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Central Park is so many things to so many people, but it means something to every New Yorker. Photoshoots, dates, picnics, long lonely walks, cycling, and everything in between.

I never thought of myself as a “park” or “nature” guy. But having lived walking distance from Central Park for a couple of years has converted me. I genuinely believe it’s the soul of the city, and the city would be borderline unlivable without it.

I’m writing this from Sheep’s Meadow on a 75 degree summer evening. It does not get any better than this!

The memories

Some of my favorite moments over the years have happened here. Meandering the entire loop on foot and serendipitously discovering cool spots, shoutout to the Obelisk and Hallett Sanctuary. Our pre-wedding photoshoot at 6 AM at Bethesda Terrace, when the park was still empty and quiet. Our yearly ritual of hosting my wife’s birthday picnic at Sheep’s Meadow.

I’m constantly amazed by how accessible this “luxury” is to every New Yorker, and how everyone enjoys it in their own way. Kite flying, frisbee throwing, cycling, running, skateboarding, people on unicycles. I’ve seen it all and never seem to get enough.

The design

What impresses me most is that almost all of this is man made. Designed with the foresight to know what the city would need as it expanded in the late 1800s: sunken transverse roads so cross-town traffic doesn’t interrupt the park above it, picnic spots, reservoirs, miles of trails. It’s a marvel in its own right, hiding in plain sight as something that feels entirely natural.

Fun fact: every lamppost in the park has a hidden code telling you the nearest street number. If the last digit is odd, you’re on the west side. Even, you’re on the east side. Just in case you get lost.

The seasons

The park changes with every season, and getting to witness that up close makes you feel closer to nature than you’d expect in the middle of Manhattan. The long, thick tree roots that have slowly uprooted the pavement around them. The birds, dogs, ducks, fireflies, and the occasional rat or raccoon. You never quite know what to expect walking in.

Enclosing

I’m not going anywhere particular with this. I just wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to this man made marvel, and to a place that’s given me some of my best memories in this city.

Thanks for reading!

Last night I watched a mini YouTube documentary about Marcel Bich. The man who made the ballpoint pen accessible to everyone. Over 120 billion pens sold worldwide. Often linked to rising global literacy rates.

Next afternoon, I was reading at a cafe when a Shawn Mendes song came on. At the chorus, half the room was humming along. Including me.

Singers are among the most visible people to leave their mark on the world. But there are millions of inventions, millions of people working throughout history, who go unnoticed.

To sit in a temperature-controlled cafe on a cold New York day, drinking a warm latte, reading a book, wearing a warm jacket: all of this exists because of countless invisible people.

As I reached for my pen to write this thought, I glanced down. A Bic pen.

I wondered: how many hands am I holding right now?

The Arrival

August 19th, 2019. JFK Airport. I stepped off the plane excited, nervous, and completely unsure of what lay ahead.

Before settling on NYU for my Master's in Computer Science, I had serious doubts. I'd visited NYC as a pre-teen tourist but never understood the hype. My heart was set on California. When I didn't get into the West Coast universities I wanted, NYU became my destination by default rather than design.

Why Computer Science?

I've always been fascinated by emerging technology. In 2019, cloud computing, machine learning, and big data were exploding in popularity. I knew I wanted to learn more, but I also knew something about myself: I didn't love coding as much as I loved understanding new tech and figuring out how to apply it to make people's lives easier.

I had no clear plan for what came after the Master's degree. But a few things gave me confidence:

• I was excited to dive into cutting-edge technologies that my undergrad had missed

• I knew I could handle the curriculum even without a deep love for coding

• I trusted myself to figure things out along the way

The First Six Months

Time flew by. I lucked out with three amazing roommates who made our place feel like home. I met fascinating people, studied subjects I actually wanted to learn, and joined student clubs that opened doors to even more connections.

The Internship Hunt Reality Check

For my first internship, I took the obvious path. CS student equals SDE internship applications. I listened to seniors obsess over LeetCode and talk about the "numbers game" of mass applications.

After 1000+ applications and exactly two interviews, I landed one Full Stack SDE internship for the summer. Mission accomplished, right?

Not quite. Sitting there after months of sending resumes into the void, I realized this wasn't sustainable. I made myself a promise: never again would I rely solely on cold applications for jobs.

The Last Dance Before Lockdown

March 2020. We celebrated Holi with hundreds of people, colors flying everywhere, music pumping. It was magical. We had no idea it would be our last public gathering for a very long time.

Then COVID-19 hit. Everything went remote overnight. Classes, my on-campus job, internships, even graduation ceremony. The entire rest of my Master's program happened through a screen.

The saving grace? Those relationships I'd built before lockdown. My flatmates and NYU friends became my lifeline during the anxious, isolated months that followed.

A Critical Realization

My remote summer internship taught me a lot and I built solid relationships with my team. But something felt off. I could hear the genuine excitement in other interns' voices when they talked about technical challenges like building their own search algorithms instead of using libraries to boost performance.

That spark was missing in me. I didn't feel that same fire for solving complex technical problems.

Working in a cross-functional team opened my eyes to other roles: Product Manager, Scrum Master. I started paying attention to how these people worked, what drove them, what their days looked like.

The Product Manager Fascination

One role captivated me completely: Product Manager. This person seemed to have the full picture of everything happening. Business strategy? Check. Customer problems? Check. Competitor moves? Check. What we're shipping this sprint and what's planned for next year? They knew it all.

I was hooked. I reached out to our team's PM to learn about their day-to-day work. The more they shared, the more excited I became.

Here's where being an intern paid off. People were incredibly generous with their time. I scheduled coffee chats with multiple PMs across the company, asking about their roles, their career paths, how they'd gotten to where they were. Those early conversations became pivotal. I walked away with reading lists, resources, and a clear direction to explore. I’ve shared some resources here.

The Summer Deep Dive

My internship ended in July 2020, leaving me one month of summer to feed this new curiosity. I wanted to understand if I genuinely loved the idea of becoming a PM or if I was just running away from engineering.

I called my dad to talk through this career pivot that had very little to do with my CS degree. His response still gives me chills: "Whatever you do, don't do it half-heartedly. Let me know if you need money for any courses in this field."

That was all the push I needed to go all in.

I spent the entire month of August consuming everything PM-related: books, newsletters, podcasts, more coffee chats with PMs. The goal became clear: land a Product Management internship to get credible experience and validate whether this path felt right.

Something unexpected happened that month. For the first time in my life, I genuinely loved reading. It's a habit I still cherish today.

The Power of Putting Yourself Out There

While diving deep into PM content, I also started applying for internships. I discovered the Product School Slack community and, swallowing my nerves, introduced myself to 80,000 strangers.

A startup founder noticed my intro. They were hiring a PM intern for their technical AWS cloud hosting product and loved that I had a CS background. After clearing the interviews, I had secured a PM internship for the next semester.

This experience crystallized three life lessons:

• Be obsessed. “Be relentless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire”

• Put yourself out there. Show up in spaces where you want to see your future self.

• Attract opportunities instead of chasing them. If you want to catch a butterfly, build a garden.

Finding My Path

The PM internship confirmed everything. I loved talking with engineers about features we were building, attending competitor office hours, and brainstorming with the cofounders. By the end, I was certain: Product Management was my post-graduation path.

The Humbling Hunt for Full-Time Work

Hunting for my first full-time role brought me back down to earth. I'd shifted my approach to focus on networking but still sent out plenty of cold applications. After interviewing with over 30 companies across six months, I landed an offer as a Product Specialist at an AdTech company.

It wasn't the PM title I ultimately wanted, but it was a step closer. I'd be client-facing, diving deep into analytics, and learning the fascinating world of programmatic real-time ad buying. The beautiful office on the 45th floor of the world trade center was a great perk too!

Life threw me a curveball in my first week. A previous company I'd interviewed with offered me an Associate Product Manager role. I turned it down. I had made a commitment and wanted to see it through.

Delayed Graduation Ceremony

A year after our virtual graduation in 2021, we finally walked across the stage in person. What a difference that year made - in 2021, I'd felt anxious and uncertain without a job offer in hand. By 2022, I was reminded how much can change when you stay persistent and trust the process.

Seeing familiar faces who'd traveled from all over the country reminded me why those NYU relationships had been so important during the isolating COVID months.

The Internal Climb and Unexpected Jump

I spent thirteen months at that AdTech company, from August 2021 to September 2022. Toward the end, I started interviewing for internal PM roles. After failing at two previous internal opportunities, I finally landed an APM position.

