228: AI Ruined The Job Search. Here’s How To Fix It.
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Former LinkedIn exec explains why mass applying with AI is getting you nowhere. I asked him what works instead.
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⌚ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – The AI arms race
04:33 – What are we solving for?
10:57 – Referrals were 10x in 2016
21:12 – Anyone can refer anyone
22:18 – Elevator pitch or questions?
36:36 – Is AI useless in the job search?
42:24 – Quality beats volume
🔗 CONNECT WITH JEREMY
🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schifeling/
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🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY
🎵 TikTok
💻 Website
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Transcript
You could use Claude CoWork,
you could use GPT Codex.
2
:Literally say, "Here's my resume.
3
:Go apply to 1,000 jobs.
4
:Don't stop till you're done."
5
:It'll do it for you.
6
:Is that if we're just applying
for random jobs in a completely
7
:mechanical way, it's not really 0.01%,
8
:it's 0% period.
9
:Do you know what the bonus, the top
bonus was at Google when I worked there?
10
:$25,000.
11
:Oh my gosh.
12
:All right, Jeremy.
13
:You are a former LinkedIn executive
and an early OpenAI partner who
14
:now helps job seekers get hired.
15
:Uh, so thank you for joining us today,
and you're gonna talk about how AI
16
:has changed the job hunting process.
17
:So let's just start with an easy
question: Has AI changed the
18
:job hunting process, yes or no?
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:100%, absolutely.
20
:Okay.
21
:And is that, like, uh, how has it changed?
22
:Yeah.
23
:And so it's changed on
both sides of the equation.
24
:You know, if you're a job seeker,
you have all these tools now.
25
:"Build me a resume, ChatGPT.
26
:Write me a cover letter, Claude."
27
:But it's also changed on the other
side, where recruiters have all these
28
:tools to review your applications.
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:And so there's kind of this AI arms
race where both sides are trying to pump
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:up the volume, pump up the rejections.
31
:And I think that ultimately that's
left us in a place where both
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:sides are a little frustrated.
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:And hopefully what I can share with your
listeners today is how to get out of
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:this arms race and actually connect with
real humans the way that we used to.
35
:When, when we talk about recruiters
using AI and the job seekers using
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:AI, who's winning in that battle?
37
:Yeah.
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:I'd say no one, to be honest.
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:Like, so I talk to job
seekers all the time.
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:Whether you're a brand-new grad and you
feel like all the jobs have evaporated or
41
:a mid-career changer and you feel like,
"What happened to the Great Resignation?
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:What happened to all the opportunities?"
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:They feel super depressed.
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:But even the recruiters who you
might think have all the power say,
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:"I've never hated my job as much as
I used to because all of a sudden
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:I'm dealing with way more volume.
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:So much of this stuff is fake
because it's AI generated.
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:This is not why I got into recruiting."
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:And so I really do feel like it's
left both sides more miserable.
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:Would, would you say that AI has
made job seeking in the world worse?
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:Absolutely.
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:I mean, in the sense that, like,
I think the best way to think
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:about it is for anyone who's been
using AI, at first glance, you're
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:like, "Wow, this is magical."
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:Let's say you're trying to sort of
build out your data analysis skills,
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:and you're like, "Wow, I don't even
have to really understand the SQL or
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:the Python as much anymore because
I can just have AI bang it out."
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:But then you actually run the code,
and you're like, "Uh-oh, we got
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:some bugs, we got some problems."
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:I think the same thing is happening with
job searching, where it seemed like it
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:was gonna be this panacea, but actually
it's turning more into a nightmare.
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:That's super interesting
that you mention that.
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:Um, do you think, like, that's
a total, uh, summary of AI in
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:per- i- i- as like a totality?
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:It's like it has great promises
to actually do interesting things,
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:and it gets you, like, maybe, like,
66% of the way there, but then
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:it, the last third is missing.
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:And so you either manually have to go
fix the last third, and that takes you
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:maybe just as much as time to, to do the
last third, um, or it just kinda sucks.
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:Is that kinda what you've been seeing?
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:Yeah.
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:You know, there are all those
interesting studies from early, the
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:early days of AI, where programmers
were reporting to the surveyors, "I'm
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:saving at least 20 or 30 hours a week."
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:And then they were actually measuring
the progress the programmers were
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:making towards code completion, and
they were, like, 20 or 30 hours a
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:week slower than they expected to be.
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:And so there really is this disconnect
between the promise and the potential
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:and the actual on-the-ground reality.
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:Yeah.
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:That's super interesting that, that
you mention that because I've been…
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:One thing I…
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:You know, I love AI.
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:I'm super fascinated by AI.
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:One thing I've been trying to do with
AI is for, for example, use AI to edit,
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:you know, the YouTube videos I make.
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:Uh, 'cause, like, theoretically, like,
if you Claude the transcript and the,
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:the timestamps, and then it, there's
all these different libraries that you
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:can use to, you know, render different
HTML and, uh, SVG images and stuff, and,
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:like, you could theoretically, like,
edit your videos with, with Claude.
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:And that's, like…
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:I feel like that's, like, if you go
on, like, YouTube or you go on TikTok
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:or you go on Instagram, especially,
like, in, like, the business AI world,
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:it's like, it's all these promises.
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:Like, these videos of, like,
"This is how I build…
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:I applied to 500 jobs with ChatGPT,"
and you're like, "Wow, that's amazing.
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:I wanna do that."
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:And they show you how to do it, but then
no one really shows you the results.
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:And so you're just- Yes … like,
"Oh, what an amazing promise.
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:I wanna do that."
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:And then you, like, spend all the time
to actually do it, and then there's,
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:like, kinda lackluster results.
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:So you're seeing that as well?
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:Absolutely.
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:'Cause here's the deal.
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:I think the number one thing
that we all need to do in this AI
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:moment is to step back and try to
realize what we're solving for.
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:If our goal in using AI is just to
basically throw more sort of, um,
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:darts at the board, but the board has
now moved, like, 1,000 feet away, just
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:throwing an incremental extra dart is
not gonna actually increase our chances.
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:But if we say, "Hey, the whole
point of getting a job is to
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:connect with a human on the inside.
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:There is a hiring manager out there
who needs my talent to succeed.
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:I gotta find them, and I have to convey
how I can help them direct into that
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:person," well, AI can help with that.
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:AI can help you track that person
down, but it's not by generating
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:1,000 random applications.
