ibogatyrev y20ibogatyrev 20250912 107 2 24 [0-9](0-9.xml).' course_log_ibogatyrev.xml :!grep '2023' course_log_ibogatyrev.xml | wc -w 14*30 !!bc -l 420 ## best hosting solution in RF? https://sweb.ru/ lamp hosting OR yandex cloud https://cloud.yandex.com/marketplace/products/f2eat0r5djdr9lsl6jl4 access to fully dedicated server image incl. root virtual system 〆 need to set up a firewall? ✓ ssh + static IP address ## USDT ✓ little volatile crypto currency swift Raiffeisen +20 000USD direct transfer to interactive brokers www.around.co ## todo openai video generator ted talk ## Meta VP directors responsible for team matching ≠ hiring / recruiting agents ## visuals for business practices - todo ✓ patterns for STAR, Bluf, McKinsey... → practise for behavioural interviews https://www.acronymat.com/2023/09/24/cedar-feedback/ ## podcasts - todo? https://miro.com/talktrack/ ## Solving Real-life Challenges to Get Hired Portfo is the platform for connecting tech professionals with companies through hands-on challenges. Whether you're showcasing your skills or looking for top talent, Portfo helps bring real-world expertise to the forefront. Find engaging challenges that can prove your strengths https://portfo.me/challenges/all ## CARL (instead of STAR) https://thebehavioral.substack.com/p/using-the-carl-method-to-structure ## Signal Areas & Starter Questions | For internal use only Interestingly, there are many correlations between Austen's breakdown and Hofstede's cultural dimensions, most notably: initiative <->individualism vs collectivism ambiguity <-> uncertainty avoidance expected answers are still the same, tho'. The following parallel also opens up new perspectives for narrative development: Tell me about a technical decision you regret. GROWTH • COMMUNICATION Growth is obvious but communicating (ie. expressing and not talking about) your regrets is not exactly sth most people would spontaneously do well... In some cultures, some candidates may be reluctant to admitting their mistakes directly (losing face), it doesn't mean however that they are not aware of them or haven't learnt anythg from them either... This suggests some candidates have less potential for growth in the target corporate culture bc they don't (rather than they can't) voice lessons learnt in a linear-active (direct, unambiguous) way (per Lewis typology), and therefore are not a good match (although they may be competent). In a world where creativity & innovation are all the rage, recruiting professionals according to whether they are a good fit feels actually contradictory to divergent thinking that is supposedly most desirable. Concl: Should corporate culture reformat individuals at the cost of divergent thinking? In the days of EDI (aka DEI - equity, diversity, inclusion) aren't behavioural questions discriminative, and/or anachronic? Can we rely on AI to identify collocations (key expressions) which are not buzzwords yet, but you should know because they will soon be if everyone relies on AI anyway? What if these buzzwords are ugly, sound very Latin and formal? Should we create our own alternatives at the risk of communication breakdown, or on the contrary in the hope of improving AI's lexical material?... ATS = applicant tracking system Enhancv’s Resume Checker forms its ATS score with a two-tier system When you’re applying for a job, there’s a high chance your resume will be screened through an applicant tracking system way before it finds its way on a recruiter’s screen. ATS helps hiring managers find the right candidates by searching for keywords and adding the resume to a database. That’s why the success of your resume is highly dependent on how optimized your resume is for the job you’re applying for, the resume template you’re using, and what skills and keywords you have included. peer to peer alternative to the internet 〆potential threat to security ]]> xml sbook_plugins/wordlist_generated_from_xml_clog_sbook_for_sbook_session.inc Ivan Bogatyrev 40817810600009819240 20250919 17:05-18:05 MSK | 16:05-17:05 CET 1 25 50 20251003 -25 + -25 +50 = 0 active Netflix interview | Feedback Netflix culture memo review | Mock interviews 1 Amazon Leadership Principles mock interview 6 | Mock interviews 1 Set of support stories By the end of this session you will have studied Zoom meeting details I.Bogatyrev - D.Potter Zoom Meeting (recurring) Meeting ID: 589 650 112 Password: 8XUPie https://us04web.zoom.us/j/589650112 ]]> 67 Netflix interview - Feedback active textbook ✓ with a qualification matrix T / Cl What are the risks of being on PIP (performance improvement plan)? means you are meeting most expectations but not all! = at risk of being dismissed In FAANG → ensure performance reviews confirm you're at least meeting expectations (or above) T / Cl Why are reverse questions as important as questions? ✓ make sure you explain how their answers to your questions resonate with your experience and expectations ]]> 66 1 Mock interview - Feedback Mock interview (general format) - Feedback TEMPLATE active prep_2columns_2qa edit_2columns_2qa pix/icons8-quiz-100_white.png Use this assessment sheet for feedback of behavioural questions ]]> stopwatch Methodology
[ ] paraphrases question to confirm understanding [ ] elicits expected skills to be validated by initial behavioural question (by 'thinking aloud') [ ] addresses question with relevant story [ ] shows awareness of and/or experience in adjacent core skills [ ] does not follow a chronological narrative [ ] follows a clear & logical narrative progression (STAR, CARL, BLUF, Minto/McKinsey Pyramid, SWOT...) [ ] uses metrics effectively [ ] engages in natural conversation (no regurgitation, attentive to follow-up questions)
Use of STAR approach
[ ] succinct situation (and NOT a chronological description) [ ] single-sentence task (focusing on 'I' rather than 'we') [ ] numerous actions (incl. cross collaboration to suggest size) [ ] results (incl. for a variety of stakeholders to show impact scale) AND lessons learnt
Target area(s) of interest
[ ] identifies skills (areas of interest) to be evidenced in the support story [ ] greatest & weakest points of your career [ ] upstream & downstream feedback [ ] cross functional collaboration [ ] conflict resolution [ ] leadership [ ] mentoring
Leadership tell-tale signs
[ ] acts as team lead [ ] empowers team members [ ] can initiate & take decisions without hierarchical support [ ] has a vision and is not just a manager
]]> Additional comments
]]> 65 Amazon Leadership Principles interview questions (todo?) 64 1 pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png Amazon Leadership Principles interview questions | Technical problem solving (1/5) active edit_ol_qa Do not use the same story more than twice. Prepare at least 2-3 stories per experience area. If you do use the same story, explain why. Collect as many facts & figures as possible since you may be able to narrate one story with given metrics A, and recycle the same story from a different angle while relying on metrics B. Make short sentences of 70-100 words using the past participle or infinitive form and bullet points for each idea → think of additional 2-3 follow-up questions e.g. about details you have omitted on purpose to encourage the head hunter to ask you about ]]> https://interviewing.io/guides/amazon-leadership-principles ]]> What kind of experience does this question call for? What is the rationale? ]]> ✓ Experience ✓ Rationale What key concepts & buzzwords are expected in your answer? ✓ Key concepts ✓ Buzzwords What support stories give evidence of your skills? What narrative pattern(s) is/are more appropriate to keep your interlocutor intrigued? (S) Situation (T) Task (A) Action (R) Result What follow-up questions should you anticipate on this topic? 63 2 pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png Amazon Leadership Principles interview questions | Learning (and failure) (2/5) active edit_ol_qa Do not use the same story more than twice. Prepare at least 2-3 stories per experience area. If you do use the same story, explain why. Collect as many facts & figures as possible since you may be able to narrate one story with given metrics A, and recycle the same story from a different angle while relying on metrics B. Make short sentences of 70-100 words using the past participle or infinitive form and bullet points for each idea → think of additional 2-3 follow-up questions e.g. about details you have omitted on purpose to encourage the head hunter to ask you about ]]> https://interviewing.io/guides/amazon-leadership-principles ]]> What kind of experience does this question call for? What is the rationale? ]]> ✓ Experience ✓ Rationale What key concepts & buzzwords are expected in your answer? ✓ Key concepts ✓ Buzzwords What support stories give evidence of your skills? What narrative pattern(s) is/are more appropriate to keep your interlocutor intrigued? (S) Situation (T) Task (A) Action (R) Result What follow-up questions should you anticipate on this topic? 62 3 pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png Amazon Leadership Principles interview questions | Getting stuff (for the business) done (3/5) active edit_ol_qa Do not use the same story more than twice. Prepare at least 2-3 stories per experience area. If you do use the same story, explain why. Collect as many facts & figures as possible since you may be able to narrate one story with given metrics A, and recycle the same story from a different angle while relying on metrics B. Make short sentences of 70-100 words using the past participle or infinitive form and bullet points for each idea → think of additional 2-3 follow-up questions e.g. about details you have omitted on purpose to encourage the head hunter to ask you about ]]> https://interviewing.io/guides/amazon-leadership-principles ]]> What kind of experience does this question call for? What is the rationale? ]]> ✓ Experience ✓ Rationale What key concepts & buzzwords are expected in your answer? ✓ Key concepts ✓ Buzzwords What support stories give evidence of your skills? What narrative pattern(s) is/are more appropriate to keep your interlocutor intrigued? (S) Situation (T) Task (A) Action (R) Result What follow-up questions should you anticipate on this topic? 61 4 pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png Amazon Leadership Principles interview questions | Interpersonal conflict (4/5) active edit_ol_qa Do not use the same story more than twice. Prepare at least 2-3 stories per experience area. If you do use the same story, explain why. Collect as many facts & figures as possible since you may be able to narrate one story with given metrics A, and recycle the same story from a different angle while relying on metrics B. Make short sentences of 70-100 words using the past participle or infinitive form and bullet points for each idea → think of additional 2-3 follow-up questions e.g. about details you have omitted on purpose to encourage the head hunter to ask you about ]]> https://interviewing.io/guides/amazon-leadership-principles ]]> What kind of experience does this question call for? What is the rationale? ]]> ✓ Experience ✓ Rationale What key concepts & buzzwords are expected in your answer? ✓ Key concepts ✓ Buzzwords What support stories give evidence of your skills? What narrative pattern(s) is/are more appropriate to keep your interlocutor intrigued? (S) Situation (T) Task (A) Action (R) Result What follow-up questions should you anticipate on this topic? 60 5 pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png Amazon Leadership Principles interview questions | Ambiguity (5/5) active edit_ol_qa Do not use the same story more than twice. Prepare at least 2-3 stories per experience area. If you do use the same story, explain why. Collect as many facts & figures as possible since you may be able to narrate one story with given metrics A, and recycle the same story from a different angle while relying on metrics B. Make short sentences of 70-100 words using the past participle or infinitive form and bullet points for each idea → think of additional 2-3 follow-up questions e.g. about details you have omitted on purpose to encourage the head hunter to ask you about ]]> https://interviewing.io/guides/amazon-leadership-principles ]]> What kind of experience does this question call for? What is the rationale? ]]> ✓ Experience ✓ Rationale What key concepts & buzzwords are expected in your answer? ✓ Key concepts ✓ Buzzwords What support stories give evidence of your skills? What narrative pattern(s) is/are more appropriate to keep your interlocutor intrigued? (S) Situation (T) Task (A) Action (R) Result What follow-up questions should you anticipate on this topic? 