Just as I was waiting for the offer letter, a Series A startup reached out. They needed someone with an unusual combination: CS background, PM experience, and AdTech knowledge. I had all three.

Since I mentioned my pending offer, they fast-tracked everything. From first interview to offer took just 12 days. I jumped ship and started my first official Product Management role in October 2022.

Learning to Be a PM

The learning curve hit me like a truck. I quickly realized that breaking into Product Management and becoming a good Product Manager require completely different skill sets. A few things stood out from those early months:

• Stay humble and curious. Low ego, high curiosity. Learn to disagree without being disagreeable.

• Your tech background is an asset, but use it wisely. It helps you have meaningful conversations with engineers, but remember not to overstep into implementation details. That's their domain.

• The team builds the product, and the product builds the team. They're inseparable.

• Surround yourself with brilliant, humble people. Working with high-intellect, low-ego teammates made everything more enjoyable.

Life Beyond Work

Summer 2023 brought someone special into my life. On our first date, we talked about Daniel Kahneman, loss aversion, paying it forward, being good role models, and the importance of family. When someone shares your values of being ambitious while staying family-focused, you know it's going somewhere.

We dated for a year and had an intimate wedding in Bali in July 2024.

The Itch for Professional Change

Work was progressing, but by late 2024, I felt stagnant. The learning curve had flattened. I found myself thinking: either take on a different role internally or start exploring external opportunities.

I'd spent four years in AdTech and watched colleagues build entire careers in this domain. Nothing wrong with that, but I felt too early in my career to lock myself into one space. EdTech and HealthTech started catching my eye. I began talking to PMs in these fields.

Even though I knew change was needed, I was too passive about seeking it out.

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The Unexpected Push

Midway through 2025, life made the decision for me. Out of nowhere, my company announced a reorg and my entire team was laid off. I've written in detail about that experience here, but it turned out to be the forcing function I needed.

Suddenly I was actively applying, networking, and exploring what came next. It reignited my passion for writing to new grads, attending meetups and meeting interesting people!

Within a month, I had multiple offers and couldn't wait to start the next adventure. I landed at a company working to make graduation more accessible to all students.

Graduation should be a highlight of everyone's life, but it's not always accessible. Students worry about their names being mispronounced on stage, can't afford expensive regalia, or get priced out of professional photos to capture the moment. I'm excited to work on solving these problems so every student can celebrate their achievement properly.

The Real Lesson

Looking back on these six years, I want to share something that took me time to learn. When we're young, we obsess over destinations: "Once I graduate... Once I get a job... Once I get my H1B..."

As we get wiser (not necessarily older), we start enjoying the journey. That's literally 99% of our life.

Enjoy the process along with the proceeds, because the process is where you live - Charlie Munger

But I think there's something even deeper than that. The true joy isn't in the destination or even the journey itself. It's in the wonderful people you meet along the way.

Gratitude

I have immense gratitude for these six years in America. What I'm most thankful for isn't the career growth or experiences, though those matter. It's the relationships I've built with incredible people who turned this journey into a joy ride. None of it would have been possible without their love and support!

Thanks for reading! If you made it this far, you're awesome. Please share if anything resonated with you!

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When job hunting, only two things truly move the needle: getting interviews and clearing interviews. Everything else is just noise.

Stuck? Ask yourself: Are you struggling more with landing interviews or turning interviews into offers?

It’s critical to separate these stages:

• Each stage demands a different skillset.

• Knowing where you’re stuck lets you focus on the right fix.

Think of this like product-market fit. Nothing else matters until you get it. For job seekers, consistently getting interview calls is your “PMF.” Don’t obsess over interview prep until you’re getting callbacks.

Another helpful mental model is to think of the whole job hunting process as a funnel. If you can't identify where your funnel is leaking, how can you optimize and fix the problem?

If you're not getting interviews, focus here first:

• Polish your resume and portfolio.

• Position yourself to stand out in a crowded market.

• Network smartly, apply early, or seek out less crowded roles.

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I’ve written about where to look as a job seeker to stand out to increase your chances of getting interviews. Also this post about networking might help.

If interviews are coming in but not converting:

• Celebrate, you’re getting noticed!

• Identify which stages you're most often getting rejected at.

  • If it's the HR round, you might need to work on your storytelling.

  • If it's the Hiring Manager round, you might need to improve functional knowledge and STAR-based answers.

For aspiring PMs, here are some of my favorite resources:

• Resources to kickstart your PM journey

• AI Job seeker Playbook.

If you’re stalled at either phase, focus relentlessly on unlocking the next step.

Hope this helps. Keep pushing, and good things are coming!

I just landed multiple job offers using AI tools that saved me 14+ hours of application grunt work, generated personalized outreach that tripled my response rate, and helped me build working prototypes for case study interviews. I know everyone's tired of hearing about AI changing the game, but let me show you exactly how instead of just telling you.

Low Hanging Fruit: Cold reach out templates w/ Cursor

I used Cursor for this since it let me create a preset prompt for cold outreach and LinkedIn messaging. My process was simple: paste a job description, hit Command + K, execute the cold outreach prompt, and voila! A personalized message template based on my experience and the job description appeared within seconds.

You are an expert at crafting cold out reach-out messages. Your job is to create reach out messages on Linkedin based on the provided resume and personalized to the job description added. Absolute MUST HAVE: Ensure that the message length is 300 letters (not words) or less. Keep the tone crips, concise, informal yet professional.

I saw a significant increase in response rates when messages were tailored to specific requirements, showcased relevant experience, and included a clear call to action.

Interview Prep & Research - Perplexity

Before my interview, I like to do extensive research on the company, products, market it operates in, customers, competitors, recent launches, and more. This helps me not just be more prepared for interviews but also have meaningful conversations and ask thoughtful, relevant questions.

At the company I'm joining next, one of the interviewers beamed with joy when I asked about how the seasonality of their business affects feature development and performance issues during load spikes. He said, "You're the only person who has asked me this, and I'm so glad you did!"

I'm not saying I got the job because of that question, but I think it certainly helped.

Some helpful prompts I use while interviewing:

• Tell me more about Company X, their main products, and who uses them

• What competitors exist in this space and what does the market share look like?

• How does Company X differentiate itself from competitors?

• Are there any recent product launches or company news I should know about?

• Here's the job description and my resume. Help me identify how I should position myself in the interview

  • What are the top 5 things from my resume I should highlight?

• My next round is with the Data Operations lead. What sort of questions can I expect?

Before LLMs, I could still get these answers, but now it's incredibly easy to find them. You just need to be curious and ask the right questions!

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Auto-filling Online Applications - Simplify

If you've applied online, you know how much it sucks to manually enter information that already exists on your resume!

One day, I got so frustrated retyping the same details that I thought about creating my own tool to solve this. After some research, I discovered the perfect solution already existed: Simplify. It has saved me countless hours of manual data entry.

After a little bit of research, I found out a perfect tool already exists. It’s called

It's a web extension that activates automatically when I'm on a job board. I just click "Autofill this page" and it works like magic! As you can see, it has saved me 14 hours of time! I absolutely swear by this tool.

Mock Interviews - ChatGPT

Once I've given ChatGPT enough context about the role, company, job description, my resume, and who I'm interviewing with next, I've seen it generate excellent mock interview questions.

Sample prompts:

• "My next round is with the Sales Engineering Team about an Adtech Case Study. Generate 10 possible mock questions I might get asked"

• "I'm speaking with the Director of Engineering. The round focuses on architecture and system design questions. Generate some potential questions"

  • "What concepts should I familiarize myself with?"

• Once, I have the list of questions. I try to come up with answers on my own. Then use the Voice mode on ChatGPT to give my answers.

• Follow-up prompt: "Be brutally honest, how was that answer? What can I improve?"

Bonus tip: Doing this exercise on the mobile app allows for voice-to-voice practice that feels more organic and simulates actual job interviews more closely! Don't sleep on these mock interviews!

Building Prototypes - Lovable

Show, don't tell has become the norm. Going from rough ideas to working prototypes takes less than 5 minutes using only natural language, thanks to tools like Lovable, Bolt, V0, and Replit.

My go-to is Lovable for intuitive and functional designs.

Tinkering and building apps using these tools has provided several key benefits:

• Made custom apps for personal use

• Built impressive projects that served as great talking points in interviews

• Game changer: Creating working prototypes for take home case study questions for interviews!

  • I showcased prototypes at two companies and got offers from both!

• Bonus: I also revamped my portfolio.

