Improve focus reduce stress work

Improve focus reduce stress work

Every workplace has busy and slow seasons. Depending on where you work, you might even have to wear multiple hats. To-do lists pile up, email inboxes can get flooded, and, inevitably, you begin to feel overwhelmed. We’re here to teach you a few ways to break through the clutter, banish distractions, knock out overly large to-do lists, and make focus your superpower in the workplace.

1 | Stop thinking about how overwhelmed you are

It’s time to chill, take a second, and slow down. Do what you have to do not have a mental breakdown, storm out of the building, or hide yourself in the bathroom until lunchtime. Sometimes, when the to-do list is a mile high, we can easily get caught up on just how massive it is. The thing is, when we spend time wrapped up in our stress or thinking about a massive to-do list, it ends up doing more harm than good. When looking at our responsibilities as a whole, it can be overwhelming and difficult to know where to begin.

Instead…

2 | Break it down

If you feel like you’re overwhelmed and not sure where to start, it’s time to get organized. Begin by making lists that divide your tasks by when they need to be done. Trello is a great simple app that allows users to create boards of lists. An example of a way to break your tasks down would be to create a list titled “Today,” “This Week,” “This Month” and “Eventually.” Over time, your tasks will move their way up your list as the items from “Today” get checked off. This is a great and simple way to know what your priorities are as well as things to keep on your radar for the future. If you’re looking for a more in-depth took like this, try Asana. Asana is great for creating tasks with subtasks and even assigning those tasks to team members.

Another extremely helpful app is Google Keep which is especially great if you’re already using G Suite. Google Keep is a great way to make short lists on the go that seamlessly sync between your phone and computer. Create shopping lists while working at your desktop and then close the list and forget about it. It’s out of your head now and you can get back to focussing on work. You can set reminders by date/time OR by location! For example, if you’re out and know that you’re probably going to forget to make that important phone call when you get home (but you’re not sure when you’ll be home) then just add a location reminder so that as soon as you pull in the driveway, you get a reminder to make that call right on your phone. Nifty, right?

3 | Clean up your workspace

If you have papers scattered all over your desk and have 1000 tabs open in your internet browser, you are definitely going to feel like you have no idea where to begin. Instead, create a few new folders on your desktop, then create subfolders. Name your files so that they are searchable. Grab a couple of file folders and label those too. Do what you have to to clear your space. The more organized you are, the less you have to remember! Once your place is organized, you’ll be able to look at your lists and know exactly where to begin without getting distracted.

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4 | Delegate

Ever think that the task you’re doing should really be someone’s job? Well, maybe it should be! It’s easy to forget that delegation is even an option when stress sinks in. It can be an especially hard skill to learn for those with a “If you want it done right, do it yourself!” attitude. Instead, try to allow yourself to let go of a couple of small tasks that you can trust someone else to handle and then report back to you once those things are done. You might be pleasantly surprised with how much you can get done in an extra hour.

5 | Understand when you’re most productive

By now, you’ve probably figured out whether you’re a morning or night person. In either case, make sure your most difficult task are done when you’re brain is the most engaged. If you take a while to wake up in the morning, then that might be an ok time to go through your email. However, if you’re a morning person who hits their lull by 2 pm, checking emails when you first come into the office might be a big waste of your morning energy.

6 | Figure out what distracts you

It can be so frustrating when you know exactly what you need to do before 4:00 pm, but you just can’t get your mind to work for you. For some people, listening to instrumental music helps them focus. Some need absolute silence. Our advice? When you find yourself distracted or unable to focus, try to call out what’s distracting you and remove it. Seems too simple but most of the time we just try to power through distractions which can make us end up taking twice as long to finish one task. If that’s not possible, move yourself. If you’re a social butterfly and love the idea of working near your coworkers but have a hard time getting into a flow when everyone is around, it might be time to buckle down. If you have an important task to do, try to motivate yourself by working first, playing later. Lock yourself in your office until all the difficult parts of the task are complete. When there’s lighter or less demanding work to be done, save those tasks for times when you want to work in a group.

7 | Tackle two little things, and then one big thing.

In the moment, smaller tasks tend to get pushed to the back burner because they don’t take much time and can always be done quickly- later. Although it’s easy to procrastinate doing the little things, this could mean that important emails don’t get sent, chains of processes get broken, or even that bigger deadlines get pushed back because little deadlines kept getting pushed back earlier on. In his post “How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the “2-Minute Rule,” James Clear writes,

“Most of the tasks that you procrastinate on aren’t actually difficult to do — you have the talent and skills to accomplish them — you just avoid starting them for one reason or another […] If it takes less than two minutes, then do it now.’

8 | No matter how tempting, leave time for free time

When at work, be at work. When at home (or anywhere else) be there. As with delegation, it can be hard to let go of work if you feel overwhelmed. And while your career might have some late nights built in, they shouldn’t be the norm. Having a great work-life balance can actually help you to be productive because your attitude of work will be more positive overall. Outside of work, it’s a great idea to have a creative outlet and hobbies to keep your mental and physical health in check. According to an article by CNBC, “Research that attempts to quantify the relationship between hours worked and productivity found that employee output falls sharply after a 50-hour work-week, and falls off a cliff after 55 hours—so much so that someone who puts in 70 hours produces nothing more with those extra 15 hours.” So if you’re thinking that if you only had a couple more hours in the office, you could get so much more done, it might just be time to head home and get a fresh start tomorrow.