59 58 20250912 17:05-18:05 MSK | 16:05-17:05 CET 1 25 -25 + 0 = -25 active Amazon Leadership Principles mock interview 5 Set of support stories By the end of this session you will have studied 〆20250922 interview with Amazon → freeze on hire Amazon SDE III (L6) — Behavioral Stories Packet https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hwC8A7Uvt9tRKXZulVZYsM_-GK-siiXHf0_JoA1Dkxw/edit?tab=t.0 Interview prep - interviewing.io Coach: Ashley Vanderwel https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-vanderwel/ 1. Give me an example of when you took an unpopular stance in a meeting with peers and your leader and you were the outlier. 2. Tell me about a time when you made a bad decision and the learning from the experience enabled you to make a good decision later 3. Tell me about a time you had significant, unanticipated obstacles to overcome in achieving a key goal mock behavioral interview questions in preparation for an upcoming SDE III / L6 loop at Amazon https://start.interviewing.io/feedback/UuIPSnZkdIIW zoom_meeting.png Zoom meeting details I.Bogatyrev - D.Potter Zoom Meeting (recurring) Meeting ID: 589 650 112 Password: 8XUPie https://us04web.zoom.us/j/589650112 ]]> 57 Amazon mock interview - Feedback active 1 textbook 56 55 20250905 17:05-18:05 MSK | 16:05-17:05 CET 1 25 150 20250902 -25 + -125 +150 = 0 active Amazon Leadership Principles mock interview 4 Set of support stories By the end of this session you will have studied 20250904 interview with Amazon - part 1/2 20250905 interview with Amazon - part 2/2 20250922 interview with Amazon A Senior Engineer's Guide to the Amazon Leadership Principles Interview https://interviewing.io/guides/amazon-leadership-principles → find 2 stories / principles → focus on recycling target company specific values e.g. frugality Double-check support stories per buckets strategy Amazon SDE III (L6) — Behavioral Stories Packet https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hwC8A7Uvt9tRKXZulVZYsM_-GK-siiXHf0_JoA1Dkxw/edit?tab=t.0 zoom_meeting.png Zoom meeting details I.Bogatyrev - D.Potter Zoom Meeting (recurring) Meeting ID: 589 650 112 Password: 8XUPie https://us04web.zoom.us/j/589650112 ]]> 54 3 Mock interview (Amazon format) - Feedback active prep_2columns_2qa edit_2columns_2qa pix/icons8-quiz-100_white.png Use this assessment sheet for feedback of behavioural questions Can you tell me about a time when you owned a project? Logs: 20250905 Tell me about a strategic decision you had to make without clear data or benchmarks. → digital rights management 20250905 Can you tell me about a time when you owned a project? Ownership — “Making Region Loss a Non-Event at Uber” 20250829 Give me an example of a complex problem you solved with a simple solution. → avoiding Uber storage replication per region 20250829 Give me an example of a mission or goal you didn’t think was achievable. → digital rights management 20250822 Tell me about a time when you strongly disagreed with your manager or peer on something you considered very important to the business? → put together a case of not making changes before a launch 20250822 To try to meet the high expectations of our customers, we sometimes promise more than we can deliver. Tell me about a time when you overcommitted yourself or your company. → publishing pipeline for encoding video failed after midnight (Yandex) 20250822 Tell me about a time when you didn’t meet customer’s needs. → anonymisation policy (Meta) ]]> stopwatch ]]> Methodology
[X] paraphrases question to confirm understanding [ ] elicits expected skills to be validated by initial behavioural question (by 'thinking aloud') [X] addresses question with relevant story [?] shows awareness of and/or experience in adjacent core skills [X] does not follow a chronological narrative [X] follows a clear & logical narrative progression (STAR, CARL, BLUF, Minto/McKinsey Pyramid, SWOT...) [ ] uses metrics effectively [ ] engages in natural conversation (no regurgitation, attentive to follow-up questions)
Use of STAR approach
[ ] succinct situation (and NOT a chronological description) [ ] single-sentence task (focusing on 'I' rather than 'we') [X] numerous actions (incl. cross collaboration to suggest size) [X] results (incl. for a variety of stakeholders to show impact scale) AND lessons learnt
Amazon Leadership Principles
[X] customer obsession [?] inventing and simplifying [ ] learning and being curious [ ] insisting on the highest standards [ ] delivering results [ ] diving deep [ ] having backbone - disagree and committing [ ] dominating [ ] hiring and developing the best [ ] thinking big [ ] bias for action [ ] frugality [ ] earning trust
Scope & impact
[ ] leads projects from cradle to grave [ ] mentors team members [ ] drives results [ ] shows broader ownership
Leadership
[ ] acts as team lead [ ] empowers team members [ ] can initiate & take decisions without hierarchical support [ ] has a vision and is not just a manager
]]> Additional comments
〆|✓ regurgitated / learnt by heart but well-rehearsed 〆dry delivery 〆little opportunity for follow-up questions → almost too perfect? = downside of 6min format (i.e. w/o whetting the appetite)?
]]> 53 4 Mock interview (Amazon format) - Feedback active prep_2columns_2qa edit_2columns_2qa pix/icons8-quiz-100_white.png Use this assessment sheet for feedback of behavioural questions Can you tell me about a time when you proved to be right although hierarchy & stakeholders were initially convinced otherwise? Logs: 20250905 Can you tell me about a time when you proved to be right although hierarchy & stakeholders were initially convinced otherwise? 20250905 Tell me about a strategic decision you had to make without clear data or benchmarks. → digital rights management 20250905 Can you tell me about a time when you owned a project? Ownership — “Making Region Loss a Non-Event at Uber” 20250829 Give me an example of a complex problem you solved with a simple solution. → avoiding Uber storage replication per region 20250829 Give me an example of a mission or goal you didn’t think was achievable. → digital rights management 20250822 Tell me about a time when you strongly disagreed with your manager or peer on something you considered very important to the business? → put together a case of not making changes before a launch 20250822 To try to meet the high expectations of our customers, we sometimes promise more than we can deliver. Tell me about a time when you overcommitted yourself or your company. → publishing pipeline for encoding video failed after midnight (Yandex) 20250822 Tell me about a time when you didn’t meet customer’s needs. → anonymisation policy (Meta) ]]> stopwatch ]]> Methodology
[X] paraphrases question to confirm understanding [ ] elicits expected skills to be validated by initial behavioural question (by 'thinking aloud') [ ] addresses question with relevant story [ ] shows awareness of and/or experience in adjacent core skills [ ] does not follow a chronological narrative [ ] follows a clear & logical narrative progression (STAR, CARL, BLUF, Minto/McKinsey Pyramid, SWOT...) [ ] uses metrics effectively [ ] engages in natural conversation (no regurgitation, attentive to follow-up questions)
Use of STAR approach
[X] succinct situation (and NOT a chronological description) [ ] single-sentence task (focusing on 'I' rather than 'we') [ ] numerous actions (incl. cross collaboration to suggest size) [ ] results (incl. for a variety of stakeholders to show impact scale) AND lessons learnt
Amazon Leadership Principles
[ ] customer obsession [ ] inventing and simplifying [ ] learning and being curious [ ] insisting on the highest standards [ ] delivering results [ ] diving deep [ ] having backbone - disagree and committing [ ] dominating [ ] hiring and developing the best [ ] thinking big [X] bias for action [ ] frugality [ ] earning trust
Scope & impact
[ ] leads projects from cradle to grave [ ] mentors team members [ ] drives results [ ] shows broader ownership
Leadership
[ ] acts as team lead [ ] empowers team members [ ] can initiate & take decisions without hierarchical support [ ] has a vision and is not just a manager
]]> Additional comments
✓ swift S & T 〆but too long for 2min Amazon format? 01:44 A
]]> 52 3 Mock interview (Amazon format) - Feedback active prep_2columns_2qa edit_2columns_2qa pix/icons8-quiz-100_white.png Use this assessment sheet for feedback of behavioural questions 8min / story 2min → STAR 6min → 5~8 follow-up questions 6min / story 2min → STAR 4min → 5~8 follow-up questions (1min, 1min, 30", 30", 30") Behavioural question: Tell me about a strategic decision you had to make without clear data or benchmarks. Logs: 20250905 Can you tell me about a time when you owned a project? Ownership — “Making Region Loss a Non-Event at Uber” 20250905 Can you tell me about a time when you proved to be right although hierarchy & stakeholders were initially convinced otherwise? 20250905 Tell me about a strategic decision you had to make without clear data or benchmarks. → DRM (Yandex) → Ownership — “Making Region Loss a Non-Event at Uber” 20250829 Give me an example of a complex problem you solved with a simple solution. → avoiding Uber storage replication per region 20250829 Give me an example of a mission or goal you didn’t think was achievable. → digital rights management 20250822 Tell me about a time when you strongly disagreed with your manager or peer on something you considered very important to the business? → put together a case of not making changes before a launch 20250822 To try to meet the high expectations of our customers, we sometimes promise more than we can deliver. Tell me about a time when you overcommitted yourself or your company. → publishing pipeline for encoding video failed after midnight (Yandex) 20250822 Tell me about a time when you didn’t meet customer’s needs. → anonymisation policy (Meta) ]]> stopwatch ]]> Methodology
[X] paraphrases question to confirm understanding [ ] elicits expected skills to be validated by initial behavioural question (by 'thinking aloud') [ ] addresses question with relevant story [ ] shows awareness of and/or experience in adjacent core skills [ ] does not follow a chronological narrative [X] follows a clear & logical narrative progression (STAR, CARL, BLUF, Minto/McKinsey Pyramid, SWOT...) [ ] uses metrics effectively [✓] engages in natural conversation (no regurgitation, attentive to follow-up questions)
Use of STAR approach
[X] succinct situation (and NOT a chronological description) [X] single-sentence task (focusing on 'I' rather than 'we') [X] numerous actions (incl. cross collaboration to suggest size) [ ] results (incl. for a variety of stakeholders to show impact scale) AND lessons learnt
Amazon Leadership Principles
[ ] customer obsession [ ] inventing and simplifying [ ] learning and being curious [X] insisting on the highest standards [X] delivering results [ ] diving deep [ ] having backbone - disagree and committing [ ] dominating [ ] hiring and developing the best [ ] thinking big [ ] bias for action [ ] frugality [ ] earning trust
Scope & impact
[ ] leads projects from cradle to grave [ ] mentors team members [ ] drives results [ ] shows broader ownership
Leadership
[X] acts as team lead [ ] empowers team members [ ] can initiate & take decisions without hierarchical support [ ] has a vision and is not just a manager
]]> Additional comments
S 〆too long? 01:22 A What I actually did 03:51 end of delivery Feedback short Amazon timing format ✓ swift STAR delivery = whetting the appetite → room for follow-up questions 〆not v. insightful follow-up questions? Findings → only subject matter expert rather than experienced recruiter may ask relevant follow-up questions → need to include more of scope & impact in A → stress Leadership role in T & R
