I've decided to write a series of 10 posts dedicated to Getting Hired at a Startup. I believe I have experience on both sides of the table (having been hired by a startup, and now responsible for hiring). I also believe through the hundreds of stories around jobs, interviews, etc I have heard from young and old people alike, that I am qualified to talk on this. But I'm also qualified to ride a motorcycle, and most people I know would never want me driving one. So read with caution.
Here we go:
#1. Decide where you want to work and then go get it
"For the day I die, I'ma touch the sky." - Kanye
When I was in college I heard a story that really impressed me. I was a freshman at UMass Amherst and sitting in a Finance Society meeting. Finance society was a group on campus for anyone interested in Finance. I certainly learned a ton while there, but what I think kept me coming back was the air of professionalism / get it done mentality that eminated from the leaders of the club. These kids were real energetic, productive, motivated kids. Their attitude: "We can outwork anyone. Period. Give me a challenge and I'll punch it in the face. Nothing can stop me."
The story goes like this. A group of Finance students wanted to work on Wall Street. But no Wall Street firms came and interviewed students at UMass Amherst. UMass simply wasn't on their radar at the time. They went to the Ivy's. They went to Amherst College (right down the road). But they didn't step foot within our business school.
90% of students didn't see this as a problem. 9% saw this as a problem. And 1% did something about it.
That 1% of kids did something that really impressed me. They bought crisp suits. They printed off 1,000 copies each of their resumes on nice egg-white card-stock. And they hopped in a car and drove their asses down to Wall Street.
They'd proceed to go on handing out their resumes to thousands of people. In the pouring rain. Any man or woman in a suit walking into Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, CitiGroup, UBS, got a resume. At least one, if not two or three. The students told every person walking by that if they hired them it would be the greatest decision they ever made in their entire lives. They wouldn't disappoint them. They wouldn't regret it. They'd shine to the occasion. They'd be the best employee ever hired by the firm. They'd prove their worth.
99.99% of the people the students spoke to turned them down. But 0.01% didn't. And that upcoming summer a couple of UMass Amherst students worked on the floors of Wall Street, through pure, undeniable determination. And a winning attitude. 0.01% looked at these students and saw one of the most unbelievable stunts to get a job they had seen in a long, long time. And for those few students, it paid off.
At the end of the day, you have to be willing to stand in the rain to get what you want. You have to be willing to suffer, with a smile on your face. It is the #1 most prevailing reason I can attribute to who gets jobs over those who do not. Determination. Not giving up. Deciding what you want and going for it. And conveying this to every single person around you.
Everything else is tactical. And everything tactical can be taught. Even determination can be taught. But all tactics don't matter unless that prevailing determination is evident first.
You want that job at that company you just applied for? Go stand in the rain outside of their office until they give you the interview. Hold a sign that says "I want this job. I'll prove it to you." Don't leave for lunch when you get hungry. Don't leave to go home to sleep when you get tired. Stay there. Sleep there. Then greet them the next morning when they come into work. Don't leave until the cops are called to take you away. And when they do, do it with a smile on your face. And the next day, go back.
Listen up gangsters. Here's the deal. Your boy D-Dizzle-Dippity-Doo-Da-Durkin has got a little secret that he's about to share. So listen up.
I'm not gonna lie. I'm not a big headphones guy. I like to allow my big ears to roam the office in search of all sorts of noises and voices and thangs. HOWEVER, I believe this is important for you to know. I have tried on over ten different types of headphones in my office of my fellow employees. I've conducted my research. And here comes the BEST pair of headphones (Value / Price ratio) you're about to experience for musical headphones on this side of the Mississippi. These puppies have ridiculously unbelievable sound quality, and if these headphones were a stock, I would say this stock is cheap and I would buy shit-tons of it.
Here they are: SONY's MDR-7506 Headphones on Amazon.com. $103.95. Order these pups with Amazon Prime, and we're talkin' no shipping charges. Flat fee. Boom. That's beauty right to your dome piece right there.
Why on earth would you spend $179.99 for Beats by Dre or $134.95 for Bose AE2 Audio Headphones when you can save $50+ on unbelievable headphones? You're an entrepreneur. Save your monies. Get headphones with unbelievable sound quality at an unbelievable price. You'll have more money to spend on usability studies because of the savings. Your team will thank you for keeping your gangster rap and 80's throw-backs to yourself. And you'll look fly as a...
Your online identity is important as hell. Can I get a helllll ya! Oh hellllll ya!
Here's a quick post, but an important one in my eyes. One of my fellow co-owners at CampusLIVE, Jay Acunzo, wrote a great blog post teaching people all of the ways to claim your Google+ vanity URL. I suggest you read it to get the full scoop.