Let us know what focus tips you would add to this list!

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8 things pay attention interviewing job

Here at Scouted, we talk with a lot of candidates and help them with interview prep to help them feel ready for the big day. One of the things we always remind our candidates is that in a job interview, they’re not the only one being interviewed. That’s right. Not all the pressure is on you! Of course, you’ll want to put your best foot forward and do your best to convince the hiring manager that you’re perfect for the role, but interviews are a two-way conversation that should help YOU understand if the company is a good fit for you and if you would enjoy working there. Besides asking questions about the office you might work in someday (which you should do) we made a list of some other things to be aware of. Read the post below and keep your eyes open for some telling office “body language” that may tell you if it’s the place for you or not.

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Explain employment gap youre one

Career gaps happen for so many different reasons. Maybe you took some time off to go back to school. Maybe you were taking care of a child, sick family member, or spent time traveling. In any case, we want to tell you our best advice not only for explaining a career gap, but how to make the most of one as well. If you know that a long period of time is coming up where you’ll be unable to work, there are several things you can do to make the most of your time spent unemployed.

Ready? Let’s show employers you still got it!

How to explain your career gap

The first thing anyone with a gap in their resume needs to understand is that employers are also human. Most will be able to understand that life happens and, in some cases, you’ll need to take some time off work until life gets itself together again. So what’s the best way you can explain your career gap?

Simply be honest.

Explain your situation

Whether it was your choice to take time away from work or not, the best policy when explaining a gap in employment is simply to explain the situation. Robin, one of our Co-founders at Scouted, says that if your employment gap lasts for more than a year, it’s a good idea to make note of it on your resume. This way, any employer has the whole story and the right idea from the get-go. This will also make it so that you can put your mind to rest when it comes to explaining an employment gap during an interview. Obviously the company decided to give you a chance anyway.

Explain why you’re ready to go back to work

If you left the workforce to take care of family or complete coursework, are you finished doing that? Are there thing in your life that may divide your focus from your work? If you’re confident that your life is in a good place to begin work again, touch on that with your employer. You don’t need to go into great detail as to why you had to leave work, but putting a hiring manager’s mind at ease and letting them know that you’re ready to return could help to clear the air.

You’ll also want to explain why your job experience is still relevant. Here’s how to do that:

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Stay busy

The golden rule of career gaps is to stay busy. But staying busy does just mean you should be hitting the gym every day between jobs. You know, unless you’re going for a personal trainer type thing. No, your time spent “staying busy” should be time well spent. What does that mean?

Improve yourself

So you had to take a year or two off work. Sure. Employers actually see that a lot for one reason or another, but can you still offer fresh experience and know-how? Any industry can change rapidly and while 2 years might not seem like much, you’re going to want to make sure you still know and understand everything there is about the job you want to be doing. How can you do that? No matter how busy someone may or may not be during their career gap, most can still find the time to take a course in their line of work. The internet is bursting with resources from free to inexpensive online courses, workshops and local meetups, or just really really informative YouTube videos.

Start a side hustle

So you might not be able to commit to working for someone else at the moment, but who’s to say you can work for yourself for a stretch? Starting a side gig and being your own boss for a period of time can actually be a great way to show an employer how you take initiative, get creative, and solve problems on your own. Doing some freelance work between jobs can be a great way to fill a career gap as it gives you the opportunity to gain relevant experience, make some cash, and the flexibility to work when you can and take time off when you can’t. Read our post on how to use a side hustle to get the experience you need to land your dream job!

Volunteer or start a passion project

Much like starting a side hustle, spending time doing volunteer work or managing a passion project can be a great way to show an employer that, even without a boss looking over your shoulder, you love to work and take action. Doing either one of these can also demonstrate that you’re passionate about things and you’re willing to work hard for the things you’re passionate about. If you’re able to convince an employer that you’re passionate about their company and what they do, they’ll expect those traits to carry over when you come work for them too. Not too shabby.

Build your network before you need it

While you’re still employed, do your best to build up and maintain your professional network before an employment gap comes your way. When it’s time for you to begin working again, your contacts could come in handy when it comes to giving you a recommendation or, hey, even a job.

Consider working part-time

Even if working part-time isn’t your ideal gig, it could be the perfect way to make sure your experience stays relevant and up to date while you’re in between full-time jobs. Like we said, many of today’s industries are changing fast and it’s important to show that you haven’t been left behind when returning back to full-time work. The cash you earn could be a great way to invest in some of those online classes we talked about, too!

Has an employment gap happened to you? How did you handle an employment gap in your industry and what did you do to stay busy throughout? Leave your comments below and share with someone who’s found himself with a bit more free time recently.

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Day life sales development representative

There are few careers that test basic abilities and tough skin more so than Sales. Within Sales, Sales Development Representatives are the drivers of the sales team. If a company is a military organization, Sales Development Representatives are the foot soldiers whose basic tasks can tip the scale in favor of success or failure.