]]> 51 50 20250829 17:05-18:05 MSK | 16:05-17:05 CET 1 25 -25 + -100 = -125 active Amazon Leadership Principles mock interview 2 Set of support stories By the end of this session you will have studied 20250904 interview with Amazon - part 1/2 20250905 interview with Amazon - part 2/2 A Senior Engineer's Guide to the Amazon Leadership Principles Interview https://interviewing.io/guides/amazon-leadership-principles → find 2 stories / principles → focus on recycling target company specific values e.g. frugality Review contents re mentoring? What are the 3 C's of effective mentoring? The Three C's of Successful Mentoring Programmes Clarity, Communication, Commitment – the key to successful mentoring programmes. Mentoring has long been recognised as a highly effective development tool. What are the 4 C's of mentorship? Leveraging mentoring to nurture the 4Cs—conversation, connection, community, and culture—can create an increased sense of belonging in employees, thus building social capital. https://www.centerformentoring.com/grow-good-social-capital-through-the-4-cs-of-mentoring Double-check support stories per buckets strategy (see previous lesson) zoom_meeting.png Zoom meeting details I.Bogatyrev - D.Potter Zoom Meeting (recurring) Meeting ID: 589 650 112 Password: 8XUPie https://us04web.zoom.us/j/589650112 ]]> 49 1 Mock interview (Amazon format) - Feedback active prep_2columns_2qa edit_2columns_2qa pix/icons8-quiz-100_white.png Use this assessment sheet for feedback of behavioural questions Give me an example of a complex problem you solved with a simple solution. Logs: 20250829 Give me an example of a complex problem you solved with a simple solution. 20250829 Give me an example of a mission or goal you didn’t think was achievable. 20250822 Tell me about a time when you strongly disagreed with your manager or peer on something you considered very important to the business? → put together a case of not making changes before a launch 20250822 To try to meet the high expectations of our customers, we sometimes promise more than we can deliver. Tell me about a time when you overcommitted yourself or your company. → publishing pipeline for encoding video failed after midnight (Yandex) 20250822 Tell me about a time when you didn’t meet customer’s needs. → anonymisation policy (Meta) ]]> stopwatch ]]> Methodology
[X] paraphrases question to confirm understanding [ ] elicits expected skills to be validated by initial behavioural question (by 'thinking aloud') [ ] addresses question with relevant story [ ] shows awareness of and/or experience in adjacent core skills [ ] does not follow a chronological narrative [ ] follows a clear & logical narrative progression (STAR, CARL, BLUF, Minto/McKinsey Pyramid, SWOT...) [ ] uses metrics effectively [ ] engages in natural conversation (no regurgitation, attentive to follow-up questions)
Use of STAR approach
[ ] succinct situation (and NOT a chronological description) [ ] single-sentence task (focusing on 'I' rather than 'we') [ ] numerous actions (incl. cross collaboration to suggest size) [ ] results (incl. for a variety of stakeholders to show impact scale) AND lessons learnt
Amazon Leadership Principles
[ ] customer obsession [X] inventing and simplifying [ ] learning and being curious [ ] insisting on the highest standards [X] delivering results [ ] diving deep [ ] having backbone - disagree and committing [ ] dominating [ ] hiring and developing the best [ ] thinking big [ ] bias for action [X] frugality [ ] earning trust
Scope & impact
[ ] leads projects from cradle to grave [ ] mentors team members [ ] drives results [ ] shows broader ownership
Leadership
[ ] acts as team lead [ ] empowers team members [ ] can initiate & take decisions without hierarchical support [ ] has a vision and is not just a manager
]]> Additional comments
reducing storage costs for all the Uber database 02:07 My task 02:40 I proposed 03:24 what I actually did frugality simple solution but tricky implementation 15 tech leads
]]> 48 2 Mock interview (Amazon format) - Feedback active prep_2columns_2qa edit_2columns_2qa pix/icons8-quiz-100_white.png Use this assessment sheet for feedback of behavioural questions Give me an example of a mission or goal you didn’t think was achievable. Logs: 20250829 Give me an example of a complex problem you solved with a simple solution. 20250829 Give me an example of a mission or goal you didn’t think was achievable. 20250822 Tell me about a time when you strongly disagreed with your manager or peer on something you considered very important to the business? → put together a case of not making changes before a launch 20250822 To try to meet the high expectations of our customers, we sometimes promise more than we can deliver. Tell me about a time when you overcommitted yourself or your company. → publishing pipeline for encoding video failed after midnight (Yandex) 20250822 Tell me about a time when you didn’t meet customer’s needs. → anonymisation policy (Meta) ]]> stopwatch ]]> Methodology
[X] paraphrases question to confirm understanding [ ] elicits expected skills to be validated by initial behavioural question (by 'thinking aloud') [X] addresses question with relevant story [ ] shows awareness of and/or experience in adjacent core skills [!] does not follow a chronological narrative [!] follows a clear & logical narrative progression (STAR, CARL, BLUF, Minto/McKinsey Pyramid, SWOT...) [ ] uses metrics effectively [ ] engages in natural conversation (no regurgitation, attentive to follow-up questions)
Use of STAR approach
[ ] succinct situation (and NOT a chronological description) [ ] single-sentence task (focusing on 'I' rather than 'we') [ ] numerous actions (incl. cross collaboration to suggest size) [ ] results (incl. for a variety of stakeholders to show impact scale) AND lessons learnt
Amazon Leadership Principles
[X] customer obsession (for 100% users) [ ] inventing and simplifying [ ] learning and being curious [X] insisting on the highest standards [X] delivering results (smart Tv) [X] diving deep (different OS, browers) [ ] having backbone - disagree and committing [ ] dominating [ ] hiring and developing the best [X] thinking big [ ] bias for action [ ] frugality [ ] earning trust
Scope & impact
[ ] leads projects from cradle to grave [ ] mentors team members [ ] drives results [ ] shows broader ownership
Leadership
[ ] acts as team lead [ ] empowers team members [ ] can initiate & take decisions without hierarchical support [ ] has a vision and is not just a manager
]]> Additional comments
digital rights management & failure rate 00:43 S Frankly... variety even Netflix didn't implement full coverage 03:18 Having said that no STAR breakdown? T ? A ? we ... multiple engineers doing... experimentation platform fail fast, get signal, apply feedback, fix it, scale, experiment more = summary of actions 04:33 R + platforms than Netflix no compromise on expectations, require-ts measuring failures over estimated time line → SWE skills rather than leadership → mention total team members at beginning vs end
]]> 47 46 20250822 17:05-18:05 MSK | 16:05-17:05 CET 1 25 -25 + -75 = -100 active Amazon Leadership Principles mock interview 1 Set of support stories By the end of this session you will have studied 20250904 interview with Amazon - part 1/2 20250905 interview with Amazon - part 2/2 A Senior Engineer's Guide to the Amazon Leadership Principles Interview https://interviewing.io/guides/amazon-leadership-principles → find 2 stories / principles → focus on recycling target company specific values e.g. frugality Review contents re mentoring? What are the 3 C's of effective mentoring? The Three C's of Successful Mentoring Programmes Clarity, Communication, Commitment – the key to successful mentoring programmes. Mentoring has long been recognised as a highly effective development tool. What are the 4 C's of mentorship? Leveraging mentoring to nurture the 4Cs—conversation, connection, community, and culture—can create an increased sense of belonging in employees, thus building social capital. https://www.centerformentoring.com/grow-good-social-capital-through-the-4-cs-of-mentoring Double-check support stories per buckets strategy (see previous lesson) zoom_meeting.png Zoom meeting details I.Bogatyrev - D.Potter Zoom Meeting (recurring) Meeting ID: 589 650 112 Password: 8XUPie https://us04web.zoom.us/j/589650112 ]]> 45 1 Recruiter's checklist active edit_ol_qa pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png Can you predict the boxes your interviewer needs to tick? context: interviewers want to hear what you did. Prefer “I” over “we.” * Results matter—include metrics and what you learned, especially after failures (“If you failed → what did you learn?”). * If asked about newer/less-emphasized LPs, don’t over-index; focus on the core set. How to Answer * STAR: keep Situation/Task tight; go deep on Action; close with Results + learnings. * Don’t rush. After a question: * Clarify requirements. * Ask smart follow-ups. * Outline options and why you’re choosing one. * System Design specifics: quantify (users/traffic, data volume, latency/SLA), define scope (high-level SD vs. lower-level design), call out trade-offs. Coding & OOD Tactics * Think aloud; verify understanding before you code. * Consider edge cases and constraints first; justify data-structure choices. * After coding: walk through, test with examples, discuss complexity and potential improvements. Behavioral Tactics * Ambiguity is intentional. Don’t assume missing details. * Restate the question in your own words and confirm. * This buys time and shows structured thinking. * Be natural—use a prep memo + bullet points, but don’t read verbatim. ]]> What skills do L6 and more senior positions call for? → scope & impact ✓ broader ownership ✓ end-to-end lead projects ✓ mentoring other engineers ✓ driving results → leadership ✓ acting as team lead ✓ taking decisions without support from your managers → less coding, more leading (but still hands-on where it matters) What communicative approaches will make a good impression? Why is it important to think aloud? ✓ don’t rush ✓ clarify requirements → ask concept-checking questions ✓ suggest options → list constraints & border-line situations / exceptions ✓ justify your choice → follow the STAR approach How much time should be spent on each STAR narrative block? ✓ describe situation succinctly ✓ limit your task to a headline (or sentence) ✓ develop in detail all actions taken ✓ conclude with results (and perhaps focus more on) lessons learnt What behavioural strategies can you use effectively? ✓ don't show signs of perplexity when facing ambiguous queries → take for granted details are deliberately not provided ✓ be self-confident & show you know what questions to ask ✓ be customer-centric & paraphrase to confirm understanding 44 1 Amazon Leadership Principles interview questions - set #1 active edit_ol_qa pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png https://interviewing.io/guides/amazon-leadership-principles → read the article → find 2 stories / principle → focus on recycling target company specific values e.g. frugality → answer the questions]]> Customer obsession: Tell me about a time when you strongly disagreed with your manager or peer on something you considered very important to the business? STAR background incomplete technical design for example, only focused on advertisement put together a case of not making changes before the launch w/o jargon Customer obsession: To try to meet the high expectations of our customers, we sometimes promise more than we can deliver. Tell me about a time when you overcommitted yourself or your company. I think I have a story about this as well 2019-2020 digital rights system impact? promised solution w/in 2 weeks declined help = chronological narrative ≠ STAR publishing pipeline for encoding video failed after midnight TCP router ≠ high stakes case for customers learnt to leverage cross functional collaboration Inventing and Simplifying: Tell me about a time when you didn’t meet customer’s needs. 