How to Work Remotely and Stay Productive

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

5 min read • Originally published December 6, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

5 min read • Originally published December 6, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

What does it mean to work remotely?

Working remotely is a work situation where an employee carries out their work responsibilities from home and communicate with their team via email, video and voice calls, and instant messaging. Employees may choose to work from home to save on commuting expenses, to work out of the comfort of their own home, or because they live in a different location entirely than their company. Some startups have entirely remote or “distributed” teams including companies like Aha, Invision, and Buffer.

Whether you’re looking to find a remote job or simply hoping that your current boss will start letting you work from home, working remotely, at least some of the time, is almost everyone’s dream. Sure, there are many who would say that they work better in a structured office environment, but many would love the choice to work from home or a local coffee shop here or there.

But while a remote job might be your dream, how on earth does one get one of those? Or harder yet, if you’re working a regular 9-5, how do you convince your boss to start letting you stay home?

Here are a few of the tips we’ve found that might help you pop the question to your boss or help you find a new work from home gig.

What type of job can you do from home?

First, it should probably go without saying that you’ll need a job that can relatively easily be done from anywhere. If you work mainly from your computer, then you’re probably good to go.

Here are a few great jobs you can do working from home:

Digital marketing
Writing jobs
Web or graphic design
Engineering and IT roles
Sales representatives
Customer service and support
Account management

How to get a remote job

Of course, unless you’re a freelancer, it probably won’t be easy to get your very first remote job unless you’ve had your fair share of experience working from home in the past (and were good at it). So let’s talk about a few ways you can enter the world of remote work:

Freelance

One simple way to gain experience working from home is, you guessed it, becoming a freelancer. The nice thing about freelancing, of course, is that you determine your own schedule, work load, and clientele. The downside is lack of job security, you’re on your own when it comes to finding clients, and it difficult to start out with little experience. However, if you are able to build a productive work ethic while doing some freelance jobs (whether that’s your full time gig or you do it on the side) experience freelancing can be a great way to help convince your boss that you’re able to bring your work home with you.

Prove that you’re an excellent communicator

While working remotely has its share of upsides, one downside is that it can be difficult to communicate with and stay in sync with your team. Before you begin to look for remote work or ask your boss if you can work from home more often, you’ll need to demonstrate that you’re an excellent communicator. Make sure that you respond quickly to all emails and office chat communications. Make it a point to be at every meeting you’re expected to attend (this shouldn’t change when working remotely).

When a company called Bynder decided to test a “Remote Week” for all of their employees, this is what they said about communication during that time: “A sizeable number of our employees felt the key to building trust with team members was to communicate and be readily available… Our employees also felt daily virtual meetups and regular check-ins were essential, and served as an alternative for the invaluable face time that usually occurs in the office every day.”

It requires a lot of trust for a manager to let an employee work remotely and that trust won’t come without earning it. Use your regular office time to first prove that you’re an excellent communicator and readily available, then put it to the test during a trial run (more on that below).

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Also read: Tips to Improve Your Writing Skills so You Can Land That Marketing Job

Stay organized and be accountable

As important as it is to keep the lines of communication open while working remotely, it won’t matter one bit if your work goes untouched. Before pitching the idea of working from home to your boss, come up with a plan for how you intend to stay organized and hold yourself accountable with your new found freedom. Offer to have weekly sync-ups with your manager to get on the same page about your work for the week. Then, have another sync-up at the end of the week to talk about what got done, what didn’t, and why. Whether or not your team already has ways of staying accountable week by week, your boss will probably like the initiative you took to come up with a game plan despite whether or not they allow you to actually work from home.

Do a work from home trial run

Whether you’d simply like to work from home a couple days a week or find a new remote job, you’re going to need to build up a good track record of being able to stay on task even when no one’s watching. Have a conversation with your boss and let them know that you’re interested in working from home more often. Ask them if it would be ok, for about a month or so, to work from home every Friday. At the end of that time, ask your boss for feedback on how they thought you did communicating with your team and getting your work done. Then, you may potentially have better reason to ask for more work-from-home time, or simply to make WFH Friday’s more permanent.

Whether or not you’re simply hoping to work from home more often or find a completely remote position, it takes a lot of groundwork to build up trust with your employer. If you’re able to prove that you’re an effective employee no matter where you’re working and you have the gear and tech that’ll help you communicate consistently, then the doors of the remote working world are wide open for you.

Have you ever worked remotely? What were some struggles you faced while working from home? What were your favorite parts? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and share with a friend who dreams of working at their kitchen table.

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Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

How to Get a Job at a Startup

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published December 13, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published December 13, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

I’m not going to be the first to say it, but I’ll say it anyway: Startup jobs are fun. They’re exciting. AND, they’re hard work. Maybe you’ve always wanted to get a job at a startup but you weren’t sure who was hiring or who to even talk to. We might be able to help with that.

We wrote this post to give you some tips on how to network with startups, get yourself noticed, and ultimately land your dream job. Ready to dive in?

Network at tech events

Even with so many niche startups out there, many of them fall within the tech sphere. What’s good news for you is that early stage startups need and love networking events. These will be your chance to introduce yourself, stick out in the mind of a startup founder or employee, and lay the groundwork for joining the team. You’ll probably want to consider reading the rest of this post and following our advice before you go, though.

Check out this blog on networking: How to Network (Like a Boss)

Look for startup-specific job boards

*shameless plug*

There are several job boards out there that either cater specifically to startups or startups simply seem to flock to. While Scouted isn’t exclusively for startups, we do work with a lot! Not only that, but being a startup ourselves, they have a special place in our heart and it really makes our day when we’re able to send a great hire to one of our startup companies. If you haven’t already, why not sign up and see what startup jobs we have to offer?

Read the news

Say there’s a startup you’ve had your eye on in the past but there wasn’t previously a position for you. If they just finished a new round of funding, chances are they’re growing and looking to expand their team. Why not try either following up again or making your first move? Techcrunch is a good place to start when keeping up with the latest startup news and funding.

Do your homework

Once you finally get the chance to have a conversation with someone from a startup, now is your time to stand out. Don’t just ask questions, ask the right questions. Show that you know the industry, you know the company, and you’re very interested in where it’s going. Stay up to date on latest company news and releases. If you can, familiarize yourself with the product or service. Here is your chance to prove that you’re someone who brings something to the table, not just another employee.

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Have an entrepreneur mindset

Acting like an owner, or better yet, an entrepreneur is one of the best things you can do if you want to get a job working at a startup. That type of character will be noticed by any startup founder or employee. If you’re the type of person who picks up slack when you see it, stays late or comes in early when a job needs to get done, or simply asks the right questions, you’re bound to stand out a great candidate for a startup.

