💪 You're Invited: Lewis C. Lin's Exclusive Mock Interview Group /  by Lewis Lin

You've got to train if you want to win the interview.

The best candidates train by doing LOTS of mock interviews, with peers. Here's what one candidate, Florian, had to say:

Thanks to my extensive preparations with approximately 70 mock interviews, I received offers from McKinsey and Bain.

To help you find mock interview partners, I've created a special interview practice Slack group.

Signups are limited to the first 100 before Tuesday, July 19 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time zone.

Don't delay. Grab your spot now. Click the link above to get your invite.

Yours,

Lewis C. Lin

[Equal Pay Day '16] Don't Miss Tuesday's Salary Negotiation Webinar /  by Lewis Lin

Tuesday is Equal Pay Day, and I'll be presenting a negotiation webinar called Five Minutes to a Higher Salary, based on my Amazon.com bestselling salary negotiation book.

At the webinar, you'll learn how to get what you deserve, including a special salary negotiation script to get what you want in less than 5 minutes.  

Special Bonus  

All attendees will receive a FREE copy of my negotiation book.  

Webinar Registration Details

If you've thought about getting more, register for Tuesday's webinar to get started.  

Yours,  

Lewis C. Lin

Photo Credit: Philo Nordlund

[Homer Simpson Edition] Spring Forward Your Career in 2016 /  by Lewis Lin

Spring is around the corner, and there's no better time of year to tune up your career. Read on for how you can supercharge your:

▪ Resume
▪ Cover letter
▪ Career plan
▪ Interview skills
▪ Networking abilities
▪ Negotiation prowess

Let's fulfill your career dreams in 2016!

Yours,

Lewis C. Lin

P.S. And for those in the US, don't forget to change your clocks! Daylight savings is this Sunday, March 13 at 2 am.

Don't know what to do with your career?

Then build a career plan.

To-do List

▪ Fill out this career plan template

Having problems getting interviews?

Then upgrade your resume and cover letter.

To-do List

▪ Get inspired with this resume sample from the Kellogg School of Management
▪ Migrate your existing resume to this new resume template
▪ Use this resume bullet format
▪ Get inspired by these action verbs
▪ Ignore the debate on whether hiring managers read cover letters. Use thiscover letter template. It'll make an impression and take you just five minutes.

Trouble getting internal employees to refer you?

Then build you network. The most effective way to network your way to a job is an informational interview.

To-do List

▪ Read this Harvard Business Review article on informational interviews
▪ Build out your targets, using this networking template based on Steve Dalton's 2-Hour Job Search
▪ Save time and get responses by using this 5 Point Informational Interview Template, also from Dalton

No trouble getting interviews, but no offers?

Brush up your interviewing skills. Interviewers love stories. Storytelling works for Pixar, and it'll work at your interview.

To-do List

▪ Brainstorm at least 20 anticipated interview questions.
▪ Put together your interview stories, using the interview stories template.

Collecting offers, but not getting what you're worth?

Negotiate.

To-do List

▪ Negotiation can be super easy. Just use these 31+ killer salary negotiation scripts.

Photo credit: Skittlemermaid.tumblr.com

Black Friday Sale: 30% Off Lewis C. Lin Books /  by Lewis Lin

If you've been wanting to get a paperback copy of either one of my books, today would be a great day to do so. Amazon.com is offering a 30% off coupon.

Use promo code: HOLIDAY30. Ends November 29, 2015 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time zone. Paperback only. Promo code can only be used on one book.

Decode and Conquer: Answers to Product Management Interviews

Interview Math: Over 50 Problems and Solutions for Quant Case Interview Questions

Rise Above the Noise: How to Standout At the Marketing Interview

Five Minutes to a Higher Salary: Over 60 Brilliant Salary Negotiation Scripts for Getting More

Wishing you the best this holiday season,

Lewis C. Lin

DATES ADDED: Lewis C. Lin's 10-school fall tour /  by Lewis Lin

My fall workshop tour is underway, and I'm thrilled to lead students through marketing and product management best practices, based on my books.

FALL TOUR SCHEDULE 
Sep 10 Cornell University Tech New York, NY
Sep 21 UC Berkeley Haas MBA Berkeley, CA
Oct 03 Univ. of Washington Foster TMMBA Seattle, WA
Oct 20 Univ. of Washington’s Foster MBA Seattle, WA
Oct 23 Columbia GSB New York, NY
Oct 30 Cornell University MBA Ithaca, NY
Nov 14 Univ. of Chicago Booth MBA Chicago, IL
Nov 15 Northwestern's Kellogg MBA Evanston, IL
Dec 02 Duke's Fuqua MBA Durham, NC
Jan 14 Stanford GSB MBA Stanford, CA

If you're a student for one of these programs, I hope to see you in-person. We also have two events that are open to the public:

  • If you're in Seattle, visit me at Product Camp Seattle next Saturday, October 24. I'll be talking about my newly developed two week PM interview prep plan. This event is FREE and includes BREAKFAST and LUNCH. Tickets are limited, so register now!
  • If you're NOT in Seattle, you can register for this online seminar this Tuesday, October 20, where I'll be talking about product management and preparing for PM interviews.