〆One of the stories related to that Meta logs - terabytes per sec across company services gap in privacy anonymisation of data after 90 days risk of major compliance fines billions of dollars = end of S? data engineers had to include in wui per column access control potential security gaps A what I actually did how to migrate lib... compare multiple approaches ✓ repetitive use of 'I' removed compliance risk R no new field w/o anonymisation policy guided & mentored engineers R addressed gap multi-billion dollar fine Inventing and Simplifying: Give me an example of a complex problem you solved with a simple solution. Learning and Being Curious: Give me an example of a mission or goal you didn’t think was achievable. Learning and Being Curious: We all have things about ourselves we'd like to improve on at work. Give me an example of something that you've worked on to improve your overall work effectiveness. Insisting on the Highest Standards: Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult customer or user. Insisting on the Highest Standards: Tell me about a time when you used external trends to improve your own company's products or services. Delivering Results: Could you tell me about a time where you were working on a project where you were working with another person. Over time, that person lessened their involvement in the project and you had to take on more responsibility. Delivering Results: Tell me about a strategic decision you had to make without clear data or benchmarks. Diving Deep: Tell me about a time when you had to communicate a change in direction that you anticipated people would have concerns with. Diving Deep: Tell me about a time where you were thrown into a project where you had no experience in. Having backbone - disagree and committing: Often, we must make decisions as a group. Give me an example of a time you committed to a group decision even though you disagreed. Having backbone - disagree and committing: Tell me about a time where you disagreed with a co-worker or PM or manager because you believed the decision they wanted to make was wrong for the customer. Dominating: Tell me about a time when you did not effectively manage your projects and something did not get completed on time. Dominating: Tell me about a time you wouldn’t compromise on achieving a great outcome when others felt something was good enough. Hiring and developing the best Tell me about a time when you received negative feedback. Hiring and developing the best Describe a time when you improved morale and productivity on your team. Thinking big: Give an example of a creative idea you had that proved really difficult to implement. Thinking big: Tell me about a time when you encouraged a team member or organization to take a big risk. Bias for action: Give me an example of a calculated risk that you have taken where speed was critical. Bias for action: Tell me about a time where you were the first one to take action on something. Frugality: Tell me about a time you pushed back on a deadline. Frugality: Give me an example of how you have helped save costs or eliminate waste within your role or organization. Earning trust: Tell me about a time when you had a disagreement with a colleague or manager. Earning trust: Describe a time when you needed to influence a peer who had a differing opinion about a shared goal. Templates B2 - C1 Mock interviews 43 1 Mock interview - Feedback Mock interview (general format) - Feedback TEMPLATE active prep_2columns_2qa edit_2columns_2qa pix/icons8-quiz-100_white.png Use this assessment sheet for feedback of behavioural questions ]]> stopwatch Methodology
[ ] paraphrases question to confirm understanding [ ] elicits expected skills to be validated by initial behavioural question (by 'thinking aloud') [ ] addresses question with relevant story [ ] shows awareness of and/or experience in adjacent core skills [ ] does not follow a chronological narrative [ ] follows a clear & logical narrative progression (STAR, CARL, BLUF, Minto/McKinsey Pyramid, SWOT...) [ ] uses metrics effectively [ ] engages in natural conversation (no regurgitation, attentive to follow-up questions)
Use of STAR approach
[ ] succinct situation (and NOT a chronological description) [ ] single-sentence task (focusing on 'I' rather than 'we') [ ] numerous actions (incl. cross collaboration to suggest size) [ ] results (incl. for a variety of stakeholders to show impact scale) AND lessons learnt
Target area(s) of interest
[ ] identifies skills (areas of interest) to be evidenced in the support story [ ] greatest & weakest points of your career [ ] upstream & downstream feedback [ ] cross functional collaboration [ ] conflict resolution [ ] leadership [ ] mentoring
Leadership tell-tale signs
[ ] acts as team lead [ ] empowers team members [ ] can initiate & take decisions without hierarchical support [ ] has a vision and is not just a manager
]]> Additional comments
]]> 42 1 Mock interview (Amazon format) - Feedback Mock interview (Amazon format) - Feedback TEMPLATE active prep_2columns_2qa edit_2columns_2qa pix/icons8-quiz-100_white.png Use this assessment sheet for feedback of behavioural questions ]]> stopwatch ]]> Methodology
[ ] paraphrases question to confirm understanding [ ] elicits expected skills to be validated by initial behavioural question (by 'thinking aloud') [ ] addresses question with relevant story [ ] shows awareness of and/or experience in adjacent core skills [ ] does not follow a chronological narrative [ ] follows a clear & logical narrative progression (STAR, CARL, BLUF, Minto/McKinsey Pyramid, SWOT...) [ ] uses metrics effectively [ ] engages in natural conversation (no regurgitation, attentive to follow-up questions)
Use of STAR approach
[ ] succinct situation (and NOT a chronological description) [ ] single-sentence task (focusing on 'I' rather than 'we') [ ] numerous actions (incl. cross collaboration to suggest size) [ ] results (incl. for a variety of stakeholders to show impact scale) AND lessons learnt
Amazon Leadership Principles
[ ] customer obsession [ ] inventing and simplifying [ ] learning and being curious [ ] insisting on the highest standards [ ] delivering results [ ] diving deep [ ] having backbone - disagree and committing [ ] dominating [ ] hiring and developing the best [ ] thinking big [ ] bias for action [ ] frugality [ ] earning trust
Scope & impact
[ ] leads projects from cradle to grave [ ] mentors team members [ ] drives results [ ] shows broader ownership
Leadership
[ ] acts as team lead [ ] empowers team members [ ] can initiate & take decisions without hierarchical support [ ] has a vision and is not just a manager
]]> Additional comments
]]> 41 1 Case interview - Feedback Case interview - Feedback TEMPLATE! active prep_2columns_2qa edit_2columns_2qa pix/icons8-quiz-100_white.png Use this assessment sheet for feedback in a case interview ]]> stopwatch Methodology
[ ] does not rush into answering [ ] doesn't show signs of perplexity when facing ambiguous queries [ ] takes for granted details are deliberately not provided [ ] paraphrases question to confirm understanding [ ] clarifies requirements [ ] demonstrates self-confidence & knows what questions to ask [ ] is customer-centric [ ] compares multiple approaches [ ] lists constraints & border-line situations / exceptions [ ] suggests options [ ] justifies choice
Use of language
[ ] is not hampered by use of English as a foreign language [ ] demonstrates familiarity with and/or expertise in target language (professional terminology) [ ] uses adequate register [ ] features a variety of structures (akin to an eloquent speaker) [ ] is a confident speaker (able to deliver presentations & conduct negotiations)
Case study
[ ] lacked a convincing strategy to achieve results [ ] provided plausible results but failed to justify them with available data [ ] partially succeeded due to misinterpretation of some data [ ] succeeded in delivering a persuasive solution to target stakeholders
]]> Additional comments
]]> 40 1 8 Set of support stories active prep_ol_qa edit_ol_qa pix/icons8-hand-with-pen-100_white.png Have you got enough support stories to answer all possible behavioural questions? Greatest & weakest points of your career biggest achievement professional diligence (beyond the call of duty) fact-finding & problem-solving challenge ambitions & failures Upstream & downstream feedback making a long-lasting impact or being appreciated motivating others (as a team player pulling their weight) missing an obvious solution dealing with negative upstream and/or downstream feedback When things go wrong, do you take time to evaluate your work? Cross functional collaboration feedback from previous boss & colleagues difficult relationships at work developing preventive measures showing initiative and taking the lead presentation skills to influence someone's opinion managing cross-functional stakeholder relationships and partnerships Conflict resolution ways & means of dealing with conflict argumentative pitch to overcome someone's resistance stressful situation stretching your coping skills dealing with a very upset customer or co-worker conforming to a controversial policy prioritising tasks Leadership building team spirit delegating a project effectively distinguishing leadership from management taking a decision on the spur of the moment making an unpopular decision firing a friend Where do you see yourself in 5 years? contribution to shaping technical direction and setting team's roadmap Mentoring mentoring junior team members building a high-performing and psychologically safe team culture strategy for growing engineers within your team to support long-term retention and leadership succession Give definitions of approximately 100 words for each buzzword which a head hunter would expect to hear in each answer about the topics above mentioned. Use British English spelling and grammar. Use the delimiter ' = ' between the key expression and the definition. Don't use capital letters at the beginning of the key expression. Don't use a full stop at the end of the definition. ]]> Greatest & weakest points of your career biggest achievement professional diligence (beyond the call of duty) fact-finding & problem-solving challenge ambitions & failures ]]> Upstream & downstream feedback making a long-lasting impact or being appreciated motivating others (as a team player pulling their weight) missing an obvious solution dealing with negative upstream and/or downstream feedback When things go wrong, do you take time to evaluate your work? ]]> Cross functional collaboration feedback from previous boss & colleagues difficult relationships at work developing preventive measures showing initiative and taking the lead presentation skills to influence someone's opinion managing cross-functional stakeholder relationships and partnerships ]]> Conflict resolution ways & means of dealing with conflict argumentative pitch to overcome someone's resistance stressful situation stretching your coping skills dealing with a very upset customer or co-worker conforming to a controversial policy prioritising tasks ]]> Leadership building team spirit delegating a project effectively distinguishing leadership from management taking a decision on the spur of the moment making an unpopular decision firing a friend Where do you see yourself in 5 years? contribution to shaping technical direction and setting team's roadmap ]]> Mentoring mentoring junior team members building a high-performing and psychologically safe team culture strategy for growing engineers within your team to support long-term retention and leadership succession ]]> 39 1 pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png Management techniques and buzzwords active wip xml_multi_dd_row What buzzwords, key expressions and trendy principles will make a recruiter happy? 22 8 left 1 2 3 4 38 2 pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png Motivational techniques and buzzwords active wip xml_multi_dd_row What buzzwords, key expressions and trendy principles will make a recruiter happy? 14 10 left 1 2 3 4 5 6 37 3 pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png Project ownership active wip xml_multi_dd_row What stages do you need to ensure project ownership and motivate team members? 22 4 left 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 36 4 pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png Management vs leadership key expressions active wip xml_multi_dd_row How confident are you about the differences between a manager and a leader? Will you be able to voice your insights to satisfy a recruiter's expectations? 17 10 left 1 2 3 4 35 5 pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png Kinds of leadership strategies (1/2) active wip xml_multi_dd_row What strategies should a leader demonstrate experience in? 14 14 left 1 2 3 4 5 6 34 6 pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png Kinds of leadership strategies (2/2) active wip xml_multi_dd_row What strategies should a leader demonstrate experience in? 14 14 left 1 2 3 4 5 6 33 7 1 pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png Buzzwords (1/4) active wip xml_multi_dd_row What buzzwords, key expressions and trendy principles will make a recruiter happy? 17 10 left 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 32 8 2 pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png Buzzwords (2/4) active wip xml_multi_dd_row What buzzwords, key expressions and trendy principles will make a recruiter happy? 17 10 left 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 31 9 3 pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png Buzzwords (3/4) active wip xml_multi_dd_row What buzzwords, key expressions and trendy principles will make a recruiter happy? 17 10 left 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 30 10 4 pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png Buzzwords (4/4) active wip xml_multi_dd_row What buzzwords, key expressions and trendy principles will make a recruiter happy? 