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:It's by getting targeted on what
you're actually trying to solve for,
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:which is to find this human in the
universe, understand their needs,
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:and connect with them in a deep and
meaningful way, and that is so different
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:than what you're seeing on TikTok.
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:Okay.
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:I wanna make sure I'm
understanding this correctly.
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:Yes.
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:So I, I think, I think- Uh, for those
of you who, who are listening and
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:maybe haven't figured out how AI…
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:Maybe you haven't even used AI
to do, uh, job applications yet.
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:Um, I think, I think, Jeremy, what you're
kind of talking about when you're saying,
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:like, sending hundreds of resumes, is
there's a bunch of, like, tools out there
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:that will essentially mass apply for you.
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:So, you know, if it took you, let's just
say it took you 10 minutes to apply to
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:a job, now you can apply to, like, let's
just say 100 jobs in 10 minutes using AI.
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:That's kind of what you're
talking about, right?
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:Exactly.
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:I mean, you don't even need
a fancy tool now, right?
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:You could use Claude Cowork.
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:You could use GPT Codex.
138
:Literally say, "Here's my resume.
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:Go apply to 1,000 jobs.
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:Don't stop till you're done."
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:It'll do it for you.
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:Wow.
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:Okay.
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:That's super interesting.
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:So, um, but, but you, you bring up a good
point that it's like, what's actually
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:the problem that we're trying to solve?
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:And the thing that you said that
was interesting was we're trying
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:to talk to a hiring manager.
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:Um, and, and is that because
at the end of the day, hiring
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:is still happening by humans?
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:Yes.
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:And there may be a day, I know
that today Stripe announced
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:that the singularity is here.
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:Um, and so maybe that day when AI does all
the hiring and the working is not far off.
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:But as long as humans are still involved
in the hiring and the actual doing of
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:the tasks, it comes back to human nature.
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:Imagine that there is a boss, say,
at Google, hiring for a data analyst.
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:That person is sticking their neck out and
hiring when everyone else is doing layoffs
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:because they have a massive pain point.
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:They have too much to get
done and not enough talent
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:on their team to do it today.
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:And so when they put out a job
description, they are really putting
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:out a cry for help from inside the
Googleplex, saying, "Hey, I need awesome
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:data analysts so I can get my job done,
so I can be successful in the world."
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:But if you just blast them with 1,000
generic applications, that doesn't
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:give them any signals of the fact
that you're committed, dedicated,
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:invested, all the things that we would
be hungry for as the hiring manager.
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:It just says, "Hey, you're wasting
my time, and now I'm on to the next."
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:On the other hand, just to give
you the sort of comparison, imagine
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:that you did a little research.
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:You understood who this person
was, what their challenges were.
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:And again, you can use AI for this.
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:You could put into ChatGPT,
"Here's the job description.
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:What are the three pain
points behind this hire?"
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:And then you reached out and
said, "Hey, this is exactly
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:how I can solve your problems.
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:Here's how I've done in the past.
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:Here's what I can do
for you in the future."
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:That's speaking the human language
of why they're hiring in the first
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:place, not just this AI game of let
me apply for as many jobs as possible.
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:That's the ultimate end goal,
and I want your listeners to keep
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:that north star in their minds.
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:That's really interesting that you mention
that because sometimes it is really hard
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:to remember what, what the end game is.
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:I remember in college, um- I, I don't
know why this was the case, but, uh,
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:when, in my undergrad at University of
Utah, it seemed like the, the STEM career
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:fair always l- overlapped with midterms.
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:It was like always like the same week.
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:And, um I remember there was m- there
was me, and then there was this other
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:girl in, in the program, and I talked
to her, and she was like, "Oh, I
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:gotta study for this, this midterm.
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:I can't go to the career fair."
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:And f- me, I was like, "Well, I'm
only here 'cause I wanna get a job.
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:Like, I don't really care about my grades.
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:I just wanna get a job."
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:Um, and you know, and, and I went
to the career fair, and she didn't.
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:She got an A on the test.
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:I literally got an F, um, but I got a job
from that career fair, and she didn't.
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:Uh, and she struggled.
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:And so I think it's so easy,
for some reason as humans, we
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:like to think that, like, the
intermediate step is the end goal.
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:But you're right, the end goal
is to actually land a job.
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:The applying for the job is just so
we can get in front of a human's eyes.
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:But, but it sounds to me like what
you're saying is it's not the only
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:way to get in front of a human's eyes.
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:So how else can we get in
front of a human's eyes?
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:Yeah, absolutely.
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:So I think at the end of the day, what
we should remember is that we are living
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:at this incredibly opportunistic moment.
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:Like, there was a time probably 20 or
30 years ago where it was still that
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:old boys' club of like, okay, you don't
know that individual hiring manager
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:inside Google, therefore you are not
sort of eligible for this opportunity.
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:But now that we're living in this age
of LinkedIn plus AI, what's to stop you
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:as a University of Utah student or a
community college student or someone who
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:never even went to college at all from,
like, literally going on LinkedIn and
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:say, "I don't know that hiring manager at
Google, but I know someone who knows him.
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:Could I ask for an introduction?"
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:And I think if you think about what
AI is doing to all these digital
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:documents, whether it's your resume,
your cover letter, your LinkedIn
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:profile, it's destroying the trust
and the differentiating power of
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:those signals because everyone's
resume and cover letter and LinkedIn
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:profile can look amazing right now.
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:But if you have the trust of someone
who that person knows and has a
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:relationship with, that is so much more
powerful, so much more differentiating
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:than another mass-produced application
like everyone else out there.
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:That's how you stand out even if
you're not part of the, quote-unquote,
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:"old b- old boys' network."
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:Okay, so it's about…
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:sounds like it's about trust, um, gaining
these, these people's trust on the inside.
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:Um, okay, so one of the examples
you gave was like, oh, maybe I don't
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:know the hiring manager, but I know
someone who knows the hiring manager.
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:What are some other ways that we can
gain these magical human beings' trusts?
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:Yeah, absolutely.
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:So I think a lot of it is through
relationships, and so one of the really
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:fascinating things is if you had to
guess, Avery, what do you think was
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:the power of a referral back in 2016,
10 years ago, to give you an edge
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:compared to online job applicants?
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:So imagine someone applies
to a job at Adobe online,
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:someone else gets a referral.
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:How much likelier is the
referred candidate to be hired?
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:Uh, I mean, I would say a lot more likely.
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:I would say, like- Five times more likely?
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:Turns out it was 10X.
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:Wow.
