Vivian Sanders

Riffed with a friend today about hiring part-time vs full-time for a marketing role. My take - If the position is ongoing (no set end in mind) and will likely be ~30 hours per week, it makes more sense to hire a full-time person over a part-time contractor. Why? 1. The premium you pay for a part-time employee or contract makes up the cost difference. 2. The full-time candidate pool is much larger - you'll have an easier time finding a quality candidate. 3. Regulation makes hiring contractors for ongoing work assignments risky (that's why staffing companies exist). You might be accidentally playing a gray zone, and you're one upset employee away from a lawsuit with labor regulators.

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"Mo Headcount, Mo Problems" - Are layoffs just part of scaling-up? 🏁 Start a business. 🚀 Sell the product. 📈 Sell more. 🧑‍💼 Hire in people. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Hire some more. Then... crickets... 📉 Layoffs. Repeat! Notorious, right? It's a common story - we sell more, we need to hire more to make it - a classic case of linear growth and short-term problem solving. How have you overcome the hurdles of hiring too fast? What metrics and measures do you observe, to know if you can support a new hire? #Design #DesignManagement #HR #Hiring #WASSAA

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The announcement of the recent Intuit layoffs—and in general, the new trend of frequent layoffs and annual reorgs—is pretty darn disturbing. 1,050 out of the 1,800 employees laid off were described as "not meeting expectations." When over half of the affected individuals are labeled as underperforming, it calls into serious question the adequacy of leadership and the level of support provided by the organization. To the leaders out there: - 🚫 Stop the cycle: Regular reorgs and layoffs aren't just business decisions; they're signals of deeper issues. Are you solving the right problems? - 🤔 Self-assessment: Look in the mirror—could the real issue be leadership itself? - 🌱 Foster growth, not fear: True leadership is about nurturing talent, not cutting it loose at the first sign of financial pressure. Invest in your people’s growth and development. Build trust. Build loyalty. - 🔄 Look for alternatives: Before resorting to layoffs/reorgs, explore all other options like restructuring tasks, adjust performance goals to be realistic and achievable under current conditions, and implement a learning and development plan to upskill your workforce. To my network: if you've been laid off, please reach out if I can help connect you with a hiring manager or job, or if you want to chat. Wanted to share the attached post - has great insights and is a gentle reminder to always put yourself first and not define yourself by a job because "Capitalism thrives when people doubt themselves; it’s how companies get away with withholding raises, delaying promotions, and implementing layoffs while the C-Suite continues making six, seven, or eight figures. I know it’s hard, but please, for your own mental health, don’t fall into capitalism’s bear traps. Seek support from loved ones. Move your body. Take breaks from talking about it. Set time blocks for the search. Pump yourself up, even if you have to fake it for a while. You are so much more than a piece in the machine." #Leadership #CareerSupport #Layoffs #MentalHealth #Networking

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Hey folx, I know the job hunt feels like a never-ending rollercoaster. It's tough out there, and I get it. But here's a friendly nudge from someone who's been in those shoes (for the last 6 months): as Friday rolls around, consider signing off your computer and giving yourself a well-deserved break this weekend. Your job search will still be there on Monday, I promise. Here are ten ways to kick back and relax: 🌟 Go for a nature walk - Fresh air does wonders for the soul. 🌟 Catch up on your favorite TV show - Lose yourself in a good storyline. 🌟 Try a new recipe - Cooking can be therapeutic and delicious. 🌟 Read a book - Let your imagination wander. 🌟 Exercise - Whether it's yoga, a run, or lifting weights, get those endorphins flowing. 🌟 Have a virtual hangout - Connect with friends or family you haven't seen in a while. 🌟 Take a long bath - Treat yourself to some self-care. 🌟 Listen to music - Create a playlist that lifts your spirits. 🌟 Practice mindfulness or meditation - Center yourself and reduce stress. 🌟 Do something creative - Paint, write, craft - let your creativity shine. Remember, your mental health matters. Taking time to recharge doesn't mean you're slacking off; it means you're investing in yourself. Come Monday, tackle your job search with renewed energy, determination, and pride. You've got skills and strengths that are valuable, and the right opportunity is out there waiting for you. Believe in yourself. Every rejection is a redirection to something better suited for you. Keep pushing forward, stay positive, and take care of yourself along the way. You are important, and good things are coming your way. #JobSearch #JobSeekers #Jobs #Hiring #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #Motivation #SelfCare #TakeCareOfYou

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Comp leaders - is your equity program working? How about beyond year 4? Charlie's latest newsletter highlights the hidden factors at play in common equity programs. How do we make it a win-win?

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👣 Discovery calls are the bane of my existence, especially over Zoom. They leave my energy on E. But I'm determined to do 1 of 2 things: 1) drastically reduce the amount or 2) eliminate them altogether (and I'm sharing this on a platform I'm sure everyone clocks out of after 5 on a Friday—so I'm dead serious about this.) 😅 I'm going to build an AI chatbot that handles lead generation. Problem is, I've never built one before. But, I'mma try! I'll post updates from time-to-time in the comments. Let's see if I can make this happen. 👣 = I'm building something out loud. This post will be a living document of this process. Feel free to come back and see my progress.