17 10 left 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 29 active 1 textbook 28 27 20250815 17:05-18:05 MSK | 16:05-17:05 CET 1 25 -25 + -50 = -75 active How to approach an Amazon Leadership Principles interview? By the end of this session you will have studied https://interviewing.io/guides/amazon-leadership-principles Review contents re mentoring? What are the 3 C's of effective mentoring? The Three C's of Successful Mentoring Programmes Clarity, Communication, Commitment – the key to successful mentoring programmes. Mentoring has long been recognised as a highly effective development tool. What are the 4 C's of mentorship? Leveraging mentoring to nurture the 4Cs—conversation, connection, community, and culture—can create an increased sense of belonging in employees, thus building social capital. https://www.centerformentoring.com/grow-good-social-capital-through-the-4-cs-of-mentoring Double-check support stories per buckets strategy (see previous lesson) zoom_meeting.png Zoom meeting details I.Bogatyrev - D.Potter Zoom Meeting (recurring) Meeting ID: 589 650 112 Password: 8XUPie https://us04web.zoom.us/j/589650112 ]]> 26 1 pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png Areas of interest (buckets) covered by Amazon Leadership Principles How to approach an Amazon Leadership Principles interview? active wip xml_multi_dd_row What makes preparing for interviews at one company different from another? suggested answer: 〆less focus on ways and means ✓ greater attention to achieving goals (perhaps at any cost) → be swift & agile, don't stop on details 〆dog eats dog = reckless competition → Google suggested answer: ✓ optimising for quality ✓ more importance given to coding task during interview (...) A Senior Engineer's Guide to the Amazon Leadership Principles Interview https://interviewing.io/guides/amazon-leadership-principles → read the article → match the sample questions with their area of interest (aka bucket) → find relevant experience for each ]]> 17 18 left 1;2;3 4;5;6;7 8;9;10 11;12;13 14;15;16 https://interviewing.io/guides/amazon-leadership-principles ]]> 25 24 20250808 17:05-18:05 MSK | 16:05-17:05 CET 1 25 -25 + -25 = -50 active Preparing support stories for a post as software engineering manager | Buckets technique for answering questions By the end of this session you will have studied What are the 4 C's of mentorship? Leveraging mentoring to nurture the 4Cs—conversation, connection, community, and culture—can create an increased sense of belonging in employees, thus building social capital. https://www.centerformentoring.com/grow-good-social-capital-through-the-4-cs-of-mentoring zoom_meeting.png Zoom meeting details I.Bogatyrev - D.Potter Zoom Meeting (recurring) Meeting ID: 589 650 112 Password: 8XUPie https://us04web.zoom.us/j/589650112 ]]> 23 1 8 Set of support stories active prep_ol_qa edit_ol_qa pix/icons8-hand-with-pen-100_white.png Have you got enough support stories to answer all possible behavioural questions? Greatest & weakest points of your career biggest achievement professional diligence (beyond the call of duty) fact-finding & problem-solving challenge ambitions & failures Upstream & downstream feedback making a long-lasting impact or being appreciated motivating others (as a team player pulling their weight) missing an obvious solution dealing with negative upstream and/or downstream feedback When things go wrong, do you take time to evaluate your work? Cross functional collaboration feedback from previous boss & colleagues difficult relationships at work developing preventive measures showing initiative and taking the lead presentation skills to influence someone's opinion managing cross-functional stakeholder relationships and partnerships Conflict resolution ways & means of dealing with conflict argumentative pitch to overcome someone's resistance stressful situation stretching your coping skills dealing with a very upset customer or co-worker conforming to a controversial policy prioritising tasks Leadership building team spirit delegating a project effectively distinguishing leadership from management taking a decision on the spur of the moment making an unpopular decision firing a friend Where do you see yourself in 5 years? contribution to shaping technical direction and setting team's roadmap Mentoring mentoring junior team members building a high-performing and psychologically safe team culture strategy for growing engineers within your team to support long-term retention and leadership succession Give definitions of approximately 100 words for each buzzword which a head hunter would expect to hear in each answer about the topics above mentioned. Use British English spelling and grammar. Use the delimiter ' = ' between the key expression and the definition. Don't use capital letters at the beginning of the key expression. Don't use a full stop at the end of the definition. ]]> Greatest & weakest points of your career biggest achievement professional diligence (beyond the call of duty) fact-finding & problem-solving challenge ambitions & failures ]]> Upstream & downstream feedback making a long-lasting impact or being appreciated motivating others (as a team player pulling their weight) missing an obvious solution dealing with negative upstream and/or downstream feedback When things go wrong, do you take time to evaluate your work? ]]> Cross functional collaboration feedback from previous boss & colleagues difficult relationships at work developing preventive measures showing initiative and taking the lead presentation skills to influence someone's opinion managing cross-functional stakeholder relationships and partnerships ]]> Conflict resolution ways & means of dealing with conflict argumentative pitch to overcome someone's resistance stressful situation stretching your coping skills dealing with a very upset customer or co-worker conforming to a controversial policy prioritising tasks ]]> Leadership building team spirit delegating a project effectively distinguishing leadership from management taking a decision on the spur of the moment making an unpopular decision firing a friend Where do you see yourself in 5 years? contribution to shaping technical direction and setting team's roadmap ]]> Mentoring mentoring junior team members building a high-performing and psychologically safe team culture strategy for growing engineers within your team to support long-term retention and leadership succession ]]> 22 1 Buckets technique for answering questions Buckets technique for answering questions (manager level) active edit_ol_qa pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png How can you prepare for dozens or hundreds of questions you might get at various job interviews? What questions do you have for my answers? Henri Kissinger What does this quote suggest? Would you want to read the following book? Why / why not? Three Bucket Strategy: Mastering the Art of Interview Design. https://www.amazon.com/Three-Bucket-Strategy-Mastering-Interview-ebook/dp/B0DZLJCNDX Unlock the secrets to efficient and effective recruitment with Three Bucket Strategy, a groundbreaking guide for hiring high-volume hourly employees. This business how-to book introduces a systematic, three-phase approach to finding the right candidates by asking the right questions at the right time. Bucket One: Qualifications — Focus on essentials during the application stage, ensuring candidates meet minimum requirements like education, certifications, and work eligibility. Bucket Two: Competency — Evaluate experience and expertise in a phone screen, uncovering candidates' skills and previous experience in similar roles. Bucket Three: Personality — Conduct in-person or virtual interviews to identify individuals who align with your company’s values, customer service standards, and long-term career goals. The book also offers insights for adapting this strategy to managerial, supervisory, and entry-level roles with two- and four-bucket variations. From designing job descriptions to training recruitment teams and analyzing hiring outcomes, Three Bucket Strategy empowers employers to streamline their hiring process and build a reliable, motivated workforce. Whether you're a recruiter, an HR professional, or the hiring manager, this book is your essential guide to mastering recruitment in today's competitive market. (optional) Bucket Interview Questions https://interviewing.io/buckets-interview-questions → answer the questions]]> https://www.amazon.com/Three-Bucket-Strategy-Mastering-Interview-ebook/dp/B0DZLJCNDX Unlock the secrets to efficient and effective recruitment with Three Bucket Strategy, a groundbreaking guide for hiring high-volume hourly employees. This business how-to book introduces a systematic, three-phase approach to finding the right candidates by asking the right questions at the right time. Bucket One: Qualifications — Focus on essentials during the application stage, ensuring candidates meet minimum requirements like education, certifications, and work eligibility. Bucket Two: Competency — Evaluate experience and expertise in a phone screen, uncovering candidates' skills and previous experience in similar roles. Bucket Three: Personality — Conduct in-person or virtual interviews to identify individuals who align with your company’s values, customer service standards, and long-term career goals. The book also offers insights for adapting this strategy to managerial, supervisory, and entry-level roles with two- and four-bucket variations. From designing job descriptions to training recruitment teams and analyzing hiring outcomes, Three Bucket Strategy empowers employers to streamline their hiring process and build a reliable, motivated workforce. Whether you're a recruiter, an HR professional, or the hiring manager, this book is your essential guide to mastering recruitment in today's competitive market. https://corporatecommunicationexperts.com.au/the-bucket-technique-for-answering-question/ https://www.preplounge.com/consulting-forum/thoughts-on-overuse-of-the-word-buckets-during-a-case-interview-tips-on-laying-out-the-framework-6969 ## case interview breakdown Lines of thought Lines of action Topics Dimensions Workstreams ## case interview breakdown Areas Dimensions Groups of analyses Etc ## structure with hypothesis For example, if you are having a PE (private equity) case, you should do the following: 1) Make classic structure (market, company, competitors, feasibility of exit) 2) Make subpoints (e.g. in market: size, growth rates, profitability, segmentation, etc) 3) Present your 1st level Hypothesis: - "In order to understand whether we should invest in Company A, I would like to check that the Market is Attractive, the Company is Attractive, the competition is favorable and we have good opportunities for of exit" 4) Present the main 2nd level Hypothesis: "In the market, I would like to make sure that the market is big enough and growing; In the company I would like to find additional opportunities for growth; In competition I would like to check that the market is fragmented enough; Finally, I would like to check if we have potential buyers and can achieve desired exit multiples" ## tips for laying out a framework: Keep it limited to 3 or 5 "buckets" - while laying out your structure, if you feel like you have more than 5 buckets, think of how to group them back to 3 or 5 Practice the typical buckets for the standard cases (check out Victor Chang or Case in point for a reference point) - get comfortable tailoring them based on the case's specificities. If you are unsure about a bucket, ask yourself "how understanding this bucket would help me answer the client's needs"...if you can't convince yourself with your answer, then you won't convince the interviewer Practice presenting and explaining your approach (pyramid approach) ## buckets Hi Anonymous, Feel free to use any synonyms to buckets - e.g. 'I'd like to investigate the following x areas/issues/topics/......'