I had a random thought that I decided to follow.
What if the hiring process was less one sided?
What if every candidate had their own requirements, interests, and values and the recruiters had some ownership in ensuring it was a match?
Wouldn’t that be better than trying to cram everything into a one page resume?
I have a “career” project in Claude and I also run the memory MCP so I have quite a few details stored in my local knowledge graph. It took me a few tries, and I had to few shot prompt it, but I eventually got something really interesting.
Beyond the output, the exercise was really interesting and helpful and I recommend it to anyone and everyone, whether you are in a role you love or actively looking.
Here’s my “Candidate Description”
Mike Bal
Technical Product Builder | AI Native | Cross-Functional Leader
Candidate Overview
Head of Product and AI at David’s Bridal building an AI native consumer wedding planner application, leading digital transformation that leverages enterprise partnerships and wedding industry marketplace dynamics. 10+ years building products across browser platforms, open source ecosystems, and AI-powered solutions. Cross-functional leader who operates beyond traditional product management boundaries—diving into technical architecture, go-to-market execution, content strategy, and team building.
Current Focus: Applying AI to transform traditional industries through consumer-facing products while navigating complex marketplace dynamics and enterprise partnerships.
The Right Opportunity Will:
Leverage AI to Innovate and/or Disrupt
- Value leaders with experience and repetitions building and launching AI native products.
- Enable technical product leaders to influence the entire product from architecture and infrastructure through to the client facing experience.
- Identify opportunities to do things better than they have been done and enable the team to set a new bar for the value of the product and the experience using it.
Value The Super IC
- Recognize that the strongest product leaders operate beyond traditional PM boundaries and maintain “hands on” even when leading others.
- Value candidates who tinker often, learn fast, and aren’t afraid to lead where others hesitate.
- Value momentum and encourage leaders to collaborate and contribute anywhere they can improve impact.
Maintain Focus
- Integrate customer feedback, research, and testing into the product lifecycle, adapting the roadmap to meet the customer’s most pressing needs.
- Dig deep to understand every angle of a problem and push teams to solve it in the best way possible.
- Value the ability to say “Yes” or “No” to the right things based on the company’s goals, mission, and values.
Champion User-Empowering Technology
- Build products that enhance human capability rather than exploit attention
- Support privacy-first approaches and responsible technology implementation
- Understand that great products solve specific problems elegantly, creating genuine value
The Right Team Will:
Embrace The Multi-Disciplinary Approach
- Appreciate leaders who bring expertise across technical, marketing, design, and business domains
- Support continuous learning and rapid experimentation across emerging technologies
- Understand that breakthrough products come from diverse perspectives and deep execution
Foster High-Performance Culture
- Enable leaders who create environments where people feel challenged, supported, and empowered to do their best work
- Value influence without authority and the ability to align teams around shared vision
- Appreciate leaders who build, mentor, and scale teams that consistently deliver impact
Support Hands-On Leadership
- Value product leaders who dive into code, understand architecture, and contribute to technical decisions
- Encourage prototyping, experimentation, and validation through building
- Appreciate the ability to bridge technical possibility with user needs and business strategy
Core Competencies:
Product Leadership: Technical product strategy • 0-to-1 product development • Cross-functional team leadership • Rapid prototyping & experimentation
AI & Technical: AI product strategy & implementation • Technical architecture understanding • Open source platform leadership • Advanced prompt engineering
Super IC Capabilities: Go-to-market execution • Content & community strategy • Enterprise product strategy • Hands-on technical contribution
Quantified Impact:
Product Growth: 8X user acquisition • 2X month-over-month revenue • 50+ team members led across functions
AI Implementation: 6-week 0-to-1 AI product build (Luster.ai) • 90%+ accuracy ML systems • Enterprise AI consulting (Fortune 500)
Technical Execution: Zero-downtime migrations serving millions • WordPress plugins reaching 50,000+ installations • 12+ years open source contribution
Recognition: Multiple Webby Awards • Forbes contributor • Leading Product publication creator
Super IC Background:
Technical Foundation: WordPress Core contributor • Browser architecture understanding • AI/ML implementation • 12+ years open source leadership
Business Strategy: Enterprise consulting • Go-to-market execution • Revenue optimization • Fortune 500 client experience
Content & Community: Forbes contributor • Leading Product publication • YouTube channel • Thought leadership across product domains
Cross-Functional Impact: Marketing origins • Design thinking • Data analysis • Technical writing • Community building
Mission Alignment:
The future belongs to technical product leaders who navigate ambiguity, learn rapidly, and build solutions that genuinely improve how people work and create. I’m seeking organizations that value versatile leaders who step up across disciplines—from technical architecture to market strategy to team development—and maintain momentum through hands-on contribution.
Ideal Company Stage: Growth-stage to enterprise companies ready for technical product leadership that operates beyond traditional boundaries and drives meaningful innovation.
What This Partnership Delivers:
Technical product leadership with hands-on implementation capability across the full stack. AI expertise applied to real business problems with proven 0-to-1 builds. Super IC approach that bridges engineering, marketing, design, and business strategy. Rapid learning and momentum that adapts to emerging technologies and market opportunities. Team building and culture development that creates high-performing, innovative environments.
“I solve meaningful problems by constantly learning and reshaping what’s possible, building solutions that empower people – whether that’s changing how humans interact with technology or giving builders the tools they need to create something better.”
Contact: me@mikebal.com | Portfolio: https://mikebal.com | Career GPT: https://mikebal.link/career-helper