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Hi, I’d be happy to help. I’ve worked in technical leadership and architecture roles at Google, AWS, and Oracle, with experience across cloud infrastructure, AI/ML, and hardware programs. The recruiter’s guidance gives us a good starting point. For that first conversation, I’d focus on how you identify an energy problem worth solving, understand who needs the solution, and explain a clear direction for the product. You’ll want to discuss the opportunity while being realistic about cost, reliability, technical uncertainty, and the time needed to get something working in the field. We could start with a one-hour session using an energy research case. I’d ask follow-up questions about your assumptions, priorities, and proposed approach, then give you specific feedback on both your reasoning and how you communicate it. We’d also put together a preparation plan based on what comes out of the mock, so you know where to spend your remaining time. The aim is to help you walk into the interview ready to have a thoughtful product discussion, even when the problem is unfamiliar or the information is incomplete.

Hi, I spent 10 years at BCG, so the perspective I can bring is mainly the MBB one. 1) at 14 years of experience the MBA becomes secondary and what decides the hire is your track record 2) At that seniority MBBs rarely hire pure generalists, so I would build the whole application around your IT strategy, operating model and governance expertise and target the specific tech practices where it is relevant (e.g. BCG TDA or BCG Platinion). 3) Expert hiring is more ad hoc than the standard track, since roles open when a practice has a need, so talk to partners and recruiters in those practices before applying and work on getting a referral. 4) Two things to be ready for. At MBBs the rule is to adjust seniority downward when hiring from outside, so be prepared for a step back in responsibilities. I would apply to the Big 4 tech consulting practices in parallel, as they hire experienced profiles like yours more regularly. Just check that the role is really strategy, because some of those positions lean toward implementation and that profile is harder to shake later. If you want a pair of external eyes on your specific situation and more tailor made suggestions, feel free to contact me. Best, Franco

Be careful what you wish for. At many companies, especially FAANGs, the jump from Senior to Staff is huge. As other coaches have stated here, much more is expected than just technical mastery. Promotions up the career ladder work like a pyramid. Not everyone who deserves it gets promoted. And because the competition is fierce for such coveted roles, external hires applying for Staff-level roles need to be even more deserving. Be ready to walk on water twice, backward, if you are desiring a Staff role as an external candidate. Then there's the current tech job market. You don't need a coach to tell you how challenging this current lull is. Ample talent is sitting on the sidelines, willing to compromise on role and level to get employed again. Managers and Staff ICs are interviewing for tech lead roles, willing to step back to rejoin a team. Sr. Staff ICs are willing to accept a level-down to Staff. Even if you are a stellar Staff IC, your competition for those roles will be far fiercer. So ask yourself: is it better to step up to the plate and attempt to hit a grand slam (obtain a Staff-level offer), or would it be strategically better to put the ball in play, hit a single or double, get in the game as a Senior (Tech Lead), and then prove yourself to be Staff over time? How risk-averse are you? How confident are you that you will meet all expectations as a Staff Eng out of the gate? In this job market, does it make sense to lower expectations, take a Sr. role, and be promoted to Staff later? Even if you hit that grand slam, getting hired as Staff is just the first inning. Now you have to deliver daily. That's a tall order for someone external to the organization trying to assimilate into the culture, learn how to navigate the politics, draw the faction map to determine who has power and authority across the org, and then brilliantly listen, communicate, mentor, and influence across a wide swath of stakeholders. Welcome to the life of a Staff engineer.

Hi Venkat, I’ve worked as a TAM and coached candidates for AWS Sr. TAM interviews. The phone screen typically evaluates AWS technical depth, customer management, leadership, and real-world scenario handling. I’d suggest these topics: 1. AWS technical fundamentals — architecture, networking, security/IAM, reliability, databases, monitoring, cost optimization. 2. Customer-facing scenarios — escalations, difficult customers, competing priorities, executive communication. 3. Technical troubleshooting — how you approach outages, performance issues, and ambiguous problems. 4. Leadership & influence — influencing without authority, stakeholder management, driving adoption. 5. Cloud transformation — migration, modernization, operational excellence, Well-Architected thinking. I offer 1:1 coaching with role-specific preparation + mock interview and feedback. Happy to help you prepare specifically for your upcoming screen

Post a certain length of experience, the walls b/w pure technical and product roles become thin. Some directors at successful product org are those who have been engineering leads all through their career. Basically, while delivering a successful product as Tech-lead, you will gradually know how customer pain points are captured, converted to requirements - features, scoped, planned and delivered. I see this transition very natural for you. I think you should a) brush up on core PM deliverables viz. PRFAQs/Proposals, BRDs/PRDs, Vision and Scoping documentation, etc., b) deep-dive into instruments of customer research and feedback collation viz. surveys (primary and secondary), focus groups, POC data collection, etc., and c) focus on process to establish short/long term vision at product/portfolio level from a pure product management perspective. You will be tested on these skills for sure during PM interviews. I am not too concerned of your technical capabilities. However brush up on trade-offs PMs make on product features and choice of technology. Feel free to let me know if you have any follow-up questions.

L4 engineers build out solutions for well-defined problems with code output focus. That's why L4 candidates are not assessed on system designs. For growth opportunities, L4 engineers already working at Google could slowly take on system design opportunities to prepare for an L5 promotion. The roles and expectations of engineers at each level are clearly defined in writing at Google.