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:1,000% boost, which is crazy for
like a coffee chat with someone.
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:Yeah.
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:Now that's 2016.
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:If you fast-forward to today,
:
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:advantage of a referred candidate
over an online applicant?
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:Well, I would say that since it's
gotten so much easier to apply for
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:jobs, you have a lot more applicants.
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:So just by, just like by default,
I would say it has to be way more.
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:So I, I mean, I, I would
probably say more than double.
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:I would guess more than 20 times.
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:Yeah, so it's 20X today.
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:Yeah.
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:Which just gives you a sense of like, wow.
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:Like, remember what we're talking about.
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:This is not a game.
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:This is not a game show.
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:This is your life.
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:Mm.
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:If you could get a 20X advantage
on an opportunity that changes the
264
:course of your career and maybe your
life, why wouldn't you go for that?
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:So that goes back to your question,
which is how do you get that advantage?
266
:Yeah, maybe you know someone who
knows someone, or maybe you went to
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:the same school, maybe you volunteer
with the same organizations.
268
:If you literally went on LinkedIn today
and said every Googler who volunteers
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:with Habitat For Humanity, you would
find over 1,000 Googlers who spend
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:their time on that kind of thing.
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:That is reason for you to reach out and
say, "Hey, we've got this in common.
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:Could I learn whether your time at
Google feels consistent with your values?
273
:I want to compare apples to apples."
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:And I think the reality is we stop
having to put ourselves in this sort
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:of easy button mentality of let me
just press a button in ChatGPT and
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:get the job, and let me instead build
a real connection with a real person.
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:Okay.
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:I have, uh…
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:I agree with you, and I have
two, two follow-up points.
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:One- Yeah … um, you're 100%
right, like, with the alumni
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:or with, like, a nonprofit.
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:Like, when I get, you know, with having,
like, 150,000 LinkedIn followers, I, I
283
:get a decent amount of messages inbound,
and, uh, I try to respond to as many as
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:I can, but obviously it's an overload.
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:Uh, it's an overbearing amount
of, of work sometimes, so I
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:don't reply to every single one.
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:But if you went to my alma mater,
I'm very likely to respond.
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:And it has nothing…
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:I don't know you better.
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:It's just like, oh, you and I lived at
the same place for a little while and
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:we cheered for the same football team,
and I, for some reason, there's, like,
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:school spirit in the United States,
and I wanna, I wanna help this person.
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:Um, so that's awesome.
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:I agree with that.
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:And two, yeah, like, nonprofit's a
really good one, or interests like,
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:um, like, like for instance, uh, you
know, I have my church on my LinkedIn.
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:If you're from the same church
as me, I- Yep … I'm probably
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:more likely to respond.
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:Uh, just little human connections like
that can, can make a big difference.
300
:Um, I wanna go to, okay, so, like, we can
do this, but why aren't people doing it?
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:You, you mentioned- Yeah … that, like,
it just feels easier to press a button.
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:Is that the number one
primary reason why you think?
303
:Like, even though I know this action is
20 times more likely to land a result,
304
:I wanna still press this button even
though I know it's not the right choice?
305
:Yeah.
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:So I don't know that people are thinking
about it quite that rationally, but
307
:I think when you're in this moment of
like, oh, I need a job, the single best
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:sort of, like, quick dopamine hit is
that spin of the roulette wheel, right?
309
:Yeah.
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:Apply.
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:Apply.
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:Apply.
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:Hey, at least I'm making progress.
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:At least I'm putting
stuff out into the world.
315
:Versus what I'm talking about
is a much slower game, right?
316
:You've gotta find the person, you've gotta
find the mutual connection, you've gotta
317
:ask for the info, you gotta have a chat.
318
:None of this is instant gratification.
319
:And one thing we've learned about our
species in:
320
:to want that quick dopamine hit
versus that long-term thinking.
321
:So even though every single person
knows that referrals matter, very
322
:few get them for that exact reason.
323
:Do, do you think people also are just
like, they just like shrug off the
324
:idea of networking 'cause they're
like, "Oh, I don't know the hiring
325
:manager at Google, I'm a nobody."
326
:Yeah.
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:And so they're just like, "There's
no point in trying 'cause I…
328
:Who am I?
329
:I live in this little, you know, podunk
area and I only know podunk people, and
330
:I, you know, I come from this family,
we've never been to college, we don't…"
331
:Like, I don't know.
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:Do you think people get like in
their heads about it that way?
333
:Yeah.
334
:Yeah.
335
:So I try not to psychoanalyze the
students that I work with, but I think
336
:that there's a lot of imposter syndrome.
337
:Yeah.
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:A lot of sense of like, "I'm
not worthy of a referral."
339
:Mm.
340
:"Someone else should get that opportunity
because they deserve it more."
341
:And I think the reality is, and I
think this is what you teach, you know,
342
:through, um, Data Career Jumpstart,
is anyone out there could add
343
:tremendous value to an organization.
344
:If you've put in the time, if you've
built the skills, there is that hiring
345
:manager who has that cry for help, but
you have to believe in yourself first and
346
:foremost before they can believe in you.
347
:Mm.
348
:And I know that's easy for me to say,
harder to do, but I do think that
349
:is an internal barrier that a lot of
folks face Yeah, the imposter syndrome
350
:is, is really hard to get over.
351
:That's, uh, something we all have to face.
352
:I, I think…
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:A- and, and I was being a little
trivial earlier that, you know,
354
:from being from, uh, you know, maybe
a middle-of-nowhere area, but…
355
:And maybe you don't know
anyone, but I think there's
356
:opportunities to know someone.
357
:So for, just for example- Yes … um,
you know, once upon a time, I, I
358
:post every day on LinkedIn, and this
guy literally commented on my posts,
359
:like, every day for six months.
360
:And I'm like, "Who the heck is this guy?"
361
:And so finally I reached out to him
and I was like, "Hey, who are you?
362
:W- why you keep commenting on my posts?"
363
:And we got on a call, and I ended up
hiring this guy, and it's like this
364
:guy is from, literally from Africa.
365
:Like, he literally…
366
:Him and I couldn't be further
apart almost in the entire world.
367
:Um, but, you know, through the power
of LinkedIn, just from adding value
368
:and networking, y- you know, that, that
really gave him a good opportunity to,
369
:to work remotely in the United States.
370
:But I think the problem is, is he
had to do that, what, 89 times in a
371
:row without any benefit basically.
