Kalyan

I've been in product management for over ten years, but I'm entirely self-taught. When I was laid off last year, it hit me hard because it was my first layoff and I had turned down another offer just months earlier. I started applying to every product job on LinkedIn regardless of level or domain. Eighty percent of the time I wasn't getting any calls, referrals weren't working, and I was being ghosted even after interviews I thought went well.

The first aha moment was building my "tell me about yourself." What I was saying before was just my entire career history. When I told my new version in actual interviews, hiring managers consistently said it was the most unique TMA they had ever heard.

When I went all-in for those three months, the results were dramatic. I went to the final round with four companies, received two offers, and landed my role as a Senior PM at Amazon. The group sessions were a game changer — having six or seven other people offering their perspectives broadened my thinking in ways that one-on-one coaching alone couldn't.

The mindset coaching was also critical; I was frustrated, feeling like a loser, doubting myself. Working on that transformed how I showed up. My advice: build relationships with coaches and peers, focus on your main goal, and commit 110%.