getting started
Week 1. My Plan
I know I have said it before, but this time I mean it. I am preparing to interview. I will use my newsletter (and YouTube) as my accountability partner. I will eventually put together a 2-month and 3-month plan. I am trying to post Vlog-like updates so you can follow and see how imperfect the process is, but we eventually will get there.
I started with a plan for the first week (or so):
Day 0: The Setup
Find an accountability partner
Reach out to mock networks
Set Goal: Interview Ready by November 29, 2025: two days after Thanksgiving
Day 1: Week 1
Product Sense Mock 1
Seek additional partners
Drill or Exercise
Day 2: Week 1
Product Sense Mock 2
Give constructive feedback to another
Drill or Exercise
Day 3: Week 1
Product Sense Mock 3
Drill or Exercise
Coursework
Day 4: Week 1
Product Sense Mock 4
Drill or Exercise
Plan 3 Tiers of Interviews
Day 5: Week 1
Product Sense Mock 4
Drill or Exercise
Listen to my own recordings
Days 6 & 7: Optional, giving myself wiggle room for needing a break or something going wrong.
The Why
For those following along, a few notes on the why behind my chosen tasks.
Rule of Three For Week 1, keeping it simple is essential. We need to develop momentum.
Live mocks are key. Backstops include: mocking with AI or writing out our answers ourselves. But these are not the ideal. Even I get nervous (see below) and make mistakes. (Hence the partner search).
Drills When I screw up or don’t understand, repetition helps prevent future repeats of the mistake or problem area.
Constructive Feedback We become better as we help others. Yes, you should always give great feedback, but we are human and we do get burnt out on the mock circuit, so it is good to challenge ourselves to go above and beyond.
Coursework You all will do the coursework. For me, this is a reminder to create new content. It reinforces what you need to learn to improve.
Three Tiers of Interviews I will explain next week in more detail, but just as we all had our safety school, we need to map out dream vs. good enough vs. will not touch with a 10-foot pole.
Listen to My Recordings. Hearing our own voices is painful; we see every small mistake and get embarrassed, so we avoid it. But hearing ourselves make those mistakes makes the lessons stick even more.
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