372
:How, how do you overcome, like, when
networking feels pointless, when
373
:you're like, "I'm planting all these
seeds and I'm getting no plants"?
374
:Yeah, I love that story.
375
:But again, that's the hardest case
scenario, where he had absolutely nothing
376
:in common with you- That's it … maybe
except for shared interests, and so he
377
:had to win you over one post at a time.
378
:I wanna go back to what you
mentioned about, um, being a member
379
:of the Utes, being a member of
LDS, whatever the connection is.
380
:There's this concept in human
psychology called generativity.
381
:You can look it up on Google.
382
:And it basically says that we as a species
are hardwired to actually wanna pay it
383
:forward to the next generation, both
because someone likely helped us back
384
:when we were starting out, and because
there may be this evolutionary sort of
385
:bias towards you wanna see people in
that same tribe, that same walk of life
386
:also be successful And so I think the
change of mindset for folks is less of,
387
:"Oh, I have to believe in myself 100%,"
but to understand that I'm actually
388
:giving a gift to the other person.
389
:You might feel like, "Oh,
I'm wasting their time.
390
:They're super senior,
they're super successful.
391
:What could I possibly offer them?"
392
:But that sense of being generative, that
as an old guy, I get a chance to feel
393
:like I'm leaving value in the world, I'm
creating a legacy in the world, that is
394
:massively powerful for me, and if you
give me that gift as a younger person,
395
:I'm gonna wanna go to bat for you as well.
396
:So don't forget that you're giving
that gift as well as receiving it.
397
:Important perspective.
398
:Yeah.
399
:Once again, just trying to go through and,
and, and see if I felt this in my career.
400
:When I, when I worked for ExxonMobil,
I was one of three, uh, alumni from
401
:the University of Utah that worked
for- Wow … a 70,000-person company.
402
:Uh, maybe it was, like, five actually.
403
:Um, but one in three on
a 10,000-person campus.
404
:And yeah, I would've
done, I would've gone…
405
:I, I really wanted more Utes and
more Utah people at ExxonMobil.
406
:Yes.
407
:I would've totally, uh, tried
to help people that, you know,
408
:that, that needed the help.
409
:So that, that, that rings true.
410
:Um, also, th- we should also point
out that sometimes, not always, but
411
:sometimes, there's also financial
incentives for these people within
412
:the company that if they refer someone
who gets hired, they get, like, a
413
:bonus of $500 or $1,000 or whatever.
414
:Um, so maybe- Yeah.
415
:Let me, let me just stop
you right there, Avery.
416
:Yeah.
417
:Do you know what the bonus, the top
bonus was at Google when I worked there?
418
:No.
419
:If you referred someone with,
like, very specialized skills?
420
:No.
421
:$25,000 Oh my gosh.
422
:And then you think about it
from the employer's standpoint.
423
:Data shows that referred candidates
are likelier to accept the job offer
424
:because they've got that friend
on the inside, likelier to stay
425
:longer, and then actually likelier
to outperform non-referred candidates
426
:because they've been hand-selected.
427
:The reality is it's a bargain
for an employer to pay that bonus
428
:to automatically have access to
the best talent in the world.
429
:So again, lots of gifts going on here.
430
:It's not just purely all one,
you know, um, zero-sum thinking.
431
:That's, that's actually interesting
that you bring that up because, um, I
432
:run a job board where I post data jobs
and, um, I had, uh, an ex-colleague
433
:reach out to me who's at a different
company now, and she said, "Hey, my
434
:company's hiring someone in data.
435
:Do you have any recommendations?"
436
:And so I kind of asked the people that
I kind of know that are, that are in
437
:the market, uh, for, for a job, and
this was a more senior role, so not
438
:necessarily like a, like a, a good fit
for a lot of my boot camp students.
439
:Um, it was like a senior data
scientist, machine learning role.
440
:Um, and so I asked kind of some of my, my
friends that I know are in the job market.
441
:No one was super interested.
442
:So I replied, "Hey, sorry,
I don't know anyone.
443
:But if you'd like, I'll post it on my job
board for free, and we- we can promote it
444
:for free just 'cause I wanna kind of get
that, that side of the job board going."
445
:And she said, "No, thank you.
446
:We're only looking for referred,
re- re- referred candidates."
447
:Oh.
448
:And I was like, wow.
449
:They're-- They don't even
want the application mess.
450
:They only want people who were referred,
and I think it's for the reasons you
451
:mentioned earlier, that a referred
candidate is more likely to stay, an
452
:easier hire, like, better performer.
453
:It just works out better for them, so it's
really interesting that you mention that.
454
:Is, is that true?
455
:Have you seen that, like, at other
companies as well, other than Google?
456
:Yeah.
457
:It's so funny.
458
:I hear that all the time actually.
459
:I'm always off- offering to post
stuff 'cause I have, you know,
460
:all this LinkedIn stuff going on.
461
:People say, "No, that's more work for me."
462
:"That's more strangers in my queue.
463
:I want less work and more trust,
not the other way around."
464
:Okay.
465
:Uh, referred candidates, guys.
466
:It's important.
467
:Try to get referred.
468
:Yes.
469
:So what can people kind
of do to get referred?
470
:So we mentioned, you know,
we're trying to connect with,
471
:with hiring managers if we can.
472
:If we can't, maybe connections
of hiring managers.
473
:And we're sending them LinkedIn messages?
474
:What type of…
475
:Like, how are we contacting
them, would you say?
476
:Yeah.
477
:Absolutely.
478
:So first of all, if you find someone
inside an organization, obviously the
479
:closer they are to the hiring team,
the more leverage they're gonna have.
480
:But if you…
481
:You know, when I worked at Google, I
would refer people for jobs in India, for
482
:legal team jobs when I was a marketer.
483
:And so anyone can refer anyone.
484
:That's the first thing to know.
485
:Just gotta find someone on the inside.
486
:One ute inside ExxonMobil.
487
:Then when you wanna get in touch with that
person in the first place, don't send them
488
:a cold outreach on LinkedIn, 'cause most
people are not that active on the site.
489
:Um, basically it could sit there in their
LinkedIn inbox forever Don't send them a
490
:cold email because everyone's inboxes are
exploding and they don't know your name.
491
:Instead, wherever possible, find that
mutual connection on LinkedIn, that
492
:warm intro opportunity where, say, Avery
introduces you to Jeremy, and now you're
493
:coming with that nice halo effect.
494
:Okay, so that's the dream scenario.
495
:You've been introduced to an insider.
496
:You've got something in common.
