Thread by @johncutlefish

Q: "I am trying to get a job at a healthier company that actually *does* product, but I've been wading through dysfunction for two years. I try to put a silver-lining on the experience, but I can't. What do I do?"

(1/7). OK. A couple thoughts...

First, you may be overestimating the "depth" of the examples you need to give (based on blog posts and the external perception of the company). Simple examples may suffice with very modest claims...(2/7)

I interviewed at FB once to understand their interview process.

Prior to the interview, I noticed that there were tons of books with example questions and answers. "They can't be this simple" I thought to myself. Narrator: they were that simple. I bombed the interview...(3/7)

You may be tempted to try to talk people through your Herculean efforts to battle dysfunction (e.g. "And in two years, I finally got the CPO and CEO to agree on X"). Don't.

Irony. The company may literally need that. But admitting it is hard. (4/7)

OK. Keep in mind that your competition is folks working at X (your target job's competitor) w/ three internships, two years at McKinsey, and almost zero baggage. Their "advantage" is innocence and naiveté. Sadly...you need to walk/talk the walk/talk (5/7)

Stalk ppl at the company on YouTube and watch them actually speak about their work. The words people use for product stuff is so varied. You need to adapt your language so they understand wth you are talking about. It makes a difference. (6/7)

The message is: "don't be psyched out". We need more diversity in product roles. We need people with varied life experiences and people who have worked through difficult change.

Another tidbit. A lot of these companies are far rosier from the outside. Get inside intel (7/7)