Seth Godin says I’m a genius. I’m not sure yet whether I agree with him just yet.
If a genius is someone with exceptional abilities and the insight to find the not so obvious solution to a problem, you don’t need to win a Nobel Prise to be one. A genius looks at something that others are stuck on and gets the world unstuck.
So the question is: Have you ever done that?
Yeah, I guess I have. At least I think so. Come Recommended was hatched out of a problem — two of them, actually. Employers often get tripped up during their own hiring processes by putting the important part — the candidate’s reputation — last. And candidates, particularly in today’s economy, don’t consider their potential employers’ reputations at all. The result? Everyone’s unhappy.
My solution: An exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers. How are the “best” determined? Both candidates and employers must receive at least three recommendations prior to accessing the community. And these are not LinkedIn recommendations — references must answer specific questions about the candidate/employer depending on their relationship with the requester.
No one is a genius all the time. Einstein had trouble finding his house when he walked home from work every day. But all of us are geniuses sometimes.
Maybe Seth is right. Perhaps I am a genius — certainly not all the time, but on occasion. I think my stroke of genius might have even struck a second time.
Linchpins are the essential building blocks of tomorrow’s high-value organizations. They don’t bring capital or expensive machinery, nor do they blindly follow instructions or merely contribute labor. Linchpins are indispensable, the driving force of our future.
Seth tells the story of a linchpin, Jason Zimdars. It took Jason a year to get a graphic designer job at 37signals. And they didn’t eventually hire him because of his résumé. Instead, he talked to them about their needs and how he could fill them. What’s more, he showed 37signals he’s more than just talk.
You are not your résumé. You are your work.
That brings me back to my second stroke of genius: GoodieRecruit. GoodieRecruit is a “next-generation recruiting service for the next generation” and is part of the Come Recommended family. The problem: We still use résumés to evaluate candidates, and this method proves ineffective over and over again. Organizations are missing out on linchpins because they are afraid of change.
Piloting in Washington, D.C., GoodieRecruit takes three parties — entry-level candidates, employers and nonprofits — and brings them together in a way I truly believe will be the recruiting method of the future. Here’s how I explain the process over on the GoodieRecruit blog:
- Employers: If you’d like to fill one or more entry-level positions (less than three years experience) in public relations, communications, public affairs, public policy, government affairs, marketing, graphic design, development, fundraising, sales or customer service, we will arrange for candidates (both within our Come Recommended network and outside of it) to come together for a half- or full-day “experience” and prove they have what it takes to receive an offer from your organization.
- Candidates: You are either a member of the Come Recommended network or another individual we’ve invited to participate in one of our half- or full-day “experiences.” You can expect to provide a cover letter and résumé before the event, be given a specific assignment or project to complete during the event on which you will be carefully evaluated, and record a 60-second “elevator pitch” for the prospective employer about why you are the right fit for the position after the event.
- Nonprofits: We know nonprofits can always use more volunteers, which is why we’ve chosen to partner with you to host our half- and full-day “experiences.” But don’t worry, we make all the arrangements! There is absolutely no cost to you — only benefit from the work performed by our candidates.
You’ll notice there’s still a résumé involved in the process, but that’s only because it will take come time to completely wean employers from requiring one.
I’m only a third of the way through Linchpin, so I’m bound to write at least one other post about the pearls of wisdom I uncover in its pages. But, for those struggling to find their place in the working world, let me leave you with this:
If you want a job where it’s okay to follow the rules, don’t be surprised if you get a job where following the rules is all you get to do.
If you want a job where the people who work for you do exactly what they’re told, don’t be surprised if your boss expects precisely the same thing from you.
If you want a job where you don’t need to be creative because the company’s cost structure is so aggressive that customers just materialize, don’t be surprised if the low cost structure costs you your job.
If you want a job where you get to do more than follow instructions, don’t be surprised if you get asked to do things they never taught you in school.
If you want a job where you take intellectual risks all day long, don’t be surprised if your insights get you promoted.
Please share your stories about being a genius and/or linchpin in the comments below.
