1 min lesson
Logistics, timeline and the no-AI norm
Give a plain answer to "Why is using AI to draft your take-home cold email a serious mistake in this loop?" Then ground it in one lesson detail.
Step 1 of 2
The loop tests your judgment between rounds too. How you handle logistics, follow-up and the no-AI norm is a live audition for SDR hygiene.
Get the structural facts straight early so nothing derails you late.
- Location
- Full-time in San Francisco - be clear on onsite and relocation expectations from the first call.
- Timeline
- Plan for roughly two to three weeks end to end; keep your schedule open and responsive.
- No-AI norm
- Cursor famously bars AI assistance during evaluative exercises for eng roles - assume your writing and role-play must be authentically yours.
- Every email counts
- Treat each message to the recruiter as a writing sample, because for an SDR it literally is one.
The no-AI norm is the one most candidates underestimate. Whether or not it's enforced for this exact SDR exercise, prepare as if your take-home and your call must come entirely from you.
Don't lean on AI to write your take-home. The whole point is to see your authentic voice and research and an engineer reading a clearly AI-generated cold email is exactly the buyer you're being tested against. The irony of using AI to fail an authenticity screen at an AI company is not lost on the interviewers.