. Your interview won't really mind about the specific word you are using, I will be interested a) in your 'buckets' and b) how you communicate them (in a rigidly structured, logical way..). For looking more closely at laying out a framework, let's distinguish 2 parts of a typical case interview where frameworks usually apply: 1) Structure for the overall case at the beginning of the case interview 2) Answering specific questions in later stages of the case interview ad 1) Structure for the overall case at the beginning of the case interview This is when you typically need to develop an overall structure on how you want to tackle this case. Interviewers often ask something like "What are the issues you need to consider here?" or "Let's assume you are the project manager of this consulting assignment - which areas would you like to investigate?". It is highly unlikely that you will be able to fit a realistic case interview question into a standard framework - if it would be that easy, nearly all candidates would make it into the top management consulting firms, and clients could solve their business problems without paying millions of dollars to consulting firms by simply applying a standardized framework. So, whatever your approach will be, it needs to be very flexible because you will need to adapt it to a huge extent to your specific, individual interview question. And yes, it is your approach which needs to be flexible to make it fit to the case question, and not the other way round. (This is exactly what case interviewers hate when candidates use standard frameworks – when candidates use the framework as they are, and try making the case question fit to the framework instead the other way round. Otherwise, nothing is wrong for case interviewer when you are using standard frameworks!) In general, I can see two different approaches for this stage of the case interview: Approach #1: Get your hands on some overall case interview structures (like Victor Cheng's Case Interview Frameworks slides, and in addition it is worth reading Victor Cheng's approach on case interview frameworks on his website). Approach #2: Based on your case interview experience (i.e. having solved dozens of case interviews and having read through even much more of them) you can also try to develop the first level of your case interview structure (or in other words, the main areas or buckets you want to investigate) 100% individually from scratch. It probably really takes a lot of experience to do this well – but the good thing is that you can easily combine this approach #2 with approach #1 at any time! Whatever approach you are using, this will mainly get you to the first and second level of your structure. However, this won’t be enough to impress your interviewers – depending on the specific case question, it is usually favored to have at least one more level of structure. And exactly for this additional level, knowing the most common business frameworks and concepts is extremely helpful to all candidates. It is just so much easier to further structure your case interview if you don't have to start from scratch, but can apply existing frameworks and concepts. And even though you might be able to use maybe only 60% or 80% of a framework and need to adapt it to make it fit to the specific question, you are nevertheless already far ahead than if you would need to develop all that from scratch. Given the high mental pressure and time pressure in a consulting case interview, it is extremely difficult even for the best candidates to come up with the right issues, and at the same time remaining structured in a MECE way – this is just another reason highlighting the advantage of knowing the most important business frameworks and concepts, as they will not only help you to come up with a structure at all, but keeping it MECE and saving precious time in the case interview as well. ad 2) Answering specific questions in later stages of the case interview For answering specific questions later on in the case interview, it is as important to remain structured in whatever you say as in the beginning of your case. Sometimes it might be well enough to use internal vs. external, short-term vs. long-term, pro vs. contra and similar basic structures, but more often than not this will not differentiate you from other candidates (merely solving a case is usually not enough, you need to impress your interviewer by clearly standing out from the crowd of other applicants). Also here, knowing standardized business frameworks and concepts comes in very handy. As opposed to the overall case interview question at the beginning, most questions later in the interview are much more focused and narrow - therefore chances are higher that you can use a standardized business framework to a very large extent just as it is to answer the question. For structuring case interviews, I actually wrote an ebook which helps candidates to understand the most commonly used and thus most important frameworks you should be familiar with, and also how to apply them on a real-life-case step by step. You can find the ebook here in case of interest: http://cif.consulting-case-interviews.com/ Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below! Robert ]]> What stages should you prepare in a buckets strategy? sort areas of interest, aka buckets list questions potential questions prepare support stories for each area of interest listen out for keywords in the questions choose the area of interest, aka bucket, in which to search the support story What are the dangers of relying on a buckets strategy? ✓ regurgitating without adapting to context ✓ depending on a limited number of support stories & repeating oneself ✓ ignoring specific questions (because you have your ready-made answers) ✓ going off-topic Why should you not wait for follow-up questions at more senior levels? ✓ reduce risks of not getting all boxes ticked ✓ address proactively questions → more time efficient = expected at senior levels → list more actions in STAR How to use the buckets strategy at more senior levels? ✓ signal skills from the competency matrix from other areas of interest (i.e. buckets) → include elements of other areas of interest into your answer for an interviewer's target bucket 21 bucket strategy = categorising potential interview questions into distinct "buckets" based on common themes, allowing for more focused and prepared responses. This method helps streamline preparation by allowing you to anticipate questions and develop concise, relevant answers in advance 20 20250725 17:05-18:05 MSK | 16:05-17:05 CET 1 25 -25 + 0 = -25 active Software engineering manager, storage, google distributed cloud application By the end of this session you will have studied Zoom meeting details Ivan's Zoom meeting room Meeting ID: 686 050 2528 Password: 2iKXmw https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6860502528?pwd=qlo0zbloxynbLNUzb43Xan1ggxh3dI.1 I.Bogatyrev - D.Potter Zoom Meeting (recurring) Meeting ID: 589 650 112 Password: 8XUPie https://us04web.zoom.us/j/589650112 ]]> 19 1 pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png Vocab active wip xml_multi_dd_row What buzzwords would you need to quote to get a job as Software Engineering Manager, Storage, Google Distributed Cloud? 22 7 left 1 2 3 4 5 18 2 Applying for a position as Software Engineering Manager, Storage, Google Distributed Cloud active edit_ol_qa pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png Are you able to show the differences between leadership and management roles in your career? Lead a team of engineers to design and land new features in Kubernetes, Storage, and the Data Protection/Disaster Recovery space. Manage stakeholders and partner relationships. Influence technical direction and roadmap. Work on Data Protection and Disaster Recovery for Google Distributed Cloud Edge/Hosted. Develop engineers on the team by providing opportunities for growth and development, and help shape team culture and create a positive working environment. src: https://www.google.com/about/careers/applications/jobs/results/86527746968036038-software-engineer-manager/ → answer the questions ]]> What kind of technical leadership experience would be expected for managing a team working on Kubernetes, Storage, and Disaster Recovery in Google Distributed Cloud? ✓ hiring & running performance appraisals ✓ having led delivery of scalable cloud-native storage features in distributed environments ✓ mentoring engineers on container orchestration and Kubernetes API design patterns ✓ collaborating with site reliability teams to implement disaster recovery protocols ✓ driving incident response post-mortems and implementing infrastructure resilience improvements ✓ contributing to open-source Kubernetes or CNCF projects related to storage or replication ✓ setting quality standards for release engineering and versioning of critical services ✓ aligning technical vision with Google’s infrastructure priorities and cloud architecture 〆focusing exclusively on legacy systems without cloud-native exposure How would you define the technical vision required in mentoring of engineers who struggled with container orchestration and Kubernetes API design patterns? technical leadership vision culture quality standards coaching engineers cloud-native = approach to building and running applications that exploits the advantages of the cloud computing delivery model, using containers, microservices, and dynamic orchestration container orchestration = automated management and scaling of containerised applications across clusters, with tools like Kubernetes handling deployment, networking, and availability What is required to effectively manage cross-functional stakeholder relationships and partnerships in a large-scale distributed cloud project? ✓ owning a project ✓ obtaining buy-in from the hierarchy ✓ establishing communication frameworks for consistent project updates and expectations ✓ aligning deliverables with product, legal, and regional infrastructure compliance teams ✓ resolving interdepartmental conflicts with collaborative decision-making practices ✓ negotiating technical trade-offs between latency, reliability, and cost ✓ identifying shared goals across internal and external partnerships ✓ creating dashboards to report progress and communicate risk transparently ✓ participating in partner architecture reviews and co-design processes 〆relying on informal agreements without structured collaboration cross-functional stakeholder = person or group from different departments with vested interest in the outcome of a project, requiring coordination and shared accountability architecture review = formal evaluation of a system’s design to ensure alignment with technical standards, security, and long-term maintainability How do you contribute to shaping technical direction and setting the roadmap for a platform like Google Distributed Cloud? ✓ rather setting up the right environment ✓ condensing your own ideas on paper → depending on team needs, roles may overlap e.g. contribute, manage or overlap ✓ organising design reviews to evaluate upcoming feature proposals and risks ✓ synthesising feedback from customers, SREs, and engineers to shape priorities ✓ prioritising roadmap items based on reliability goals and production metrics ✓ tracking upstream Kubernetes changes to maintain compatibility and ecosystem relevance ✓ initiating proof-of-concept projects to validate new architecture ideas ✓ writing design documents that communicate vision, trade-offs, and implementation plans ✓ ensuring alignment between roadmap and business impact projections 〆adopting external roadmaps without internal vetting technical roadmap = strategic plan outlining the development and evolution of software systems over time, including milestones, dependencies, and goals design review = structured meeting where engineers and stakeholders evaluate a technical proposal for feasibility, performance, and alignment What kind of experience in building resilient systems is important for leading Data Protection and Disaster Recovery initiatives? ✓ experienced in resiliency at Uber → Google SWE managers expected to make occasional technical contributions → might be eligible for on-call rotation ✓ implementing backup policies using snapshotting, versioning, and replication strategies ✓ designing fault-tolerant architectures with multizonal failover and redundancy ✓ integrating secure encryption and access controls for sensitive backups ✓ performing recovery drills to verify data restoration and reduce RTO ✓ monitoring storage health with proactive anomaly detection pipelines ✓ contributing to disaster recovery runbooks and standard operating procedures ✓ working with compliance teams to meet regulatory recovery requirements 〆trusting infrastructure without resilience testing fault-tolerant architecture = system design that ensures continued operation despite hardware or software failures by incorporating redundancy and failover mechanisms recovery time objective (RTO) = maximum acceptable length of time a system or application can be down after a failure or disaster How do you approach building a high-performing and psychologically safe team culture? ✓ encouraging