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It would be seemingly impossible for me to recommend a UX researcher more highly than Kai. Kai is an exceptional teammate, and he brings so much more to an organization than his brilliant ability to inject the customer's voice and feedback into the work. Reach out if you’d like an introduction to Kai; I guarantee his talent and ability to build culture will knock your socks off. Kai Smith // #opentowork #uxr #userresearch

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It would sure be helpful if more companies adopted this approach.

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Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more people getting laid off. Trish Kenlon has some great advice for friends and work colleagues on how to support people. The first and most important thing we can do is be empathetic. Not surprising, it is the first thing we start with in the Design your Climate Career program that we co-created with Trish Kenlon. Our goal is to support you in your transition, pivot or job search. Reach out if we can help. #careersearch #climatecareers #layoffs #networking #support

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I have conversations with folks every week who state they "want to get into tech". The options for that are about half of where they were just 2 years ago. Rather than "getting into tech", I try to counsel candidates to start their own thing! Do they hold relationships that would benefit from consulting? Is there a unique skill that they are good at and can monetize? Recent conversations I've had have encouraged a whiz at resumes to start her own Career Coaching business, and a financial diva to create her own brand. Let's re-write the narrative!

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🚨 Founders, I hate to throw another thing on your plate, but there's a new required government filing that might be costing you $500 / day. Luckily, it's simple to do. Here's everything you need to know. First, what is this? The Corporate Transparency Act now requires companies to continuously report beneficial ownership information (BOI) to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s FinCEN. Deadlines: - Incorporated in 2024? You need to file it within 90 days of incorporation. - Incorporated in 2023 or earlier? Need to file by Jan 1, 2025. I recommend just doing it asap and getting it over with. Consequences if you don't: Fines up to $500/day and criminal penalties, including imprisonment. Here's how to do it. File it on "fincen dot gov" (don’t forget to update it as info/addresses change) Or, DM me and let Central do it for free.

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[Part 7] Networking & Job Hunt Reaching out to a stranger is hard. Especially asking for help or support on day one is harder. I personally struggle with cold DMs often. When I have nothing to ask, I don’t know what to write. I feel so awkward. So my reach out dwindles. I empathise 💯 if you struggle with networking. A decade ago I understood dominance hierarchy as a concept and that clarified reach outs for me. I don’t struggle anymore. Strategy for giving is different from strategy for getting. For both we need reach outs. Connecting dots backward, the more I give, the more I get. It is easier to reach out to give than to get. In a nut shell, when we add value the principle of reciprocity kicks in and it makes the bond stronger. So what does this mean for job seekers and hiring managers, a perspective based on lived experiences and observations : - The typical scenario is you are looking out and hence reaching out. On the hiring managers side, too many folks who are looking out also reach out. If they have an open role, they have something to respond. When they don’t have an open role, they either respond with blanket answers or silence 🤐. This doesn’t mean the hiring manager does not want to be connected, it is just that they have nothing to respond with. Things get worse when you are an approachable hiring manager, job seekers open up and discuss how badly they want the job or how hard it is to crack etc. The issue is, they get too many DMs in certain seasons (especially recessions) in the same genre. Again they don’t know what to respond with and it feels like ghosting. I am guilty to this. I am sure I have 500+ DMs I have not responded back with a solid response. - Know that when a hiring manager or the design org has open positions to fill, they are super vigilant and super active. The intent is to attract the right fit and build an A team. In those times, apply on the link directly as there is a village on the other side looking at the applications. Don’t send your resumes in DMs. They will be lost. - Most hiring managers are silent in social media especially LinkedIn. But they do check in often. They keep an eye on upcoming designers, interesting case studies and more. Inbound recruiting is passive where as outbound hiring is active. When there are open positions, the recruitment team slides into your DMs and asks for more information because you have been in the radar for a long time. In other words, the hiring team reaches out to you. It is interesting how candidates respond to the DMs 😉 I must say it is a fabulous opportunity to keep in touch with the recruitment team. Don’t miss it. A lot of candidates don’t make the best use of it. In summary, keep in touch with the hiring team even when you are not looking out. Reach out is a long term strategy. It is not about short term hiring seasons. Use it wisely. You don’t know who will work in which org when 😉 #mynotes #hiring #design

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Syelo invests exclusively in early stage companies building recruiting software (not to be confused for HR tooling). Every company we have reviewed is building for internal recruiting teams never external. Why? With respect, the complexities, nuances, strategy, and day-to-day tasks are entirely different from one another. An internal teams core value is to systematize and uphold processes that scale. An external team is focused on filling head count. Recruiting Agencies have a TAM of $47b. Recruiting Software has a TAM of $300m. So why are so many founders hyper fixated on building software for companies? Pain. It is a lot harder to sell to agencies. A recruiting agency needs very little software/tooling to be effective and what currently exists works. They also have really tough margins (at scale) so convincing them that a product will 10x their output needs to be clear and effective. Businesses building recruiting departments have a variety of needs and nuances that complicates standardized processes so niche products/solutions find a fit in an already saturated market. In our humble opinion if you are looking to build a next generation company in the TA space you should be building for external recruiters first and foremost.

