In my line of work, I have this conversation quite a bit. After I left school, having run a company throughout college, I decided to head to Silicon Valley without much of a clue what I would find. In fact, I’d never even fathomed living in California. I’m from Montana. So, in my humble and short existence here in the “Valley”. Here’s my 7 step guide to getting a great job:
1. Follow your heart. This is number one for a reason. If you stop reading now, at least heed this advice. You heart knows the path you should follow, regardless of what your head may think. Your heart always knows.
2. Know your passions. This means a couple of things. Mostly knowing what it is that makes you tick. For me, its developing world changing technology and communicating that technology to people. I also know that I love doing valuable things which have a huge impact on a worldwide scale. Secondly, its knowing what does NOT make you tick. Dig deep for your strengths.
3. Network. Now, I don’t mean attending some kind of “networking” event that your school/company puts on. Those are worthless. I mean sitting down with people who share the same passions that you do. Schedule breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Never eat alone. But, always remember, that networking is not JUST about networking. It’s about sincerely and passionately meeting and understanding people and figuring out how you can help them. NOT, how they can help you.
4. Follow up. Always follow up. I speak quite a bit, in a lot of different cities and situations across America. Everytime I speak to a group of undergrads, I give everyone my card and mention this as one of the most important things they can take from my talk. I rarely hear from 20% of the room. ALWAYS follow up. If you follow the rules in #3, you should have something from your meeting with that person to follow up on. Some kind of action you were able to take to benefit that person. Follow up with them, and talk about it.
5. Find an advocate. The more you network, the more likely you are to find an advocate who may eventually turn into a mentor. Its almost like dating. As you navigate the business world, you’ll click with some people, others you won’t. That’s ok. Keep going, following rule #1.
6. Give free samples. Whether you are a proven guru in your field, or just getting started. Business is built on trust and relationships. Give away your expertise, passion, and heart. It’ll translate into trust with your advocate, or the decision maker as they decide on supporting you.
7. Persist. I can’t put enough emphasis on this one. After you’ve followed your gut, nailed your strengths to the wall, found people in what you want to do, followed up with those people, and found an advocate, you have to make sure your advocates are fighting for you. Treat it like a project. Check in with them on an ongoing basis. You create your own opportunity.
Written from North Beach - San Francisco, California
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