1 min lesson
The onsite “small project”
Show why this lesson detail matters: "Treat it like the actual job, because it is a sample of the actual job."
Step 1 of 3
This is where the offer is decided. The JD says you will “work on a small project,” and for a builder-PM role that almost certainly means one of two things: prototype a feature with AI coding tools or write a tight spec or teardown for a real Cursor problem.
Treat it like the actual job, because it is a sample of the actual job. You take an idea, scope it brutally, build or spec the high-impact slice and put it in front of a “user” in the room. The exact format is inference - confirm it with your recruiter - but prepare to do, not to present.
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Both formats reward the same instinct
- If it's a prototype
- Ship one working slice, not a demo of five half-features
- If it's a spec / teardown
- Write one page, not ten - problem, users, the cut, the metric, the rollout
- If it's a prototype
- Narrate prompting strategy and what you cut
- If it's a spec / teardown
- Lead with the decision: what you'd build first and why
- If it's a prototype
- Reason about architecture out loud with the engineer
- If it's a spec / teardown
- Name the tradeoff you made on individual vs enterprise
- If it's a prototype
- Show it to a user, take feedback, iterate once
- If it's a spec / teardown
- End with how you'd know it worked - one real metric
| If it's a prototype | If it's a spec / teardown |
|---|---|
| Ship one working slice, not a demo of five half-features | Write one page, not ten - problem, users, the cut, the metric, the rollout |
| Narrate prompting strategy and what you cut | Lead with the decision: what you'd build first and why |
| Reason about architecture out loud with the engineer | Name the tradeoff you made on individual vs enterprise |
| Show it to a user, take feedback, iterate once | End with how you'd know it worked - one real metric |
Both formats reward the same instinct: scope down hard, ship the slice that matters and show your judgment in the open.
Interactive diagram. Step through it with the Next and Previous controls below, or Tab to a region to read its detail.
The same loop whether you prototype or spec. Showing a user is the quality gate - it's the moment your judgment gets tested.