For a short cut as to how to quickly claim your Google+ vanity URL today, go to http://gplus.to/, copy your Google+ profile numbers, select a name, and BAM! Done!
So. You're introduced to someone via email and you've never met the man/woman before. You have respect for the person who introduced you, but you're a bit nervous. You've never met this homey before and you don't know what the HECK you're going to talk about. The day for the meeting approaches. You head out of your office / dorm / house and hop on the T / hop in your car / hop on your razor and speed your ass to the meeting. You're on time. Nice. You're looking gooooood. Perfect. Now, it's time to talk. What do you say?!?!
I've seen the look of stress on many kids faces when they think about the idea of meeting a new person for the first time, especially if that person is significantly older than them. Young people often feel like they have nothing that they could possibly talk about that would be of interest to the other older, "more experienced" person.
Well, here's a little trick.
Instead of focusing on YOU talking, guide the conversation to have THEM do 80+% of the talking.
I like introducing people together who I know will benefit from meeting one another. And often times the biggest benefit is the LEARNING that happens as a result of the conversation.
Doesn't it make sense that if your goal is to LEARN as much as humanly possible, that you LISTEN as much as humanly possible? Well! If that's the case, then doesn't it make much more sense to ask the other person a lot of questions that you believe will allow you to learn as much as possible? Well. I surely think so!
I think one of the most interesting frame of minds that I keep my mind in when meeting people is to think about how the person I am speaking to got to where he/she is today. Where did they grow up? What are their career goals? Where are they at now in their career? What do they love about their current job? What do they think sucks really hardcore? Are they married? Kids? Do they hate kids, but love dogs? Do they hate dogs because their building doesn't allow them, or because they genuinely hate dogs? What type of building do they live in? What part of the city do they live in? Why did they move there? Is there a secret in their commute at the Porter T-stop that you don't know about? That the commuter rail leaves from there and goes directly to North Station? That the commute is 30 minutes shorter if you use this commuter rail than the red line at 8:30 AM? Are there any other secrets in Boston you don't know about? Do they like Boston? What do they like to do in Boston? Why? Why the hell don't they live in the mountains in Vermont? Do they hike? Because you like to hike. What are the three best books they recommend you read? Why? Who the hell are those authors? Are they good stories, or are they instrumental in defining themselves? Are they MUST-reads or are they good-to-read-but-if-you-don't-no-biggie? What else do they think are no biggies? What do they think are VITAL? Make a list of those vital things.
Look at a meeting with a new person as an opportunity to LEARN, LEARN, LEARN and LEARN some more. Conversations should not be forced. So don't force them. Start at the beginning of a person's life and let that guide the rest of the conversation.
A bunch of young people I know have started getting into blogging lately. Me included. I'm definitely hoping my thoughts will help people over time. I also know that this has been really helpful for myself in particular. Writing down my thoughts on where I stand on certain issues / specific things I have identified have helped me learn throughout my life / what books I feel are must reads (and re-reads), etc has given me a greater sense of focus when it comes to my own career goals. And it has made it easier for me with regards to helping others. If you're not helping others in life, then what's the point, really.
Oh. And I love knowing that if I get hit by a bus next week I'll have all my thoughts from my mind in writing. Love that shit. I mean, beyond my Facebook photos, cash monies, and other people's memories of me, what really lives on after you've kicked the good ol' tin can. BOOM. My blog biatch!
Back to the subject at hand. If you're thinking about writing a blog, but if you have no clue on earth what to write about... try this: Start writing about lessons you've learned from people you grew up with. And tactically... do this: Go onto Facebook, pull up your mom's picture, your best friend in high school, your mentor in college, whoever, and think about the following question: "What is the #1 thing this person has taught me in life?" Then write about that.
What you'll soon find is that you've actually learned A TON of lessons and tidbits of info from your closest friends and advisors over the years. And a lot of these lessons can be passed on to help other people.
It's hard to think about what to write about when staring into space. It's significantly easier to think about what to write about when looking at the face of a person on Facebook who reminds you of specific memories, adventures, dinners, conversations, and good and bad times.
A great way to think about posts to write about is to go on to Facebook and look at names in your live feed. Look for people who are older than you. Who you maybe went to college with. Was your boss at a previous job. Who you loved. And then think about the lessons they taught you. And then write about them.
You'll be amazed at what comes out of those fingertips.
My name is Ryan Durkin. I write so that I will never forget where I came from and what I stand for. I hope that this will motivate young people to realize their potential and become more productive than they ever imagined. That would make me truly happy.
My name is Ryan Durkin. I write so that I will never forget where I came from and what I stand for. I hope that this will motivate young people to realize their potential and become more productive than they ever imagined. That would make me truly happy.