Evaluating Offers - Claude/ChatGPT

Once I had competing offers, I used Claude and ChatGPT to help me decide. First, I provided all the necessary context about the roles, companies, and my career goals. I asked the LLMs to brainstorm which option might be better based on career growth, mission-driven alignment, and other factors.

I was surprised by how thorough and comprehensive the recommendations were. It definitely helped me zero in on my final decision.

I hope this was helpful and shows you how to use these tools to your advantage!

I recently went through an intense job hunt following a layoff and managed to secure multiple offers within just one month. While luck certainly played a role, I also approached things differently than I had in previous searches. If written about the experience and the aftermath of getting laid off.

This particular post focuses on two key strategies that made the difference: being intentional about where I looked and casting a wide net for opportunities. These tactics helped me stand out from the masses.

If you're currently job hunting, I hope this helps!

Look Beyond LinkedIn (It's Oversaturated Anyway)

1. Everyone talks about LinkedIn being oversaturated. Here are some other job boards I tried with great results:

• Indeed (Got a couple of interviews)

• Wellfound (Smaller to medium sized startups)

• BuilIn (Multiple chapters for each city NYC, Chicago, SF, etc)

• YC Jobs, Sequoia jobs, a16z jobs

• Supra job board (Curation for PM roles across seniority)

• Mind the Product Job board (Only PM roles)

• Adtech Jobs (Ad Tech Only Jobs)

Google Boolean search

I stumbled across someone's LinkedIn post about this technique and it's been an absolute game changer. Instead of relying on job board algorithms, you can search Google directly using specific operators to find job postings.

• Searching on Google:

  • site:boards.greenhouse.io (“Product Manager” OR “Senior Product Manager”)

  • Bonus: You can also go to Tools > filter by jobs posted in the past hour, 24 hours

• Do play around with the Job title, you can also add the location

  • site:boards.greenhouse.io (“Product Manager” OR “Senior Product Manager” AND “New York City“)

• Some other searches to try

  • site:jobs.lever.co (“Product Manager” OR “Senior Product Manager”

  • site:smartrecruiters.com (“Product Manager” OR “Senior Product Manager”

  • site:wd1.myworkdayjobs.com (“Product Manager” OR “Senior Product Manager”

  • site:jobs.jobvite.com (“Product Manager” OR “Senior Product Manager”

Time Your LinkedIn Applications Strategically

Since LinkedIn is where most job seekers hang out, you need to make sure you're applying to jobs as soon as they're posted. The competition gets fierce within hours.

• Everyone knows about filtering for jobs posted in the last 24 hours, but here's a hack to find jobs posted in just the last hour:

• Go to Linkedin> Jobs > Search for jobs like “Product Manager“

  1. Add a filter for Date Posted in the “Past 24 hours”

  2. Look at the URL, it will be something like

     

     https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/search/?currentJobId=4258772875&distance=25&f_I=4%2C6%2C80&f_TPR=r86400&geoId=90000070&keywords=product%20manager&origin=JOB_SEARCH_PAGE_JOB_FILTER&refresh=true

     Change r86400 in the URL to r7200 (that's 7,200 seconds = 2 hours)

     https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/search/?currentJobId=4259551970&distance=25&f_I=4%2C6%2C80&f_TPR=r7200&geoId=90000070&keywords=product%20manager&origin=JOB_SEARCH_PAGE_JOB_FILTER&refresh=true

     Hit enter and boom - you're seeing the absolute freshest postings

• Also, I recommend setting up job alerts for positions that match your search criteria, so they appear in your notifications and emails as soon as they're posted.

Go to where hiring managers actually are! (Slack Communities)

By far the best way to look for jobs is by directing being at places where hiring managers are.

The day I got laid off, I saw a founder post a PM job opening on Lenny's Product Slack community and landed an interview the very next day. That's the power of being in the right place at the right time.

Please don't overlook these communities! Most of them aren't just for job searching, but they have at least one dedicated channel for job postings. You're often talking directly to founders, hiring managers, or team leads instead of going through HR filters.

Some Slack Communities where I’ve gotten interviews from:

• Lenny's Slack community (Paid)

• AdTech God (Ad Tech related community)

• Product School

• Product Buds

• Mind the Product

• Lewis Linn's Interview community

• Product HQ

• Product Hive

From getting my first PM internship to landing tons of interviews and great networking opportunities, I swear by these Slack communities! Please don't sleep on the value of like-minded communities!

Follow These LinkedIn Power Users

• Ben Lang: Ben writes his newsletter ‘NextPlay‘ that focuses on niche startups that have raised funding and are actively hiring! These positions are often completely under the radar, but thanks to Ben, job seekers have a great way to discover them.

• Richard Chen: He consistently posts amazing, recently opened Product Manager opportunities all across LinkedIn! His feed is basically a curated job board.

Bonus Long-Term Strategy: Every time I saw someone on LinkedIn post a Product Manager opportunity over the last 2-3 years, I simply followed them. Over time, my LinkedIn feed has organically become a place where I regularly come across hiring managers posting PM roles. This is more of a long-term tactic, but it's incredibly effective!

I hope this was helpful! While cold applications can definitely get you interviews, I'd also recommend reaching out to people at companies you're interested in and networking your way to the hiring manager.. The combination of these strategies is what made the difference for me.

Good luck with your job search!

I was on a beautiful trip with my wife in a remote cabin in the Catskills. I had decided to take Monday off to extend our getaway.

The moment I woke up, I couldn't help but check Slack out of habit. That's when I saw it: a bunch of people I worked with suddenly had their accounts deactivated.

Mine was still active, so I assumed I wasn't affected. I tried to process what had just happened. These were people I collaborated with day in and day out, and they were let go without any warning.

I still tried to enjoy the rest of the day, but my mind kept wandering back to what I'd witnessed. The next day, when I saw an ominous meeting suddenly appear on my calendar, I knew. I was told that I was affected as well.

The conversation lasted 10 minutes. I expressed my gratitude afterward, and then it hit me: nearly three years of work, gone in 10 minutes.

For the next few hours, I didn't text or call anyone. I just sat there trying to process what had happened. It came completely out of nowhere. Very recently, I had been working on a promotional track with my manager, and the very next moment I was being shown the door.

While it didn't end the way I had hoped, I can't help but feel grateful for my time at the company. It was my first full-time Product Management role, where I got my H1B, experienced incredible off-sites, and built relationships with some truly great people.

A flood of thoughts crossed my mind after receiving the news:

1. The existential: How do I maintain my visa status? What's next? Financial health?

2. The macro: The job market seems terrible, with layoffs happening everywhere.

3. The self-reflective: What could I have done differently to prevent this?

4. The practical: I have international trips planned, what happens to those? My health insurance? My parents' upcoming visit?

I also remember seeing a video that deeply touched me. Luis Enrique, the famous soccer coach, had lost his 9-year-old daughter. When he later spoke publicily, he said something that completely shifted my perspective. He didn't think of himself as unfortunate for losing his daughter so young. Instead, he felt fortunate that he and his family got to experience the love she brought them for those 9 years.

Watching someone take something so unimaginably tragic and find such a beautiful way to frame it helped me gain perspective on my own situation. It reminded me that how we interpret what happens to us matters just as much as what actually happens.

That video became a turning point in how I approached the entire experience.

The silver lining was that I had already started building my resume and interviewing passively before the layoff, so I wasn't starting from scratch.

Having the ability to switch to my wife's F1 visa as a dependent until I found a job also helped ease the timeline pressure. Having robust savings also kept me at ease.

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I took a day or two to map out a plan:

1. Reached out to Immigration attorneys for visa advice

2. Reached out to family, friends and network in that order

   1. I was completely overwhelmed by the love and support that poured in from everywhere.

   2. People offered to connect me with hiring teams, introduce me to hiring managers in their networks, and take time out for coffee chats just to help.

I still remember feeling so overwhelmed by that outpouring of support that it gave me tremendous energy to push through the uncertainty.

I made a conscious decision to maximize this opportunity and come out better than I went in. Even if it took me longer to find a job.

The plan to make that happen:

1. 50% effort on job applications

   1. More on job application strategy to come in a separate post

2. 25% effort on Networking

   1. This was a great time to network, attend conferences and meetups, and reconnect with people I'd lost touch with

   2. I got to attend Salesforce Agentforce, NYC Tech week, Adtech happy hours and several other events.

3. 25% up-skilling

   1. I completed Andrej Karpathy's incredible playlist on AI/LLMs,

   2. Vibe coded a few apps

   3. Build my portfolio

   4. Attended some great webinars

In the end, though it was a rollercoaster of emotions, I’m glad it all worked out. I landed multiple offers within 30 days and decided to take on a really interesting opportunity focused on a core audience of new grads (which I absolutely love talking to).

