41 Unusual Career Tips From a Recruiter

41 Unusual Career Tips From a Recruiter 41 Unusual Career Tips From a Recruiter There is no opening act. Lets just get started1. Dont Ask HowDont ask how you can help. Do yur research and figure out a way to help.When people email and ask how they can help, it creates mora work for me. Now I have to think of how they can help. I dont know them or what they are good at.Ive emailed senior people before with the saatkorn question. The web holds more information now thanit did the day before. Do your research, figure out what is valuable, and then email and deliver.2. Work for FreeYes, you must work for free. Its leid popular or scalable. I dont care. You have to be willing to do what others wont to get what others cannot. Ryan Holiday followed a similar strategy when he started working for Tucker Max, Robert Greene, and Tim Ferriss.You wont always have to give your work away, but you may need to sometimes in order to get ahead.3. Do Your ResearchBefore any career move, you need to res earch the company, product, and founders extensively. Great opportunities wont fall into your lap (unless a quality recruiter finds you).Dont take a job because you applied and they made an offer. Research the company. Learn about their industry, competitors, and unique advantages. Are they a commodity business that the bottom will soon fall out of?4. Research Includes Checking Out the Team, TooIf you are invited in for an interview, it is not a meet and greet it is a trial. Come prepared with a story and well-thought-out questions, like a lawyer would.You need to binnensee how strong the companys/departments team is. Ask qualifying questions that get the information you need to make your decision. The skill level of the team is more important than the compensation package. You can learn invaluable lessons from an experienced team of peers and leaders.5.Research Also Includes the Leadership TeamThis is critical. Businesses become extensions of their founders and executive teams.Are the leaders of this company experienced in this field? Do they know how to recruit strong team members? Have they exited before? What incubator selected them? How are their egos?unterstellung are all questions I ask before joining a company. You should know the leadership teamsbackground from college forward.6. Determine Your Ideal Company SizeSome love to work in the hectic environments of startups, wearing many hats at once, whereas others like to focus their efforts on specialized niches in larger companies. Company size determines the kind of work you do and the things you learn.7. Learn About Your ManagerYou dont always interview with your future manager. Find out who your manager is going to be. Find out if you will be interviewing with them. Do not accept a role without knowing who you will be working for and what they will be like as a manager.8. Steal From the BestLearn what everyone around you does. Listen to them in meetings. Listen to how they interact with customers on the phone. Pay attention to how managers get their employees to do work. Steal the top performers best techniques and strategies. Practice them until they become your own.9. Be a Person, Not a BrandEveryone is worried about becoming a brand. That comes later if you are lucky. Focus on being a person and connecting with other people. Say Hello and Thank you. Call people by their names. Treat people like people. Treat them how you want to be treated. Work on your skills. You are not a brand you are human.10. Follow the 40 Percent RuleIm tired. I have done enough for one day. This is a lie. You just lied to yourself.We all do it. Just adopt the 40 percent rule When you think youve reached your limit, youre only 40 percent of the way done. When you believe you are too tired to go on and have given it your all, recognize this is not true. Your mind set that limit. It is a self-imposed limit, and you can surpass it. Strive for another 40 percent. You can do it.11. Solicit FeedbackFind s omeone you can trust who will give you candid feedback. In some companies, people hide bad news or sugarcoat the truth to keep from hurting others. Most people only tell you the things you do well.I once worked with the vice president of a company on an app I was developing. At one point, he told me Your user interface looks like crap. I wrote down his exact words and thanked him for his feedback. He was the only customer who told us the truth.Find someone who will give you honest even if harsh feedback. If you want to grow, you need this valuable perspective.12. Follow UpEveryone sends emails, takes notes, and does work but no one follows up. Ive received my share of emails from recruiters and founders asking me to join their companies, but only a handful ever actually follow up. Talk to these people. Some have hired me. It can happen to you, too.13. During Interviews, Ask Open-Ended QuestionsAsk open-ended how and what questions e.g., What were you hired to do here? or How wil l you measure the success of the candidate who accepts this role?These questions are powerful because they require more than a simple yes or no. People often reveal details about their thought processes, values, and beliefs when answering open-endedquestions.14. Leave When You Have ToMost people dont learn this until late in their careers, but you must leave jobs to continue to grow and earn more.But I have a good job, and they treat me okayIt depends on what you want. If you have been at the same company in the same role for a long time, you cannot complain about feeling stagnate orthat you arent compensated fairly.15. Connect the DotsIts good to have goals and an ideal destination in mind. However, things change. That ideal destination no longer shines. You learn something that spins you off into a newcareer direction. Pay attention to these moments.You cant connect the dots looking forward you can only connect them looking backward. Steve Jobs16. Only Work on Things That Interes t YouYou can always make more money as an investment banker but does the money really interest you? Spend time defining your interests.Focus your workon them.17. Drink Coffee Three CupsIf you dont like coffee, thats fine. You can drink other things that have caffeine.No caffeine = no energy and no creativity. Drink three cups, then get to it18. Improve Your Cold Email SkillsCold-emailing is a superpower. Cold emails give you access to people you normally cannot reach. They also open doors for jobs and business deals.19. Market YourselfYou could be the best person at your job, but does anyone know it? You must market yourself for people to find you and recognize your accomplishments. Is your LinkedIn up to date? Does it describe what you do?You dont have to be a writer. Hire someone on Fiverr to help you write your resume or LinkedIn bio.20. Move Jobs Every 18-24 MonthsWe dont live in the same worldas our parents did. Two years at a job is, for us, equivalent to 20 years at a job f or them.Think strategically about your companys competitors that may want to hire you. What company would you love to work for? Send