Always be learning

The thing about startups is that each team member probably wears multiple hats. That being the case, and the fact that as your business grows, your responsibilities will too and you’ll constantly need to be in a state of learning. If this is something you already love to do, then you’re pretty much set.

One of the great things about working at a startup is that in most cases, you probably won’t be expected to be an expert in your field on your first day. There will, however, be high expectations that you take it upon yourself to be continuously growing, asking questions, learning how to do your job better, and gradually improving as time goes on. Since the number one goal of any startup is to maintain growth, that principle applies itself to each employee as well.

If and when you do get an interview with someone from a startup, be ready to talk about the ways you’re constantly trying to learn and improve yourself, even if they don’t necessarily have to do with the job itself. Willingness to learn is an attitude that should show up in many areas of your life and startup founders understand this very well.

Humility

When it comes to working at a startup, humility almost goes hand-in-hand with learning. If you work at a startup, you may be the first and only person on your team. If that’s the case, you can be sure there’ll be a lot of “learning as you go.” And what often comes with that is mistakes. But don’t let that scare you. Founders will probably expect you to make mistakes from time to time.

If that’s the case or if you’re simply not seeing the growth you hoped to see, you’re going to need to be willing to learn from it. Report honestly on the work you’ve been doing and get ready to be transparent about what’s going well, and what isn’t. One of the things our founders at Scouted, Jax and Robin, say is that we’ll never improve if we only focus on the things that are going well.

So be ready to be transparent with startup founders. If you get an interview, be able to give examples of past problems or inefficiencies you noticed and were able to change for the better.

Initiative

Startups are famous for their “all hands on deck” and “everyone wears multiple hats” cultures. What’s great about working at a startup is that there is typically a level playing field. Founders and employees are much more open and receptive to ideas. So if you talk to one, try to have a few!

Say you’re going after a marketing position for an early stage startup and you notice their email marketing could use some help. Why not come to the conversation with a few ideas in your back pocket for what you could do to make it better?

Bring something to the table

Elena of Skillcrush says, “Just like any job, it’s important to show that you have the skills and capabilities necessary for the position. Companies hire because they need someone to come in and solve a problem. You need to show why you’re the person who can solve their problem. Know what you’re best at and offer that to the team’s mission.”

Keep the relationship warm, even if you don’t get a job

Even if you didn’t get hired this time around, there could be a hundred different reasons for that. Do your best to maintain a relationship with the startup and its founders. You never know if their first decision was simply based on or not having the right role for you the first time around. It might even be work sticking around in a consulting or freelance capacity for a few months. Showing your worth and what you bring to the table can only be to your advantage at this point.

Also read: How to Use a Side Hustle to Get the Experience You Need for Your Dream Job

Looking for your next dream job? Check out open roles on Scouted here!

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

How to Manage Your Job Search While Working Full Time

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

5 min read • Originally published December 19, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

5 min read • Originally published December 19, 2018 / Updated March 19, 2026

Job hunting is no easy task. Some even say that searching for employment is a full-time job in and of itself. Pair that with already having a full-time job? You’re in for a handful when it comes to coordinating your current schedule with job applications, phone interviews, work samples, second interviews, and the possible third interview.

So how can one manage their job hunt while working full-time? We’ve come up with a few tips for that.

Yes, start your job search while you still have a job

Despite the fact that you may be jumping at the bit to quit your current job (read: How Long Should You Stay at a Job?) don’t jump the gun and quit your job before you start your next search. Right or wrong, employers can sometimes see candidates who are currently employed as more desirable than candidates who are unemployed.

In an interview we had with a recruiter from a major tech company, we were told, “With the unemployment rate where it is, I am usually skeptical about candidates that are not currently working. I definitely recommend interviewing while you are employed if possible.”

Do your best to schedule interviews outside work hours

You might be feeling “done” at your current job and attending an interview during the day might be a nice change of pace. Even so, you don’t want to arouse suspicion or give your boss a reason for reproach. Instead, do your best to schedule interviews early in the morning or after work. Depending on your company, you may want to take caution if scheduling your interview during lunch as it may run longer than expected. Many hiring managers will understand that it may come as a challenge to schedule an interview and will try to be accommodating.

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Be careful of how you handle your references

If you’ve been at a company for a few years, it makes sense to want to put down your current boss as a reference on your resume. Here, you have two options in order to avoid an awkward conversation if your current boss finds out about your job search before you want them to.

Option 1: Try putting “references available upon request” on your resume. While you may feel like you don’t want to make more work for your hiring manager, they’ll most likely understand your decision to keep your references to yourself until later in the hiring process. After all, references checks are supposed to be one of the very last steps of the interview process so holding on to them until later shouldn’t be a problem.

Option 2: There may be job postings that ask you to include references with your application. If that’s the case, include your references on your resume, but add the note “please notify me before contacting this reference.” Just like option one, the hiring manager will most likely understand your reason for adding this note.

Gerald Walsh suggests “In your cover letter, explain that you have not included your current boss as a reference, for confidentiality reasons. You could then state you would be pleased to provide their name and contact information once a conditional offer is made. Offers are often made subject to satisfactory references from your current employer.”

During an interview, letting your prospective employer know that your current company doesn’t know you’re looking for a new job is also a fine way to keep your search on the DL. Many hiring managers may already assume this but you’ll rest easy knowing you’re on the same page.

Make your job as easy as possible

And by “job” we’re talking about your second job of searching for jobs.

Make sure you create a great resume and cover letter template that’s easily editable for each new company and application (also read: How to Edit Your Resume Based on the Job You’re Applying For). Do your best to respond quickly to recruiters’ emails as a faster response rate will ultimately make the process go faster (ie. less time hiding and sneaking around your current job). Also, keep an Excel sheet to keep track of the companies you’ve applied to, interviewed with, who you might need to follow up with, and what tasks you still need to complete.

Grab our founders’ preferred resume template here.

You’ll also want to make sure that your LinkedIn account is up to date. Since so many use LinkedIn as a professional social network, it shouldn’t raise too many flags if you decide to update it. As a precaution, however, you may want to consider turning off notifications so your connections don’t see any new updates to your profile in their feed.

Keep up your work ethic

While keeping up your motivation to work as hard as you used to might be difficult, you’ll want to do your best to keep things amicable at your current company. To take things a step further, if you plan on using your current boss as a reference, this could be a great chance to remind them how great of an employee you are. Better they’re sad to see you go than happy you’re someone else’s problem now.

Tell your boss and coworkers at the right time

Even if you just landed an interview for your dream job, you might want to wait on sharing the news with coworkers. You DON’T want your boss to hear about your new job through the grapevine. For the most part, it’s probably a good idea to keep the fact that you’re looking for a new job to yourself. Once your new job is set in stone, your supervisor and/or boss should be the first person you tell. (Read: How to Resign from a Job Without Burning Bridges). Not only should your boss be the first person you tell, but this should happen during a face-to-face conversation as well. Then, of course, your letter of resignation will follow. After this conversation, you can feel free to let the rest of your coworkers know you’ll be moving on.

Have you had to handle searching for a job while employed full time? How did you balance work life with your job hunt? Leave your tips in the comments below and share with a friend who’s currently adding their boss to their references list.

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

Resume Advice From Someone Who’s Screened Thousands

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

7 min read • Originally published January 4, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

7 min read • Originally published January 4, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

Let’s face it. There’s a lot of advice out there on how to create the perfect resume. Some of it ’s good. Some of it’s bad. Writing a resume can feel like quite the daunting task to some. Job seekers need to keep in mind professionalism, optimized formatting, keyword utilization, not to mention make it compelling enough to catch a recruiter’s eye.

We want to help you land somewhere in the middle. Don’t get us wrong. We definitely want to help you get noticed. Just- for the right reasons.

Before founding Scouted, Jax and I (Robin), spent years at the largest hedge fund in the world, Bridgewater Associates. Together, we ran one of BW’s core talent pipelines and where we reviewed over 75,000 resumes from interns to executives.

Chances are, the recruiter who’ll be reviewing your resume has seen a lot of resumes too. Maybe not tens of thousands, but a lot. Here are a few of the basic principles you should follow when submitting your resume to any job opening. Trust us, we know what we’re talking about.

Leave creativity to the creatives

Unless you’re looking for creative-based work (ie. design, writing, etc.) leave the super creative resume templates behind. If you’re applying for a role that’s likely to see a plethora of applicants, your thought may be that you want to stand out. In reality, in order to make the best impression, your experience and abilities will have an even louder voice than a chartreuse font. And, if a recruiter is sorting through hundreds of resumes and you want their attention to stick on yours, you’re going to need to make your point within seconds of them seeing your resume for the first time.

Besides that, many recruiters may be using an ATS (applicant tracking system) to initially filter through a large number of candidates. If the ATS can’t read your creative resume, then you can be sure the recruiter won’t even have the chance to view your masterpiece.

This is our preferred resume template:

Click here to download the template!

Is it fancy? Not really. Will it show recruiters exactly what they want to see? Yep!

Save your resume like this

Sometimes, the directions in the job application will specifically ask you to save your resume a certain way, possibly with the title of the position in the filename. Unless otherwise stated, we think you should save your resume like this: “FirstName LastName Resume.” Nothing complicated or fancy. Tell them who you are and what the document is and leave it at that.

Speaking of saving resumes…

Always save your resume as a PDF.

You’ll notice that our resume template is a Microsoft Word file. Whatever template you use, don’t leave it in an editable format. You never know how your resume formatting may show up on another’s computer so it’s best to play it safe and always save your resume as a PDF.

Keep it to one page

Unless you’re an extremely seasoned employee and have 20 years of experience under your belt, keep your resume to one page. We get it. You’ve done a lot and want to show off your unique side and exemplary work ethic. But seeing as recruiters are likely to make an initial judgment within the first several seconds of reading your resume, it’s best to stick to the point.

For goodness sake, use a professional email

Ok, your email doesn’t have to use a company or educational institution domain, but if you do use Gmail, just make sure you don’t use something you’ll regret like groovydaddy97@gmail.com. You won’t get the job, no matter how groovy your resume is.

Instead, try to make sure your email is simple, identifying, and professional. Here are a few helpful guidelines we took from Job-hunt.org:

Your email address should not be suggestive, flirtatious, generic, silly, or funny.
It should be professional and easy to remember and create awareness.
It should include your name, preferably first name and last name.
It should be a personal email address, not one shared with a spouse or family.
Try not to use numbers or underscores.
In particular, avoid including the year of your birth. It’s very easy to guess the probable age of Mary.Jane.Smith79@whatever.com.
If you cannot obtain your email at a “leading” email service such as Gmail, try your name at another email service so you can use your first name and last name.
Make it easy for prospective employers to find “‘you” in their inboxes.

Don’t hide your personality

While you should keep your resume simple and to one page, it’s also a great idea to add an interest or two near the bottom. In a sea of resumes, that could be the very thing that connects you with a recruiter and helps them remember you later on. Just don’t go overboard here.

Although you may really be into watching sports or building model trains, try to include activities or hobbies that could potentially translate into a skill that would be useful on the job. If you coached soccer, it could (quite literally) demonstrate team-building and leadership. If you’ve spent a lot of time traveling abroad, that could mean that you’re comfortable working with those who are different than you and are adaptable to different situations.

Here at Scouted, during our Round 1 video interviews, we give you a chance to express your interests by asking you what a perfect weekend would look like (as well as other insightful questions). If you’re really interested in helping the hiring manager get to know the real you, why not sign up and create your Scouted profile?

Don’t include an objective or summary

In reality, this information could and should be shared in a cover letter, email, or even at the interview. A hiring manager will almost always skip those and go straight to your work experience. Use this space for something much more valuable to your job hunt like relative experience, volunteer work, or related skills.

That said, if you would really like to include an objective on your resume, a one-line objective isn’t going to hurt anyone.

Don’t include references

What might surprise you about our template is that we don’t include a section for references. During most hiring processes, checking references is the last box a hiring manager needs to check before they can officially hire you. At this point, they already know that they want you to work for them, they’ve already given you an offer, and you’ve accepted it. That being the case, including your references on the document that gives the very first impression of you is unnecessary.

Most importantly, tell your story

The most effective resumes out there are the ones that tell a story- the story of you! If we can figure out who you are, what you’ve done, and what you want to do in 30 seconds or less, you’re golden. The best resumes will show a clear career progression as well as your skills that will make the hiring manager think, “Yeah. You deserve a chance here.”

Part of telling your story means that you’ll do more than simply copy and paste your past job descriptions. Tell the hiring manager what you accomplished at your last position. What difference did you make at your last company and in what ways were you an effective employee?

Also read: How to Edit Your Resume Based on the Job You’re Applying For

That being said…

Just because you’re telling a story, doesn’t mean you have the liberty to ramble. While the best resumes tell a story, they’ll still get looked over if they’re just hard to read. Formatting is pretty important when it comes to resumes which is why we recommend using our tried and true template.