My stats: 30 days, 14 companies, 2 offers. Nearly half the rejections (6 out of 12) were due to companies' inability to sponsor visas.

Focusing on the quality of no's rather than the quantity helped me persevere through the rejections. When a company said no because of visa sponsorship, that wasn't really about me or my qualifications. It was just a mismatch of circumstances. But when I got rejected for other reasons, I could learn something and improve for the next opportunity.

This mindset shift made a huge difference. Instead of feeling defeated by every rejection, I started categorizing them: "Was this a useful no or just a logistical no?" The visa rejections stung less because they were out of my control. The other rejections became data points to help me get better.

Not to say it was easy by any means. Having the right mindset, supportive family and friends, good habits, and a little bit of luck goes a long way.

The best outcome from this whole experience? I'm less fearful of layoffs. I'll continue doing my best work and adding value wherever I am, but without that constant "what if?" anxiety.

I now believe more in my abilities and my network. Looking forward to the next chapter!

I'll be sharing more tactical details about my application strategy, networking approach, and interview prep in upcoming posts. In the meantime, if you're dealing with visa sponsorship challenges or just need someone to bounce ideas off, feel free to reach out.

One last thing: if you found this helpful, share it with someone who might need to see it. Job searching can feel isolating, but it doesn't have to be!

Thanks for reading!

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I know you haven't heard from me in a while! 2024 was an amazing year filled with new beginnings! Wishing you all a very happy, prosperous, and healthy 2025!

Some interesting paradoxes of life that I have been ruminating over:

• You Need to Face Death to Truly Live - Imagine being granted immortality. At first, it sounds amazing, but think deeply, what would be the point? If tomorrow is guaranteed, there’s always time to procrastinate. For us mortals, however, the illusion of infinite tomorrows leads to the same trap. Postponing life until it quietly slips away. To live fully, we must confront the reality that there’s no magical tomorrow. Life is fragile, and death is inevitable. If you live to 80, you get 4,000 weeks. The peak years of 20 to 50 give you just 1,500 weeks. Time to master a craft, raise a family, and enjoy lie. This isn’t about embracing the “hustle culture” but about prioritizing. Focus on what truly matters to you and pursue it deeply until it no longer serves you.

"It’s not death we should fear, but never having truly lived." - Marcus Aurelius

• Money Buys Freedom, Not Happiness: Money solves many problems like housing, healthcare, travel. Its greatest value is freedom. It gives you the power to choose how to live your life. The paradox is that people often need to make enough money to realize it’s just a tool. When money starts serving you, rather than controlling you, true freedom begins.

• Focus on Effort, Not Results, to Achieve Results: The Bhagavad Gita teaches us to renounce the fruits of our labor. I’ve found this to be true in my own life. When I shifted my focus from the outcome to the process: whether reaching out to product managers or learning for curiosity’s sake, the results followed naturally. The joy of immersing yourself in the task often brings the success you were chasing and allows actions to not cling to you.

• Happiness Contemplated Is Happiness Lost: The moment I start asking myself if I’m happy, happiness slips away. True happiness is found in immersion, in being part of something larger than yourself. However, gratitude is an exception: the more you think about it, the more it grows.

• Live in the Present but Plan for the Future: I struggle with this the most. Should I enjoy today without worrying about tomorrow? Or should I be responsible and plan for a tomorrow that might not come? Balancing present joy with future needs is a delicate act. Living fully in the moment doesn’t mean neglecting the future. Compounding whether of wealth, health, or relationships, depends on small, consistent actions today. Enjoy the present, but prepare for the tomorrows you hope will come.

• Care for Yourself to Care for Others: This became clear to me during a year of physical therapy for chronic back pain. I couldn’t be present for my work, partner, or friends. Prioritizing your own physical and mental well-being isn’t selfish, it’s essential for supporting the people around you.

• Thinking Without Action Is Futile, and Action Without Thinking Is Rash: J. Krishnamurti compared the endless thinking without action to plowing a field without sowing seeds. Overthinking often inflates risks and fears, preventing us from taking the first step. On the other hand, reckless action without thought is a call for disaster. The balance lies in acting with purpose while embracing imperfection, iterating, and improving over time.

• Give Love and Respect to Receive It: Love and respect are not demanded but earned. Treat others with genuine kindness, and you’ll often find it reciprocated. The key is sincerity. Giving respect with the sole expectation of receiving it corrupts the gesture and defeats the purpose.

• Training the Body Trains the Mind Before I started running, I underestimated the mental strength required for physical exercise. Showing up on tough days, pushing through discomfort, and staying disciplined are virtues of the mind. Paradoxically, training your body is one of the best ways to strengthen your mind.

Thanks for reading! Would love to hear your thoughts. Did any of these paradoxes resonate with you, or do you have others to share?

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Hiring managers are the people who are hiring for a functional role. They are usually the person who will be the employee's direct manager once they are hired.

If you're a software engineer, your hiring manager would like be an engineering manager.

Recruiters work in the people department. They work closely with hiring managers to source the candidates, post job descriptions on job boards and act as an initial filter for applicants. Their job is to present the most qualified ones to the hiring manager.

Even if you’re familiar with this, how could this distinction help you as a job seeker?

Job seekers often believe that getting a referral or reaching out to recruiters is the most effective way to improve their odds. However, this is not necessarily true.

The best way to increase your chances is to have a direct conversation or get your resume directly in front of the hiring manager.

The goal should be in the following order:

1. Try to have a conversation or get your resume directly in front of the hiring manger

2. Apply with a referral

3. Cold Apply

I’ve been guilty and see people obsessing over 2 & 3 but not thinking about 1 at all.

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💡 Why the distinction is important?

• Hiring Managers are more likely to have a conversation

• They exactly know if you would be a good fit, even if it's a no, it's a quick no

• Recruiters are usually flooded with inbounds, even if they wanted to, they simply cannot have conversations with everyone

• Hiring managers might redirect you to the recruiter

• In this case, the recruiter would more likely have a conversation with you

  
  ⍌ Think of it as a funnel -

If there are 2 open roles -

- 1000 online applications
- 50 Referrals
- 5 resumes directly in front of the hiring manager

💡 If you were the hiring manager, in which order would you start considering applicants?

Hopefully I’ve convinced you that it’s in your best interest to try reaching out to the hiring managers directly.

Next question - How can you find hiring managers?

Some tactics:

1. Utilize LinkedIn Headline Search

   1. If you come across someone's headline stating "Hiring for X Role" and they work in the same functional department, there is a good chance they are the hiring manager for that role.

2. Reach out to people in the same functional department

   1. If you are seeking a product manager role, connect with current product managers at the company.

   2. They would likely know who the hiring team or manager is and can redirect you.

   3. This method works particularly well for smaller companies with less than 100 employees.

3. Larger companies have internal job boards that list hiring managers

   1. If you know someone working at the company, they can access the internal job board and find out who the hiring manager is.

This approach takes more time but increases the likelihood of receiving interviews and reduces the feedback time, even if it is a quick rejection!

If you are a job seeker, I hope you found this helpful!

If you have any feedback, suggestions or topics you would like me to cover next, I would love to hear from you. You can find me on Linkedin/Twitter.

Thanks for reading!

Consider subscribing to get future newsletters directly delivered to your inbox 📧

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With so much information available online, it can be overwhelming to know which resources to trust and which to avoid. However, there are several resources that have been proven to be helpful.

A few years ago, I was in the same situation, so I understand it's not a great place to be in. Let me help you cut through the clutter.

If you are considering a career in product management, or if you are struggling to get PM interviews for internships or full-time positions, this newsletter is for you.

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I will share my experience with using the resources and explain why I believe they can be valuable for anyone looking to start a career in product management.

By the end of this newsletter, you should have a clearer idea of which resources to use and how to make the most of them.

1. [Book] Cracking the PM Interview

   1. Cliches are cliches for a reason

   2. This is the first book I read when I wanted to break in

   3. Besides covering PM interview questions, it outlines what a role product manager is and how different companies value different skills in their PMs.

      1. Eg. Google usually wants their PMs to be technical while Amazon places more emphasis on having business chops

      2. Knowing that companies value different skills in their PMs can help you focus on your strengths and consider where you can provide the most value.