regular feedback cycles through 1:1s and retrospectives ✓ establishing team norms that promote inclusiveness and open dialogue ✓ recognising achievements through public praise and reward systems ✓ balancing individual autonomy with collective accountability for outcomes ✓ fostering continuous learning through peer programming and knowledge sharing ✓ investing in team rituals that reinforce shared identity and purpose ✓ reducing burnout through workload visibility and sustainable pace 〆ignoring team morale while focusing only on metrics psychological safety = team climate where members feel safe to take interpersonal risks, voice opinions, and admit mistakes without fear of humiliation or punishment team norm = agreed-upon standard or behaviour pattern that guides how members interact and make decisions collectively What is your strategy for growing engineers within your team to support long-term retention and leadership succession? ✓ conducting regular growth conversations tied to long-term career goals ✓ assigning stretch projects aligned with emerging leadership tracks ✓ advocating for promotion readiness through documented achievements ✓ offering mentorship opportunities within and beyond the team ✓ rotating team members into architecture or customer-facing initiatives ✓ sponsoring attendance at conferences and open-source communities ✓ building ladders that support IC and management dual tracks 〆delaying feedback until performance reviews stretch project = challenging assignment that pushes an employee beyond their current capabilities, supporting growth and confidence in new domains promotion readiness = condition of being fully prepared for advancement based on consistently demonstrated competencies, impact, and behaviours What metrics and indicators would you use to evaluate the success of your engineering team in a distributed cloud project? ✓ tracking deployment frequency and change failure rate using DORA metrics ✓ measuring incident response times and post-mortem resolution efficiency ✓ monitoring service availability and recovery time across clusters ✓ evaluating team velocity and sprint predictability ✓ surveying developer satisfaction and onboarding experience ✓ assessing documentation completeness and handover quality ✓ analysing tech debt backlog and refactor cadence 〆relying solely on lines of code or tickets closed DORA metrics = key performance indicators developed by the DevOps Research and Assessment group, including deployment frequency, lead time, mean time to restore, and change failure rate tech debt = implied cost of future rework caused by choosing suboptimal or expedient solutions over cleaner design in software development How would you ensure that your team remains aligned with Google's evolving cloud infrastructure strategy? ✓ subscribing to internal RFCs and engaging in infrastructure-wide design forums ✓ adapting team roadmap to reflect Google-wide performance and latency targets ✓ participating in OKR cycles tied to product-level impact ✓ collaborating with horizontal platform teams for feature compatibility ✓ attending strategic planning offsites and infrastructure leadership syncs ✓ enabling team knowledge of priority shifts via transparent communication ✓ rotating engineers into cross-team task forces 〆working in isolation without visibility into broader initiatives infrastructure strategy = long-term plan for evolving hardware, software, and architectural components of a company’s computing backbone to support scale, reliability, and innovation OKR cycle = goal-setting framework using Objectives and Key Results to align team outcomes with company-wide priorities 17 cloud-native = approach to building and running applications that exploits the advantages of the cloud computing delivery model, using containers, microservices, and dynamic orchestration container orchestration = automated management and scaling of containerised applications across clusters, with tools like Kubernetes handling deployment, networking, and availability cross-functional stakeholder = person or group from different departments with vested interest in the outcome of a project, requiring coordination and shared accountability architecture review = formal evaluation of a system’s design to ensure alignment with technical standards, security, and long-term maintainability technical roadmap = strategic plan outlining the development and evolution of software systems over time, including milestones, dependencies, and goals design review = structured meeting where engineers and stakeholders evaluate a technical proposal for feasibility, performance, and alignment fault-tolerant architecture = system design that ensures continued operation despite hardware or software failures by incorporating redundancy and failover mechanisms recovery time objective (RTO) = maximum acceptable length of time a system or application can be down after a failure or disaster psychological safety = team climate where members feel safe to take interpersonal risks, voice opinions, and admit mistakes without fear of humiliation or punishment team norm = agreed-upon standard or behaviour pattern that guides how members interact and make decisions collectively stretch project = challenging assignment that pushes an employee beyond their current capabilities, supporting growth and confidence in new domains promotion readiness = condition of being fully prepared for advancement based on consistently demonstrated competencies, impact, and behaviours DORA metrics = key performance indicators developed by the DevOps Research and Assessment group, including deployment frequency, lead time, mean time to restore, and change failure rate tech debt = implied cost of future rework caused by choosing suboptimal or expedient solutions over cleaner design in software development infrastructure strategy = long-term plan for evolving hardware, software, and architectural components of a company’s computing backbone to support scale, reliability, and innovation OKR cycle = goal-setting framework using Objectives and Key Results to align team outcomes with company-wide priorities 16 20250718 17:05-18:05 MSK | 16:05-17:05 CET 1 ]]> active Catch-up call By the end of this session you will have studied Zoom meeting details Ivan's Zoom meeting room Meeting ID: 686 050 2528 Password: 2iKXmw https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6860502528?pwd=qlo0zbloxynbLNUzb43Xan1ggxh3dI.1 I.Bogatyrev - D.Potter Zoom Meeting (recurring) Meeting ID: 589 650 112 Password: 8XUPie https://us04web.zoom.us/j/589650112 ]]> 15 Changing expectations & strategies active 1 textbook 14 13 20250425 17:15-18:45 MSK | 15:15-16:45 CET 1.5 30 60 20250207 -30 + 0 = -30 euros]]> active Pondering People | Navigating interview questions about a lay-off in your previous job → ffmpeg recording Behaving like an A-player | Behavioural questions | (full scale) Mock interview practice #2 | Answering questions for a senior level position (3/3) By the end of this session you will have studied Support stories update ✓ add more recent support stories which are relevant to your current job aspirations → refresh your support stories using the BLUF & Minto Pyramid techniques → input your support stories into AI for improving vocab & narrative (ask AI to structure with the Minto Pyramid & BLUF techniques) → use bullet points, infinitive clauses and/or noun phrases ! make sure sentences are not too long ! avoid use of gerunds & present participle phrases → add 3-5 follow-up questions to each support story → answer the questions → practise STAR, BLUF & Minto Pyramid OBS recordings https://disk.yandex.ru/d/XurGxGHZTCEpMA zoom_meeting.png Zoom meeting details Ivan's Zoom meeting room Meeting ID: 686 050 2528 Password: 2iKXmw https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6860502528?pwd=qlo0zbloxynbLNUzb43Xan1ggxh3dI.1 I.Bogatyrev - D.Potter Zoom Meeting (recurring) Meeting ID: 589 650 112 Password: 8XUPie https://us04web.zoom.us/j/589650112 ]]> 1 Navigating interview questions about a lay-off in your previous job 20241206 hw20241213n1 pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/heres-how-you-can-navigate-interview-questions-xadyf?trk=cah2 → read the article --> → answer the questions ]]> 12 1 Review of behavioural questions for a mock interview #3 (cont.) Review of behavioural questions for a mock interview #2 (cont.) active edit_ol_qa pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png Are you able to go through a lengthy session of behavioural and follow-up questions without losing confidence or burning out? You are going to practise a 30min session without interruptions for feedback. Your questions for a management position will focus on 3 key areas: 1) cross-team & cross functional collaboration 2) conflict resolution 3) ability to drive projects at organisation level Goals: 1) teasing or whetting the appetite of a recruiter (see 2024517 How can you tease or whet the appetite of a recruiter at a job interview?) 2) not over-selling yourself or underestimating your skills (see 20240510 Do you seem as senior as you actually are?) 3) exceeding expectations by breaking the interviewing rules Methodology: → provide specific examples about what you did and the resulting impact → critique yourself and share what you learned from a past situation → discuss why you’d like to make a change Timing: * 2-5min general introduction → discuss items in your CV → include current projects and details * 30min behavioural questions 4min per question 2min follow-up questions ~ 6min → 4-5 questions * 5min reverse questions Explaining how you behave should be supported by personal and memorable stories. Upstream & downstream feedback Have you ever had to deal with negative upstream and/or downstream feedback? (...) ✓ Key concepts: → taking things with a pinch of salt (distancing) → lesson learnt (resilience) ✓ Support stories: → disappointing performance review by a superior in spite of your hard work → misunderstanding of a given task ]]> How did you negotiate and improve cross functional communication with outsourced companies? cross-team & cross functional collaboration Give me an example of a time when you motivated others. cross-team & cross functional collaboration Have you ever had to deal with negative upstream and/or downstream feedback? conflict resolution Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree. conflict resolution How would you prioritise tasks of two rival teams from different departments that were assigned the same objectives? conflict resolution Have you ever had to escalate an issue because you felt some of the customer requests were slowing down your project? How were you treated as a result? ability to drive projects at organisation level Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision. ability to drive projects at organisation level 11 20241213-1631 1 pix/icons8-microscope-100_white.png Kinds of interviews active wip xml_multi_dd_row Imagine you wanted to apply for a job in a prestigious company... How many interviews would you need to finally sign a contract? How different are they? 22 12 left screening / short-listing interviews skills interviews behavioural interviews compensation package negotiations ]]> 1;2;3 4;5;6;7;8 9;10;11;12 13;14 conducted by a recruiter
background check
occasional behavioural questions
conducted by a peer from your industry or a close manager
hard skills
case studies
critical thinking
stress / extreme questions
conducted by a coach or mentor from your industry, perhaps or your future manager
past experience & potential for development
being a good fit for the team
matching corporate culture
aligning competitive offers
negotiating remuneration, perks, etc
