#12 💻 Virtual onsite 2.0
#12 💻 Virtual onsite 2.0
Joshua Tree getaway, a new take on virtual onsite interviews, fresh episodes of the Product Therapy podcast, 11.22.63, Joe Rogan & Spotify
Hey all, hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend! I’m sending today’s newsletter right before an 8-hour drive down to the hot California desert in Joshua Tree 🏜, where Carole & I are taking a much needed breather from San Francisco.
This edition features my latest essay on virtual onsite interviews, a couple new episodes of the Product Therapy podcast, and some other stuff.
I also have an exciting update on the job search: after a couple months of intense interviewing, I accepted an offer for a product role at a great company and will be starting in June! I’m a little superstitious about announcing details until I officially start so I’ll share in a couple weeks.
Have great week!
Ben
New Essay 📄
I published a new essay this week titled Virtual onsite 2.0: beyond the day-long interview.
I've spent the last seven years working in startups as a founder & employee, on teams ranging from 3 to 130 people. I've been on both sides of the interview process many times. In this post, I'll make a case that with the transition to virtual interviews, hiring teams should now be splitting up their onsite interviews across multiple days to better set up candidates for success…
New Episodes 🎙
We published a couple new episodes of the Product Therapy podcast!
“In which we try a formal intro and it quickly breaks down, then talk about the realities and challenges of working remotely — especially as a product manager. Ben is optimistic, Brandon has feelings, and we end up curious about the future. One nicety: Not having to book meeting rooms for 10% of your day.”
Listen to episode 2 on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify.
“Brandon was in a weird mood at the time of this recording. We're not sure if it's due to burnout, a feeling of misanthropy associated with his work, or the general state of the world – so we dig into it. Topics include why it's sometimes hard to build trust and feel excited about your team when playing the PM role, burnout, and how to prioritize things at the meta-level and step away from the things that aren't prioritized at the moment.”
Listen to episode 3 on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify.
TV 📺
A high school teacher travels back in time to prevent John F. Kennedy's assassination.
Carole & I binged a single-season mini-series on Hulu called 11.22.63, which is based on a Stephen King novel and stars James Franco. We loved it.
Joe Rogan + Spotify 🤝
In case you missed the news last week, Joe Rogan announced an exclusivity deal for his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, with Spotify that is estimated to be worth over $100 million.
I’ve been a fan of the Joe Rogan Experience for a long time. I alluded to the show in one of my oldest blog posts from 2012 - Floating Thoughts - about my experience trying sensory deprivation tanks / floatation tanks:
I've been a huge fan of the Joe Rogan podcast for a while now. Joe Rogan is a comedian and he's also that guy you might know from Fear Factor or hosting UFC fights. His podcast is called The Joe Rogan Experience and it's basically these two, maybe three hour conversations between Joe and a couple other people. The people that go on the show are from all walks of life, from scientists and professors to comedians and artists. It's the most sincere and honest source of entertainment I know and the passion of the people on the podcast is something I think I've only seen rivaled in big sports events and amazing movies or TV shows.
The JRE has been a huge gift that helped shape a lot of my approach to conversations and I’m super excited for Joe to cash in and grow his audience through this deal.
Thanks for reading! Prior posts include:
#10 30th Birthday 🥳 & 5th Anniversary 🥰
#9 Entertainment List (COVID Edition) 📚🎞📺
#7 🦔 The Hedgehog Method of Giving Feedback
#4 Remote work, R&R, George-inspired tweets & books👨💻⛰🦮📚
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