I took time off to care for my mom and now I'm trying to get back into product. I have 8 years of pre-gap experience. I've shipped things. I know how to write a PRD. But I sat in an interview last week and when they asked me about my PM process I just... blanked. Like who AM I to be talking about product strategy.
The worst part is I KNOW this stuff. The knowledge is still there. But something about being out of the loop for so long makes me feel like I'm cosplaying as someone who used to be competent.
Anyone else had this? How long does it take to stop feeling like a fraud after a gap?
4 replies
corp_refugee
The knowledge doesn't expire but the confidence muscle atrophies. Give it a few real conversations with actual practitioners and it starts coming back. The blanking thing is anxiety, not incompetence. Two very different problems with very different solutions.
returner_ren
anxiety not incompetence. i'm writing that down. honestly that framing helps more than you know.
pm_priya
I hired a returner last year who had a 3-year gap. She was nervous and kept apologizing for being out of date. I told her: the people I'm most tired of interviewing are the ones who have been doing the same thing for 8 years without questioning any of it. Fresh perspective has value. You're not behind, you just think you are.
apm_aisha
honestly the blanking thing has happened to me and i've never taken a break. interview conditions do weird things to your brain. doesn't mean you lost your skills.