Regardless of whether you are B2C or B2B, cold-calling or cold emailing, your job as an SDR is to implement creative ways to acquire qualified leads. Your day will break down into three words: follow leads, follow-through, and follow-up.

Morning Grit:

Your morning mindset should be “Yesterday then today.” Central to a SDR success is following up with leads. Email/Call all of the leads with whom you were previously conversing that displayed interest in your product; I personally follow-up on LinkedIn or call. For leads that did not explicitly say no, send an update about your product in an “informational-styled” email. Depending on your business, leads that say “no” can potentially become referrals (“I don’t need investment advice but my daughter does.”) or re-engagement (We are not hiring right now. Please reach out periodically); ask them. This is also the best time to contact leads given to you by your firm as most people are engaged in the morning.

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Afternoon Scrappy:

This is where the most work takes place; the generation of new leads. Set yourself a goal while being mindful that most calls/emails/leads would not be interested. Based on your lead rate (i.e. how many attempts to get to a qualified lead), figure out how many attempts you need to make. Then, start! I usually take this time to sit with my computer and compile a list on excel from LinkedIn of my general demographic, looking at the trends and subjects they are following in regards to my field. Are they talking about candidates in HR not having enough skills or companies wanting too much experience? Is it International Women’s Day? By emailing them with this in mind, I make my contact more personable and connect it to a current event.

End of Day:

This is the best time of day to write it down! Write down all of the leads that are showing interest in your calls/emails for a follow-up tomorrow. Write down your emails and set them to go out 8:30 am tomorrow for new leads in your sequences. Write down those who have a high probability of closing, a medium probability of losing, and a low probability of closing clients. Write something unique about each of them (this helps build the relationship). Write down your goals for tomorrow and your accomplishments today.

SDRs are crucial to companies because they drive the bottom line and in order to be a great SDR, you must be relentless in your passion for the company to succeed. The most frustrating days are going to be the ones where you are utilizing every avenue possible and nothing is coming through. This can be due to seasons (as with hiring), the reluctance to change (investments) or even a mood. Keep going; every lead you bring in is a testament to your abilities and yours alone!

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One thing even executives forget job interviews

This guest post comes to us from Argentus Supply Chain Recruiting, a boutique recruitment firm specializing in Supply Chain Management and Procurement.

Most of us at Argentus have been recruiting for at least a decade, so we’ve seen it all in terms of things people have done (and not done) in job interviews. We’ve seen mundane, yet deadly faux pas, like the candidate who told us they were happy with a job location, only to tell the client they weren’t. We’ve seen the truly bizarre, like the candidate who felt comfortable putting their feet up on the client’s desk, or the candidate who squealed his tires and peeled out of the client’s parking lot after they kept him waiting. We’ve seen everything in between. We’ve learned a lot over the years, but one thing is maybe more indelibly true than anything else:

There really are a thousand ways to sink a job interview.

A job interview is a tricky kind of social parlor game with major life implications. It can seem like a highly-choreographed dance of etiquette and enthusiasm that can bring you to the next progressive stage of your life, or can leave you walking to your car in a daze of confusion of embarrassment. The internet is full of guides for all kinds of job interviews. A few years back, we even published a 9-part series detailing our years of accumulated interview advice. Everyone has heard the common, sometimes contradictory tips (dress one level of formality above the job you want, make eye contact, have a firm handshake, avoid fidgeting), so much that they’re clichés in a working culture that’s becoming less formal.

From our perspective, when you put all the choreography aside, there’s one thing a candidate needs to do in a job interview that’s so fundamental, many people forget to even consider it, and as a result, forget to even do it. It’s something that people assume they’re doing, even if they’re not. It doesn’t matter if it’s an entry-level position or a Senior VP, we hear about candidates who fail to do this one thing that’s the most important task in a job interview, something more important even than showing your competence or coming across as someone people would want to work with:

So many candidates fail to communicate their interest and enthusiasm in the job.

Everyone thinks that their presence in an interview shows their enthusiasm, but we’ve had feedback from so many clients over the years who end up feeling “meh” about an otherwise-qualified candidate because the candidate came across as “meh” about the opportunity. You might think that you’ve conveyed enthusiasm by dressing up, showing up, asking questions, but you can’t take that for granted. This is particularly more common if you have a more introverted personality type: what might seem to you like polite enthusiasm might come across as disinterest to the person doing the interview.

It seems so obvious it’s scarcely worth stating, but it’s worth putting explicitly: hiring managers want to hire people who seem like they actually want the job. Hiring is a two way street, and a human interaction. As much as a hiring or HR manager is evaluating a candidate, they realize that the candidate is evaluating the company as well. Why would they extend an offer to someone who isn’t interested?

But it’s a balance. You don’t want to go overboard and seem desperate, and here’s where the choreography and etiquette comes back in. So how do you convey interest in a job, without going overboard?