Do the 10-second test

It’ll take about 10 seconds for a hiring manager to make an initial decision on your resume. After you’ve finished writing yours, walk away from it for an hour or two. When you return, try to skim it in about 10 seconds. See what you take from your resume and ask yourself if your relevant experience and expertise is clear. Once you do this, try having a friend do the same thing and see what they take from your resume as well. Edit as needed and then send it on its way!

These are most of the biggies but, of course, if you have other questions we at Scouted offer personalized resume advice! But for starters, try using our preferred resume template and go from there!

We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions in the comments below and we’ll do our best to respond to each!

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

Working at Small Companies When You Want a Big Company Job

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published January 11, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published January 11, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

Say you have high aspirations to someday work for the well-known company of your dreams. Well, does that mean you need to work at well-known companies each step of the way until you get there? Will working at small businesses and startups give you the experience or “caliber” (if you will) you need to get picked up by one of the bigger guys?

We’re here to say that you’re not the only one wondering that. This is actually a fairly common concern we hear from candidates who want to work for a smaller company, but are afraid that a role at a small company won’t speak as loudly as a role at a larger corporation.

Here are a few ways you can vouch for yourself on your resume or during your interview especially if the companies you’ve worked for don’t necessarily speak for themselves.

Keep track of the difference you’re making

When you enter into a new role, it’s important to take note of how things are going in your department. Say you’re in marketing. What was the team doing when you arrived? What channels were they focusing on? What was the ROI in each of those areas? Make a note of what it was (or what it is now if you’re just starting) and when it comes time for you to move on, compare the state of the department you’re in now.

It’s important to ask yourself “What difference did I make while I was here?” Any company worth working for in the future will probably be asking the same question during your interview, so having that answer in mind will be crucial.

See, no matter what company you’re working for, if you’re able to come in and make a difference during your time there, hiring managers will notice and remember that. They’ll be able to believe that you’ll come into their company and make a difference as well.

Working for small companies can demonstrate flexibility and adaptability

It’s time to show the hiring manager your hat collection.

Get it?

I’ll explain.

Working for a small company often means wearing a lot of hats, filling in where needed, working wonky hours, and shifting focus quickly if needed. While these companies may lack the structure and tried and true processes that a company who’s been around for decades may have, you’re learning to do a lot more than simply fill the role you were hired for.

If you learned other valuable experience during your time at a startup or small business, be sure to mention it on your resume or cover letter. This is especially important if you’re looking for a career change or switching industries. (Also read: How to Edit Your Resume Based on the Job You’re Applying For).

Working for a startup or small biz can be a great way to expand your horizons and learn some new skills all while gaining experience in your field. Use this to your advantage when it comes to advocating for yourself later on!

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You go above and beyond

One of the great things you’ll find in employees who work for smaller companies or startups is an adjective we use a lot around here: “Scrappy.”

Basically, someone who’s scrappy is willing to think outside the box. If something they’re doing isn’t working or could be better, they’re on top of thinking of new and creative ideas to improve their work. In essence, a person who’s scrappy is a person who’s passionate. By the end of the day, they get the job done, by any means necessary.

Let’s say you’re in sales and your number of qualified leads so far this month puts you just off your goal. An employee who works for a larger corporation may shrug it off as long as they were close enough. Whereas if you work for a company where you’re one of two people on the sales team, you’re probably going to dig a lot harder to find those leads by the end of the month because at this stage in the life of your company, every lead matters!

So if you’ve been able to develop something of a scrappy nature during your time at a small company, let your future employer know. As much as scaling and building repeatable processes is important, by the end of the day, you’ll make sure your goals are met.

Get shining reviews from your past employers

It’s one thing to say that you made a difference at your last company, it’s another thing for your old boss or coworkers to say you did. Depending on how aware your boss is if your job search, think about getting them to write a letter of recommendation to your hiring managers. Hopefully, they’ll be able to list a few ways you positively impacted their company, took responsibility and learned new skills during your time there. (Also read: How to Resign from a Job Without Burning Bridges).

Show off your ability to grow and scale

Chances are, if you’re moving from a smaller company to a large one, you’re going to be taking on more responsibility. It’s now your job to show hiring managers that you know how (or can quickly learn how) to take on more without becoming overwhelmed.

Try to think of ways that you grew or took on more responsibilities while in your past roles. Did you ever create a more streamlined process for something that used to be tedious? Have you ever hired or trained new employees? Ever been promoted? Find these examples and make note of them both on your cover letter and resume and during your interview. Show your hiring manager that you’re prepared to take on more responsibility, learn, and do work at a larger scale.

Use your network

When searching for any new job, it’s important to remember that your network will be your advocates. If you can, try to (in a not-creepy way) build relationships with people at the company you want to work for. If possible, they make be able to advocate on your behalf to the hiring manager. Personal recommendations go a long way and if you can get yourself even one good one, it could be all you need to set yourself apart from the rest. (Also read: How to Network (Like a Boss).

Align yourself with your dream company’s culture

Lastly, more and more these days, companies are hiring for “culture fit,” meaning that they’re looking for employees whose attitude towards their work, integrity, and values are similar to that of the rest of their company.

After doing some research, reading the job description and lurking around the company’s social media and website, ask yourself if you’re a good culture fit for the company you dream of working for. If you believe you are, then it should be fairly easy to advocate for yourself when on the subject if and when it comes up in an interview.

If you’ve ever made the leap to work for a larger company, what did you do to get there? Leave your comments below and share with a friend who’s on the job hunt.

Ps. Have you downloaded our founders’ free resume template? It’s our favorite one.

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Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

How to Make a Career Change With the Right Cover Letter

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

4 min read • Originally published January 18, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

4 min read • Originally published January 18, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

Whether you’ve been working in your industry for a number of years or you just graduated college and you’re thinking to yourself, “I actually don’t want to do what I just got a degree in…” – Don’t panic.

We’re good at career changes and we’re here to help.

You see, one of the things that frustrated us about the current job market was seeing just how many “Entry Level Jobs” there were that required at least 3-5 years experience.

That one had us scratching our heads, too.

But there might be a few ways to help yourself wiggle your way into the career you’ve always wanted, even with seemingly no relevant experience to speak of.

Make a list of the skills you gained at your current job

Regardless of your feelings toward your current job, you’re bound to have gained a useful skill or two. Why not redeem those skills at a better-fitting, more fulfilling job?

Make a list of things you learned, experience you gained, and even the specific impacts you had on your company. You’ll need that for our next step.

Also read: When You Should Apply for a Job Even If You Don’t Meet the Minimum Requirements

Cross-reference that list with your interests and other experience

When measuring up your qualifications for a career change, don’t stop at your experience from previous work positions. Oftentimes hobbies, volunteer experience, or strides you’ve made in your own personal development can help you to fit into a role when your work experience is lacking.

Freelancing or starting a side-gig can also be a great way to gain experience in a field without having to land yourself an entry-level role. Do this well, and you could gain yourself some valuable experience as well as make connections that could set you up to get a job you really want in the future. You’ll also be showing off your grit and entrepreneurial spirit to prospective employers.

Find your niche

Now that you’ve got your list of specific skills and experiences you’ve gained, use your imagination and try to brainstorm the perfect job for you. If someone could tailor make a career based on your past experience and skills, what would that look like?

Now, if there’s a job out there that looks anything similar to what you dreamed up, go for it! If you believe you’d be the perfect fit based on your background, then you’re probably the best person to convince a hiring manager of the same thing.

Take a look at this New York Times article: “Their Approach to Career Changes? Find a Niche, and Fill It” In the article, they mention several people with different motivations for their career changes: those coming out of the military and needing to find work, successful business people wanting more balance in their life, and those who decided to create their own path when other doors had been shut.

Develop the skills you’ll need for your career change

Whether you’re planning to take the leap now or to do so in the future, take the opportunity now to develop the skills you’ll need for the job you want. Read books, watch webinars, and listen to podcasts in your free time. If there are conferences or networking events in your area, try showing up simply to mingle with people in your prospective field. Attending classes or even gaining certifications can really tell a hiring manager that you’re serious about your new career and you’re ready to learn

Overall, developing your skills, even while working full time, can only help to improve your chances of moving on to bigger and better things.

Get connected

Again, if you can, try to attend events that have to do with the field you want to get into. Strike up conversations with different people and see what their jobs are like. What struggles do they face in their role, what does a typical day may look like, and what they really love about their job? Besides getting a good feel for whether or not a job in this space might be a good fit for you, you may be able to make some valuable connections down the line.

Also, try connecting with anyone you already know who works in the field you want to enter.

Make your argument: Your career change cover letter

When making a career change, you, yourself, are going to be your most compelling advocate. When writing your resume and cover letter, be sure it tells the story of who you are now, how you got here, and where you want to end up. Explain to your prospective employer how your skills make sense for the position you want and why you’d make a great fit over someone else.

Here is a cover letter template we created just for those needing to make a career change. Use it but be sure to make it your own, telling your own story and sharing why you would be a great fit for your dream job.

Click here to download the template!

Let us know what you thought of the template as well as your career change experience in the comments below!

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

Finance 101: The Guide to Jobs in the Finance World

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

5 min read • Originally published January 25, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

5 min read • Originally published January 25, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

Learn about different ways to enter the finance industry, how to understand the basic lingo, and figuring out whether it’s the right path for you!

When we first started chatting with college students and recent grads about their dream companies to work for, we expected Facebook, Google and Snapchat to dominate their lists. We’re in the age of tech startups, aren’t we? Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, those 26-yr olds who somehow realized that disappearing photos would be worth $100B….those are the giants we strive to be, right?

Wrong. Well, sorta — to be fair, lots of you guys are excited about the tech unicorns of the world. But want to know what our candidates are more excited about?

Finance. Banks, Hedge Funds, Private Equity firms – oh my!

Nothing brings more engagement and interest than jobs plucked from the world of Wolf of Wall Street, The Big Short and American Psycho. (Ironically, life didn’t work out too well for the main characters in any of those stories, but maybe no one watches movies until the end anymore?)

The unusual thing about the finance hysteria is this: we’ve found that many of our candidates don’t have a great understanding of what it actually means to work in finance. Often, the general knowledge that (1) you can make lots of money and (2) you’ll look better in a sharp suit than your fraternity sweatshirt are pretty major factors in the decision to join the industry. While both of those facts might be true, and honestly, no judgment on either (I spent a decade plus at Bridgewater starting right out of Dartmouth), it generally helps to leave a more robust impression when you are asking for a job!

So, welcome to Finance 101. It’s a big world out there, with a huge variety of roles – from research, to trading to client services and beyond – i.e. jobs that require an ability to do in-depth reading, to those that need quick quantitative thinking or a smooth handshake and silver tongue.

Read on to learn the broad strokes of what “finance” means and hopefully get a sense of whether it’s the right place for you – and if so, where you fit in.

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What is finance all about?

Broadly, finance encompasses money management, investing, assets and liabilities, and all those good things. It also spans from personal money, to government, corporate and non-profit finances. Every entity deals with getting and using funds, and the risk associated with it – even you. (Example: How to wrangle the funds for your first apartment’s security deposit!).

What are the sectors and roles within finance where I might work?

You can be in finance and work in commercial banking, financial planning, investment banking, money management, insurance and real-estate. You can work in investor relations or marketing, or you can be an analyst at an investment bank, hedge fund, or mutual fund. It can mean working in sales & trading, research or as a treasurer. You can focus on due diligence and other areas of risk management, or even be a software developer. These roles can be in the front office, middle office or back office; they can be on the buy side or the sell side. You can even work in finance within a company, as a CFO, treasurer, or in billing. You can deal with bonds, stocks, equities, derivatives….it’s a long list!

We know most of our candidates are interested in a particular subset of the list above. In particular: the activities covered by (1) investment banks and (2) money managers (VC, PE, hedge funds, mutual funds, etc) in front office roles.

Woo, investment banks! Tell me more about that.

Let’s start here, with a crucial distinction: Investment banking and commercial banking are VERY different beasts.

Commercial banks manage deposits (checking/savings) for individuals and businesses. Once upon a time they may have been called savings and loans and featured prominently in famous Christmas movies (It’s a Wonderful Life).
Investment banks deal with investments! I know right, how would you guess. But seriously, they help in the process of issuing, buying and selling of equity (stocks, etc), credit (bonds, etc), and other investments as well as help companies go public.

K, got it. What about money management? That sounds cool.

Money Management: aka investment management, portfolio management, or just dealing with your funds. You do this, governments do this and so do institutions like colleges, endowments, foundations, and even pension funds – budgeting, saving, investing, spending and generally knowing what is happening with your cash. What most of you guys mean when you say money management is being a professional that makes investment decisions for large pools of funds. But just to give you a taste of the complexity, being a money manager can include:

Portfolio construction and risk management
Structuring and implementing transactions
Delegating and oversight of professional investment managers

Money managers can be mutual funds, hedge funds, funds of funds and they can be on the client side – the CIO of a pension fund or endowment, etc.

I hear a lot about working on the buy side vs sell side. ‘Splain, please.

Well, the good news is that we’ve already explained it and you didn’t even realize it! The sell side refers to the “street” aka Wall Street – the folks that issue securities like investment banks, brokers, commercial banks, etc. “Buy side” just means money managers, asset managers, hedge funds, mutual funds, etc. Or in other words, the sell side is focused on issuing and selling securities (they create the market), and the buy side are the folks that invest.

15 Finance Books We Think Are Must Reads

In the meantime, if you want to get smarter now, here are our 15 Finance Books We Think Are Must Reads based on our personal experience and recommendations from Bridgewater, Harvard Business School and Stern School of Business. So, peeps who know what’s up.

“Against the Gods” by Peter Bernstein
“Barbarians at the Gate” by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar
“Common Sense on Mutual Funds” by John Bogle
“Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits” by Philip Fisher
“Liar’s Poker” by Michael Lewis
“Margin of Safety“, Seth Klarman
“Reminiscences of a Stock Operator” by Edwin Lefevre
“The Essays of Warren Buffett” by Warren Buffett
“The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham
“Too Big to Fail” by Andrew Ross Sorkin
“When Genius Failed” by Roger Lowenstein
“Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“The Handbook of Fixed Income Securities” by Frank J. Fabozzi
“You Can Be A Stock Market Genius” by Joel Greenblatt: event/catalyst based investing
Not quite a book, but since we worked for him and think it’s pretty brilliant: Post Modern Portfolio Theory by Ray Dalio

That’s all for today! We’ll be back soon to dive into other topics in the financial services sector – and if you have topic requests, send them along!

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Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

How Delegation Will Make You a Better Employee

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published February 1, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

6 min read • Originally published February 1, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

According to BusinessDictionary.com, delegation is the “Sharing or transfer of authority and the associated responsibility, from an employer or superior (who has the right to delegate) to an employee or subordinate.”

Overall, we want to show you that delegation, even if scary at first, can make you a much better employee in the long run. Overall, we believe that it can empower those on your team as well as bring out the best in you. So read on and learn why delegation is smart as well as how to do it the right way.

Why is delegation smart?

Marissa Levin, Founder and CEO, Successful Culture, says that she tries to evaluate her daily tasks and divide them into four groups.

I love what I have to do and I’m great at it.
I don’t like what I have to do but I’m good at it.
I like what I have to do but I’m not good at it.
I don’t like what I have to do, and I don’t do it well.

She also asks herself, “Is this the best use of my time? I may love what I have to do, and I may do it really well, but can I outsource it someone else who can do it better, faster, or cheaper?”

In short, delegation is your key to working more efficiently. The end game in breaking down projects and asking for help is simple: to help you do your job better.

Then why is delegation sometimes hard?

For many, giving away tasks that used to be on our to-do list isn’t an easy thing to do.

First of all, it takes trust. If you’re the point person for a certain project and a part of that project falls through, it could get pinned on you.

Delegation can also be hard because at times we may need to let go of some of the things we actually find really enjoyable about our job. Like Marissa says, if someone else can do it better or more efficiently, then it should probably be delegated.

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Of course, delegation may be difficult simply because you lack the resources. Sure, it’d be nice if you had a team with the capacity to take on additional tasks or the budget to hire a freelancer but that might not be your reality right now.

The delegation also takes education. If you’re assigning a task to someone for the very first time, it can take time and patience to onboard or teach your team how to do it. They may even make a few mistakes at first. Even with the additional effort required at first, proper delegation will always be worth it in the long run.

The risks of not delegating

Like we said, sharing projects and tasks isn’t always easy, so it can feel natural to want to do as much as you can on your own. As the saying goes, “If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.”

Ok, sure, you might do it right. But each of us needs to ask ourselves if we’re the ones who’ll do it best.

Say you need to do some work on your company website but there’s some coding involved. Do you spend half a day at work combing through Google and Youtube to try to figure it out yourself? Or, do you ask someone on your team who has experience in coding for help and get the job done in about an hour?

Another aspect of delegation is simply divvying up the amount of work that needs to get done. When your plate is full, oftentimes it’s easy to let the smaller things fall through the cracks. An unanswered email here, a phone call missed there. No big deal, right?

Maybe, but maybe not. In order to be the very best you can be for your team, sometimes delegating even just the little things can make you a happier, more efficient, and more focused employee.

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Who should you delegate to?

Delegating shouldn’t simply fall to those who look like they have less on their plate than you. This could lead to frustration, unclear expectations, and low employee morale.

Instead, when you’re thinking of who the best person would be to delegate a task, try to find the person whose skills and talents best align with the work you’re looking to delegate. Mindtools.com goes over several areas to consider when choosing a person to ask for help. Things like their experience and knowledge, how independent they are and their preferred work style, and their current workload.

Asking someone to take on additional work could potentially mean that, in turn, some of their daily routine will need to be shifted or even taking on by another coworker that can handle some of the lesser important tasks that that employee was responsible for.

Overall, delegation at its best aims to be a win-win situation for everyone involved. Be sure that delegating tasks isn’t burning out fellow employees, but rather taking advantage of their skills, interests, and expertise.

When to outsource

Of course, your first stop for delegation will probably be among your own employees or team. This should always be the first place you start since the best delegation methods will also be cost effective.

You may, however, find yourself needing to outsource to experts for one-off or even ongoing projects. In this case, potentially hiring a freelancer, intern, or even a part-time or interim employee might be called for.

This post, “6 Reasons Why You Should Hire A Freelancer” is a helpful blog on figuring out when it might be time to take the leap and hire help for your work. Overall, you’re going to want to determine how much time you usually devote to the tasks you want to outsource and how much money it could potentially save you (or make you) if hiring someone to do it for you.

How to delegate well

Here are a few bullets for you to reference when delegation your next project:

First, you’ll need to clearly define the work that needs to be done.
Then, you’ll need to determine who the different tasks will go to, keeping in mind the specific skills of the person you’re assigning them to.
- It’s also a good idea to create an escalation chart on who each person should go to if they need help, have questions, or need approval for their work.
It’s additionally important to get on the same page when it comes to follow up and accountability. Put regular meetings on your calendars to go over how each project is progressing.
Be sure to give credit where credit is due. When reporting on your projects to your own higher-ups, be sure to acknowledge your team’s work and praise them when they’ve done a good job. You’ll look great for successfully delegating a project and your team will look great for mastering each of their parts in it.