a cold email, find out what the organization needs, and see what lines up for you.21. Spend Time With Your BossesThe problem with networking is people do it wrong and with the wrong people. I dont like the term networking because it suggestshappy hours where you pass business cards around and leave without building relationships. A week later, a sales guy contacts you about buying his product.Spend time with your customers. Better yet, spend time with your bosses and future bosses. Invite them to work out with you or to a social event that matches their interests.22. Never Eat AloneIt may be common for people to eat their lunch in front of their computers, alone. Dont do it. Invite someone to have lunch with you in the break room. Get to know the people you work with. Invite new people to join you for lunch. Be the person who gets people together. Be t he person who makes work fun.23. Stay lateOne of my managers didnt come to life until 630 p.m. My peers never got to see him in his element. They left the office at 5 p.m. Stay late. Stay at least an hour or two after fruchtwein people leave. You can accomplish many tasks in this time and build the best relationships.24. Come in EarlyGet into the office an hour or two before the standard. This gives you an edgeand it gives you undistracted time to practice your craft. The rest of the week will look effortless on your part if you come in early a few times each week.25. Find a Plus, a Minus, and an EqualIn your friendship and professional circles, work to make connections with at least one of each(+) Plus Someone a level or two above you who from whom you can learn.(-) Minus Someone a level or two junior to you whom you can help and teach.(=) Equal Someone at your level.26. Ask for $12,000 MoreNever accept a companys first job offer. Ask for $12,000 more than the initial offer. Ive se en too many candidates negotiate for $3,000 extra. That comes out to an extra $250 per month before taxes. If you are going to negotiate, make sure it is worth the effort. An additional $1,000 per month can make a big difference.27.Track Your AccomplishmentsWrite down two accomplishments you areproud of each week. At the end of each month, youll have a list of eight things you are proud of, maybe more. When its time for your performance review,make sure to call attention to these items.28. Choose YourselfJobs can choose you, but you can choose yourself at any time. Never apply to only one job. Hedge your bets by applying to a few roles or favorite companies at a time. Power comes from having options. You may find the company you wanted to work for does not want you. You can choose another role.Or you can choose yourself. You can always do your own thing. People tie too much self-worth to companies they work for or titles they hold. You are valuable beyond measure. You can always cho ose yourself.29. Negotiate the PercentageWere thrilled to offer you a 6 percent raise That might be okay if your performance is average, but if you are a star performer, thats not a fair raise.Take time to review and consider each raise offer. Then, ask for a few percentage points more. Demonstrate the value you create. Most employers do whatever they can to keep top performers.30. Break Up When You Need toIts okay to break up with your coworkers and friends if you have to. Maybe your career is going in a different direction. Are your peers a good influence on you and your family? If not, break up. Think carefully about the influences you allow into your life.31. Consider the SourceFriends, family, and coworkers will always give free career advice. Im giving you advice, and we dont even know each other. Always consider the source of the information you receive. You wouldnttake financial advice from someone who is broke, so why take career advice from someone who is career poor or wh o is unfamiliar with your role/industry?32. Show, Dont TellWhen you have an idea, create a rough draft or mockup of what the ideal might look like. Take a screenshot of a similar app or site, then annotate it to communicate your spin on it.Showing is powerful. Your boss can see your idea come to lifeand make a more informed decision. No one reads business plans. Show potential customers what you mean. Create a prototype and get it into peopleshands. Watch how they interact with it. Listen for their questions and feedback.33. Go Into HidingIf you decide to leave your job tostart a company or develop a product, its okay to hide for a little while youwork on it. Thats part of ideation. Protect your idea as if itwere a newborn child.Dont let people discourage you or keep you from working on what is important to you but dont hide in the dark for too long, either. You might end up creating something that only you want to buy.34. Ask for Dirty JobsYoure probably familiar with Mike Rowe an d his show, Dirty Jobs.He has fun, cracks jokes, and looks good doing the dirtiest jobs. If you can look good doing the worst jobs, you can do anything.Dont ask for the glamorous jobs or projects while you are coming up. Do the jobs no one wants. These jobs keep your ego in check while you develop your skills and work ethic.35. Dont Worry About What Other People ThinkIf the people closest to you dont quite see your vision or understand it, that is okay. Dont be afraid of them or of what they will say about you. Remember, they cant kill or eat you.36.Throw Everything Away and Start OverI learned this from the comedian Louis C.K. One of the things he does that makes him successful is that every year or two, he scraps his entire show. New year, new material.Dont be afraid to start over and create new material.37. Be AuthenticTo be authentic, you have to tell the truth. Be authentic at work, with your boss, at home. Always tell the truth. If you believe something is low quality, say so. Dont be a yes-man.38. Have an OpinionIf all ten people in a meeting agree and say the same thing, I should fire nine of them. I do not hire for agreement. I need people to challenge my perspective and come up with fresh ideas. I hire people who are smarter thanI am, people who are passionate and have opinions they are not afraid to share.Be different. Be opinionated. Stand out.39. Deliver ValueThere are things you have to do at work, andthere are things you do to add value. Deliver value with every keystroke. Dont focus on busywork.40. Get Eight Hours of SleepPeople brag about working 12+ hours a day and sleeping for three before doing it again. Research shows 7-8 hours is optimal. Find what works for you.41. Set Deadlines for YourselfA goal is a dream with a deadline. Napoleon HillGet the most out of your performance by setting a deadline for yourself. If you are new to ahabit or skill, set a realistic deadline for mastering it. If you are good at meeting deadlines, try setting a hard, unrealistic deadline for yourself. You may not be able to accomplish the task within the deadline, but growth occurs when you accept challenges. Or you may find a new path that allows you to accomplish more with much, much less.Clinton Buelter is the founder of ColdEmailForRecruiters.