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Need advice: Entrepreneur to full-time job

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Re: Need advice: Entrepreneur to full-time job

#11

Post by awillshire »

Hi Rich,

Look around for the kind of company you want to work for. Explore outfits mentioned on HN, but also on sites like TechCrunch.

When you find a few, explore their tech stacks and see if any interest you. You don't need to be an expert in the technology, but you need to like it.

Can you visualize a kind of dream role there? It's great that you're ok to start over (I love starting over, like re-learning French or re-reading my ancient copy of K&R).

Look for best practice in CV's - google them and see what makes sense and what doesn't. Revise your CV so it's better. Apply lots, fail lots, take the agile approach to job hunting. Don't get disheartened when you don't get the one you really want, you WILL get there!

Cheers, Andrew.

Re: Need advice: Entrepreneur to full-time job

#12

Post by andrewfarah »

>How do I get in front of companies and show them that I am an excellent hire.

If it was flattering for 37signals (read: influential company) to see this -- http://jasonzimdars.com/svn/ it will be even more flattering for not-yet-famous-company-X to see something similar.

1. pick a company that solves a problem that's interesting to you. or who's founder said something that resonated (in a talk, interview, or essay) 2. research their founding team 3. write / build / hand-craft / hand-deliver something (website, message in a bottle, anything, things non-digital like hand-written letters are particularly effective). 4. offer or do something unsolicited (logo, find a new customer, write effective copy for a campaign) 5. don't attach a resume. just write clearly, use nice paper, and expect nothing in return.

bonus: follow up if / when you don't hear back.

There is a line between irritating and hungry. You won't always be the latter but aim for it.

Do this 2 or 3 times, to companies that aren't yet big names (look through http://angel.co), and you'll floor their founding team with your level of effort and at least land an in-person.

Don't pick the job, pick the people and the problem. You'll find sufficient motivation later.

Re: Need advice: Entrepreneur to full-time job

#13

Post by jason_tko »

richsin wrote: post #9
nameless1 wrote: post #8

You seem to be inherently motivated. As noted you have transferrable skills that are desirable, and an ability to showcase them. So do so. If this is where your passion lies, all the better. Read up: Quora.com Study up: Khanacademy.org Any potential workplace you meet with will glean far more from your enthusiasm and expertise of a topic than most degrees. Hire character, train skill. Lastly you have to consider relo…

Appreciate the kind words. I am very interested in relocating just wanted to go out a bit prepared before I jump into a new city. Any advice on how to showcase my skills to garner some attention?

Hi there - I just quickly went over your posting history on HN, and I'm interested to have a chat with you. I'm on jay.makeleaps on Skype !

Re: Need advice: Entrepreneur to full-time job

#14

Post by richsin »

jason_tko wrote: post #13
richsin wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Appreciate the kind words. I am very interested in relocating just wanted to go out a bit prepared before I jump into a new city. Any advice on how to showcase my skills to garner some attention?

Hi there - I just quickly went over your posting history on HN, and I'm interested to have a chat with you. I'm on jay.makeleaps on Skype !

Jason,

Just dropped you a request on Skype.

Looking forward to chatting.

Re: Need advice: Entrepreneur to full-time job

#15

Post by richsin »

andrewfarah wrote: post #12

>How do I get in front of companies and show them that I am an excellent hire. If it was flattering for 37signals (read: influential company) to see this -- http://jasonzimdars.com/svn/ it will be even more flattering for not-yet-famous-company-X to see something similar. 1. pick a company that solves a problem that's interesting to you. or who's founder said something that resonated (in a talk, interview, or essay)…

Brilliant.

First, I want to thank you for the thoughtful reply. Just like many of you here on HN, I love the internet. It's my life and I've seen it evolve since I was 8. That feeling of never getting the opportunity to even interview for companies you're passionate about is hollowing. I'm glad to see that I am approaching this all wrong.