497
:Now what's the game plan?
498
:I'm gonna pitch it to you, Avery.
499
:You have two choices.
500
:All right.
501
:This is like choose your
own adventure style.
502
:I'm ready.
503
:Do you, do you give this insider
an elevator pitch telling them
504
:how awesome you are, or do you ask
them questions about themselves?
505
:Oh, yeah.
506
:That's a good question.
507
:Okay.
508
:I, I would probably say, you know,
everyone likes to talk about themselves,
509
:so that's probably the better path.
510
:I'd be tempted to talk about
myself 'cause I love talking
511
:about myself, but, uh- Oh, me too.
512
:And everyone does, right?
513
:Yeah.
514
:Sure.
515
:But the reality is, even though
business school-- Like, when I was an
516
:MBA student, they were like, "Gotta
have your elevator pitch ready," you
517
:know, this mythical elevator ride
when you're gonna sell yourself.
518
:The reality is no one wants to be sold to.
519
:No one wants to get a, you know,
call during dinner offering
520
:them a new cell phone plan.
521
:Don't be that guy.
522
:Instead, bring it back to the human stuff.
523
:Like, "Hey, what…
524
:How did you go from, um,
University of Utah to ExxonMobil?
525
:What surprised you along the way?
526
:What do you wish you had known
when you were starting over?"
527
:That's catnip to any alum out there.
528
:And then make sure that when you
close that call, you don't just
529
:say, "Hey, have a great life.
530
:Thanks for, thanks for the chat."
531
:You keep the conversation going.
532
:So I'm gonna share my, my golden
question with all of your listeners.
533
:I want you to have the confidence to
say, "Hey, Avery, this has been awesome.
534
:If I could ask you one last question, if
you were back at the University of Utah
535
:today trying to break into ExxonMobil
all over again, knowing what you know,
536
:what would you be doing- Mm … to get
the best shot, um, at this organization?"
537
:And why do you think that works so well,
Avery, based on everything we discussed?
538
:Uh, I mean, people, people love to
be-- Like, people love to talk about
539
:themselves, and then also people love
to, to give advice, um, and say, you
540
:know, help the younger generation.
541
:And I think, I think a lot of the
times when you, when you ask for
542
:advice, you actually kind of end up
getting a referral, 'cause they're
543
:like, "Oh, this is what I would do,
and maybe I'll help you along the way."
544
:Yes.
545
:I cannot tell you the number of times
just by throwing that out there,
546
:they said, "Look, I got referred.
547
:My whole team got referred.
548
:You gotta get a referral.
549
:Oh, by the way, we're hiring right now."
550
:Yeah.
551
:"I get a five thousand
dollar referral bonus.
552
:Send me your resume."
553
:Yeah.
554
:So bottom line, like, I know it's
almost like Inception style, but,
555
:like, give them a chance to lead and
play that mentor role versus, like,
556
:transactionally, like, "Give me a referral
just because I went to your alma mater."
557
:Yeah.
558
:We had a, another recruiter on the
channel, uh, one time kinda talking
559
:about networking, and one thing they said
is if you ask for, uh, a referral, you
560
:end up with advice, and if you end up
for advice, you end up with a referral.
561
:Um, so it's good to hear it coming
from, you know, some-someone like you.
562
:Okay, so we can do these, like, we can
get these, like, warm introductions
563
:from mutual connections and then, you
know, ask for-- be interested in them
564
:and then ask for advice ultimately,
and that can lead to, to good things.
565
:Is there anything else that we can
be doing to, to fight this good fight
566
:against, you know, the applicant tracking
system and the AI slop and the AI volume
567
:that's basically making it impossible
for us, you know, to actually have our
568
:resumes be seen by a hiring manager?
569
:Yeah.
570
:Couple things.
571
:So first of all, know that there
are two kinds of referrals.
572
:The sort of basic one that everyone's
familiar with is someone goes inside
573
:an applicant tracking system, this
is the big sort of like applicant
574
:database that every company has,
and they basically check a box.
575
:So you say, "Avery, um, I recommend you
for this data analyst role at ExxonMobil."
576
:Um, and that's nice.
577
:You know, the recruiter will see
it, the hiring manager could see it,
578
:but it's still just one little box.
579
:The ideal, and this is where it's helpful
to sort of steer that alum or that insider
580
:a little bit, is don't just check a box.
581
:Like, go directly to the recruiter.
582
:Go directly to the hiring manager,
ideally if you know them well,
583
:and, like, make that case, because
that is way more persuasive than,
584
:oh, there's a little extra bonus
point attached to this profile.
585
:So that's the first thing to know, is
there are two flavors of referrals.
586
:One is very robotic, one is more human.
587
:The latter's more powerful.
588
:And then number two, don't be
afraid, as we talked about, to go
589
:directly to the hiring manager.
590
:Like, if you think about what the
recruiter's job is, their job is not
591
:to find the best talent in the world.
592
:Their job is to put a warm body in
that seat as fast as possible so
593
:they can move on to the 39 other
roles that they have to fill.
594
:Versus the hiring manager is the one
person in the organization who actually
595
:has the incentive to find the best
person- Mm … because it's their butt
596
:on the line, their career that's gonna
be yoked to yours for the rest of time.
597
:So that's why if you can actually build
a connection with them versus just the
598
:recruiter, there's a lot more alignment
between what you want and what they want.
599
:This, this is so interesting that you
bring, you bring this up because, um
600
:You know, once again, just going back
to job boards for, for- Yeah … Uh,
601
:and maybe, maybe this is the sign
that it's time to change job boards.
602
:Because, you know, for as long as I've
been an adult, job boards have been
603
:what they are, a list, a directory
of opening job positions that us,
604
:the applicants, can apply for.
605
:It goes to someone for review,
they interview us, we get hired.
606
:But it's…
607
:And, and people spend, you know, hours
scrolling through these job boards and
608
:looking and applying for all these jobs.
609
:But what we're saying, what you're
saying, if I'm understanding correctly,
610
:is that's not super effective.
611
:The more effective thing is
to do this referral thing.
612
:So, like, why, why don't you
think that there's more, like,
613
:software oriented towards this?
614
:Like, why aren't there, like, job
boards that only show the, like,
615
:hiring managers and recruit- Like,
why is the process it is what it is?
616
:All right, this is Avery
coming to you from the future.
617
:I was ending this video and, uh,
I asked this question because I've
618
:been thinking about this previously.
619
:Like, why isn't there more, like,
directories of just recruiters and
620
:hiring managers of people who want
to hire data analysts, who are, like,
621
:literally looking for someone right now?
622
:And so I actually built
it on finddatajob.com,
623
:and I wanted to talk to Jeremy
about that, but I got distracted.
624
:I never had the chance to tell
Jeremy that I actually built it.
625
:Um, and so I want to tell you now.
626
:That's why Avery from the future
is here interrupting this episode
627
:to tell you that it's built.
628
:So let me show you.
629
:So, um, if you go to finddatajob.com,
630
:at the top up here, you'll basically
have something that says recruiters.
631
:If you're listening audio only,
don't worry, you should be able
632
:to do this on your own on your
computer or, or later, whatever.
633
:So you click on recruiters, and
then bam, right here is a list of
634
:55 recruiters and hiring managers
that are literally hiring right now.
635
:And so you can scroll through these,
you know, get their name, their
636
:title, their company, uh, where
they got their degree, and then of
637
:course their, uh, LinkedIn profile.
638
:Um, and there it is,
that purple hiring sign.
639
:So you can literally reach out to
these people, you know, send them
640
:a cold message, send them an email,
um, and you know, give them your
641
:elevator pitch, or maybe better
not give them the elevator pitch.
642
:Give them…
643
:Ask for advice, right?
644
:'Cause we're, we're learning that when
we ask for advice or we connect with
645
:them emotionally and humanly first, we
actually get more results in the end.
646
:And, uh, this is actually part of
Premium Data Jobs, um, which is the
647
:premium version of finddatajob.com.
648
:So on, on Premium Data Jobs we've always
had these premium jobs right here.
649
:We have 121 right now posted.
650
:And these jobs, for instance,
like let's just do this entry
651
:level data analyst role at Aflac.
652
:This was posted a day ago and, uh,
has a pretty l- uh, friendly score.
653
:You got three out of 10, uh, on
our, uh, guess on how senior it is.
654
:Um, it does require a decent
amount of skills here.
655
:But anyways, if you click on contact
hiring team, that's literally gonna take
656
:you to a LinkedIn post where, you know,
some sort of person said they were hiring.
657
:In this case, uh, looks like this
post got pretty popular, 231.
658
:Um, but typically we try to find jobs
that don't have very many comments
659
:on them, so you can leave like a
really mean- meaningful comment.
660
:And I mean, like, you can definitely
outdo a lot of these comments here
661
:and send a little bit better of a cold
message, um, than these people have.
662
:And you can also, of course, you know,
click on this person's profile and send
663
:them a cold message, uh, here on LinkedIn.
664
:So if you're kind of enjoying this
type of style of job hunting, um, then
665
:you need to check out findadatjob.com
666
:because we're doing good things.
667
:All right, back to the episode.
668
:Jeremy, you know, why aren't
there more recruiter directories
669
:like the one on findadatjob.com?
670
:Yeah.
671
:I think the fundamental, uh,
problem is Economics 101, right?
672
:Think about what we know about
how marketplaces work, where as
673
:soon as someone increases the
price, it drives down demand.
674
:As someone is-- As soon as someone
increases the supply, it drives down
675
:the price, et cetera, et cetera.
676
:There's a equal and opposite reaction.
677
:Well, from the minute that monster.com
678
:turned on in 1995 or whenever it launched
and the first online job board was
679
:born, all of a sudden the amount of
applicants just completely exploded.
680
:And so then it went from
let's have monster.com
681
:to linkedin.com.
682
:Maybe recruiters can go
out there and find people.
683
:Well, now LinkedIn has one
point three billion profiles.
684
:And so as a result, every signal kind
of gets ruined or maxed out by that
685
:perfect competition over time, which
is why I think we're coming back
686
:to some of these natural signals.
687
:When you are reaching out to me as
the hiring manager or reaching out to
688
:me as a referrer, it's not just about
the actual conversation, it's about
689
:what that conversation says about you.
690
:Mm.
691
:Out of 1,000 people who wanted
this job, you were the only
692
:one who had the cleverness, the
guts, the drive to actually reach
693
:out and do something different.
694
:If I want the one data analyst who's
gonna think differently about this role
695
:versus being a cog in the machine, you've
just walked the talk when everyone else
696
:has only talked it Such a good point.
697
:Um, we just, uh, posted a role that
we're hiring, uh, a salesperson to
698
:do some of our sales calls for our
boot camp, and we wanted to hire
699
:internally from our boot camp, so I
posted it in our boot camp community.
700
:I think we had 10 people interested.
701
:Um, and I said, you know, "Comment 'me'
if you're interested on this page."
702
:So 10 people commented me.
703
:You know, out of those 10 people,
great, I like all 10 of them.
704
:They're good candidates.
705
:One of them sent me an email,
"Hey, I know, like, you haven't
706
:told me how to apply yet.
707
:You haven't given me any other
instructions, but I just wanna t- I
708
:already wanna tell you about myself
and why I'm a good fit for this role."
709
:And if, if nothing else, like, h-
his name's at the top of my mind now
710
:'cause it's like he's the only one
that stood out out of those 10 names.
711
:Um, and literally, in this case, you know,
maybe they were waiting for instructions,
712
:but all of them had my email.
713
:All of them had the chance to do it.
714
:Um, but yeah.
715
:It's just like, that's just…
716
:You're right.
717
:That doesn't even matter what he
said, it's just the fact that he
718
:took initiative and said something.
719
:That actually says maybe more
than any message could say.
720
:Yeah.
721
:I think that's the important thing
here is like I know when people think
722
:about this stuff at a theoretical
level, they get exhausted, right?
723
:No one likes job searching.
724
:It's ego destructive.
725
:It wears you down in all
these different ways.
726
:And yet if you sort of like
pull out all the feelings, all
727
:the emotion from it, we're not
talking about massive investments
728
:of time or energy or creativity.
729
:Just the little spark compared
to the average person is
730
:enough to put you out there.
731
:So hopefully, we can lower the temperature
on that and say, "Hey, how do you step
732
:one step further than everyone else?"
733
:And man, Jeremy, you're firing me
up here 'cause now, now I'm excited.
734
:Now I'm, now I'm like- … how
do we tell people this?
735
:How do we, how do we make it more fun?
736
:Because I think that's what it is.
737
:I think it's like going back to the
dopamine earlier, like if I have
738
:Claude CoWork go out there and apply
for 100 jobs for me, that feels good.
739
:That feels like I did something today.
740
:I did something cool.
741
:I did something neat.
742
:And if I went out there and I sent,
you know, let, let's even say 10
743
:cold messages, you know, to…
744
:I mean, we'll call them warm messages,
'cause maybe we're messaging people
745
:we're already connected with.
746
:Let's just say none of them reply.
747
:Like, that doesn't feel good.
748
:But, but the…
749
:And I, let's say I spent the same
amount of time on each- The networking
750
:one, even though it doesn't feel
good, is actually valued more,
751
:but it, but it doesn't feel good.
752
:So how do we convince people to do that?
753
:I don't know.
754
:Yeah.
755
:I mean, how do we change
our species, right?
756
:Like, how do we go from a species that's
like, "We're gonna live today and burn
757
:down this planet if we have to," to like,
"We're gonna build a sustainable society
758
:that lasts forever because we're thinking,
like, 10 generations into the future"?
759
:And I don't know the answer to that,
but I do know that here's another
760
:psychological concept I really like.
761
:It's this idea of locus of control.
762
:Have you heard of it?
763
:Uh, I've heard of it, but
I don't know what it is.
764
:Okay.
765
:So basically, external locus of
control is how most people operate.
766
:You look around at the headlines, 'cause
we're so saturated them, in them today,
767
:and you're like, "The job market sucks.
768
:AI's taking all the jobs.
769
:You know, geopolitics is crazy," whatever,
and you're like, "Oh, I'm screwed."
770
:Especially if you're Gen
Z, you're doubly screwed.
771
:And you're like, "Okay, now I'm stuck.
772
:I can't do anything about that."
773
:But then there's a handful of people when
times get tough, whether it's the Great
774
:Depression or the Great Recession or
even this moment, who are like, "I can't
775
:control any of that stuff that's swirling
around, but I can send that email today.
776
:I can reach out to that person today."
777
:And if you can just sort of focus on,
here is the one little thing that I
778
:can control in my life to take control
of my destiny in a way that no one
779
:else is doing, then I think that
you focused on the most realizable,
780
:most magical part of our ability as
humans, which is we do have free will.
781
:We do have the ability to make
these choices, and that's the choice
782
:that I want your listeners to take.
783
:Yeah.
784
:That's, that's a, that's a hard
thing where it's like, okay, we
785
:can't control the results, but I
can control the actions I take.
786
:And so instead of measuring, you
know, the results, my new result is
787
:just going to be how many efforts,
how many actions I put in today.
788
:Uh, and I just trust that the results
will take care of themself if I stay
789
:consistent in taking these actions.
790
:And I, I guess I would just tack on that
if you don't trust, you know, the, the
791
:stat that Jerry brought up earlier about,
you know, you're 20 times more likely to
792
:land a job- Yeah, yeah … when referred.
793
:Let's say you don't trust it.
794
:Let's say you don't trust me.
795
:Maybe you can just, like, instead
of just applying to 100 jobs, maybe
796
:you just apply to 80, and then
you send two, you know, messages.
797
:Like, maybe it's not like-
Yes … you just send 10 messages
798
:and you don't apply to any jobs.
799
:Like, maybe you can
gradually work your way in.
800
:Does that, does that kind
of sound fair to you?
801
:I love that.
802
:It's kind of like a
balanced portfolio, right?
803
:Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
804
:Spread them around.
805
:Okay.
806
:So we've talked about, like, how AI
basically is flooding the applicant
807
:tracking systems, how everyone has the
same looking, the same sounding resumes
808
:'cause they're all using ChatGPT that's
trained on all the same data to write
809
:the same bullet points, and we're
not making fun of hiring managers.
810
:So we can kind of like network
our way in essentially and try
811
:to get these, these referrals.
812
:Um, is there anything
that, like, AI is good for?
813
:Like, is AI useless in the job search?
814
:Yes.
815
:Well, let's just start
at the very beginning.
816
:I find that a lot of folks, and I
understand it if you're unemployed
817
:right now, and you're like, "I need a
job yesterday," you don't have time to
818
:fool around with career exploration and
finding your path and all that good stuff.
819
:But even if you're time-pressed, I think
everyone now using AI could do a very
820
:simple exercise to make sure they're
actually aiming in the right direction.
821
:Like, how frustrating would it be to spend
all this time applying and networking
822
:just to land a job that you hate?
823
:Mm.
824
:And if you want to prevent
that, this is where AI comes in.
825
:You can go to AI and lim- simply say,
"Hey, I want you to take everything
826
:that you know about me in terms of my
strengths, everything that you know
827
:about me in terms of my passions, and
I want you to figure out the 10 job
828
:titles that are a perfect fit for who
I am and what the world needs from me."
829
:This is a Japanese concept called ikigai.
830
:And because AI's trained on every job
that's ever existed, not just consulting,
831
:not just data analytics, it can say,
"Hey, you might think that you should
832
:be a data scientist, but actually,
maybe you should be doing BI in the
833
:healthcare space because that would be
a way better fit for all these reasons."
834
:And I think if people spent even 10
minutes at that initial step before they
835
:started applying willy-nilly, not only are
they gonna get better results in terms of
836
:the applications 'cause they are a better
fit, but they're gonna be way happier
837
:down the road, which is the whole point of
applying for the job in the first place.
838
:Mm.
839
:Okay.
840
:So AI can help us, you know, try
to figure out what ac- what job
841
:we actually are interested in.
842
:Um- Mm-hmm … what about,
like, what about, like, cover
843
:letters or- Uh, resume bullets.
844
:What do you think about those?
845
:Yeah, for sure.
846
:So just to be clear, I'm not
saying throw the baby out with the
847
:bathwater, but the reality is, is
that AI is sort of this thin red line
848
:that you have to be careful about.
849
:So if you went to ChatGPT or Claude
or Perplexity or whatever and said,
850
:"Here's the job description that
I want, here's my current resume.
851
:Which important keywords am I missing?"
852
:It'll be really good
at that level analysis.
853
:That's essentially what an ATS does.
854
:However, where people cross that red line
is they say, "Great, now give me credit
855
:for all of those skills in my experience
bullet points so I can apply immediately."
856
:And then someday they're sitting
in front of their future boss, and
857
:the boss says, "Hey, tell me about
this amazing thing that you did."
858
:And the only problem is they never did
it- Mm … because AI hallucinated it.
859
:So again, I think it's totally fine to
use AI for the research and the analysis,
860
:but if AI is telling our story without
our input, now we've got a big problem.
861
:Mm.
862
:Okay.
863
:Um, and what about, like,
in the education space?
864
:'Cause y- you worked in the
education space with AI.
865
:Do you feel like AI makes a good tutor?
866
:When, when does it do good things,
and when does it do bad things?
867
:Yeah, and again, it's one of these
things where we have to kind of like
868
:bind ourselves to the mast, Odysseus
style, uh, to quote, um, someone who's
869
:in the theaters these days, where
basically we say, if we're gonna use
870
:AI to learn or to develop skills, we
gotta give it very clear instructions.
871
:We gotta say, "Hey, don't
just give me the answer.
872
:Don't just rush to the output.
873
:Help me walk through the process."
874
:And a lot of the tools have
these study modes built in.
875
:Gemini's got it.
876
:Uh, GPT's got it.
877
:I think Claude may have it now, where
basically we'll never give you the answer.
878
:It'll just keep coming back to you
with questions, Socratic style.
879
:But again, I think we have to resist that
temptation of the easy button, the instant
880
:gratification- Mm … if we really wanna
have a true tutorial-type experience.
881
:I, I mean, it goes back to what we
were talking about earlier in the
882
:episode, where it's like AI's decent
at like 66% of what task you give it.
883
:Um, and also depending on the prompt
and the data you give it as well,
884
:like those things can increase.
885
:Yeah, it's, it's really hard.
886
:I'm in a weird place with AI where
it's like, oh, no matter what I
887
:have you do, you do an okay job.
888
:And, and oftentimes that's like
a great starting place where it's
889
:like, okay, I'll take over manually,
and I didn't have to do like the
890
:first half of this project, great.
891
:Um, and other times it's like, man,
I spent so much time writing this
892
:prompt and giving all this data,
and you just kinda sucked at this,
893
:that I've spent all this time.
894
:You know, I'm not getting any
results from what you're telling me.
895
:It's like I sh- should've probably
just done this on my own or
896
:with a human, uh, a human there.
897
:And I, I guess that's kind of what
you're saying is like- Yeah … AI can
898
:be useful, but also like keep humans
in the loop and just know it can
899
:make mistakes, it can l- hallucinate.
900
:So take a hybrid approach where it's like
helping you along the path, but maybe
901
:not, you're not riding it as the vehicle.
902
:Yes.
903
:I'm gonna give you a little analogy here.
904
:Um, I think that in some ways AI reminds
me a little bit of a British accent.
905
:I don't know if you're like me, A-
Avery, as a typical American, but
906
:when I hear someone t- speak to me in
a posh British accent, I immediately
907
:give them like 20 extra IQ points.
908
:Yeah.
909
:Wow, they're so brilliant.
910
:Yes.
911
:And in fact, when you stop and actually
like think about what they just said,
912
:you're like, "No, that's totally
dumb," but it just sounded so good.
913
:I think AI's the same, right?
914
:Because it writes in correct sentences,
because it can be opinionated
915
:sometimes, you're like, "I'm not
talking to an intern, I'm talking
916
:to, you know, a boss, a CEO here."
917
:But it makes those intern-level
mistakes even with that posh accent.
918
:Love that analogy.
919
:Stealing that analogy.
920
:100% agree.
921
:I … Anyone who has a British accent,
I trust them- … 20% more, like
922
:20% smarter, like- It's some weird,
like, colonial holdover, right?
923
:We're like totally in thrall.
924
:That, that's so funny.
925
:And it's funny 'cause I lived, I lived
in Europe for, for over two years.
926
:Ah.
927
:And, uh, they love American accents
'cause they learn British English in
928
:school, and they're always like, "Oh,
you sound like you're from the movies."
929
:So it's just so funny.
930
:They like American accents, we
like British accents, I guess.
931
:Um- Grass is greener.
932
:Yes.
933
:Okay.
934
:That's amazing.
935
:Um, okay, Jeremy, riddle me this.
936
:You know, we talked about networking,
but outside of networking, if you
937
:were to talk to a job seeker right
now in this AI-flooded world with
938
:all these different applicants, what
is the one piece of advice you'd
939
:give them on how they could land a
job quicker than they are right now?
940
:Yeah, absolutely.
941
:I think the number one thing
is that you have to be focused.
942
:Um, again, I know that there's this
mythical math equation that's running
943
:in the back of our minds where we
say, "Yeah, we know that our chance
944
:of landing any job online is like .01%
945
:these days, but if we just apply to 1,000
jobs, we'll get that one job, right?"
946
:I think what we don't appreciate
is that if we're just applying
947
:for random jobs in a completely
mechanical way, it's not really .01%,
948
:it's 0% period.
949
:Because again, especially in a labor
market as tough as this one, companies
950
:are always gonna have their pick
of really qualified driven people.
951
:And so you're fooling yourself if
you believe, "I just need to have
952
:enough lottery ticks and I'll--
tickets and I'll win the lottery."
953
:And so my number one rule is, hey, play
fewer games, get into fewer of these
954
:application matches, but have a winning
rate of 1% or even 10%, and now the
955
:quality piece is gonna carry you so much
further than the quantity piece ever did.
956
:And again, I know that's hard
'cause it takes time, it takes
957
:a little self-reflection, but
that's the overarching rule.
958
:It's fundamental mathematics
at the end of the day.
959
:And so even if you hate relationships,
if you're an introvert the, like
960
:way that I am, think about it like,
"Hey, I just need to give myself
961
:reasonable odds and this will work out
quicker than applying at a 0% rate."
962
:I, I love it.
963
:It's, don't buy a, a bajillion
lottery tickets, buy the most likely
964
:to be winning lottery tickets.
965
:Yes.
966
:Uh, I love that, Jeremy.
967
:If you guys enjoyed this episode with
Jeremy, we'll have his LinkedIn and his,
968
:uh, website in the show notes down below.
969
:Jeremy is an awesome follow on LinkedIn.
970
:He has his own podcast, and he's
written, what, three, five books?
971
:How many books have you written
about landing a data job?
972
:Or not landing a data job, landing
a job in, in today's market.
973
:Yeah, too many.
974
:But don't worry about
reading all the books.
975
:Just get out there, start
connecting with folks.
976
:That's what I want for
anyone listening right now.
977
:Hey, that's perfect, Jeremy.
978
:So if you guys wanna connect with Jeremy,
look at the show notes down below.
979
:Jeremy, thanks so much for coming
on the Data Career Podcast.
980
:Thanks for all you're doing, Avery.
981
:Good luck to everyone.
