I started my new job on Monday. It's nice to see good people working hard on not too many products, with a leadership team working to further narrow their focus and transmit that focus throughout the organization. It's a refreshing difference from every job I've had in the past. Yes, leaders will tell you that this is important, that they want to do this, that as a manager you should do this, yet so often it does not get done.

• I've been included right away in some leadership-level discussions and workshops. This is as expected, but helpful nonetheless. There's allowance for getting acclimated but no expectation that I wouldn't be ready, which is great.
• There's a lot I have to learn about the products we're working on, but people seem eager to help.
• Most of the people I've spoken to so far have been relatively unvarnished about their thoughts about design and research, my team, the products, unexploited opportunities, and the results they hope for. This has helped me draft my received priorities quickly, and even if these are a little bit wrong it's a good place to start as I diagnose the situation.
• The girl is dancing in nine performances of The Nutcracker this year, playing six different parts in different shows. Her hard work and resolve to perform more is paying off and I couldn't be more proud of her.

The first week is in the books!

Pro leisure circuit is almost over; the new job begins on Monday.

• The new job begins on Monday! I have a new computer, it's not overly locked-down, and the tech onboarding process was smooth.
• I have formed a plan for the merger of my blog and portfolio, based in part on my earlier research about recruiters and hiring managers (win: having done the research!). Best of all it's not something I need to do all at once (win: planning and partializing!). There are several segments of this project that are useful on their own, and I've already done one of them. (UX people, turn your powers on yourself!)
• There's only one xmas gift yet to arrive, and it's optional. It's nice to be so close to done.

Jaemi asks:

I begin my first day tomorrow with [new job]. If there is any advice you might offer I'd welcome it.

Off the cuff, I have just two things:

1. Now is the time when you learn about the business. Talk to everyone, ask people who you should talk to next, write notes, ask question, ask especially about the goal of or the intended effect on metrics of a thing that has been chosen for the team to work on.
2. They chose you to make an offer to rather than other applicants, so there's something they like about you, something they are excited or hopeful about – what is it? If you can find out what it is it should be straightforward to prove them right in their choice of you.

• I accepted the offer and will start December 12. Startup paperwork was mostly easy, save for finding the exact dates of move in/out and start/stop for my address and work histories. Getting a local notary to do my I-9 right took a couple of tries, but it is done, supposedly.
• Christmas gifts are almost entirely sewn up. Everything I don't already have in-hand is at least ordered and on the way.
• I brought a little bit of interview prep here as an article. It was easy. And since similar articles are an important part of my portfolio in that they are demonstrations of what I bring to a team, I feel I should figure out how to usefully mingle these with more traditional portfolio items. That could take a lot of forms, but I'll turn my advice on myself and
  • Name the problem specifically
  • Identify the audiences and what I need them to see or learn
  • Come up with several concepts to address that problem, for those audiences
  • Select one concept according to its fitness AND feasibility
  • Only then execute that concept, progressively

It's been American Thanksgiving this week, and we hosted due to local family either having smaller places or being in the midst of a remodel.

• We managed to get nine around our table, in our small dining area, responsibly comfortably. The choice to roast smaller chickens rather than a big turkey, worked well. Everything was good, and the leftovers are good, and any anxieties I had about hosting and making were unfounded.
• I received a job offer just before the holiday and it set my mind at ease.
• While the competing jobs I'm interested in are much earlier in the process, and thus cannot be seen as competitors to the offer simply because of timing, it's nice to have been considered by multiple firms at once.
• The interview process, much like other discussions, reminded me what I think about certain things that are article-worthy. I can move some of my interview prep almost directly to this site, and will do so.

So it looks like I'll accept this new offer on Monday and then be on the Pro Leisure Circuit until December 12. Yay!