A day in the life of a product manager at Facebook

Merlyn Deng 2

Facebook jobs can sometimes seem out of reach to people without a tech background.
But that didn't stop Merlyn Deng from joining the company and becoming a product manager.
Business Insider interviewed Deng about what it's like to work at Facebook.
She broke down her entire daily routine, from her early-morning commute to her penchant for cooking in the evening.
Deng also discussed Facebook's culture, as well as the strategies she uses to lead her team and tackle the field of AI.

Landing a job at Facebook seemed like an impossible dream to Merlyn Deng, at first. She didn't have any experience in tech when she applied to the company.

"I didn't think I could get into the tech sector," she told Business Insider.

But that didn't stop Deng. She prepared for her interview, compiling a detailed list of features she wanted to help build and skills she could bring to the table. In 2013, Deng landed a job at the tech giant as a media partnerships analyst.

"Having a strong clarity and intent about what you hope to do — particularly at a company like Facebook — helps drive a lot of the conversation," Deng said.

She's shifted gears since then and now works as a product manager. Deng spoke with Business Insider about her daily routine, described Facebook's work culture, and discussed her own strategies for staying on task, working with her team, and leading a balanced life.

"As a product manager, you're really responsible for working with a lot of other people and thinking about the best thing we can do for the company today, in six months, or in a year," Deng said.

That means bouncing around ideas for new features, dealing with the day-to-day execution of different projects, and "making sure that your team feels like they're delivering the best state-of-the-art AI," according to Deng.

"We're all here to deliver AI that can really help connect the world and help connect people through Facebook," Deng added.

Here's what a day in the life of a Facebook product manager looks like:

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Deng wakes up bright and early.

Deng usually wakes up around 6:30 a.m. Twice a week, she works out with a kickboxing trainer first thing in the morning.

"It's a great sport," Deng said. "You feel great, but you also learn how to feel confident in your skin."

On her commute, Deng thinks about what she wants to accomplish going forward.

While she's driving to work at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, Deng said she starts to think about what she wants to accomplish during the day and during the week.

"This is both an everyday thing, as well as a start-of-the-week and an end-of-week thing," Deng said.

According to Deng, the drive to work is the perfect time to plan ahead because the office can get pretty "crazy" first thing in the morning.

"By doing that for yourself, you can become a better coworker to everyone else," she said.

Deng kicks off her work day with a cup of coffee from Saint Frank.

Deng usually gets to the office by 8 a.m. Her first stop is Saint Frank Coffee, a java joint on the tech giant's campus.

"It's the best coffee that you'll get in Menlo Park," Deng said.

She'll sit down for a bit, chat with the baristas, and then sometimes run into a colleague or two on her way to her desk.

"I think everyone should have a morning routine like this, where they get to talk to a few people, but they're not really in active mode yet," Deng said.

Once she's ready to switch on, Deng heads over to her desk, which is actually right by Saint Frank — a coincidence that she called "dangerous but incredible." Deng's team sits between Facebook's products team and Facebook's AI research team.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider