Career Code

Must-Know Rules for a Strategic, Stylish, and Self-Made Career

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• Publisher: Abrams Image
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781419718021
• eBook ISBN:
  9781613128237
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

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We’ll be the first to admit it: Finding a job, whether you’re starting your career or transitioning from one field to another—is unquestionably among the most daunting, time-consuming, and stressful of undertakings. It’s up there with death, taxes, and buying a home: anxiety-inducing on every level. There are so many aspects to consider! Figuring out what you want to do, finding the right job to apply for, crafting the perfect cover letter and résumé, not to mention all the pressure that comes with getting an actual interview: It’s enough to paralyze anyone with fear, which is exactly why we’re here to help.

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First Things First: Figure Out What You Love

There is so much to consider when you’re trying to figure out what career field you should pursue, but one of the easiest ways to get started is to simply think about what you love to do, and then reverse engineer that into a job. Hillary, for example, always loved reading magazines. In fact, she adored them so much, she ended up getting her first job in high school so that she could support her magazine addiction.

She studied British literature in college, wanted to be a writer, eventually, and was trying to figure out what she was going to do for work when she graduated, when suddenly it hit her. She could be a writer right away, not by graduating and becoming a novelist at twenty-one—which seemed cool, but impractical—but by working as a writer in the features department of a magazine. In fact, it was such an obvious answer, it was amazing she hadn’t thought of it sooner. Even better: There are tons of different jobs at a magazine, so even if the features department hadn’t worked out, she could have done something else in the publishing world and probably been very happy at it, too.

She could have gone into the sales side of things at a magazine, or joined the marketing team, or looked for an opening in the events or public relations department. Or, she could have figured out what it is she liked best about magazines—in her case: finding, curating, and sharing cool new things with people—and then looked for jobs that required a similar skill set. Maybe she would have ended up as a trend forecaster, or working for a travel company, or as Brian Grazer’s “personal attaché*”. The point is, there are things you love and love to do, and once you figure those things out, the process of deciding what the right job and company are for you becomes significantly easier.

* Yes, this is a real job. The New Yorker wrote a great piece about it in the March 10, 2008 issue.

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1. Identify Your Favorite Companies and/or Professionals

The most important thing you can do when searching for your first job, a new job in a different industry, or even an internship is research, research, research. We know, it sounds like homework, homework, homework, and, basically, it is. At the risk of sounding like an after-school special, the more you know, the better you’ll make decisions. Start by identifying companies you already like and are familiar with. This homework will really pay off, because it will help you recognize the right job for you and enable you to go after it with full confidence. Who doesn’t like the sound of that?

Ask yourself, is there . . .

A person whose career you’ve followed for years?

A website you’re obsessed with and check multiple times a day?

A nonprofit that’s close to your heart?

An app you think is totally genius?

A brand that creates inspiring products or has a really interesting message?

A company with a great marketing campaign you find incredibly clever?

An innovative hospital that’s doing amazing research?

You get the idea. These are the companies and industry leaders to look into first, because you’re already interested in and familiar with their work.

2. Edit Your List, and Then Do More Research

Make a list of your top twenty-five favorite companies, or of the companies who employ the people who truly inspire you, and do a deep dive into their backgrounds. (For practicality’s sake, you might want to focus on companies based in your area unless you’re planning on moving.) Look for articles about each company, especially those that focus on its founders, CEOs, or department heads. The idea is to get a sense of the company leaders’ personalities, their values, and the work environment they’ve created to determine whether it’s a good fit for you. Figure out whether the company has a hiring cycle; some hire year-round while others stick to specific schedules or staff up at key times. As you’re doing all of this, make a pros-and-cons list for each company, without overthinking it.

Once you’ve come up with your list, go back to each company’s website and find the careers section, which lists available jobs. Seeing how various positions are categorized and the language used to describe the company should shed some light on what it’s like to work there. You might even get an idea for a job you didn’t know existed, like being a full-time massage therapist at Google (seriously), a special events coordinator for the New York Botanical Garden (it’s a thing), or a headwear designer for the Dallas Cowboys (yes, really).

Research Is Everything

Don’t assume you can stop researching once you get a job: Research is a lifelong project. By staying up-to-date on your industry throughout your career, you’ll be able to recognize and take advantage of opportunities before your peers do. We recently heard Hugh Jackman talk about why he stays in X-Men-level shape at all times: “It’s too hard to get in shape from scratch, and it’s easier to stay in shape than to get in shape.” While that analogy is totally random, the idea is entirely applicable to being in the know about your chosen field. If you’re doing all this work to understand the industry for your first job, you might as well keep it up.

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Big Companies Versus Small Companies

When you’re researching where to work, don’t forget to consider the size of the companies you want to work for. Familiarizing yourself with the pros and cons of different company sizes can help you decide what would truly work best for you.

SMALLER COMPANIES AND STARTUPS

PRO: You’re likely to get real, hands-on experience (as an intern) or be able to work on projects outside the scope of your day-to-day work (as a full-time employee).

CON: Smaller companies are often understaffed and have a leaner attitude about expenditures, which means you’ll have to be more resourceful about everything, from budgets to office supplies.

UP TO YOU: Smaller companies tend to have a less formal structure and company culture, which can be a positive or a negative, depending on how you like to work.

BIGGER COMPANIES AND CORPORATIONS

PRO: You’ll get exposure to traditional (i.e., more stable) corporate infrastructure and organization, as well as more formal office protocols and processes.

CON: There’s usually less flexibility when it comes to working on projects beyond your specific job description. People can be territorial about their areas of expertise, and there’s usually a very clear chain of command.

UP TO YOU: Many entrepreneurs launch their careers at bigger, established corporations to learn the industry before launching their own companies.

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We also highly recommend spending time on a compa...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction: #thisisnotamemoir
• 1. Find Something You Love to Do, and Then Figure Out a Way to Get Paid for It
• 2. Your Résumé Speaks Before You Do, So Make Sure It’s Articulate
• 3. Interview like a Boss
• 4. Social Media Should Help You, Not Hurt You
• 5. Dress for the Job You Want, Not the Job You Have
• 6. When In Doubt, Err on the Side of Formality and Professionalism
• 7. The Most Proactive People Win
• 8. Resourcefulness Is Next to Godliness
• 9. Avoid Death by (Mis)Communication
• 10. Never Present a Problem Without a Solution
• 11. It’s Who You Know That Gets You There, and What You Know That Keeps You There
• 12. Quantify Your Worth
• 13. Hire Well, Delegate Better
• 14. Have Specific, Clearly Defined Goals, and Write Them Down
• 15. Manage Your Stress Like It’s Your Job
• 16. “That’s Not My Job.”
• 17. Your Last Impression Is the Only One That Counts
• BONUS: 27 Life Hacks to Make You More Efficient, Effective, and Happier (and Your Life Less Stressful!)
• Acknowledgments