Hiring manager reached out directly on LinkedIn for a Sr PM role (Tesla) after I commented on the job post with a mini POC — what should I expect from this first call?
Bit of an unusual situation and wanted to get some perspective before I go in.
I’m an AI PM, been doing a structured job search and building out small portfolio case studies tailored to specific roles I’m targeting. Saw a Sr PM opening for a pricing platform team, did a deep dive on the company’s public pricing/margin situation, and left a comment on the job posting with a quick breakdown of how I’d think about the problem.
The hiring manager actually saw it and DM’d me directly on LinkedIn to set up a quick chat. No recruiter screen first, no ATS step that I’m aware of — just straight to “let’s talk.”
A few things I’m trying to figure out before the call:
Is this likely just a casual “get to know you, see if it’s worth moving forward” type of conversation, or should I expect it to be more substantive since they already saw some of my thinking? Does skipping the recruiter step change the format of these calls at all in your experience?
Should I bring up the POC/comment proactively, or wait and see if they reference it first? I don’t want to come across like I’m pitching the same thing twice if they already read it.
How much should I lean on what I already shared vs. have new things ready to talk about? Worried about repeating myself if they want to go deeper on the same material.
Anyone been in a similar spot where outreach happened because of unsolicited content you put out vs the standard application funnel? Curious if the bar feels different walking in.
Appreciate any insight — trying not to overthink this but also don’t want to walk in underprepared given they already have a signal on how I think.