3 Unconventional Ways To Land Your Dream Job
Hint: I’ve Tried Them All
Fun Fact: Once upon a time….I launched a podcast!
My goal initially was to capture valuable career advice and share it with the students I was serving. Then Dev Bootcamp, the company I’m currently coaching for, announced it was closing.
This gave me the inspiration to pivot the purpose of my podcast. So I did just that. I decided to focus more on interviewing people of color and women in tech that were doing dope shit.
The goal was to highlight black and brown voices while also shedding light on what it meant to work in an industry (tech) that often lacks diversity.
How do you thrive as a professional when you’re the only black person at the table? How do you navigate spaces that aren’t always inclusive to women and people of color? These were question top of mind for my guests and I.
I wanted to address the taboos about diversity that often get ignored.
To show that diversity wasn’t just some buzzword.
My teammate Sar Warner (aka creator of amazing tag lines) came up with the name Tech Dirty With Me, and the rest is history!
The podcast became this blog.
And I’ve been publishing consistently ever since.
While reflecting on what this blog has become, I decided to dissect this podcast episode since the principles I shared in it have served my career well.
Here are 3 unconventional ways for you to secure the bag in 2018!
Focus On What You Want, NOT What You’re Qualified For
This is a huge mindset shift I wish I had made sooner.
Most of us when we decide to make a career pivot the first thing we ask ourselves is, “what am I qualified for and who’s hiring for that?”
Totally valid and logical question. However, it’s not the most effective one.
Here’s a story from Simon Sinek, best known for his NY-Times Best Selling book Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action along with the corresponding Tedx Talk.
The video is short, but here’s the key takeaway:
Most people only focus on what’s getting in the way of what they want. Obstacles like qualifications, experience or classic imposter syndrome. As opposed to strictly focusing on the goals they wish to achieve. There’s two ways to see the world, and we all have a choice.
I’m not prescribing that we disregard the work it will take to get where we want to be. However, we should start with getting crystal clear on what we want and why. THEN we can think strategically about excecution.
To quote the great Lauryn Hill…
Be real with yourself. But don’t count yourself out of the race before you ever get in it. And don’t start the race by giving power to all the obstacles in your way.
If you’re serious about landing a job even if you might be unqualified for it, take a deep dive into this post by By Raghav Haran.
Produce Content. The End.
Years ago I started a blog (it’s pretty shitty) because I just wanted something I could point to on the internet. Something that I could share with others and be proud of.
I could say, “Here, I made this. What do you think?”.
In retrospect, I was kind of in it for the wrong reasons. The blog was more about me than it was about serving others. Tech Dirty With Me is still about me having a body of work I’m proud of, but my key focus is on adding value!
We live in a content and value driven economy. So we MUST CREATE.
Consider this statistic from Forbes.
“According to industry estimates, annual revenue for a given music curation (YouTube) channel can reach as much as $1.5 million for every 10 million subscribers.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s so many sub-niches, on YouTube and other mediums, where folks are profiting off their ideas and quirky-ness.
So no matter what it is you do for a living, you should be creating and sharing some type of content!
“Just put some shit out. Here’s the problem…There’s so much good stuff that never sees the light of day! THE END.”
Don’t rob the world of your gifts. Especially if you think, “oh this idea has been done before”. Almost everything is an iteration of something else. So don’t discredit your ideas. Your unique voice is what makes it valuable.
At the end of the day, content builds trust.
Would you make an amazon purchase for an item that had zero reviews? Me neither. Which is why me must create and share often.
Leonard Di Caprio says it best in The Wolf of Wall Street,
“The only real objection they have is that they don’t trust you guys. And why should they?”
Ship content. Build trust. Case closed.
Volunteer | Connect | Thrive
This past November I had the opportunity to volunteer at AfroTech. There were two full days of black speakers, entrepreneurs, and technologist under one roof sharing insights on tech, venture capital and more!
Want the 411 on my volunteer experience? >> Skip on over here.
Why do I mention this?
Because volunteering is the major key no one told me about! It usually includes free admission to the event/conference, which is sweet enough.
But the added benefit is networking and connecting.
Guess what? The time to start making a career pivot isn’t when your back is against the wall.
It’s Every day. Every week. Every month.
The best investment we can all make in our careers is to CONNECT OFTEN. The secret sauce is to have an agenda. To be intentional and have a focus.
So often people’s first question is, “What do you do for a living?” *cringe* 😩
Let’s scratch that. Here are 3 questions I always ask when I meet new folks.
What’s your hustle? | What are you working on? | How might I help you?
Additionally, don’t be an amateur after having a great conversation. Make sure people leave knowing….
- Who you are
- What service/skills/value you provide
- And most importantly, how to get a hold of you
These simple principles have lead to 30+min conversations. Conversations where I’ve learned people’s origins, why they showed up, and quite frankly, how amazingly talented they were.
When we lean in and actively listen this way we’re able to connect the dots.
I challenge you to volunteer and adopt this posture.
I promise you won’t regret it.
BONUS: Want to turn great conversations into relationships, referrals and actual value?
Try the closing the loop technique from Ramit Sethi.
So many people fail to follow up after events, conferences or coffee meetings. Watch this video if you want to turn conversations in lasting relationships!
Author Jeb Blount says it best in his book Fanatical Prospecting,
“In God We Trust, everyone else, we follow up with.”
Follow these 3 steps and thank me in the morning. And don’t forget the most crucial step, THE FOLLOW UP!
Until next week ✌️