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I’ve been fully remote since 2013, as have many of my peers and colleagues in the tech industry. The RTO mandates need to be swapped out for the kind of adaptability we saw happen in 2020, when companies didn’t have a choice, and forced people to “figure it out” while continuing to work. Now it’s YOUR turn to “figure it out,” and let me tell ya, this ain’t it. You are actively alienating your top performers over nonsense and indirect local influence; perhaps even industry peer pressure and a unique version of C-suite “keepin’ up with the Jones’” by continuing to displace and uproot your workforce. You did it in 2020 by completely changing their way of life, and now you’re doing it again before we’ve even had a chance to exhale from the finale of the first one and figure how to take our LIVES back to where they were before COVID, much less our WORK life/routine. I know you have bills. I know you have office space that’s empty. I know you have insecurity issues from middle managers who think their employees are sitting around online shopping and playing video games all day while doing no work. (Hint: those people screw off in the office too) Regardless, instead of continuing to force-feed your bellcows into uncomfortable situations over and over, maybe take a step back and determine how you could enrich their lives with the hand you’ve been dealt. That’s exactly what we had to do in 2020. Figure it out.

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It’s your first day at a new company, with a salary you had only ever dreamed of. A fresh start, exciting opportunities...and a tiny voice in your head whispering, "You don't belong here. They made a mistake hiring you." Yep, that's IMPOSTER SYNDROME! The sneaky feeling that likes to show up just when you're trying to prove yourself. But you are not alone on this. It's a common feeling, especially when starting a new job. You're surrounded by unfamiliar faces, bombarded with new information, and the pressure to perform can feel like an unending heartburn. Here's the thing: everyone experiences imposter syndrome at some point. Even the most successful people have those moments of self-doubt. But how do we silence the feeling and thrive? 1. Reframe Your Thinking: Instead of dwelling on the "what ifs," focus on the "what is." Ignore the possibilities of failure and focus on the joy of success. You were hired for a reason – you have the skills and experience they need. You went through the interview (as in most cases) and you passed. 2. Get clarity on expectations: Ensure you know what success means to your manager and/or to the organization. 3. Celebrate Small Wins: Don't wait for the big promotion to feel accomplished. Acknowledge and celebrate every milestone, and every new task completed. 4. Find Your Tribe: Connect with supportive colleagues who can offer encouragement and share their own experiences. 5. Focus on Learning: Embrace the opportunity to learn from your new colleagues and grow your skillset. Ask questions, be curious, and embrace challenges as learning opportunities. 6. Fake it Till You Make It: (Okay, not literally faking it!) Project confidence even if you don't feel it entirely. Stand tall, speak clearly, and believe in yourself. Confidence can be contagious, and soon you'll start to feel it too. Remember, imposter syndrome is a temporary feeling, not a reflection of your abilities. By acknowledging it, reframing your thinking, and focusing on learning and growth, you can silence the feeling and shine brightly in your new role. Have you ever battled imposter syndrome? Share your tips for conquering the feeling in the comments! #promiseekewuba #marketingtips #ImposterSyndrome #NewJob #CareerGoals

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I think Parker Conrad of Rippling is an all time great product builder and visionary. But I think he was dead wrong last week when he said "I don't think anyone wants to chat with their HR software". We use Rippling at Optech, and when I needed to pull copies of employment agreements for due diligence, I really wanted to just tell support "find and send me copies of our employment agreements". Instead I spent an hour trying to navigate a thicket of slow and complex UIs. The promise of AI in customer support extends beyond resolving the questions your customers have today. It doesn't matter if you make something self serve in your product *in theory*: if customers don't need to use it often, they're not going to find it buried in your menus, and they're going to contact support anyway. When they do ask support, they don't want an explainer of where to self serve it, they just want the solution. That's where Optech's customers are already going: when AI makes support powerful, scalable and chaper, then we can use it to help customers the way they want to be helped, instead of sending them into UI mazes. We're excited to talk to more forward-thinking support and product teams who want to see how conversational AI can supercharge product value as well as supercharging support.

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Hot take: Hiring people through referrals is one of the WORST ways to hire. The reality is that there will be someone out there who will say something good about anyone. In the past I would go to a few folks I trust, sort through referrals, and hire someone through that group. This led me quite unsatisfied and disappointed and also wasted the candidates time. Unless you understand the barometer of excellence in an individual, hiring them off of someones word may leave you dissatisfied. The only situation that I will go with a referral is if someone I trust is referring someone, I know they have a bar of excellence AND a deep understanding of what excellence looks like in a function I take the referral seriously. The best ways to determine if someone is an A player is by answering these questions: - Do they have a consistent pattern of excellence - from college, moving to different roles, and pursue excellence in their role and at their next role? - Do they say they are going to do something and then do it (action vs words)? - Do they have a high EQ? - Are they coachable and take feedback positively? - Are they confident yet humble? And even THEN, the absolute way is by giving them a project, see them live out the qualities above. Hiring is being in the relationship business, for hopefully years to come through multiple new businesses! You owe it to yourself and the person you are hiring to make sure this sticks!

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