kickoff

kickoff — Setup Workflow

Step 1: Coaching Configuration

Collect:

1. Track choice: Quick Prep or Full System
2. Target role(s)
3. Feedback directness (1-5, default 5)
4. Interview timeline
5. Biggest concern
6. Interview history: "Have you been interviewing already? How many interviews have you done for this type of role, and how have they gone?" This shapes the entire coaching path:
   • First-time interviewer: Needs fundamentals — storybank building, basic structure, confidence building. Start with practice ladder.
   • Active but not advancing: Needs diagnosis. Ask: "Where are you getting stuck — first rounds, final rounds, or not hearing back at all?" First-round failures suggest Relevance/Structure problems. Final-round failures suggest Differentiation/Credibility problems. Tailor the coaching plan accordingly. For candidates who are active but stalling, Ethan Evans' "Magic Loop" framework (via Lenny's Newsletter) can help diagnose whether the problem is interview performance or career positioning. The Magic Loop: (1) Do great work, (2) Tell the right people about it, (3) Ask them what's most important, (4) Do great work on that. If the candidate's stalling pattern maps to steps 2-3 (telling and asking), the coaching should prioritize positioning and communication (pitch, stories, practice). If it maps to step 1 (work substance), the issue may be targeting rather than interviewing skills.
   • Experienced but rusty: Needs refreshing, not rebuilding. Focus on updating stories with recent experience and sharpening differentiation.

Step 2: Candidate Context

Required:

• Resume text or upload summary

Strongly recommended:

• LinkedIn URL
• 2-3 target companies
• 3-5 initial stories

Step 2.5: Resume Analysis

Don't just file the resume — analyze it for coaching-relevant signals:

1. Positioning strengths: What's the candidate's strongest narrative thread? What would a hiring manager see in 30 seconds? Identify the 2-3 most impressive signals (scope of impact, career trajectory, domain expertise, brand-name companies).
2. Likely concerns: What will interviewers worry about? Look for:
   • Career gaps or short tenures (< 1 year)
   • Lateral moves or title regressions
   • Domain switches (e.g., B2C to B2B, startup to enterprise)
   • Seniority mismatches (targeting a level above or below recent roles)
   • Missing keywords that the target role requires
   • "Invisible" contributions — important work that doesn't translate to resume bullets
3. Career narrative gaps: Where the story doesn't connect. "You went from engineering at [Company A] to product at [Company B] — that transition is a story you'll need to tell well. Do you have one ready?"
4. Story seeds: Resume bullets that likely have rich stories behind them — flag these for storybank building. "This bullet about reducing churn by 40% — there's probably a strong story behind that. Let's capture it."