I really like this approach, I don't mind putting in the work to do some building for each company I choose to apply to. Will start this immediately.

Re: Need advice: Entrepreneur to full-time job

#16

Post by richsin »

awillshire wrote: post #11

Hi Rich, Look around for the kind of company you want to work for. Explore outfits mentioned on HN, but also on sites like TechCrunch. When you find a few, explore their tech stacks and see if any interest you. You don't need to be an expert in the technology, but you need to like it. Can you visualize a kind of dream role there? It's great that you're ok to start over (I love starting over, like re-learning French o…

Andrew,

Thank you for the advice. This is all very new to me.

You mentioned visualizing a dream role, this is a fascinating thought. Since I wore many hats over the years as an entrepreneur, if I were to create this dream role, could I market/suggest it to companies I am applying to?

Surely this would probably only work with smaller companies, of course, but do you think this is a possibility?

Thanks

Re: Need advice: Entrepreneur to full-time job

#17

Post by awillshire »

richsin wrote: post #16
awillshire wrote: post #11

Hi Rich, Look around for the kind of company you want to work for. Explore outfits mentioned on HN, but also on sites like TechCrunch. When you find a few, explore their tech stacks and see if any interest you. You don't need to be an expert in the technology, but you need to like it. Can you visualize a kind of dream role there? It's great that you're ok to start over (I love starting over, like re-learning French o…

Andrew, Thank you for the advice. This is all very new to me. You mentioned visualizing a dream role, this is a fascinating thought. Since I wore many hats over the years as an entrepreneur, if I were to create this dream role, could I market/suggest it to companies I am applying to? Surely this would probably only work with smaller companies, of course, but do you think this is a possibility? Thanks

Hi Rich,

I would definitely take that approach, as long as it aligns with the company's own vision. Employers tend to like the idea that you have goals of your own - as long as you stress that you're happy with the entry level role and working your way up. All the best and keep persevering!

Cheers, Andrew.

Re: Need advice: Entrepreneur to full-time job

#18

Post by richsin »

awillshire wrote: post #17
richsin wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Andrew, Thank you for the advice. This is all very new to me. You mentioned visualizing a dream role, this is a fascinating thought. Since I wore many hats over the years as an entrepreneur, if I were to create this dream role, could I market/suggest it to companies I am applying to? Surely this would probably only work with smaller companies, of course, but do you think this is a possibility? Thanks

Hi Rich, I would definitely take that approach, as long as it aligns with the company's own vision. Employers tend to like the idea that you have goals of your own - as long as you stress that you're happy with the entry level role and working your way up. All the best and keep persevering! Cheers, Andrew.

I certainly am. Thanks again.

Re: Need advice: Entrepreneur to full-time job

#19

Post by bhaumik »

andrewfarah wrote: post #12

>How do I get in front of companies and show them that I am an excellent hire. If it was flattering for 37signals (read: influential company) to see this -- http://jasonzimdars.com/svn/ it will be even more flattering for not-yet-famous-company-X to see something similar. 1. pick a company that solves a problem that's interesting to you. or who's founder said something that resonated (in a talk, interview, or essay)…

Second everything here. Mark, also an entrepenuer, built a website [1] for his application. After each interview, he produced another piece of content to illustrate his ideas as a follow-up. This dedication certainly played a big factor in joining our team.

[1] http://www.hithinkfulimmark.com/

Re: Need advice: Entrepreneur to full-time job

#20

Post by zhte415 »

andrewfarah wrote: post #12

>How do I get in front of companies and show them that I am an excellent hire. If it was flattering for 37signals (read: influential company) to see this -- http://jasonzimdars.com/svn/ it will be even more flattering for not-yet-famous-company-X to see something similar. 1. pick a company that solves a problem that's interesting to you. or who's founder said something that resonated (in a talk, interview, or essay)…

I agree with all tgese points, especially 2: reaearching a team can be a great way to find inspiring people to learn from (and with)
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