2. [Article] How To Get Into Product Management (And Thrive) by Lenny

   1. Hands down of the best articles on breaking to product management

   2. Focuses on few common paths for breaking in

   3. Also talks about developing core competencies that you will need as a PM to be successful

      Lenny's Newsletter

      How To Get Into Product Management (And Thrive) ✨

      The role of product manager (PM) is the most fascinating role within tech teams right now. PMs are closest to the center of the action, have a disproportionate amount of influence over key decisions, and often go on to start their own companies. It’s no surprise then that product management has begun to show up on lists of the…

      Read more

      7 years ago · 150 likes · Lenny Rachitsky

3. [YouTube Video] The art of PM by Sachin Rekhi

   • You’ll learn about the role of product managers in driving the vision, strategy, design, and execution of their products.

4. [YouTube Channel] PM Diego Granados Youtube Channel -

   • Diego provides a wealth of value, from videos that cover how to showcase relevant work experience on your resume to mock interview questions.

5. [YouTube Channel] Exponent Mock PM interview questions -

   • Some great mock interviews with real product managers

6. [Case studies] Stellar Peers: Case Studies

   • Some helpful case studies on product design and metric questions

7. [Case studies] UX Design case studies

   • One of my favourite resources on understanding product design and user psychology behind building great products and experiences.

8. [Book] Design of Everyday things by Don Norman

   • The book explores the design principles and psychology behind everyday objects

   • It is emphasises that good design should prioritize the needs and abilities of users. Poorly designed objects can cause frustration and confusion

   • Reading the book will help you better understand the products around you and prepare you for product design interview questions.

9. Slack communities

   • Product communities are a great way to meet like minded people, network, learn and come across interesting job opportunities.

   • I remember getting my first PM break by networking with a founder on the Product School Slack community.

   • List of some communities:

     1) Product School 

     2) Product Buds 

     3) Mind the Product 

     4) Lewis Linn's Interview community 

     5) Lenny's Slack community (Paid) 

10. [Article] Google Resume XYZ formula

    • A great way to think about writing your resume to showcase impact.

11. Looking for PM roles: Linkedin, APMlist, Angellist, Indeed, Builtin are some sites I relied on the most.

Last but not the least:

Talk to as many PMs as you can, you’ll always learn something new

This should be more than enough for you to:

1. Understand what the role of a PM entails.

2. Learn how to tailor your resume to showcase relevant experience

3. Familiarize yourself with different types of PM interview questions and approaches for answering them

4. Find open PM positions and begin the interview process.

   ---

Bonus for curious souls:

1. Overwhelmed with PM resources? Here's one more?

2. Books:

   1. Inspired by Marty Cagan

   2. Swipe to Unlock

3. Newsletters:

   1. Lenny’s newsletter

   2. First 1000

   3. Chartr

4. Podcasts:

   1. Lenny’s Podcast

   2. F1APM Podcast (Shameless Plug)

Thank you for reading. I hope you found some valuable resources that will help kickstart your PM journey with more confidence.

See you in the next edition of F1APM Newsletter!

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I believe people talk too much about the tactical/strategic side of job hunting (guilty as charged) but too little about the psychological aspect of it.

I've been reflecting about what a new grad international student goes through in the US while looking for that first job.

No matter how smart you are or how prestigious a school you went to, chances are that you got a lot of rejections before you got your first yes!

Based on my job search experience and conversations with over 80 job seekers in the last year. Here's what I believe is the range of emotions a typical job seeker goes through.

If you're looking for a job right now and feel like nothing is going your way, I hope this sheds some light on what an average job seeker goes through and how you can come out on top!

1) Starting feels overwhelming -

Looking for an internship or full-time role? Great! where to start?

No idea!

There are too many job boards/career coaches/ job search strategies out there. Starting the whole process seems overwhelming to say the least.

One of the best ways to get out of this rut is just starting small and making progress.

I've seen people taking weeks to work on their resumes, talking to 100s of people to understand the right way to approach job searching before getting started.

The biggest secret is that no one can deterministically tell you what's going to work for you. There's a certain element of luck and trial and error involved during the whole process.

For eg. Some of my friends got a lot of interviews from applying through AngelList but some people never heard anything back. Similarly, true for other job boards and strategies.

You would never come to know what works/doesn't work for you until you try it out for yourself.

So talk to as many people as you can AND try out as many things as you can. Learn from those experiences, iterate, and repeat!

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and starting on the first one. - Mark Twain

2) Delaying getting starting to avoid rejections -

This directly ties back to point 1.

One of the reasons why we take so long to actually start applying, networking, and putting ourselves out there is to avoid rejections.

While working on 'perfecting' our resumes, talking to seniors for advice might feel productive, but it doesn't amount to anything if you don't start applying.

While these activities might feel like working in the right direction, progress can only be made while applying, reaching out to people, and interviewing.

I've been guilty of not applying to roles because I didn't feel ready for the interviews, but the best interview prep is to give real interviews.

So please avoid the trap of feeling productive but not making real progress!

3) Impostor Syndrome -

You have started applying and have an interview coming up?

Wow, that's great! But wait, "I don't think I'm ready for the interview yet.

I don't think I have what it takes to clear the interviews. Even if I do, the job description seems overwhelming, maybe I'm not the best person for the job."

Does this sound familiar? If yes, you have fallen victim to impostor syndrome.

Believing in your ability to learn and realizing that no one is expected to have 100% of the experience listed on the job desc is important to come out of the imposter mindset!

4) Peer Pressure -

So some of your friends have gotten great internships and full-time jobs.

You feel happy for them but it makes you question where you stand in the whole process.

It's hard to shake this feeling but it's important to remember that it's a positive sum game!

Be genuinely happy for everyone! If people who went to the same school as you and have similar credentials are getting jobs, then that's a positive sign!

Be curious and ask your friends about how they approached their job search and try to find patterns. See if there's anything else you could be doing differently.

It's easy to fall into the mindset of attributing other's success to luck but attributing your success to hardwork and skill. Please don't fall for that trap!

5) Definition of Success -

This one is critical to ask yourself when you embark upon the journey of looking for a job.

What does success look like to you?

1) Finding a job as soon as possible?

2) Finding the highest-paying job?

3) Finding a job you're really passionate about?

4) Finding a job which is going to challenge you the most?

5) Finding a job where you'll learn the most?

I'm not saying these choices are mutually exclusive but knowing what success looks like to you would help you deal with the trade-offs.

Once I decided that I will stop applying to software engineering roles and only focus on product management roles. I knew the trade-offs would be that it might take longer for me to get my first break. As there are fewer PM roles than engineering roles and sponsorship could be an issue too.

But once I knew what success looks like for me and accepted the trade-offs. I became less prone to peer and societal pressure. This meant being okay doing an internship till I get the first role I wanted.

I give an example of my friend to aspiring PMs, he wanted to become a PM after graduation and was okay with however long it took.

My friend received his first offer in January of 2022 while we graduated in May 2021. Once you have accepted the trade-offs of your decision it doesn't make it easier but you become more resilient because you know what success looks like to you!

So please ask yourself, what does success look like for me?

6) Measuring progress -

I used to measure progress with the number of applications I submitted. Which in hindsight is not a good metric to track progress.

I submitted 1000+ applications while looking for my first internship here to finally get an interview. I was lucky enough to clear it, otherwise, it would have all been for nothing.

While looking for my second internship I realized that the best way to measure progress is the number of coffee chats, number of referrals, and number of interviews you're giving.

The reason I track the number of coffee chats as a measure of progress is that even though most chats didn't convert into a referral or an interview, I ended up learning so much from the conversations.

I’ve written about why international students should invest their time in building their network.

7) Handling a string of No's -

When I was looking for jobs, I took a lot of No's personally. There is a difference between learning from failure and taking things too personally.

I love what Jeff Bezos said about handling adversities, he said, there are only 3 ways of dealing with adversities.

1) You can let it define you.

2) You can let it destroy you.

3) You can let it strengthen you.

I realized that it was more about the quality of No's than the quantity of No's.

In this context, a company might not hire you for many reasons which can or cannot have something to do with your aptitude.

Glean as much feedback as you can, learn from it and acknowledge that there could be other factors that are outside your control, and move on.

8) Cultivating the right mindset -

While there is no single 'right' mindset, there are definitely wrong ones that people can fall into while looking for a job.

Having a victim's mentality is the wrong mindset for sure.

I vividly remember clearing 7 rounds of interviews with a company and later finding out that they can't sponsor visas. I remember thinking that this is possibly the worst thing that can ever happen to anyone.

While ranting about this to anyone who would listen, I found out that there are worse things that happen to job seekers all the time.

Eg) Getting ghosted after a verbal offer, offers being rescinded, etc.

Talking to people who are in the same boat or have been through the same journey gives you perspective and the ability to zoom out.