Make sure to ask questions, and not just about salary, benefit, perks, and other things that benefit you as the candidate. Prepare some thoughtful questions about the organization, its long-term goals and strategy, or even specific products or processes that genuinely interest you. Asking lots of relevant questions can help take an interview to a golden place, from the formality of a stilted back-and-forth to a genuine conversation.
Further to that, work with the interviewer to develop an action plan for you in the role. Ask them what you, ideally, will have accomplished after 90 days, 3 years, or 5 years. This shows long-term interest.
Try to talk in terms of “we” and “I” instead of “the company” and “you.” This kind of aspirational speech implies that you already see yourself as aligned with the organization.
Simple and honest communication is key. Don’t be afraid to outright state your interest in the position in a professional way at the end of the interview. There’s nothing wrong with saying, “I just want to reiterate that I think this position aligns very well with my goals and values, and X Company seems like a great place to work.” Again, don’t assume that just because you showed up, the interviewer thinks you actually want the job.
Send a brief follow-up note thanking the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you. But don’t send an email or a call if the interviewer hasn’t provided you with that information – especially when you’re working with a recruiter – because that can seem like you’re invading their privacy.

Maybe after an interview, you’re not enthusiastic about the job because it doesn’t fit the working culture you’re looking for. Maybe it doesn’t have the growth opportunities you want. Maybe you don’t like the colour of the paint in the office.

But if you are interested in the job? Take pains to show it, or it could cost you the opportunity.

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Keep resume one page

Download our resume template here!

We all know it. The competition to snag a high-demand job is fierce and every little bit of resume power helps.

Or does it?

One thing we see a lot here at Scouted is young job seekers, either right out of college or with only a few years experience, applying to jobs with resumes over two pages in length. Even if said job-seeker went to an amazing school, had the best internships, and spent every minute of free time in relevant extracurricular activities, there’s no reason why a recent grad should need a resume over 2 pages. Here, we want to give you a couple reasons for why you’ll want to keep your resume single (paged, that is) and how to do it if you’re having trouble cramming it all in.

Quantity is not always quality

Even if you do have enough qualifications and experience to fill up the whole of two pages, there’s one question you should always ask yourself: Is this information relevant? You know what’s better than 6 years of random experience? 3 years relevant experience. While it might be tempting to list as much work experience as possible, the hiring manager at a tech startup probably isn’t going to be that impressed that you were a barista in college. Instead, try listing on the most recent and most applicable work experience you have. Remember: the more your resume reflects your ability to actually do the job, the better.

You might be shooting yourself in the foot

From those just recently out of college to toddlers in the workforce, be honest about the amount of work experience under your belt. While it might be tempting to try to add as many accomplishments and past work experience as possible in order to look more accomplished and worthy of the job, don’t feel like you have to. Recruiters and hiring managers are expecting young job-seekers to have a short list of relevant work experience. If you put too much effort into adding fluff to your resume, you may end up just looking more silly than experienced.

How to cut your resume length down:

Experiment with different types of resume formats

Thought there was only one way to write your resume? Think again. While many traditional resumes will list education and work experience in chronological order, these can often leave the hiring manager to put two and two together when determining your transferable skills from one job to the next. Instead, it might be a good idea to write a short summary of your work experience at the top of your resume and briefly explain how it transfers to the job you’re applying for. Then, like we talked about earlier, list only relevant work experience. Listing only applicable experience will leave you more room to talk about the skills you’ve acquired and how they apply to the job you’re seeking.

Format, format, format

Now it’s time to get creative. We suggest writing out all the information you’d like to include in your resume on a Word or Google doc. Then seek out some templates (or download ours below), or use a web application like Canva to format your resume in a creative but organized way that will fit all the information you’d like a hiring manager to know about you.

A great way to do this is to segment your resume into sections. At the top would be the best place to introduce yourself, list your career objectives, and relevant experience/summary. Then, in a side column, you could list your soft and technical skills and your references and their contact information. On the main part of the page underneath career objectives, list your work experience and education

The nice thing about using an application like Canva is that it allows you to reshape and format the size and parameters of your text without having to chop, edit, and cut until you’re down to the barest of bones when describing your work experience (see how we do it in the video below). It allows you to be creative (even for those who are not naturally) and share a little bit of your individuality when applying for a job. The key when formatting a resume is to not go overboard. If you choose a color to go with your resume, choose one and make it subtle. Some resume templates will have a place for a photo but we think it’s better to opt out of including a photo. If a hiring manager cares what you look like, they can do the extra work to stalk you on Facebook, otherwise, let your skills do the talking.

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How to rock phone interview

Phone interviews have become increasingly common simply because more jobs are receiving more and more applicants per listing. If you receive an invitation for a phone interview, you can pretty much expect it to be round one of a few rounds of interviews before the final candidate is chosen for the job. While you may have more competition at the round of a phone interview, we have a few tips that may help you stand out, even before your face-to-face with your prospective employer.

Smile

While it may sound silly and definitely won’t come naturally to some, remembering to smile, even on the phone, can make a difference in how you sound to your prospective employer. It’s true that the person on the other end of the line really can tell if the person they’re talking to is smiling or not. And while you should feel like you have to smile the entire conversation (try to keep it natural and authentic) you should do your best to put a positive energy in the conversation while conveying your own personality.

Stand

While you probably wouldn’t be standing in a face-to-face interview, this is where a phone interview can be to your advantage. In her Ted Talk, Amy Cuddy shares now a person’s body language (even if unable to be seen) can change the way we are perceived and even change our own body chemistry in how confident we feel. Take a few minutes before your interview to try some power poses and, hey, maybe even stick with them during the interview itself.