See you soon,

Lewis C. Lin

 

There's something I forgot to tell you /  by Lewis Lin

So I forgot to tell you something.

That's right. I launched another book. It's called Interview Math. And I'm grateful that it's skyrocketed up to the top 1% of all books sold on Amazon.com.

(The Europeans love it a lot. Go figure.)

What is Interview Math?

Interview Math are those pesky quantitative case interview questions. Stuff like: 

  • Market Sizing: Estimate the total industry wide sales of lipstick in the U.S. 
  • Revenue Estimate: Estimate annual sales of Starbucks' retail stores in the United States. 
  • Price Elasticity: The price of a one-way ticket from Seattle to New York is $400. Should JetBlue raise the price to $450? 
  • Lifetime Value: What is the lifetime value of an AMEX card holder over the next three years
  • Profitability: A running shoe manufacturer sells shoes for $100 a pair. Their costs include $10 in materials and $5 in labor. They have $1 million dollars in monthly operating costs. If they sell 30,000 pairs a month, what is the monthly profit?

The world is getting more analytical and numbers-oriented. If you're interviewing at one of the highly sought after positions below, you'll need to master these Interview Math questions:

▪ Management Consulting: McKinsey, Bain, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte
▪ General Management: Capital One, Taser
▪ Marketing: General Mills, Google, Hershey
▪ Software Engineering: Goldman Sachs, Microsoft
▪ Finance: American Airlines, Best Buy, JetBlue

Check out Interview Math for helpful frameworks to tackle these questions, including 50 sample answers and questions.

NEW On-Demand Interview Preparation Courses

I'm also excited to announce some new interview preparation courses, now available on Interview Steps:

Management Consulting

▪ McKinsey Interview Questions & Answers
▪ BCG Interview Questions & Answers
▪ Bain Interview Questions & Answers

Graduate School Admissions

▪ How to Ace the Medical School Interview
▪ How to Ace the Nursing School Interview

Cheers,

Lewis C. Lin

PS I have a limited FREE offer planned for Labor Day weekend. It's something you won't want to miss.

Photo credit: Reddit

Graduation Day Edition — plus 1 FREE event, 3 new courses, 9 killer articles /  by Lewis Lin

Welcome to the latest edition of my offbeat career newsletter!

Graduation Day is just around the corner for millions of folks around the world. I've carefully picked 9 AMAZING product management, marketing and negotiation articles below, focused on those who are about to enter or reenter the workforce.

I'm also excited to announce the release of three new interview prep courses, now available on Interview Steps:

▪ How to Ace the Uber Interview
▪ How to Ace the Facebook Product Manager Interview
▪ Technical Concepts For Non-Technical Product Management & Marketing Candidates
 

Let's go...

Cheers,

Lewis C. Lin

PS If you're in SEATTLE, I'd love to meet you in person! You can find me on May 28th, speaking about how YOU can be a great product manager. There will beFREE food and drinks. Spots are LIMITED, so sign up now. Thanks TUNE for hosting, and yes, they're hiring!

THREE PRODUCT MANAGEMENT ARTICLES WORTH READING 
Hiring Your First Product Manager 
Are you angling to be the first product manager hire at a startup? Understand what CEOs are looking for in their first product manager hire.

What Really Matters: Focusing on Top Tasks 
If the key to stellar product design is process, then read this thoughtful article from Gerry McGovern on how to apply his innovative process to prioritizing product backlogs.

Product Management Trends 2015 
Based on a survey of 100+ product managers, this PDF offers insights on the day-in-the-life and top challenges for PMs in 2015.

THREE MARKETING ARTICLES WORTH READING 
The Many Ways of Growing Coffee 
Launching a new product? Kellogg professor, Eric Anderson, offers a handy three question checklist AND a brilliant analysis on how Keurig used its marketing prowess to increase the price of coffee makers from $35 to $90.

Inside the Advertising Industry: A Reading List 
Looking for some good marketing reads this Memorial Day weekend? Longreads recommends their six favorite long form articles on the advertising industry ranging from the creepiness of the Burger King king to Feminist Super Bowl Ads to an examination of Gap's "Dress Normal" ad.

Build Your Email List 
Looking to improve your email marketing skills? Campaign Monitor offers an excellent 6 chapter guide filled with tips and tactical best practices.

A NEGOTIATION ARTICLE WORTH READING 
Negotiating Salary at a Startup Versus a Corporation 
Startup pay packages might not be great, but if you get creative, it might pay off.

Photo credit: HelpsGood