What it takes to land a tech job in Summer 2026

Firstly let me caveat all I'm about to say that the following is a personal opinion.

But, as I write this I am currently the Head of Product for an AI-first organisation and plugged into tech industry forums - so hope some of what I say has some substance!

AI technology which was once scary and overcomplicated is now consumable and mainstream.

Organisations are either all-in or still hesistant.

Taking a chance and stepping into the market leader role is a meaty topic in itself, for another time, but the focus of this blog is on the impact to our daily work tasks and responsibilities, and what it takes to survive.

Yes, I said "Survive", not even succeed. There's a legit risk of falling behind.

The core message

Currently, I am recruiting a Senior Product Manager to join my team in a fast-paced AI-first organisation in the UK. I took to LinkedIn to post an honest commentary on what I actually am looking for. Here's what I said:

Last I checked Workday there were about 200 applications submitted for the Senior Product Manager vacancy on my team (LINK).

Really excited to see the latest talent and got a good feeling there's someone special out there!

Just before I kick off the interviews I wanted to shed some light on what I am looking for. The "unofficial stuff" that a job description can't describe.

Years ago when I was on the applicant-side I know I would have appreciated something like this instead of the actual hiring manager hiding behind a job description or recruiters.

So what am I looking for?

A nice spread of evidence of accomplishments and responsibilities helps. Always does. But, chances are it occured in the past and so probably isn't that valid today and in future. The tech world is changing everyday - literally - new discoveries and new breakthroughs. Years ago, I took the earlier warnings from industry leads for granted, now I see it.

At @GrantThorntonUK we are fully embracing the possibilities with AI both with coalface innovation (with personal productivity of practitioners) and Product innovation (for large scale change - aka where my team plays).

This means to succeed here or at any organisation leaning into AI, you need more than the traditional PM craft which takes you only so far.

If you've read this far and want to take anything from this it's this: To succeed in this evolving tech climate comes down to comfort in the uncomfortability. Take my word for it, everything (the procedures, solutions, end-user expectation) is changing and everyday.

The chosen candidate will be someone who is open, tries things and naturally asks forgiveness than permission. Now more than ever, there are no right or wrong answers.

Whether you are applying to this PM role, another or any digital vacancy, I would expect most of this will still apply.

Hope it helps and if you know anyone this message above helps please do share on with your network.

More on the success trait

One of my many observations are that individuals either thrive in process and others in chaos.

Now I am not suggesting chaos works, its actually draining and ineffective.

But the individuals that accept the lack of process and clarity (especially during this period) and can follow their 'Product sense' to let it guide them with navigating and making decisions will survive.

'Product sense' is a term gaining more importance in industry due to the difficulty to replicate it with AI. Essentially it means the ability to observe laterally (markets, competitiors, industry etc.) and make decisions based on robust evidence, experiences, and common sense. Essentially, evidence + gut feel.

As with any cultural or business change, certain individuals step into a leadership role embracing the unknown, trying and failing, building evidence, building the process and framework from scratch and reporting back. See them as the canary in the coalmine, lighting the way for the rest to follow.

Product traits naturally include leadership anyways. Now it matters more than ever. I would expect Product to be one of the few roles that has this reponsibility to be a first-mover with AI.

Lastly, I wanted to expand on the part of the LinkedIn post where I say "A nice spread of evidence of accomplishments and responsibilities.... it occured in the past and so probably isn't that valid today and in future".

Previously, the long list of experiences may have landed you the job but I don't believe it is enough now. The economic pressures to open a vacancy means hiring someone average is risky - you've got limited opportunities. I often sit down with my team and discuss how our everyday tasks are changing and with that our responsibilities. For example, at my specific organisation, our end-users can create their own prototypes and hand it over to us as a form of demand. Let that sink in. Imagine that happening 2-3 years ago.

A superstar candidate doesn't need a huge list of previous experiences and accomplishments but needs the appetite to discover new ones, in the complete unknown.

Good luck