialize in?
• What will still be in demand 10 years from now?
• What are the most pressing, messy, or valuable problems companies are trying to solve?

Some high-leverage, cross-company areas I’ve seen:

• Growth
• Safety & trust
• Identity or compliance
• Payments or subscriptions
• Youth products or education
• AI or platform infra

If you can become the go-to person for one of those domains, you’ll stop getting slotted into generic roles—and start being hired for your expertise.

2. Choose a Niche Focus

This is the other side of the coin.

It’s not just about the skill—it’s also about the space you apply it in.

If you want to grow in your career, don’t be afraid to narrow in.

Niche knowledge helps you build compounding expertise across similar companies.

It makes switching roles easier.

And it makes your story sharper in interviews.

Maybe that niche is youth products.

Maybe it’s small businesses.

Maybe it’s Web3 or mental health or VR.

Don’t worry about making it perfect.

Just pick something you’re interested in that’s also hiring.

And then go deep.

3. Show Your Value During Interviews

Your leveling starts before you get the offer.

It starts in the way you carry yourself during the process.

Interviews aren’t just about answering questions.

They’re about signaling how you think, how you lead, and whether you understand what matters to the company.

Don’t wait for them to pull it out of you.

Come prepared to show exactly how your expertise lines up with what they need.

Focus on:

✅ Your area of specialty

✅ Real impact you’ve had

✅ How you bring that to their team

✅ What you do if you started tomorrow

And don’t just say, “I’m senior.”

Demonstrate it.

Let them feel it.

4. Make the First Four Months Count

Sometimes the market says you’re a Senior PM, even when you know you’re ready for Lead or Manager.

And sometimes you take the offer anyway—because the opportunity feels right, even if the title doesn’t.

If that’s the case, focus on leveling up internally once you’re in the role.

Here’s what to do in your first four months:

Month 1

• Understand the entire business—not just your surface-level tasks.
• Study how the product works, who the key users are, what the metrics look like, what competitors are doing, and where the gaps are.

Month 2

• Start setting a vision and strategy for your area.
• Use what you learned to propose a goal that’s ambitious, but still achievable.
• This might mean launching a key product, improving a core metric, or solving a user problem no one’s been able to crack.

Months 3–4

• Start executing.
• Deliver clear wins.
• And track your impact—not just in what you did, but how it moved the business forward.

5. Communicate What You’re Doing

Doing great work isn’t enough.

People need to know about it.

And not in a performative way—just clearly and consistently.

Make sure your manager, team, and cross-functional partners understand what you’re doing and why it matters.

Some things that help:

➡️ Regular written updates

➡️ Sharing milestones in Slack or All Hands

➡️ One-pagers or visuals that break down impact

➡️ Executive-ready summaries (even if you’re not presenting them yet)

You don’t have to be loud.

You just have to be clear.

And visible.

And when you start hitting your goals, show the results:

• “Before I joined, the team was running X experiments a year. Within a year, I helped us scale to Y, which drove Z revenue.”
• “We had no unified growth strategy. I built one, and now adoption is up by 35%.”

Let the data speak.

Then back it up with a story.

6. Build a Brand That’s Easy to Vouch For

If your manager had to pitch you for a promotion, could they do it in one sentence?

What would that sentence be?

That’s your brand.

Make it easy for them.

Become known for something measurable and clear.

• “She’s the go-to person for monetization.”
• “He’s the one who turned that team around.”
• “She created a playbook that’s now used across 3 product areas.”

This is how you move from “solid PM” to “we can’t afford to lose them.”

7. Act Like You’re Already There

This is the part no one tells you.

You won’t get promoted to a new level.

You’ll get promoted because you’re already operating at it.

Start delivering at the next level before anyone gives you permission.

That means:

👉🏽 Setting vision and strategy

👉🏽 Thinking across teams and functions

👉🏽 Communicating clearly with leadership

👉🏽 Influencing outcomes beyond your current scope

If you want to move into people management, study the people who do it well.

Ask them questions.

Observe how they lead, how they think, how they show up in hard moments.

Then start practicing those traits now.

In your current role.

Even before you’re officially there.

Because—as the saying goes—

What got you here won’t get you there.

And the more you live into that truth, the more doors open.

With love & light,

Angelina