Learning to take everything in your stride and looking at every rejection as a data point to further improve yourself is critical.

The Stoic principle of the dichotomy of control is important to remember -

Worry about the things you can control and don't worry about the things which lie outside your locus of control.

1) Things you can control -

• Your effort, your actions, your preparation for interviews.

2) Things you cannot control -

• The outcome, getting ghosted, etc.

In the end, it's just a test of your resilience, patience, and perseverance.

You'll definitely come out of the whole process stronger than you were before!

To Sum it up

1. Starting feels overwhelming

   1. Counter this by having a bias for action

   2. Break down complex tasks into smaller ones

   3. Just start applying

   4. Giving interviews is the best interview prep!

2. Avoid the allure of feeling productive but not making progress

   1. Spending weeks perfecting my resume without applying (Been there)

3. Imposter Syndrome while applying

   1. Realize that a job description is a list of nice-to-have skills

   2. No one is expected to have 100 of the skills

   3. Please don’t self-reject!

4. Peer Pressure

   1. Remember that it’s a positive sum-game

   2. Ask your friends if they did something different that you can try too

   3. Your friends with similar credentials getting jobs is a positive sign!

5. Definition of success

   1. Before you get into the rat race

   2. Please take a moment and reflect on what success means to you

   3. Everyone has a unique journey and goals

6. Measuring progress

   1. Tracking the actual number of interviews + Coffee chats as you would learn something new from each one!

7. Handling No’s

   1. Most people will encounter many rejections along the way

   2. Think about the quality of the No’s (Why) than the quantity (how many)

8. Having a right mindset

   1. Focus on the controllable

   2. Try to avoid having a victim’s mentality

      1. Recruiting is tough but not everyone is out there to get you!

      2. Assuming positive intent is important

   3. It’s just a test of your resilience, patience, and perseverance in the end

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If you're a job seeker, I hope you found this helpful! If you're someone who has been through the recruitment cycle, I hope this was relatable!

P.S. Some of you might find this post familiar!

If you have any feedback, suggestions or topics you would like me to cover next, I would love to hear from you.

You can find me on Linkedin/Twitter. I’ll see you next week! Thanks for reading!

4th of July fireworks over the Hudson

Boy, what a hell of a year 2022 was, some highlights -

1) Breaking into my dream role as a product manager at an exciting startup ‍

2) Starting my Podcast and Newsletter

3) Growing my Linkedin to 11k with 1.9 million content impressions

4) Giving referrals and recruiter intros which lead to two people getting offers

4) Reading 51 books

5) Meeting two of my favorite creators - Sahil Bloom and Alex Wieckowski ✍️

6) Attending product / tech events and meeting amazing people

7) Starting to work out regularly (doesn't end well) ️‍♂️

8) Making my first $1 online

9) Travelling to new cities ✈️

10) Having an in-person graduation

Let's start chronologically!

January

The omicron surge was bad in NYC. My mom was visiting and trying to get a covid test during that time was a painful experience. We were lucky to not get infected during this wave!

The best book I read in January was Influence by Robert Cialdini. I did a deep dive here.

It taught me about how humans have fixed action patterns called judgment heuristics. They help us make quick decisions since comprehending everything is time-consuming.

These are often the mental shortcuts that we use to make decisions. Which often serves us well most of the time but can be exploited by 'compliance practitioners'.

February

I went to India to attend some of my friend's weddings! I am officially of age now, slow crying in the background.

Jokes apart, it's great to see your friends embark upon adulthood! It made me introspect on how funny your 20s are. From people getting married, having kids to people figuring out their education, careers, etc.

It's okay to not have it all figured out! You will figure it out as long as you are true to yourself and have a bias for action.

I also met my niece and nephew for the first time. I love being an uncle! It's great to see how kids notice the world around them.

Their curiosity about everything invigorates me. At some point, we don't necessarily figure out the world, we just stop being curious!

Curiosity is a virtue, I hope to keep that candle lit for as long as possible.

The best book I read this month was Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. I did a deep dive here.

The word negotiation might make most of us squirm. The idea of disagreement and trying to get our way in a hard situation is uncomfortable.

I used to think of negotiation in the context of business only, but I did not realize how pervasive negotiation is in everyday life.

It might range from agreeing on your kid's screen time, making a plan with your friends, or trying to get a raise, etc.

March

As I was working one day, I thought about March 2021. I was manically job hunting and stressed out about graduating without a job.

March is usually the time when people graduating in May start to stress out about not getting a job.

I wrote a post on Linkedin to try to be of help to international students graduating soon. It blew up!

Within 24 hours, I got 200,000 post impressions, 800+ connection requests, 400+ DMs.

I tried to be true to my word and responded to every DM. I almost got banned from Linkedin because of the number of profiles I visited! That was a fun week!

I started seeing themes emerging where students struggle the most when looking for a job.

I started thinking about if there is a better way for me to address most pressing pain points for a larger audience at scale. More on this later!

The best book I read this month was Sapiens by Yuval Harari. I did a deep dive here.

How can 70,000 years of major historical events be covered in 500 pages?

There are some books that you finish reading but they become a permanent part of your psyche. Sapiens is one such book.

It's easy to forget that our time on this planet is so brief compared to how long it has existed and how long it will continue to! (Hopefully!)

It's hard to imagine our life without the internet right? Just think about how it has existed for only 25 years compared to the history of humanity.

April

I visited DC with my team for my first in-person client demo. It was a great learning experience. I understood how different the in-person world is from the remote one.

Eg) Trying to maintain eye contact while presenting in-person, how to small talk, etc.

Biggest takeaway: It's better to be over-prepared than underprepared!

The best book I read this month was 'How I almost blew it'. I did a deep dive here.

How I almost blew is a book in which India's most eminent tech entrepreneurs share their insights and journey along with how they almost blew it on multiple occasions.

Some valuable insights and stories of resilience.

May

I was finally going to have an in-person graduation. NYU decided to combine graduation ceremonies for batches 20', 21', and 22' together.

It was great to meet friends who came in from all over the US. I was thinking about moving from NYC this year and taking on a new adventure. Hearing how much everyone missed living in NYC made me decide to stick around for at least another year. I'm so glad that I did!

I started working out after reading Can't hurt me by David Goggins! I loved the idea of how taking care of your physical health is more of a mental challenge.

I remember feeling a strain on my left shoulder as lifted weights one day. I pushed past the pain and kept working out over the next few weeks. Things eventually got worse and long story short, I had to stop lifting weights for the rest of the year.

I learnt the lesson that if you are putting yourself outside your comfort zone, you are likely to get hurt. But knowing when to grit or quit is important!

Ironically the best book I read this month was Can't hurt me by David Goggins! There is something powerful about realizing that everything in the end is a mind game. Even physically challenging yourself.

June

I visited Puerto Rico with my NYU friends for a late graduation trip. My favorite part of the trip was visiting an island called Vieques and doing a night bioluminescent kayaking tour.

The kayak itself was like anything else I had ever seen before. It felt straight out of the Life in Pie scene where Pi's boat is stuck in the middle of the ocean as he crosses bioluminescent waters.

While it was magical, something else struck out during the experience.

On a 2 people kayak, I had the luxury to be paired with the instructor. So I did not have to paddle as much and just enjoyed the experience.

I naturally started talking to the instructor, and she asked me about how my trip is going so far. I told her about how I visited a beautiful beach and a local cafe that day and now ending the day with this wonderful kayak tour.

She paused for a moment and said in all sincerity, that she has never really gone outside of Puerto Rico and that's what her weekends end up looking like.

There I was, having the most fun weekend of my year, and I met a local who lives this lifestyle every week.

It reminded me of this famous parable about a New York investment banker going to a Mexican village and talking to a local fisherman. (Great read)

It made me deeply introspect on the definition of enough and the power of minimalism to live a fulfilling life.

What do we need to live a happy life? Very little.

What do we believe we want to live a happy life? A lot.

The best book I read this month was IKIGAI. I did a deep dive here.

This was one of those books that you can get through quickly but it takes time for the book to get through to you.

IKIGAI is what the Japanese call the reason that we all get up in the morning.

Everyone has an IKIGAI, but it's hidden deep inside each of us, and finding it requires patience.

July

I had a school friend visiting from India to celebrate her 25th birthday. July was an amazing month in terms of exploring NYC and soaking in all the wonderful weather.

There is something about hanging out with your school friends which is amazing. I think it is because they have seen you grow the most over the years which makes it wholesome.

I also attended a lot of networking events during this time.

