Helping Startups Achieve Product Excellence | Proven Product Management Leader | Specializing in Product Market Fit, User Retention, + GTM Strategies
So I’ve had a very interesting week… I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it. As of this writing, my post about a rejection letter from last week has reached 535,352 unique impressions, 3,879 reactions, and 108 reposts. I am absolutely flabbergasted and deeply grateful for all of this. (And also a little bit exhausted from trying to keep up with all the conversations in the comments!) Funny enough, just as this post started taking off, I was on a call with some colleagues in the software development space that my former boss and mentor Jeremy Tillman put together. We spent most of the call talking about our current experiences in this rough market. Long story short... it’s VERY rough out there in the tech space. Adaptable people with most of the necessary skills, who can quickly learn what they don't know, are now easily brushed aside. I don’t blame hiring teams for this. When you have a pool of 1000+ applicants, you can be very, very, very selective. You can find 5-10 people that match your criteria exactly. So while I’m flying a bit high right now with all this attention, I’m going to follow the example set by the GREAT social media voices on here that I admire: Stick to my mission. I came to LinkedIn to help early-stage startups find their place in the world. By offering insights, experiences, and any motivational and directional tidbits that can help them build amazing products. So for those who are new to me or have been following along... after my conversation earlier this week, here’s the ‘tip’: 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. While this advice isn’t specifically for existing startups, let’s widen the pool. If you’ve been on the fence about starting your own business, now is the best time. Seed money still appears to be flowing. While I understand that not everyone has much flexibility and still needs to get paid, plenty of local communities offer grants or accelerator programs. It doesn’t hurt to look into it. And if you need some guidance and inspiration, 𝘙𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson is a favorite book of mine. I know this is a bit cliché, especially on LinkedIn, but build your own destiny! And if you need help with ideas and products along the way, let’s connect. I’m more than happy to have conversations, give thoughts, advice, direction, or just listen if that’s what you need.
I think so many of us in the market really connected with the original post because it reminded us all that there's ways to be just a bit kinder to people who you aren't selecting. I also think you nailed one of the current issues; for most of the past decade, adaptability was a key when finding new roles: what can you learn and how quickly can you learn it. Now all of us lifetime learners are struggling to find our place in an increasingly specialized market. How does going viral feel? Did Good Morning, America call you yet? 😁
Helping Startups Achieve Product Excellence | Proven Product Management Leader | Specializing in Product Market Fit, User Retention, + GTM Strategies
1moHere's the original post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/melissakbashur_jobsearch-recruitment-jobhunting-activity-7207065547765596162--O89?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Here's the book: https://www.amazon.com/Rework-Jason-Fried/dp/0307463745/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?