you're at a wedding. someone's uncle corners you near the paneer station. "so what do you do?" your mind blanks. you mumble something about being in tech. managing products. working at a startup. his eyes glaze over. you both reach for more paneer.

later that week, recruiter call. "tell me about yourself." you launch into your rehearsed spiral. five companies, seven achievements, three frameworks you've mastered. fifteen minutes later, they're asking if you know anyone else who might be interested in the role.

friday drinks with your team. new engineer joins the table. "heard you're the product person who actually ships." you smile, but inside you're wondering: is that my reputation? the person who ships? nothing about strategy, vision, impact?

three different conversations.

three different failures. same root problem.

what is it? your positioning can't survive contact with reality.

the positioning delusion

here's what most people think positioning is: a polished elevator pitch. a linkedin headline. a personal brand. some combination of job title plus years of experience plus company names.

wrong. positioning is what happens in other people's heads when you're not in the room.

and right now it’s?

"experienced product manager" "growth marketer with 5 years" "engineering lead at series b startup"

these aren't positions.

they're job descriptions. and job descriptions don't get forwarded. they don't create opportunities. they don't open doors.

the three tests your positioning must pass

stranger test (10 secs) recruiter test (30 secs) peer test (2 mins)

test one:

the stranger test (10 seconds)

the stranger test asks if you can create a hook. a stranger has no context. they offer ten seconds of attention. can you get their interest in that time? no jargon. no acronyms. just a clear compelling statement of what you do.

if it's "works in product" or "does marketing stuff," you've failed. strangers need a hook. something that sticks. something worth repeating at another dinner.

test two:

the recruiter test (30 seconds)

recruiter's on their seventh (maybe 17th) call today. they're scanning linkedin while you talk. spotify playing in the background. you have thirty seconds before they mentally categorize you as "another product manager" or "interesting, let me actually listen."

the recruiter test measures relevance. a recruiter scans for keywords and qualifications. they spend 30 seconds deciding if you match their search. they don't care about your journey. your passion for problem solving. (exceptions to this only apply for leadership hiring)

your story must scream "i am the solution to the problem you have right now."

your thirty seconds needs:

what expensive problem you've solved for whom (company context) with what measurable outcome that maps to their open role

it’s all about relevancy. miss any element, you're in the reject pile. if a recruiter cannot connect your past to their future, you fail.

test three:

the peer test (2 minutes)