Write a letter to Hogwarts
Ten years ago, I sent a cold email¹ that has affected my life to this day:
My dream company had no relevant open positions at the time and was known for only hiring senior talent (I hadn’t even graduated yet).
Still, a week after the email, they invited me to an on-site job interview. As I was entering the metro on my way home, I received a job offer. It was such an exciting moment, I can still remember the song playing in my headphones. I accepted.
2025
Ten years later, I still work with the same folks. Michael, the company’s founder who interviewed me back then, is still my (grumpy and inspiring) boss today. And I’m one of those weirdos who love their job (on most days).
Thank you, Anton from 2015, for being delusional brave enough to write that email. I’ve learned the lesson: don’t wait for a letter from Hogwarts, write it.
¹Here’s the email (ru, en) and the portfolio that was attached to it. It’s cringe, but come on, I was twenty-one, cut me some slack 😅. At least, I explained why I wasn’t a great fit.
Favourites
Three things I’ve been fascinated by lately:
📚 (426 pages) The idea to look for opportunities with a guaranteed but minor downside (my email gets ignored) and an unlikely but huge upside (I land my dream job) got reinforced when I read Antifragile. Not a Taleb fan, but some of his ideas have stayed with me.
🎙️ (1h 55m) Other opportunities are the complete opposite: the upside is limited, but the downside can be disastrous. When I tore my ACL, I considered a new hobby — becoming a football referee. Listening to Mark Clattenburg confirmed my assumption that it’s probably not the best idea.
🎬 (21 mins) On a lighter note: how, amid gangsta rap, a hip-hop song about wishing to be taller became a hit, and why we haven’t heard anything from the guy since.
Inbox
Tanya has shared an unlikely story that led to her becoming a VP of Product at PandaDoc:
Initially I knew the guy back from the times of ICQ and we talked there a lot (online) and never met at the time, we were like 14 or 15. Then when the job opportunity at DS came up I remembered him and found him on Moi Krug or sth, and he started to work there. After some time he ended up at PandaDoc and decided to message me for a PM job. What are the odds :)
This was issue #3, find more at antoniokov.com.
What are your good habits that are (almost) unique to you? Reply to this email or reach out on Instagram.