Leave your experiences in the comments below! Have you ever had a manager that handled delegation really well? Micromanaged you? Or didn’t like delegating at all? How did each experience make you feel as an employee and what would you have done differently?

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Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

What Does It Mean to Manage Up?

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

5 min read • Originally published April 22, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

5 min read • Originally published April 22, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

Knowing how to get the best out of yourself, your boss, and your organization is a valuable skill that can shape your career. Most employees believe that all they need is to do their job well, but it takes much more. Managing-up requires that you understand and adapt to your boss’s management, decision making, and communication styles.

By being dependable and proactive, you become a valuable asset to your organization. Mastering the skill of managing-up helps create a symbiotic relationship between you and your boss. You can achieve this by understanding yours and your boss’s needs, strengths, weaknesses, goals and work styles. Then use this information to develop a healthy and symbiotic working relationship.

How Do You Manage-Up Effectively?

1. Lead and Manage Yourself

One of your manager’s key responsibilities is to lead and manage his or her team. Learning to lead and manage yourself is one of the first steps in managing up. Not only will this make you more effective, but it’ll also save your manager loads of time.

Understanding your role in terms of specific outcomes and the timeline for achieving them is critical. Do your boss a favor by achieving your goals in a timely manner If you are in a role like sales where there are set targets, managing yourself means achieving and exceeding those targets.

2. Help Your Boss Achieve His or Her Goals

If you are good at your job, you’re not only an asset to your boss, but to the entire organization. It’s important to understand your company’s business goals in order to work towards achieving them.

A great way to do this is to set up a meeting with your manager to regularly sync on the bigger picture and where the business is heading so that you have a clear-cut plan on how to add value. Remember: you can’t win if your company fails. Understand your company’s goals on a holistic level and your individual goals will start to make a lot more sense as well.

3. Over-Communicate

As an employee, it’s possible to frustrate your boss if they are caught off guard, even if it is unintentional. Be sure to do your best to be transparent in your communication, always keeping them in the loop, sometimes even if the information seems unnecessary. It’s better to over communicate than to be out of sync with the rest of your team.

4. Value Their Time

Every time you are meeting with your manager, make sure you are fully prepared so as to not waste both yours or their valuable time. Come prepared with your agenda and updates, and if there is a problem you want to discuss, do your best to have an analysis and proposed solution when entering into your meeting. Even if your ideas aren’t fully in line with theirs, they’ll take note of your initiative and proactive approach to problem-solving.

5. Providing and asking for support

Good managers know that they’re not a one-man team. They hire employees because they know that other people can do certain things better than them. A huge part of your job will be leveraging your own skills in order to provide support to your manager.

In turn, you may find that managing up means not only providing support but asking for it as well. If it helps you do your job better, you may find yourself asking your manager if you can hire a freelancer, have an extra weekly meeting to sync on part of your job, or even just asking for approval to purchase a new tool that will help you do your job better. Whatever it is, you’ll ultimately know how you can do your job best and managing up may mean being open and communicating that with your manager.

6. Help Him with the Most Mundane Tasks

Your boss may be wasting valuable time on trivial assignments that consume a lot of time. Most employees don’t offer help with these types of assignments since they don’t help them develop any new skills. Show that you are ready to help by taking on tasks that are not even included in the job description. When you constantly step up to help; your boss will also do anything within his power to help advance your career.

7. Excel with People

Rarely do you get to choose your boss or peers. If it happens that you’re unable to work with others or manage conflict your boss may have to step in. This eats into their time and they are forced into situations they had not anticipated.

Capitalize on your emotional intelligence to develop strong working relationships with everyone. Show that you’re willing to go the extra mile for your team by ensuring win-win outcomes in all your interactions.

8. Tap Into Your Boss’s Mood

Timing is of the essence when communicating with your boss. Gauge their mood and think about how they will react to the information or request you want to present. It is also important to know when to back off especially when you’ve spoken to them about something and they are yet to get back. Is this matter urgent? Will this information help them succeed? Is this information that they are unaware of? Are some of the questions you should ask yourself.

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What are The Don’ts of Managing Up?

1. Don’t Overstep Your Mandate

Know your limits when managing up. It’s important to understand that while your ideas bring value to the team, you’re still going to need to get the green flag from your supervisor for certain things. Do your job the best you can and don’t be afraid to make decisions and use your own critical thinking – just be sure to check back with your manager and make sure you’re both on the same page before you make a decision that doesn’t coincide with the grand business plan. Though you may have good intentions, it’s important to avoid overstepping your boundaries.

2. Don’t Take More Than You Can Chew

When doing your best to manage up, you may be tempted to take on more than you can handle in an attempt to make a good impression, or simply because delegation doesn’t come naturally to you. While setting ambitious goals might be great, be sure you don’t promise more than you can return.

3. Don’t Overstress Yourself

Taking time to get used to different styles of management and company cultures is to be expected. Even so, do your best to learn as much as you can from your manager and align with their vision and the vision of the company as a whole. Managing up is an art and when done right, it not only helps your boss achieve his goals but also allows you to do your job in the best way, utilizing the skills you uniquely bring to the table.

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Candidates, Climb the Ladder

Climb the Ladder

What Does a Chief of Staff Do?

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

8 min read • Originally published April 23, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Scouted

Scouted was a hiring marketplace that matched candidates to roles based on potential, serving clients from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies.

8 min read • Originally published April 23, 2019 / Updated March 19, 2026

“Chief of Staff” (CoS) sounds like an ambiguous role – and it is. But don’t let that keep you from considering the position. CoS roles can be used as a stepping stone – a great way to enter a new industry or make a career change – or in other cases, they’re roles for someone looking to commit to an organization for the long run and become a true strategic partner, offering the type of high-quality help that can only be developed over time. In all cases, it’s a rare chance to work side by side with a senior executive and gain a valuable mentor.

Check out the blog below to learn more about what a chief of staff does, what skills make a great chief of staff, and why you might want to become one yourself.

What is a chief of staff?

Typically, a chief of staff is the right-hand person to the CEO or a senior executive. Your goals are essentially your manager’s goals – i.e. you need to help them be as effective as possible, in whatever capacity makes sense. As a chief of staff, it is your responsibility to take as much as you can off of your manager’s plate so he or she can focus their energy where they add unique value – that is, on the things that only he or she can do. Basically, anything that can be done by someone else, should be done by someone else.

