# Networking with a Senior Stranger — Rubric

## What This Simulation Is Practicing
A short, live conversation with a senior stranger who agreed to 15 minutes as a professional courtesy. The candidate is not interviewing — they are demonstrating, in conversation, that they did their homework, that they respect his time, and that they are interesting enough to warrant a second touchpoint.

## The Three Hard Things About This Conversation
1. **Marcus does not structure the conversation for you.** He opens with "Got 15 minutes. What's up?" and stops talking. Candidates who freeze or fill the silence with a resume monologue lose immediately.
2. **He does not fill silences.** Candidates who pause expecting him to redirect them will discover that he won't. The candidate has to drive.
3. **He has a hidden role he is not advertising.** If the candidate impresses him in the right way, the conversation can shift from a courtesy chat into a real opportunity — but only if the candidate doesn't pitch.

## Strong Opening Anchors (Examples)
- "I read your post last month about deprecating your in-house CI in favor of GitHub Actions. The trade-off you described between control and velocity is one we hit at [my company] last quarter — I'd love to ask one question about how you're handling [specific aspect]."
- "I noticed you moved from [previous company] to [current company] about 18 months ago. I'm thinking about a similar move from a smaller-stage company into something larger and more structured. What surprised you in the first six months?"

## Weak Opening Anchors (Examples)
- "I'd love to hear about your career path." (No anchor, no specificity.)
- "I'm interested in breaking into eng leadership and would love your advice." (Too broad, makes him do the work.)
- "I'm a huge fan of your work." (Flattery, no signal.)

## What "Give Before Take" Looks Like Here
- Naming a specific person worth meeting — "I work with [X] who solved exactly the migration you described — happy to introduce you if it's useful."
- Sharing a relevant resource the candidate has actually read or written — not a generic article.
- Sharing competitive intel the candidate has — "I noticed [competitor] is hiring aggressively for [role] — happy to share what I've heard if it's useful."
- Offering to write up a follow-up — "If it's useful, I can send a one-pager on how we approached [specific thing]."

## Reading Marcus's Signals
- **"Mm-hm."** — neutral. Keep going but tighten.
- **"Mm-hm." twice in a row** — land the plane. Stop talking. Ask a question.
- **"Say more about that."** — green light. He is genuinely curious. Elaborate.
- **"Interesting."** — green-yellow. He is engaged but cautious. One more concrete data point, then yield.
- **A pause longer than 4–5 seconds** — he is deciding whether to extend the conversation. The candidate's next move (a question vs. another statement) often determines whether he leans in.

## What a Strong Wrap Looks Like
- The candidate names the time at the 13-minute mark. ("I want to be respectful of the 15 minutes.")
- Proposes ONE specific follow-up — never two.
- The follow-up is low-effort for Marcus: receive an email, read a one-pager, agree to one warm intro.
- The candidate does not ask "would you be open to chatting again?" — that's a weak ask. They ask for a specific exchange.

## Scoring Guide
- **Strong:** Anchored opening, two-way exchange with at least one substantive answer from Marcus, one credible offer made, one specific follow-up agreed, conversation wraps on or before time.
- **Acceptable:** Anchored opening, mostly one-way exchange, vague but mutual follow-up, conversation wraps on time.
- **Weak:** Resume monologue, generic questions, no offer made, no follow-up agreed, OR pushing past the 15-minute mark.

## Anti-Patterns to Penalize
- Asking Marcus to introduce the candidate to a hiring manager in the first conversation.
- Asking for advice without context the candidate could have provided themselves.
- Restating the candidate's resume as a "background" preamble.
- Trying to extend the call past 15 minutes when Marcus hasn't invited it.
