Career Investors

One of the central themes of the Steadfast Spirit is proper self-management. Ultimately success will be based around your ability to build networks, but without proper self-management those relationships never grow, or worse can become destructive. Below is one of the several types of relationships you will need to develop and lean upon.

Career Investors: Career investors are people who have a personal and sometimes professional stake in your career. They feel like they have become a part of your career and feel invested. Career investors often are original contacts/connections. Building contacts/connections can become like a snowball. Person A introduces you to person B who introduces you to person C and so on. A great way to create career investors is to update person A and/or B on your snowball. For example, I met a young guy from Arkansas named Mark. Turns out I knew Mark’s older brother, and we had a lot in common. I introduced Mark to one person. That person introduced him to another and the snowball grew. Each time he met someone new he told me about it and asked me questions. When he met with their contacts/connections he always asked me if I knew them. Suddenly I was communicating with him regularly and giving him advice, I felt very invested. It was not surprising that quickly Mark was meeting people whom I also knew which further deepened our connection. Now if there is any type of position or opportunity I hear about I text him right away because I feel really invested in Mark’s career. Another reason I feel invested in Mark is because I was able to land him an interview that did not work out. My company jerked him around and ended up not hiring anyone. Mark showed the Steadfast Spirit and was overly appreciative despite the bad situation, never pouting to me. This made me feel further invested because I felt bad the opportunity had not worked out, and I still want to make it up to him.

Recently, Jake, a friend of a former intern from my campaign work, contacted me asking for advice. He had a great resume so we were able to quickly move past that and start talking about his career aspirations (see what a good resume can do?). He wasn’t yet sure what those aspirations were, but after talking to me and some other people I connected him with, he decided he wanted to work on a political campaign. Within two weeks he had three interviews and offers from political campaigns all of which came from my recommendations and leads. Jake wasn’t sure what to do because his top pick was dragging their feet and after strategizing with me he was able to get a firm start date from his top choice. In the short term and on the surface this was a great success for Jake, but sadly he missed the opportunity to convert me into a career investor. Sure, I’m still a recommendation, but I could have been both. I had become really invested in him finding a job and was ecstatic when my connections and advice had paid off. Jake lost me as a long-term career investor because three months later I had not heard from him at all. I do not even know if he is still on the campaign I helped him join.

The right thing would have been to let me know he had moved and was settled in to the new job. Then ask me questions or give me updates every 4-6 weeks. It is becoming apparent if I ever hear from him again it will be after the campaign and he needs another job, at which point I won’t really feel invested in him.

A great way to flip a contact/connection into an investor is when you are offered a position. Whether you are unsure about the job or it is a great position and there is no way you won’t accept the job it does not matter. Reach out to the right contacts/connections and get their input and ask, “do you think I should take the job?” Once they say yes you have created their investment. You can update them periodically and thank them for the ‘great advice to take the position.’ Follow Mark’s example by creating the investment opportunities for the investors.

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