How to best position oneself for a product group?

Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question, but how does someone relatively new to finance position themselves if they want to work in a product group? Common sense tells me that if you want to be successful in a coverage group, you should understand the industry, understand how companies in the industries are valued, have applicable work experience etc...

But how does one set themselves up to be recruited for M&A, lev fin, etc? Do you get to choose?