Grab all the documents you need

Your resume

It might be your first instinct to bring a copy of your resume to an in-person interview, but don’t forget to have one ready for a phone interview as well! Having your resume in front of you will help you to remember key talking points when it comes to explaining why your experience makes you a great fit for the role.

Any correspondence between you and the company

If you’ve had any email correspondence between you and someone at the company, it might be a good idea to have that open in a tab on your computer or printed out for you to reference. It might come in handy when it comes to remembering someone’s name or details on a topic you discussed earlier.

Be ready to take notes

Even during a phone interview when it might feel more natural to take notes by typing on a computer, we want to encourage you to grab a pen and paper instead. While you might be extremely interested in what your interviewer is saying, if they hear typing on your end of the line, it may give the wrong impression that you’re distracted or not fully present during your interview.

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Take it seriously

Even if you were told that your phone interview is simply a “preliminary” or “screening” interview, it should be taken just as seriously as any other interview. Confidence is great, but don’t go into your phone conversation feeling as though you can just wing it. Think of it this way: If your potential employer is calling you for a phone screening interview, there’re probably several others on his or her list to call, making the competition for the role greater at this stage in the game.

Practice your answers

This slightly overlaps with our previous tip to take your interview seriously. Remember, phone interviews are the time to try to “wing it.” If you like, feel free to even write down some notes or answers to common interview questions to have in front of you during your interview. Just be sure to not read your answers. If you feel like to need to look down and take a quick glance, go right ahead. If your interviewer can tell that you’re reading your answers off a sheet of paper, he or she might get the idea that you’re not too confident in yourself or the fact that you can do the job. Our advice? Sit down with a friend or family member and practice the interview questions that you think will come up during your phone conversation, especially the ones that may be more difficult to answer.

Also read: What’s Your Greatest Weakness and 4 Other Useless Job Interview Questions

Watch the filler words

No “um”s, “like”s, or “evidently”s about it. We get it. Like any other interview, phone interviews put you on the spot and you may get caught with a question you weren’t completely prepared for. If that’s the case, just take a deep breath, think about your answer for a second, and respond clearly and concisely. It might help to repeat the question you were just asked but as a statement.

Example:

Interviewer: “What do you enjoy doing for fun?”

You: *Thinking* “‘What do I enjoy doing for fun…’ Well, I always love a good round of mini golf.”

Just make sure you don’t do this for every question or your interviewer may start to think there’s an echo in the room.

On the flip side, while you want your answers to be clear and concise, you don’t want to sound like an encyclopedia. Remember, you’re talking to a human. And while it’s important to be professional during your interview, a good interview will feel more like a conversation between two people who care about a company. All that to say: watch the filler words, sound professional, but don’t overdo it.

Keep water nearby

Remember all those times you wish you had a glass of water during an interview? Well, your dreams have come true, now you can! Just try not to slurp too loud.

Research the company

This is an important step to take when interviewing anywhere, for any company. Employers want to see that you want to work for their company. Be ready to answer the question, “So why do you want to work here?” Beyond that, make sure you stay up to date on current news on the company or check into what efforts they’ve been making within the department you’d like to work. This article from Forbes says, “If you are not able to state the company’s key figures, strategy and markets, the interview might be over after only three minutes. One of the nice things about a phone interview is that you can have your “cheat sheet” in front of you.” And while it’s great to be able to have the company’s website open on your laptop while you interview, it’s also a great idea to research a company beforehand just so you’re able to reference specifics about the company off the cuff if you need to.

Be sure to listen!

Whether you’re a talker or you just really want to make sure your interviewer understands how great an employee you’d be, make sure to leave some room for listening. Better yet, take it a step further and practice some of your active listening skills. Every so often, stick a subtle “Mmhmm” or a “Right, exactly” into the conversation. Compliment that with a, “Right, so you’re saying that” and then repeat the interviewer’s thoughts back to them in a new way. Of course, if and when you use these phrases, always be sure to make it a genuine part of your active listening. This post also shares how asking questions is a great way to reinforce your interest and investment in a position you’re interviewing for and make sure that you and your interviewer are on the same page.

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The starting lineup ian robert head of growth scouted

Welcome to our first interview/post in a series we are calling The Starting Lineup: Stories and advice from early stage startup employees. In these interviews, we will be chatting with people who were some of the first hires at their startup. We wanted to go beyond interviewing startup founders and hear a different perspective from the people who helped build the foundation of some amazing companies. Hopefully you will be able to learn from some incredibly interesting people and read about what it’s like to work at an early stage startup! So be sure to subscribe to our blog to stay updated on all The Starting Lineup interviews we have coming up!

First up we are going in-house as we interview Ian Robert who was the second hire here at Scouted. He goes into detail about the struggles, triumphs, and lessons he has experienced as a recent college grad working at an early stage startup.

General Questions/Bio:

Name: Ian Robert

Company: Scouted

Founders: Jacqueline Loeb and Robin Levine

Role: Head of Growth/Marketing

Employee/Hire #: 2

How big is Scouted: 10 people

How long have you been at Scouted: Just under 2 years

What does Scouted do: Scouted is an algorithm based job matching platform that helps companies make better entry-level hiring decisions

In-Depth Questions:

Q: How did you find/hear about Scouted?

A: That’s a funny story, I first heard about Scouted in early 2015 when I was still in college. Back then it was known as Snap! (the name has changed thanks to you know who…) I received an email from Jax and Robin saying I should sign up for this cool job/internship platform called Snap! At the time I was still looking for a Summer internship so I said why the hell not I’ll give this seemingly sketchy company my info. I only say sketchy because you know classic MVP/startup they were using Google Forms to capture my information and job preferences. Well little did I know submitting my info on this random ass Google Form would change my life… That Summer I received 2 internship offers from startups thanks to Snap! I ended up interning for RedOwl Analytics in San Francisco (recently acquired by Raytheon) and had the time of my life.

Q: Why did you in that moment realize you wanted to work at Scouted/with the founders (Robin/Jax)?

A: After interning in San Francisco I returned to college for my senior year, I kept up with Jax and Robin as they helped me with my job search. Towards the end of the year I had a couple of offers in hand from some larger startups but nothing that really excited me. So I continued the dialogue with Jax and Robin as they helped me navigate the job search. This is really when I started to realize I wanted to work for Scouted/Jax and Robin. These two people were so dedicated to helping me find a job/career even at companies that were outside of the Scouted network that it really rubbed off on me. They were such genuine people who wanted only the best for candidates, they had created a product and service that was very high-touch and engaging with candidates. Which is something that has been lost in the job search process. Its funny to think that I had only corresponded with them via email and phone yet they were so engaged in helping me find a job. Anywho, as I talked with them more and more the conversation started to shift from where I wanted to work to working at Scouted, bada bing bada boom, next thing I knew I was working for a 5 person company…

Q: Why did you want to join an early stage startup?

A: I had interned at larger companies in the past, but after interning for a startup and living in San Francisco it was rather eye-opening. I lived and interacted with people who were working at a number of early-stage startups and it was truly inspiring to see how much they cared about their company, product, and vision. I wanted that same feeling, where I could work 60, 70, 80 hours and still feel inspired by the work I was doing because of its impact on a business/vision. This developed into me wanting to work somewhere where I felt as though my work was valued. Especially at an early stage startup the work you’re doing has incredible implications on the business. Also, watching Silicon Valley definitely had an impact…

Q: What were you hired to do and how has your role changed over time/as Scouted grew?

A: So I was hired as a Growth Associate, essentially my role was to manage candidate/user acquisition. Essentially I was to acquire as many users at the top of the funnel while ensuring that our cost of acquisition went down. Over time I sort of became a jack of all trades… I did a lot of operational stuff, did some sales, and worked a lot on our product. Today my role is still evolving, I am our Head of Growth. I manage our client and candidate acquisition at the top of the funnel, work on ensuring users are able to move the funnel in an efficient and effective manner, and I use analytics tools to find the most effective channels of acquisition. Excusing all the fancy language I essentially work on marketing, strategy, operations, data analysis, and product.

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Q: What was the hardest challenge you/Scouted faced when you first started?

A: At a personal level I would say, I knew more or less what I was getting myself into… One quote from Jax really resonated with me and really held true in my case. She said during my final interview before deciding to work at Scouted “the first month or so you’re not really going to know what you’re doing and that’s fine, but after that month it is going to be like someone shoved a firehose in your mouth.” That first couple of months I didn’t have a clue in the world as too what I was doing… Which frustrated me, it felt as though I wasn’t accomplishing anything. Finally, once I had my feet on the ground, that is when the firehose started, it felt as though I was doing a million different things at once. The combination of feeling absolutely helpless then feeling as though I didn’t have enough hours in a day was mind-boggling. It took time to adapt, but it was an incredibly valuable learning experience. It not only humbled me, but it helped me learn how to “learn”, prioritize, and ask for help. Learning those things early on in my time at Scouted have only paid off in the long run.

Q: What is the biggest change that you have seen/experienced while at Scouted?

A: Definitely not the coolest thing in the world, but I would have to say operation workflows. Now, what do I mean by that? Essentially it’s things like knowing how to handle a situation when a candidate asks a question, or who should we tell when we find a problem on the platform. It’s one of those things when you’re at an early stage startup where you’re not only doing a million things, but you also have to track those million things… There is no playbook, more times than not you’re doing something for the first time in company history or you’re the only one who knows how to do it. As time goes on tracking all those things started to pay off, it became easier for people to pick up and understand how things work or know who to ask. We are by no means perfect yet with a 100-page company handbook, but I have noticed a considerable difference in the 2 or so years I have been here.

Q: Has there been a defining moment(s) in your time at Scouted that you really remember?

A: Data. I know super nerdy and vague. But when we finally had a better grasp of the massive quantity of data we have stored it changed the way decisions were made. Myself and our tech team spent month’s implementing new metrics dashboards and Mixpanel (Amazing tool for any marketer/founder) Finally in October of 2017 we had a way to essentially access any interaction or piece of data. This to me was an incredible moment, it not only changed the way we were making marketing decisions, but the product and business decisions as well. Going forward we are now a more data-driven team that is able to understand what is happening within our business, users, and platform. Our decision making has not only improved but expedited and become more concrete than ever before. It wasn’t just a business change but a culture change where people are able to back up their ideas with data and create new ones with it too.

Q: What are you most excited about in the coming future for Scouted?

A: We have a number of amazing projects and initiatives at different levels of the business that are super exciting. As much as I would like to tell you, they are tip top secret. Other than that I think it’s about growing, adding more people and expanding our horizons. Every person we hire has the opportunity to create diversity and offer fresh ideas/takes on things which is super exciting.

Q: What is the one piece of advice you wish you could have told yourself before joining Scouted?

Nothing. Past Ian needed to go through the struggles and pains to end up on the other side. This isn’t supposed to be easy, there isn’t a cheatsheet or guidebook to startups. It is all about experiencing and adapting. Those first couple of months working here and being completely lost and then completely slammed was the best crash course I could have had. That being said I would have told him to read/learn even more than he did, because reading is helpful, duh.

Q: What have you learned from your founders (Jax and Robin)?

A: Since this was my first real-world job after college, finding the right set of founders to learn and grow from was high on my checklist. Jax and Robin have been incredibly influential in my growth not only in my career but in my personal life as well. With that being said I think two of the biggest things I have learned is the difference between a “doer” and an “owner” and how to explain my opinions using evidence/data. Now I am by no means an expert in either of these subjects, they are still certainly works in progress, but in comparison to where I was when I first started…

Learning the distinction between being a doer and an owner is definitely something I hadn’t really thought of. The idea that a doer can be an owner but an owner doesn’t necessarily need to be a doer was a foreign concept to me. As in someone can be running marketing side of the business and is the owner, but in order to expand and improve on that side of the business, one needs to become more of an owner where they can delegate some of the work to others. This distinction has been quite the learning experience, I have always wanted to do everything myself, but over time I realized / Jax and Robin told me that wasn’t possible. So it was about learning how to find leverage to ensure that what I was owning was still running but I wasn’t necessarily “doing” the actual task.

Being able to explain your work, everyone learns this in 4th-grade math that you can’t just put down an answer to a math problem without showing the work. Even though this is a novel concept that many, including myself, often challenged their teachers as to why do I need to show my work even though I got the right answer! When I first started at Scouted I reflected on this argument and still came to the same conclusion as 4th grade Ian, why do I need to explain this data point or this outcome? Even if it is a positive one! Jax and Robin did a great job of teaching me that in order for those positive outcomes to have real value I needed to understand how that outcome came to fruition. Looking at a positive or negative outcome and understanding how it came about has helped me replicate (or fix…) those outcomes to ensure that we can continue to grow and succeed.

Q: What is the funniest or weirdest story that you have from working at Scouted?

A: While working at a startup certainly brings out some great moments, there is one story that is still being written as we speak. About a year and a half ago, I was chatting with the team and someone said: “Ian, your hair is getting pretty long, do you plan on getting a haircut” and for some reason in that moment I decided I wasn’t going to cut my hair. And in fact, I wasn’t going to cut my hair for a long time. I proclaimed to my co-workers “Nope! I’m not going to cut my hair until we sell, IPO, go under, or I get fired!” Now many of them thought this was a joke, and so did I… That was until I really thought about the statement and realized, you know what, maybe I should stick with this challenge. Similar to the notion of believing in a product or vision, I was putting my hair and my ability to go on dates, on the line. So months went by without a haircut, then years (well a year…) after many hair ties and countless hair care products I am proud to say that it has been about 1 year and 5 months since my last haircut. Hopefully (or not…) it will be many more years until I need to cut my hair.

Q: What advice do you have for employees at an early stage startup and/or people who want to join an early stage startup?

A: I don’t know how qualified I am to give advice to young and impressionable minds. But what I can say is always be learning and be WILLING to learn. The access to education and skills has expanded greatly in recent years. You can learn just about anything on the internet or through books, ranging from how to code to social media marketing. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to learn these skills, if you are eager and open minded you can learn anything. With that in mind, joining an early stage startup is all about learning on your feet. If you can learn fast and be open to learning more in the future then you will succeed.

We hope you enjoyed our first installment of The Starting Lineup: Stories and advice from early stage startup employees. Be sure to subscribe to our blog to stay updated on this series and other job search advice! If you have any people or companies you think we should interview be sure to let us know in the comments or shoot us an email!

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Build resume college

They say college is the best 4 (or 5 or 6) years of your life. Sure, have a blast! But don’t leave college not knowing what to put on your resume. If you’re worried about having a ghost town of a resume (except for the education section) after graduating college, we might have a few tips that will help you build up your resume, even while your occupation status still reads “Student.”

Stay active

The biggest key that any and every college student needs to remember is to stay active. Sure, you might look forward to Thirsty Thursdays, but don’t let that be the only extracurricular activity you join in this week.

Travel

Whether it’s taking a semester to study abroad or embarking on an international trip during the summer, traveling requires you to use (and learn) a lot of skills that you wouldn’t normally have to in everyday life. Travel experiences can be great for leaning transferable soft skills that a company may value when assessing a culture fit. Matador Network mentions that many of the soft skills a student may learn while traveling are great to use in a cover letter as they could help you stand out as a candidate. According to Goabroad.com, “Some of these may include phrases such as ‘problem solving,’ ‘money management,’ ‘language skills, or even ‘cross-cultural communication,’ if you successfully overcame a language barrier. Many study abroad programs have students actively participating in projects like teaching and volunteering which are also excellent experiences to include in your resume. Speaking of volunteering…

Volunteer

While it might seem like a better use of your time to take extra courses or find an internship, many are beginning to realize just how important volunteering could be to landing their dream job. In fact, LinkedIn found that “41 percent of employers said they considered volunteer work as important as paid work, and that 20 percent said they had made a hiring decision based on volunteer work.” Not only that, but the volunteer work you perform doesn’t necessarily have to directly correlate to the job you hope to have one day. This is due to the fact that employers see volunteer work as a whole to be character-building as well as a great way to learn a number of job-related skills.

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Lead groups

Time to take charge! If there’s a club you’re already involved in on campus, or a club you wish your campus had, now might be the time to step into a leadership role. If your club already has a leader who likes what they do, we recommend not trying to take their job, but try asking if there’s any way you can help or take on responsibility in a leadership capacity. If there are clubs or other activities you’ve heard of at other schools that you wish your school had, think about talking with a dean or professor about introducing those to your own school and building interest among the students.

Join extracurriculars

Speaking of extracurriculars, don’t feel like you have to be the president of the Model UN in order to be able to put in on your resume. Many campus clubs are great not only for meeting other students who are pursuing similar careers, but also networking with alumni and potential employers. If a future employer sees that you’ve made the effort to pursue career-like activities outside the workplace, they’ll be able to see and understand just how passionate you are about in X field. Additionally, according to HerCampus, many professional associations have campus chapters that your professors may be able to tell you more about. Joining these can help you learn more about what a career in your desired field realistically looks like and can also help you to network with others who already have established careers.

Complete passion projects

What is a passions project?

So many things! A passion project could be starting a new club at your school, teaching yourself a new technical skill, managing a volunteer project from start to finish, blogging, becoming an advocate for a cause, etc. A passion project is something that you initiate yourself, learn new skills for, and follow through with until an end goal is met. It tells an employer that there are things that you care about besides receiving a paycheck twice a month and can also be a great way to show dedication, determination, and perseverance.

Freelance

It might seem like a scary thing to try to get into, but freelancing can actually be a fast track to getting some great job experience and also has a wide range of potential depending on the type of work you perform and your quality of service. If you’re not sure where to get started, try making a list of the things you’re pretty good at or do fairly often. Then, check out websites like Upwork or Fiverr for potential work you could be doing as a freelancer. If you see a job listing and think, “Hey, I could do that!” Then do it! Take on only a few initial clients on these websites and then see if you can move on to more “quality” clients later on through referrals or your own blog/website (seeing as these websites are often used by clients seeking entry-level help that will charge a lower rate). Read our post: “How to Use a Side Hustle to Get the Experience You Need for Your Dream Job”

Study a second language

You don’t have to study abroad to learn coveted cross-cultural skills. Besides the fact that many degree programs require students to complete at least two semesters of a foreign language anyway, learning a foreign language can do a lot to give you the edge when entering the workforce. Almost any and every employer will see the value in having someone on their team who can speak and understand a second or foreign language. Besides this, “being able to speak a second or third language transcends spoken dialogue. The skill enables you to relate to different cultural groups in a more personal manner. Speaking to someone in his or her own language helps break down barriers and allows everyone to feel more comfortable and confident” according to James Doherty of WinterWyman. Not only will learning a second or foreign language help you to stand out from other candidates, but you’ll also be seen as a desired commodity for global companies as well, giving you a wide range of options when it comes to future employers.

If you work, do it right

We heard that over 70% of college students take time out of their schedules to work either part or full-time jobs. And while working during college is nothing new (and probably isn’t going away any time soon) there is a better and a worse way to do it. Our best advice to college students working simultaneously while taking classes is to find a job you consider to be a “stepping stone” or at least something that will have transferable skills to a career you’d actually like to have in the future. Try your best not to waste your time in the food industry if you’d like to one day have a job in media relations.

Build relationships with your professors

There are many reasons why it would be a good idea to build professional relationships with your college professors. Besides the fact that college professors are real people and typically want to see their students succeed in their class, relationships with them can also come in handy later. Networking and building up your LinkedIn connections shouldn’t wait until graduation. If you do well in a course and have a good relationship with your professor, why not ask for a brief letter of recommendation that you can save for a future resume or ask them to endorse you on LinkedIn? It’s one thing to try to convince a hiring manager that you take initiative and communicate well in a group, it’s another thing if an academic professor can do it for you. Professors can also lend some insight into a realistic career path to take once graduating college which could save you some wasted time in the long run.

Key takeaway:

Overall, when looking to build up your resume in college, make sure what you choose to do tells a story that ultimately makes sense with what you want to do after graduating college. If you’re able to relate the progression of your collegiate activities to your career aspirations, your employer might just be able to see it too.

Do anything in college that was great for your resume? Share it in the comments below and share the post with someone who’s currently taking Intro to Psychology.

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