On the job front, I felt stagnant. The first year had gone by in a flash, I learnt a lot and there was still more to learn. But I realized the learning from there onwards did not tie back to my long-term goal of being a product manager. I missed building things!

So I thought it was the right time for me to get into product management. I saw a couple of roles open at the company and started looking for an internal switch.

I had a company reach out for a similar role that I was currently in but the role would be a step closer to product management. I interviewed and got the offer.

I eventually decided to turn it down because I thought it might be the best time to get directly into product management.

It was hard to turn down a lucrative offer when you have no other options in sight. I realized the importance of having mentors and friends who can help you make the right decisions!

I'm so glad I turned down that offer because of how things eventually turned out. Wasn't so obvious at that time!

The best book I read this month was The book of Joy by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams.

It taught me how almost everything in the world is about having the right mindset and attitude. Having the perspective to look at bad experiences as opportunities to grow.

The story of how the Dalai Lama was forced to leave his country into exile and how he managed to overcome the tragedy without feelings of resentment and anger is inspiring.

August

I got close to switching to a PM role internally within the company but it did not work out. That's when I actively started applying to roles outside as well.

I realized the systems that I built for job hunting as a new grad still worked well.

Eg) Setting up notifications from job posting channels from PM Slack communities, tapping into my network.

I had a playbook for how to break into PM and I needed to execute it.

I had always been upfront with my manager about how my long-term career goal and passion was to become a product manager.

I was still pleasantly surprised by how my manager supported my decision to interview for PM roles internally. She even went ahead and put in a good word with the hiring manager. I will never forget this gesture!

Vanity milestone alert: I crossed 10k followers on Linkedin. Felt incredible! Churning out content consistently is tough but I tried to do my best. I was glad it was resonating with people.

I attended a networking event which was hosted by Sahil Bloom and Sam Parr. What incredible energy in the room! I've written about my complete experience here.

The best book I read this month was Range by David Epstein. The book focuses on the idea of how generalists often triumph in this specialized world.

The idea is that having experiences in many domains and learning broadly early on is helpful. This allows people to solve problems more creatively as they are able to combine insights from unrelated sources.

September

My efforts finally paid off, I got a PM offer internally. As I was all set to accept it and was waiting for the official offer letter to arrive, fate intertwined.

A startup reached out to me and since I hadn't accepted the offer I decided to interview. The role seemed perfect for what I have always been looking for. An exciting series A startup with a nice product and a great culture. The opportunity seemed too good to pass over.

The first interview to a written offer took 11 days! I've always heard that startups operate at a great speed and I witnessed it firsthand!

In the end, I went with the startup. I decided to take on the opportunity which scared me more as I knew that's where I would learn the most!

Saying goodbye to my teammates was tough, I had a wonderful time at MediaMath and was so happy to be leaving on such good terms!

I said farewell to my team and embarked upon a new adventure!

I visited Chicago for the labor day weekend and was amazed by the architecture of the city.

The best book I read this month was Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.

The main idea is how we predominantly think in 2 Systems. System 1 is the fast intuitive part and System 2 is the slow rational part. How over-relying on System 1 leaves us susceptible to cognitive biases while making decisions.

The book is a primer on effective decision making and understanding how prone humans are to falter under certain circumstances. Highly recommended read!

October

I was officially a product manager. It felt great, the road had been long. I'm glad for all the decisions I made along the way which got me to where I was!

Becoming a great product manager is a completely different journey that I was about to embark upon!

I had been thinking about how talking to product managers over coffee chats played such a big role in my journey.

I decided to recreate the magic of coffee chats for aspiring PMs and with that vision and launched F1APM Podcast.

I was turning 25 this month. I took a solo trip to South Carolina. Such a great time for reflection and practicing gratitude.

You can find the 25 reflections for turning 25 here.

The best book I read this month was Social Chemistry by Marrisa King.

The book focuses on different structures of networks that people build and their inherent pros and cons. It gave me a whole new lens to look at social networks.

November

Since more than half of my product team was new, we decided to do a product offsite meeting in New Orleans.

I love working remotely but there is some magic with in-person interactions and relationship building that remote work can't match.

For Thanksgiving, I decided to travel to Upstate New York with friends.

For my Spotify wrapped 2022, I found out that my F1APM podcast was top 20% of most globally shared podcasts which felt absolutely incredible!

I also posted my first sponsored post on Linkedin this month. It felt great. The day you make your $1 online, your life will change.

The best book I read this month was Think Again by Adam Grant.

Biggest takeaway: Be extra careful to avoid mount stupid when you do from being a novice to an amateur on any topic.

December

I love the holiday time in NYC. The city feels magical with its Christmas lighting and winter villages!

I started my F1APM Newsletter this month, I realized not everyone prefers listening to podcasts. Newsletters are a great way to archive your work as well.

With all things, it's not about the launches, it's about the landings. Consistency will be the ultimate litmus test.

December is also a great time to reflect on the year that has gone by and set goals for the upcoming one!

Three biggest takeaways:

1) Pain from regrets lingers on for longer than pain from failed actions

• I try to minimize "what if" moments later down the road

• What if I had started a Podcast? What if I started my Newsletter? What if I started working on my side project?

• Even if I know some actions would likely result in failure, I still try to pursue them regardless to avoid regrets later

2) If you live until you are 80, you have 4000 weeks

• Doesn't sounds that much right?

• 4000 weeks by Oliver Burkeman, is the best book I read this month

• It's simple math, no BS.

• I do not believe in hustling 24x7

• I do believe in spending my time intentionally

• Time is the only thing we have and don't!

3) Passions are developed and not discovered

• I would have laughed out loud If someone had told me 2 years ago that I would derive the most joy from activities like reading and writing

• It wasn't my first published post or the first book I read that got me hooked

• It often takes some sticking around to truly develop your passions

As I reflect on the wonderful year I've had, I cannot be more rationally optimistic about 2023.

I want it to be rife with learning, adventure, failures, meeting new people, and maintaining existing relationships.

All I know is I want to try new things, fail, learn quickly, get better, fail again, and maybe succeed? Who knows, all I control is the effort I put into things.

Goals for next years -

1) Become a great Product Manger

2) Be consistent with my Newsletter and Podcast

3) Take care of my physical health (exercise), metal health (reading and meditation) and spiritual health (reading Philosophy)

Thank you for reading and being a part of this year with me!

I wish you a very prosperous and a happy new year!

I’m sharing everything I have learnt about networking in the last 3 years and lessons learnt from building my network in the US. I hope this post sheds some light on networking and leaves you with some actionable insights!

I recommend viewing the newsletter on your laptop for best reading experience! 💻

Hearing the word networking used to make me cringe when I came to the US 🤐

Everyone told me it is important, I needed to do it. No one told me why exactly or how to do it!

Having a network and networking are two different things. Sounds weird right? Let me explain.

Having a strong network is about building meaningful relationships. Building and maintaining relationships takes time and energy. These are more long-term bets.

Networking is a process by which we get introduced to new people. It is a way to start building a relationship but it’s the beginning. Eg) Think about networking events

From cringing at hearing the word networking to loving the idea of meeting new people. I attribute this to a mindset change.

The goal is always to build strong relationships, learn from people and add value whenever possible!

Things changed when I started looking at networking from the lens above rather than just trying to network with people for the sake of it.

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t - Bill Nye

My friend Rajas, in our podcast, summed up the essence of networking -

The best way to build and maintain a relationship is to try to add value whenever possible. It’s about what you can do for the other person.

In the context of job search, I know it might feel weird to try to add value when you are the person who needs something!

That is why the best time to build your network is before you need it. This way you can just focus on learning from people you meet and not make it transactional.

The least you can do when reaching out to people while looking for a job is -

• Be specific about why are you reaching out to them.

• How exactly can they help you?

• Be considerate of their time

• Ask thoughtful questions which you cannot google easily

If you keep these points in mind, you would already have a headstart!

I am not going to share any stats about how networking can help you get a job quicker. Rather, on the contrary, I would say it is 100% possible to get a job in the US without having to network at all.

Why is it still necessary for international students to build their network?

Think of it as a safety net, you learn from whoever you meet, you try to add value whenever possible, and always have people to rely on if (when) you need them!

Hunting for a job or internship at that moment can feel like this is the only thing that matters. Remember that you will be looking for another internship or a job later.

You might have some pressing career-related questions or god forbid you get laid off. That’s exactly when already having built a network will pay off!

Now that I have hopefully convinced you of why it is in your best interest to invest your time and effort into building your network.