]]> 10 20241213-1635 2 Job hunting pix/icons8-dictionary-100_white.png active shuffled_letters shuffled_boxes What would happen if you lost your job? Will you know the keywords to fend for yourself? t o d m s i s → to dismiss to officially remove sb from their job t o e b a i l d f o f → to be laid off to be dismissed, usually for economic reasons ]]> garden leave practice whereby an employee leaving a job – having resigned or otherwise had their employment terminated – is instructed to stay away from work during the notice period, while still remaining on the payroll. This practice is often used to prevent an employee from taking with them up-to-date (and perhaps sensitive) information when they leave their current employer, especially when they are very likely leaving to join a competitor ghosting practice of suddenly ending all communication and avoiding contact with another person without any apparent warning or explanation and ignoring any subsequent attempts to communicate back-stabbing action of criticizing someone in a treacherous manner despite pretending friendship with them 9 20241208-0032 3 Navigating interview questions about a lay-off in your previous job LinkedIn advice - Here's how you can navigate interview questions about a lay-off in your previous job 20241206 hw20241213n1 active edit_ol_qa pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png How would you feel if you had changed jobs 3 times in the past 3 years? How confident will you look during a job interview? https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/heres-how-you-can-navigate-interview-questions-xadyf?trk=cah2 → read the article --> → answer the questions ]]> Is being honest about the reason(s) of your lay-off always a good strategy? Why / why not? 〆don't be systematically transparent in a multi-active environment ✓ might help build rapport by attracting empathy e.g. family run business → might weaken your profile by being too emotional about it ✓ adapt your answer to corporate cultural expectations e.g. multinational or FAANG = be blunt in a linear-active context ✓ shouldn't ruin your negotiation process → don't share information that could be used against you blunt = (of a person or remark) very direct; saying exactly what you think without trying to be polite In what circumstances could blaming former colleagues or bosses be relevant? Perhaps you left for ethical reasons as you couldn't agree with the company's corporate goals... ✓ unethical, double standard policies when criticising obvious extremists vs diverse personalities → hate speech should not be allowed = no exceptions ✓ distinguish professional mistakes from behavioural ones and the undesirable blaming of colleagues e.g. disrespect, discrimination, toxic team... → ensure professional mistakes are learnt from = blameless corporate culture ✓ deal with conflicts rather than blame colleagues → focus on drawing a line between social responsibility & politics In what ways have these lay-offs influenced your career choices? suggested answer ✓ unveiled new career path alternatives ✓ reinforced your instinct about following a given direction ✓ avoided a greater waste of time & resources by identifying obstacles to growth earlier to unveil = to show or introduce a new plan, product, etc. to the public for the first time How have you managed the period following the lay-off? ✓ managed financial constraints → anticipated for such contingencies by making savings or with a garden leave / lump sum ✓ accepted current market conditions → don't fight a wave a lay-offs 〆didn't optimise for immediate recovery → focus on long term plans but make concessions ✓ identified new motivational factors → make sure your job hunt is sustainable ✓ prepared interviews thoroughly = don't over-engineer your job hunt ✓ didn't burn out while preparing → set proper expectations lump sum = amount of money that is paid at one time and not on separate occasions garden leave = practice whereby an employee leaving a job – having resigned or otherwise had their employment terminated – is instructed to stay away from work during the notice period, while still remaining on the payroll. This practice is often used to prevent an employee from taking with them up-to-date (and perhaps sensitive) information when they leave their current employer, especially when they are very likely leaving to join a competitor How can you prove your resilience after being laid off? ✓ still working in the same industry ✓ may arguably have got an even higher position ✓ was between jobs for a short period of time (during garden leave) resilience = ability of people or things to feel better quickly after sth unpleasant, such as shock, injury, etc Have you learnt any lessons that you wouldn't have experienced otherwise? suggested answer ✓ invest in continuous learning which benefits both to you and the company message for your target employer ✓ don't try to become an irreplaceable employee = signal that you are ready to be replaced (whether you succeed or not doesn't matter) 1st hand advice to job seekers ✓ being loyal to employers doesn't always pay = contradictory to what is recommended telling your target employer Could these setbacks have strengthened your self-confidence? suggested answer ✓ always succeeded in securing a job even in dire market conditions ✓ not afraid of taking risks 1st hand advice to job seekers ✓ how to prepare for your next job without sacrificing commitments to current employer ✓ work as long as you are paid but don't feel emotionally attached to your employer → don't lose your identity if you are made redundant = workplace is just a shell, the real 'you' is able to move somewhere else ✓ don't be anxious → might be successful in another company too! dire = very serious; (informal) bad What are you looking forward to in your next role? ✓ making greater business impact ≠ developing technology for the sake of technology! ✓ being treated as a human being rather than just a cogwheel = transparent relationships → no back-stabbing ✓ utilisation of all your skills → avoid feeling mediocre because of misuse or being underexploited ✓ unambiguous framework & career path opportunities → no hiring to fire ✓ genuine, timely, mutual feedback → treat feedback as a gift rather than just criticism ✓ meeting new people from different cultures → gather even more diverse opinions ≠ previous experiences weren't lacking in richness = you are just eager to set out on a new journey → find a balance how you can support your next team back-stabbing = action of criticizing someone in a treacherous manner despite pretending friendship with them 8 to dismiss = to officially remove sb from their job to be laid off = to be dismissed, usually for economic reasons to be made redundant = to be no longer needed at work and therefore unemployed blunt = (of a person or remark) very direct; saying exactly what you think without trying to be polite to unveil = to show or introduce a new plan, product, etc. to the public for the first time lump sum = amount of money that is paid at one time and not on separate occasions garden leave = practice whereby an employee leaving a job – having resigned or otherwise had their employment terminated – is instructed to stay away from work during the notice period, while still remaining on the payroll. This practice is often used to prevent an employee from taking with them up-to-date (and perhaps sensitive) information when they leave their current employer, especially when they are very likely leaving to join a competitor resilience = ability of people or things to feel better quickly after sth unpleasant, such as shock, injury, etc dire = very serious; (informal) bad ghosting | simmering | icing = practice of suddenly ending all communication and avoiding contact with another person without any apparent warning or explanation and ignoring any subsequent attempts to communicate shambolic = lacking order or organization, disorganised auto-rejection = application rules based on an applicant's answer to a question, so that they will automatically be rejected as a potential candidate back-stabbing = action of criticizing someone in a treacherous manner despite pretending friendship with them horizontal scaling = refers to adding additional nodes vertical scaling = describes adding more power to your current machines. For instance, if your server requires more processing power, vertical scaling would mean upgrading the CPUs. You can also vertically scale the memory, storage, or network speed 7 20250117 17:15-18:45 MSK | 15:15-16:45 CET 1.5 30 active European Federation | Trump vs Zelensky negotiation plans | Slavic lives matter | EQ vs IQ By the end of this session you will have studied Support stories update ✓ add more recent support stories which are relevant to your current job aspirations → refresh your support stories using the BLUF & Minto Pyramid techniques → input your support stories into AI for improving vocab & narrative (ask AI to structure with the Minto Pyramid & BLUF techniques) → use bullet points, infinitive clauses and/or noun phrases ! make sure sentences are not too long ! avoid use of gerunds & present participle phrases → add 3-5 follow-up questions to each support story → answer the questions → practise STAR, BLUF & Minto Pyramid OBS recordings https://disk.yandex.ru/d/XurGxGHZTCEpMA zoom_meeting.png Zoom meeting details Ivan's Zoom meeting room Meeting ID: 686 050 2528 Password: 2iKXmw https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6860502528?pwd=qlo0zbloxynbLNUzb43Xan1ggxh3dI.1 I.Bogatyrev - D.Potter Zoom Meeting (recurring) Meeting ID: 589 650 112 Password: 8XUPie https://us04web.zoom.us/j/589650112 ]]> 1 Navigating interview questions about a lay-off in your previous job 20241206 hw20241213n1 pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/heres-how-you-can-navigate-interview-questions-xadyf?trk=cah2 → read the article --> → answer the questions ]]> 6 active textbook 5 4 20250110 17:15-18:45 MSK | 15:15-16:45 CET 1.5 30 -30 + -30 = -60 euros]]> active Interviewing.io coaching sessions review | Job hopping - feedback Pondering People | Job hopping - feedback | Navigating interview questions about a lay-off in your previous job → ffmpeg recording Behaving like an A-player | Behavioural questions | (full scale) Mock interview practice #2 | Answering questions for a senior level position (3/3) By the end of this session you will have studied https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tldnQ43B9gb9HFvIm2dxkFRVhmR8YKQgDH5dbSpNdAo/edit?tab=t.0 icons8-hand-with-pen-100.png Support stories update ✓ add more recent support stories which are relevant to your current job aspirations → refresh your support stories using the BLUF & Minto Pyramid techniques → input your support stories into AI for improving vocab & narrative (ask AI to structure with the Minto Pyramid & BLUF techniques) → use bullet points, infinitive clauses and/or noun phrases ! make sure sentences are not too long ! avoid use of gerunds & present participle phrases → add 3-5 follow-up questions to each support story → answer the questions → practise STAR, BLUF & Minto Pyramid OBS recordings https://disk.yandex.ru/d/XurGxGHZTCEpMA zoom_meeting.png Zoom meeting details Ivan's Zoom meeting room Meeting ID: 686 050 2528 Password: 2iKXmw https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6860502528?pwd=qlo0zbloxynbLNUzb43Xan1ggxh3dI.1 I.Bogatyrev - D.Potter Zoom Meeting (recurring) Meeting ID: 589 650 112 Password: 8XUPie https://us04web.zoom.us/j/589650112 ]]> 1 Navigating interview questions about a lay-off in your previous job 20241206 hw20241213 pix/icons8-collaboration-100_white.png https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/heres-how-you-can-navigate-interview-questions-xadyf?trk=cah2 → read the article --> → answer the questions ]]> 3 active textbook T / Cl Practice session framework https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1d7mJDPkEykKzSYjj-Wmza-UXGNAkL7kphwcpmmWOjRg/mobilebasic 1 get-to-know session 2-3 prepare support stories + review industry-related skills (algorithmic practice, system design) 4 mock interview focusing on system design & behavioural qs 5 mock interview focusing on system design & behavioural qs (OR 5 mock interview focusing on negotiating compensation package) OR 2 packages of 3 sessions each (more senior coach in 2nd package) 1 get-to-know session 2 prepare support stories + review industry-related skills (algorithmic practice, system design) 3 mock interview focusing on system design & behavioural qs → demand mock interview in both packages T / Cl System design → practise with many consultants to benefit from a variety of perspectives ✓ learn to understand their expectations e.g. use all the buzzwords ✓ please the interviewer rather solve the problem e.g. some people prefer listening, others will keep challenging you... = most subjective part of the interviewing process! T / Cl You aren’t solving a problem—you’re creating a map to help someone else find the solution. Instead of coloring inside some lines, you’ll need to draw the lines for someone else to colour in. During the interview, you’ll spend an hour playing the role of a Tech Lead, so just pretend that the interviewer is a junior engineer who will be implementing your design. Juniors will have lots of questions, and since you’re the Tech Lead, you want to welcome these questions. https://interviewing.io/guides/system-design-interview#how-approaching-a-system-design-interview-is-different-than-a-coding-interview ]]> 2 1