Over here at Scouted, we like to use the analogy of a surgical team to illustrate this: A surgeon’s unique value to the hospital is his/her ability to make the incision and perform the operation. So, when a surgeon walks into an operating room, the scalpel has been cleaned, the wound has been prepared, the medical history has been pulled and the anesthesia has been administered. A chief of staff is akin to the prep team, responsible for making all of those things happen, so the boss can optimize his/her value to the organization.

Even though as a chief of staff you’re primarily supporting one executive and focusing on his or her goals, it doesn’t mean that this is a siloed job. It’s actually quite the opposite. As an extension of your boss, you’ll not only represent him/her in front of the C-Suite, but also to the team. You need the interpersonal skills to build relationships with the members of the organization, regardless of level, as well as the self-confidence to hold them accountable when needed. If the concept of a chief of staff is new to a company, employees might feel that you are adding a layer of bureaucracy between them and the boss, making it harder for them to get what they need, or even taking away their opportunities for exposure. The key is to ensure that the team knows you’re an advocate to their success, not an obstacle in the way of it.

Main responsibilities of a chief of staff

In general, chief of staff roles come in many different flavors: some junior CoS are more administrative, some are more operational, some are more project-oriented, some are more analytical, some feel more like ad-hoc leverage/help wherever it is needed, and some feel more like being a strategic advisor/a real #2 (a la Batman and Robin). Regardless of the flavor, you’ll almost always be helping your manager stay on top of priorities, not drop balls, and act as the first line of defense between the company and your boss.

Think of it as a ladder of leverage – at the bottom of the ladder you can provide leverage for your manager through tasks like printing materials and managing their calendar or inbox, while at the top of the ladder you might own chunks of his or her responsibilities and be a strategic thought partner.

Almost every CoS role will dip down to the bottom of the ladder (whether that’s doing the tasks or managing an executive assistant to help you do them); but, how far up the ladder you will go will depend both on the person you are working for as well as your own capabilities. You need to have the skills to build the systems so all the operations run smoothly. Once you’ve done that, it’s up to you to create the space to take on more interesting and challenging responsibilities. Forbes highlights a few examples of some other initiatives owned by chiefs of staff:

“At Zappos, the CoS is not only the ‘right hand’ to the CEO, but also leads the culture and community. At Rolls Royce, the CoS heavily responds to the Board and shareholders on the behalf of the CEO or with the CEO. Marissa Mayer’s CoS is tasked as being the ‘innovator and forward thinker’ and to look for new technologies or companies to acquire and develop.”

Potential responsibilities for a chief of staff can include:

Building operating systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness within your executive’s office and across the company
Developing and optimizing internal company management
Quality assurance / blocking & tackling – ensuring that anything that gets to your boss is c-suite ready and that s/he is only dealing with items that require their unique input
Helping your boss prioritize what’s on their plate and holding them and others accountable for completing tasks on time to achieve goals
Attending meetings and calls with and/or on behalf of your boss
Writing first drafts of communication and managing your manager’s email
Taking notes in meetings and holding your boss accountable to action items discussed
Helping your boss prioritize their time and appointments (ie. calendar management)
Managing an executive assistant
Acting as a sounding board for new ideas
Ad hoc project and research leverage as needed

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Why you’ll want to be a chief of staff

This increasingly in-demand role offers a unique opportunity to have a high impact at the executive level. You’ll learn the ins and outs of running a business and create great connections for yourself down the road. You’ll have unparalleled exposure to senior management and strategy conversations, creating incredible and unique learning opportunities. You’ll be in the room where it happens, but not just as a fly on the wall, often with a seat at the table. Don’t be fooled – it’s not always glamorous, but it is meaningful. Many people might think that the required operational work is lower level work – but at the end of the day, the most valuable asset of senior executives is his/her time. If you can figure out how to take things off their plate and ensure they are prioritizing their time and using it well, your value-add will be immeasurable. Top that off with the ability to be a true thought partner, and you’ll make yourself indispensable.

What does a chief of staff earn (i.e. salary)

While you might be looking for a specific number, it’s not that simple. Salary ranges can vary greatly based on the company – its stage, industry, location – your benefits package, your specific role responsibilities and, of course, your experience. A chief of staff job for an investment firm in New York City will pay differently than a chief of staff role for a startup in Austin, Texas. However, in general, these roles tend to be well paid as you are directly impacting the quality of life of a senior executive. Just keep in mind that what “well paid” means varies across the board. Here are a few of the blog posts we’ve written on salary and negotiation to help you out:

How to Accept a Job Offer: From Email Examples to Negotiation

11 Things You Should Negotiate Other Than Salary

The Risks of Asking for Too Much in Your Salary Negotiation

When You Should Apply for a Job Even If You Don’t Meet the Minimum Requirements

How to know if you’re cut out for the chief of staff role:

A good CoS brings a unique and varied skill set to the table. Most importantly, you need to have the intellectual ability to hang with the c-suite, but also the agility, humility, and execution orientation to turn those ideas into reality. You need to be equally as comfortable sitting across the table from senior executives as you are rolling up your sleeves and being in the trenches with junior employees.

Characteristics and skills hiring managers look for in a chief of staff can include:

Highly proactive, action-oriented self-starter and a natural leader
High standards for excellence, are results-oriented, and will do whatever it takes to meet goals
Polished, professional and a skilled communicator, with strong written and verbal communication skills
Highly organized and detail-oriented; the type of person that can manage multiple, complex work streams and never miss a beat
Hungry for learning and growth
Humble with strong interpersonal skills
Persistent and resilient, with a strong work ethic
A team player, with a strong service orientation who genuinely enjoys helping others to excel in addition to doing good work yourself

The big x-factor when it comes to being the right fit for a CoS role is the chemistry between you and your manager. Often attached at the hip, you will spend an incredible amount of time together – it’s a true partnership and some even equate it to a ‘(work) marriage.’ Like every marriage, it needs to be the right mutual fit, as chemistry is a two-way street. While it’s important to assess if the role is a good fit for your capabilities, it’s also critical to assess whether you and your potential new boss are the right fit together.

In summary, as Chief of Staff, you’ll be incorporating a wide range of your past skills and experiences in order to accomplish whatever your boss needs. It offers an unparalleled opportunity to work with senior executives, learn about an industry, and learn how to effectively run a company. It’s an intellectual role and an interpersonal role. And most importantly, the CoS job needs the right person – the one who stays a step ahead, never misses a beat, and jives well with the boss.

If you’re interested in becoming a chief of staff, check out the active CoS roles below on Scouted.

Active chief of staff roles on Scouted:

Topics:

Candidates, Climb the Ladder