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Let’s talk about how you can do it more effectively:

1. Networking can happen anywhere

   1. Don’t think that you need to be in a designated ‘Networking event’ to meet people

   2. I’ve met incredible people on Twitter, Linkedin, and just randomly at events that I consider close friends / mentors now

2. Make it personalized

   1. If you are trying to reach out to people on Linkedin

      1. Please take 1 minute of your time and send a personalized invite

      2. Briefly mention

         1. Why you are reaching out and how can someone help you exactly?

      3. Putting this small effort upfront will have great payouts

      An ounce of personalization is worth an once of persuasion - Robert Cialdini

3. Make it as easy as you can for someone to say yes

   • What exactly are you asking from someone? Please be specific.

     1. Examples of a bad ask -

        1. Hey, can you help me? ❌

        2. Are there any open roles at your company? ❌

        3. How can YOU help me? ❌

           1. I’ve gotten all three of them 😅

   • Commitment and consistency effect

     1. People who have agreed to help you once are more likely to help you out in the future than someone who you don’t know at all

     2. So make it as easy as you can for someone to say yes to the initial ask

4. Similarity principle -

   1. Let’s be honest - We like to talk to and help people who are similar to us

      1. It could be people who went to the same college, school or belong to the same country or city

      2. If you are reaching out to someone on Linkedin and notice any similarity

         1. Definitely mention it while reaching out to them

         2. This will drastically, improve your chances of hearing back

         3. This is the personalized invite I sent which got me my first job

      Hello X,
      
      I'm a Master's CS student at NYU, Go Violets!
      
      I have a solid foundation working in [Product Management & Full Stack dev]
      
      While on Linkedin, I saw that MediaMath is hiring for X position, I would love to connect and learn more about the role.
      
      Best,
      Shaurya

   1. Go Violets is an NYU slogan and I used it as I was reaching out to an alum

   2. There is a feature on Linkedin which shows how many people from your university work at a company. It’s there for a reason, use it! 🎓

      

5. Having coffee chats (Going to do a deep dive on it some other time) ☕️

   1. If you saw an open position at the company, it’s nice to connect with people from the company who work in the same functional department

   2. Having coffee chats / informational interviews is particularly important for aspiring PMs. Why?

      1. Different companies value different skills in their PMs.

         1. Some prefer technical PMs (Google) others might want more business focused PMs (Amazon)

         2. Having coffee chats will give you a better understanding about the need for the role and general archetype they are looking for

         3. You can learn from them about how they went about to get an interview and land up at their current role

            • After giving over 60 rounds of PM interviews with 30 companies:

            • I’ve realized PM interviews are not standardized, just as the PM role

            • Getting any insight into the hiring process will give you an edge

      2. In the end, you can ask people what’s the best way to get an interview

      3. In my experience, if you showcase you have enough interest in the role and ask thoughtful questions, people offer to refer you themselves!

      4. Think of it this way: Employees get $ for a successful referral to hire

         1. People are incentivized to help you out IF you showcase you can be a good fit for the role and a cultural fit for the company

         2. So make sure to do your homework about the company and the person who you are having a chat with

         3. The example of reach out that I sent to an NYU alum that I attached above was supposed to be a informal coffee chat

            1. I had prepared questions about the company, the role, AdTech related questions etc

            2. I ended up with directly going to virtual onsite interviews and a technical assessment which lead to an offer

            3. Without having to even submit an online application

               The best case scenario, you get a job. The worst case scenario, you add someone to your network and learn something new

6. Assume positive intent

   1. Give people the benefit of the doubt when you are reaching out to them

   2. Not everyone is ignoring you on purpose (though it often feels like it), people are usually busy and are not very active on Linkedin

   3. I’ve seen great results with simply following up within a week, sometimes messages just slip between the cracks

   4. If you have done everything you can to improve your chances of getting a response and still haven’t heard back

      1. Remember, it’s a numbers game in the end

   5. The people who do respond will make it worth your while, I promise.

   ---

To sum it up -

1. The goal is to build a strong network, a few ways to achieve this:

   1. Emphasis on cultivating meaningful relationships

   2. Learning something new from everyone you meet

   3. Trying to add value whenever you can

2. Best time to network is before you need it

   1. Start early!

   2. Dig your well before you’re thirsty

   3. As an international student, having a strong network is your safety net

3. When reaching out to people

   1. Be clear, specific and concise in why are you reaching out?

   2. How can they help you?

   3. What is the call to action?

      1. Do you want your resume reviewed? have a chat? get a referral?

4. Assume positive intent

Once you start building your network, you’ll realize that maintaining your network is the tougher part! More on that some other time!

I hope this sheds some light on why building your network is important and some tactical steps to get you started!

If you’ve made it this far, you’re awesome! 🙌🏻

If you have any feedback, suggestions or topics you would like me to cover next, I would love to hear from you.

You can find me on Linkedin/Twitter. I’ll see you next week! Thanks for reading!

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Hey there 👋

Thanks for being here!

I’m Shaurya, in the daytime I work as a product manager at an Ad-tech startup. During the weekends, I try to help aspiring PMs make the switch!

1. Why this, why now?

Over the last year, I’ve been sharing tips and tricks on how to break into product management on Linkedin.

The toughest thing about breaking in is that there isn’t a playbook and the road is not linear.

Let me help you by sharing the insights I’ve gathered by trying to break into PM as a new grad, transitioning internally within a company, and leveraging my domain knowledge in Ad-tech to get PM offers.

When I was looking for PM roles, I talked to over 100+ product managers, interviewed with over 30 companies, and tried all the possible strategies you can imagine.

Biggest takeaway - No two journeys into PM look the same and the path isn’t linear.

Since the path isn’t linear, it can be daunting, but it can also be a wonderful chance to play to your strengths and come out on top!

As a newly minted PM who is trying to navigate the PM world, I want to pay it forward to help people discover PM and break into the field.

2. Who will benefit from the newsletter?

If you are an international student in the US (F1 student, look at the newsletter name 🥳), an aspiring PM, or if you’re curious to learn more about product management, this is the newsletter for you!

3. What can you expect?

You can expect content on discovering and validating PM as a career, the importance of networking, product breakdowns, mental models, or if you’re just looking for some extra motivation to help you get through job search!

In short, this newsletter will help you fast-track your journey from discovering product management to getting your first break!

4. What to do next?

You can look forward to a weekly dose of actionable and thoughtful advice that will fast-track your job search journey!

Having access to your inbox is a high honor and something I take very seriously!

I promise to add value without any fluff, okay maybe just a little fluff but a lot of value! 🤝

If anything resonated with you, I highly encourage you to hit subscribe using the button below.

Hope to catch you in your inbox! 📧

You can find me here!

Subscribe now

We cover a lot of ground:

1) How Deekshit got interested in Prod Mgmt and validated it's the right fit

2) How to apply for jobs strategically 

3) The importance of taking care of your mental health 

4) How Deekshit managed to get the elusive return offer 

This episode is packed with actionable insights, if you are an aspiring PM, you don't want to miss this one!

Did you find it helpful? Have any suggestions? Would love to hear from you. You can find me on Linkedin/Twitter.

We speak about how and why Akash got interested in Prod Mgmt, transferable skills Data Analysts can leverage, why working on side projects is important and things Akash wish he knew while he was trying to break in. 

This episode is packed with actionable insights, if you are an aspiring PM, you don't want to miss this one! 

Did you find it helpful? Have any suggestions? Would love to hear from you. You can find me on Linkedin/Twitter. 

We also break down what Vivek did differently to hear back from 50 companies! 

The episode is packed with actionable insights, if you are an aspiring PM, you don'y want to miss this one! 

If you found it helpful, please don't forget to share it with other aspiring PMs!

Connect with me on Linkedin, would love to hear from you if you have any feedback or suggestions! 

In this weeks's F1APM episode, Manan shares his story about how he transitioned from being a software engineer at Salesforce into product management. 

We spoke about how Manan got interested in the product space, the difference between solving technical and user problems,  pitfalls to avoid when you have an engineering background and the power of product communities! 

Some product communities to join - 

1) Product School 

2) Product Buds 

3) Mind the Product 

4) Lewis Linn's Interview community 

5) Lenny's Slack community (Paid) 

If you found it helpful, please don't forget to share it with other aspiring PMs! 

Connect with me on Linkedin, would love to hear from you if you have any feedback or suggestions! 

We talked about how to use the recommendation algorithms of Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube, Medium and Substack to fuel your learnings. 

Eg) When you start following Product channels on Youtube, you start discovering other PM related channels. Use that to go deep down into rabbit holes and let your curiosity drive you to places!